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This might be a silly question but how do I reduce the alcohol content in my home brew cider.

I have done two tests and they are coming out about 8% for the cider. I would like to bring it down to about 4-5%

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Nothing really fancy, here: dilute it with water.

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  • Thank you. Would you know roughly how much? Or is it a case of keep doing it until at ideal %? – Dan Lonslow Sep 30 '15 at 18:15
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    It's straight linear. If you're at 8% and want 4%, then use as much water as you have cider already. – jsled Sep 30 '15 at 19:06
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    To test a dilution: Take a small cup, fill it half with cider and half with water; taste. If you like the taste, then you have a winner. Play with the ratio until you end up with the product you like, then apply that ratio to the rest of the cider. If you have a sparkling cider, then use soda water. – Atron Seige Oct 1 '15 at 14:03
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You may use apple juice to dilute it as well, if you like to keep more flavor than if you use water...

If my maths are good, if you add as much liquid as you already have, it should cut the alcohol percentage from 8% to 4%.

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    Make sure the yeast is dead in this case, otherwise some sugar might ferment again. – Philippe Sep 30 '15 at 18:23
  • Do I consider the amount of water or include the concentrate as well because it is a home brew kit? – Dan Lonslow Sep 30 '15 at 18:29
  • You should consider the total liquid quantity (water and concentrate). A graduated container would make it easier to find your answer if you have one. – Philippe Sep 30 '15 at 18:36
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    Don't forget, the juice you add should be pasteurized and your cider as well (or any other means to kill the yeast). You do not want any fermentation to occur at this point (unless you find some sugar free juice). – Philippe Sep 30 '15 at 18:43
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    There is no such thing as "sugar free juice". There is "no sugar added" juice, but juice is itself sugar. You probably want to look into using sorbate and metabisulfate to arrest any chance of future fermentation. Using 100% juice will dilute the alcohol, but might make the end result too sweet; 25%/50% juice + 75%/50% water might lead to a better result. – jsled Sep 30 '15 at 19:37
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If your recipe includes adding any sugars then you can just leave those out or reduce the amounts as well.

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