Getting ready to make some pear wine this weekend and was thinking about splitting the batch, leaving half dry and the other semi-sweet to sweet.
I’m contemplating on using honey to back sweeten and also to give it some nice honey flavors.
I’ve never actually used honey in this way and am curious how it turns out. Whether it adds a few subtle notes, or takes over a bit and overpowers the rest of the wine. This would be my worry as pear is not always the most dominating flavor. But I can see honey and pear working together.
[quote=“Brew Meister Smith”]I’ve never actually used honey in this way and am curious how it turns out. Whether it adds a few subtle notes, or takes over a bit and overpowers the rest of the wine. This would be my worry as pear is not always the most dominating flavor. But I can see honey and pear working together.
Keep us posted if you do end up going this route.[/quote]
The amount needed for backsweetening isn’t going to over power. Even with delicate flavors like pear.
I think it’ll turn out very nicely.
Based on my own experience adding honey post-ferment to home made beers, meads, and liqueurs (after adding potassium sorbate in the case of the beers and meads), the beverage will likely cloud up slightly. No harm of course if some haze doesn’t bother you, but if you want a clear bright finished product, you’ll need to allow some time for some settling out of the cloudy stuff.
The honey flavor, aroma, and character will still be there afterwards.
How long should I wait after adding PS to my Cyser before I add a sweetening agent?
I have 10 gal in 2 kegs. I am sitting on one without doing anything to it, but the wife and parents will want something sweeter and sparkling for the holidays, so I need to back-sweeten one keg. I have cold crashed it, and drawn off the “lees”, but not carbed it yet.
I plan on addding just one can of frozen juice concentrate. The Cyser is tasting great right now, though young as I only just made it this past October.