Originally Posted by
superslomo
I've homebrewed my share of cider, I just happen to stick with non-fortified, straight cider, "sweet mead" yeast from wyeast, fermented down to about 5% alcohol, super dry (a little sweeter than the dry mead yeast would make it) and no backsweetening, I bottle conditioned them to ferment. I don't like the sweetness in it, personally... there are ever more small-batch ciders now that are simple, dry and clean as well... the non-fermentable sugars, and backsweetened stuff is a different matter, you are definitely right...
I'm teetotalling for the time being myself, so I have a bunch of homebrewing ingredients sitting around waiting to be turned into lots of beer and I have no use for them for the time being... homebrewing when you don't drink is an odd activity
Old world style! I brew that way too, but you maintain your 5% with the referment? I've never had a cider come out that low, even when I use just the natural skin yeasts and not supplemented with brown sugar and yes it sounds quite odd not drinking but being a brewer... I specifically brew because that's about the only way to get the exact flavor to the drinks I want. I suspect I'd love to pick your brain about your own experiences with cider as well judging by what little you've mentioned about your own brewing process.