Acidity in Finished Cider
The most common fault in an amateur’s cider is acidity. This is because most apples contain more acid than is needed for pleasant cider. Diluting the juice to lessen the acidity before fermentation usually results in a poorly-flavored cider. Balancing the acidity using acidemetric apparatus, is almost certainly beyond the scope of beginners because not only is expensive apparatus needed, but also some laboratory experience.
However, if a cider turns out too acid, some of the acid may be removed quite simply by anyone. The only risk is that of removing too much. Even this can be rectified, but this involves adding more acid. Better to proceed with caution and to get the lessacid cider you are after at first or second attempt. Now let us suppose a cider is only a little too acid. Removing a little acid is quite simple. Take a quart of the cider (a quart of each gallon); take a little of this quart and dissolve in this by stirring about a quarter ounce of precipitated chalk – from any chemist for a few coppers. When dissolved, stir this into the quart. Leave until the sample is clear again and then siphon the clear cider off the chalk deposit. Having done this, return the treated cider to the bulk. The acid will have been removed from the quart by the chalk, and this completely acid-free cider going into the bulk should be enough to reduce the acidity of the rest of it. If it is found that not enough acid has been removed, repeat the process, but with less chalk this time. If by accident, too much acid is removed so that you have a flat almost insipid cider, the remedy is to add either citric acid from a chemist or lemon juice.