This technique restores sweetness and balances acidity in products like cider, wine, or mead that have fermented completely dry. Because the added sugars provide a new food source for any remaining yeast, the liquid must be stabilized with chemicals like potassium sorbate, pasteurized, or sterile-filtered to prevent refermentation in the package.
Heard on the job
We're going to back-sweeten the cider with fresh apple juice right before we run it through the pasteurizer.
Insider tip
Never back-sweeten a batch without stabilizing it first, or you risk creating bottle bombs as residual yeast ferments the new sugar and builds up excessive carbonation.
Also heard as
- backsweeten