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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> only 1.5 cups sugar as I don't 
> want it to be too alcoholic, but I think the sweet will balance the tart 
> of the berries..
> 

Bev,  If you are going to time the cider and drink it at a certain stage of 
fermentation, your plan is good.  If you are going to store it, realize that 
the yeast will go on fermenting the cider until the alcohol suppresses them 
or 
else they eat all the sugars.

Commercial cider has been pasturized, the the CO2 added back to the mixture 
(as it was driven off during pasturization) and the alcohol added back.  The 
result is a bottled cider that is sweet, of a fixed alcohol content, and 
won't 
"work" any further.

If you bottle cider before the yeast is finished or the surgar is spent, the 
bottles will explode.  With beer making we contol this by allowing the yeast 
to convert all the available sugars to alcohol, then adding just enough more 
'wort' to carbonate the beer.  Once the yeast has worked on those sugars, it 
has 
raised the alcohol content another half a percent and carbonated the lot.  
But we don't expect beer to be sweet, so having all the sugars converted is 
fine,

With cider, unless it is pasturized, you must have only as much sugars in it 
as you want alcohol unless you allow the cider to get to 12%-15% alcohol in 
which case you have a sort of apple wine.

Else, you must time the cider and drink it within a certain period of time 
much as is done with root beer, ginger beer, and birch beer all of which are 
sweet.

Here's a trick that works well:  to get 2.5% to 3% alcohol and a good 
carbonation, use 2ltr soda jugs (or smaller, I suppose).  Put your cider 
(having 
added yeast or depending on the natural yeast) in the jug and squeeze the 
sides a 
bit so that plastic is lax and dented.  Let it stand at room temp over night 
or a little longer and then refirigerate it.  When the jug has expanded until 
it is rigid, it is ready.  You have two or maybe three weeks during which you 
can enjoy the cider.  After that, it is in danger of exploding.   </HTML>