Malic Acid - 2 oz

Crisp Green-Apple Tartness • Adjusts Acid Balance • The Cider Maker's Acid Malic acid is the acid that gives apples their bite, which makes it the natural choice for adjusting a cider that tastes flat or a fruit wine that finished flabby. Where citric acid reads as citrus and tartaric reads as grape, malic brings a clean, green-apple sharpness that tastes like it belongs in the fruit rather than like something that was added. It is used to correct acid balance in a must before fermentation or to sharpen a finished cider or wine that lacks structure. A small amount goes a long way, and because it is a naturally occurring acid in most fruit, the result tastes like a brighter version of the same drink rather than an adjusted one. What It Does Adds crisp, green-apple tartness Corrects a flat or flabby fruit ferment Lowers pH for microbial stability Sharpens the finish and improves drinkability Balances residual sweetness in a back-sweetened cider It is particularly useful with low-acid fruit, where the finished ferment tastes dull no matter how well fermentation went, and with dessert apples that lack the acid of a proper cider variety. Usage RecommendationsAdd roughly 1 teaspoon per gallon to raise acidity noticeably, adjusting to taste rather than to a fixed number. Dissolve it in a small amount of the batch and stir in gently, then taste after it has had a few hours to integrate. Always add in small increments. Acid is easy to add and very difficult to remove, so work up to the level you want across several additions rather than dosing the full amount at once. Specifications Type: Malic acid, powdered Net Weight: 2 oz Dosage: About 1 tsp per gallon, to taste Character: Green apple, crisp and clean Best For: Cider, fruit wine, mead, back-sweetened ferments Whether you're sharpening a cider pressed from dessert apples, correcting a low-acid fruit wine, or balancing sweetness in a finished mead, malic acid provides the crisp fruit tartness that makes the whole drink taste more alive.