Cider stopped fermenting after a week?

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dash14251

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so im making a simple cider from apple juice as my first batch of anything. i put 5 gallons of apple juice into my bucket with yeast and put the top and airlock on. i poured half the juice in the bucket then mixed yeast with half gallon of juice then poured into bucket with rest of juice making it splash a little to maybe help oxygenate it. this was march 31 and as of april 6 the airlock has not moved and not one bubble has come out since then.

i guess my question is, is this normal? should i keep it where it is? its been a constant 65 degrees and not moved (except once: the second day i took the lid off to measure the hydrometer reading then put the lid back on) i hope that didnt mess it up.

anyway, any help is greatly appreciated!!!!
 
How do you know fermentation is not taking place??? Are you going by airlock activity, or did you take a gravity reading...if you are soley going by airlock then you may have fermentation going and not even know it..an airlock is a vent, to release excess co2, not an accurate, calibrated instrument.

Read this, and let us know what your hydrometer is saying...

Revvy's Blog-Think Evaluation Before Action

There are a lot of reasons aren't bubbling..there is more than likely a yeast party going on, and you don't even know it.
 
except once: the second day i took the lid off to measure the hydrometer reading then put the lid back on

This is why the airlock is bubbling (and why arilocks mean nothing) when you opened it you voided all the excess co2 put of there....there's simply not enough to make it bubble...co2 is heavier than air...it really only causes airlocks to bubble when there is more than the fermenter can handle..otherwise we'd be painting our ceilings....the airlock should only be considered a "pressure release" valve...

Everthing's fine....
 
How do you know fermentation is not taking place??? Are you going by airlock activity, or did you take a gravity reading...if you are soley going by airlock then you may have fermentation going and not even know it..an airlock is a vent, to release excess co2, not an accurate, calibrated instrument.

Read this, and let us know what your hydrometer is saying...

Revvy's Blog-Think Evaluation Before Action

There are a lot of reasons aren't bubbling..there is more than likely a yeast party going on, and you don't even know it.


um, i didnt say fermentation is not taking place. i said i have not seen a single bubble in the airlock for the last 2 days and today is day 9. i was just wondering if this is normal, thats all. i know what an airlock is.

-with cider is it ok to open the lid during fermentation to check the gravity?

-when the time comes to rack, should i not move the bucket from where it is so i dont disturb the **** on top and bottom or is that a big deal?
 
Fermentation slows down significantly within the first 2-10 days. It slows down so much that, while it may just be chugging away, you might not see a single bubble.

Open away, but do it sparingly. You don't want to do it too often to risk losing your sweet blanket of co2 goodness protecting your brew from oxidation.

It's ok to move it if you need to get it somewhere better for racking. But if you do move it, move it a while before you rack. Give it at least several hours (my opinion if not the day before) to let everything resettle to the bottom. You will absolutely shake it up a bit by moving it, so give the lees the chance to recompact before racking.
 
This is why the airlock is bubbling (and why arilocks mean nothing) when you opened it you voided all the excess co2 put of there....there's simply not enough to make it bubble...co2 is heavier than air...it really only causes airlocks to bubble when there is more than the fermenter can handle..otherwise we'd be painting our ceilings....the airlock should only be considered a "pressure release" valve...

Everthing's fine....


well when i first took the lid off it was before days 3-5 when the airlock bubbled every 2 seconds.
 
well when i first took the lid off it was before days 3-5 when the airlock bubbled every 2 seconds.

again...you are quibbling..what I am saying is everything is fine...airlock bubbling means nothing...2 seconds, 5 minutes, day 3, day 6, whatever, you will be much happier if you don't concern yourself with counting bubbles...

did you read my blogs? Half of my beers have never had any airlock activity...

Your hydrometer is more important that your airlock....

relax
 
well when i first took the lid off it was before days 3-5 when the airlock bubbled every 2 seconds.

You can check the SG whenever you want, but when I make wines or ciders, I usually leave them in the primary until fermentation slows down, then I rack to the secondary. I don't use an airlock during primary, but when I rack to the carboy, I top up and use an airlock. I like to do that at about 1.020-1.010, so that some fermentation is still taking place. The co2 being produced helps to protect the cider or wine from oxidizing from the exposure to the air during racking. This usually takes 4-7 days. Sometimes I miss it, though, and rack when fermentation is done, especially if it happens fast! It works either way, so you can just rack when you want to.
 
oh another question. lets say i go ahead and bottle at 14 days and let age more in the bottle rather than before racking. as long as the gravity is right and it is clear enough would this be okay?

reason i ask is i may be away from home for a few weeks at a time and racking time may end up being a lot later than the recipe's 4 weeks, but i guess it would be fine to let it stay in the fermenter longer huh?
 
oh another question. lets say i go ahead and bottle at 14 days and let age more in the bottle rather than before racking. as long as the gravity is right and it is clear enough would this be okay?

reason i ask is i may be away from home for a few weeks at a time and racking time may end up being a lot later than the recipe's 4 weeks, but i guess it would be fine to let it stay in the fermenter longer huh?

If you rack it into a carboy, you could easily leave it for months without any worries at all (well, try to remember to put water in the airlock every once in a while!). Bottling too early will mean more sediment in the bottles, and maybe even some bottle bombs if it's not completely finished fermenting.
 
I wouldn't bottle at 4 weeks and wouldn't trust a recipe that said to. Stick to the hydrometer. I know you said if the gravity is right, but so many people get into this hobby and start off with this ideas like I'm going to rack at day X and bottle on day Y. You shouldn't schedule your brewing around time, but around your brewing.

Listen to Yooper, rack it into a carboy and let it age and clear there, even if its just for the few weeks you will be away from home.
 
You can check the SG whenever you want, but when I make wines or ciders, I usually leave them in the primary until fermentation slows down, then I rack to the secondary. ... I like to do that at about 1.020-1.010, so that some fermentation is still taking place. ... It works either way, so you can just rack when you want to.

Along the same lines as OP, somewhat new to this. I started 3 "test" batches approx. 7 days ago using champagne yeast. Visually it appears as if most the flocculation has occurred and the cider has mostly cleared. I tested the SG and it was around 1.010 which leads me to believe it may be time to rack to a secondary (carboy). It just seems like this is happening fast, faster than many indicate on this forum. Now I know Tusch said:

Stick to the hydrometer. I know you said if the gravity is right, but so many people get into this hobby and start off with this ideas like I'm going to rack at day X and bottle on day Y. You shouldn't schedule your brewing around time, but around your brewing.

and that seems like great advice. This forum has been invaluable for knowledge! I think I am going to rack to my secondary, do a small taste test and hope for the best.
 
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