Fermentation stopped after 8 days!!

Hi everyone,

I am new to fermenting my own cider and am very excited. I have just attempted to make my first batch. My process was using 5 gal of store bought cider with no preservatives, adding 2 lb of buckwheat honey and one lb of light brown sugar, I then put all 5 gal in to the glass carboy added 1 packet of dry champange yeast and affixed a stopper and air lock. Everything was sanitized.

The first night the yeast was showing no action but by the next morning it was bubbling away!!

My problem is that the yeast seems to have stopped fermenting. Does this mean the cider is done? it has only been 8 days. I have heard that cider is generally good to go after three weeks. Why has mine stopped? should i toss the batch? should i taste it?

Thanks for helping out a new brewer!!! All help is appreciated!!!

-Blank

Additional info:

Not much sediment has formed
cider in NOT clear, very murky and brown--not golden
it looks like there is yeast build up on the carboy

if you have a hydrometer, take a gravity reading and post it. otherwise just taste it and see if it's still sweet. it will taste yeasty, and probably a lot like moonshine. if it tastes like juice it needs more time and maybe some more yeast. definitely don't dump it yet.

OMG 2012 has struck early! Jesus has come back and my yeasties have been taken in the rapture!! Just chill. My last cider took 8 days and it turned out fine (still aging though).

hydrometer says 1,000 (1.000?), which is in between 990 and 10, on the scale on what i can read. I am not sure what these numbers mean as i have never used a hydrometer until this moment. I used it in about a 73 degree f room in my basement, in a graduated vessel so that it does not touch the sides.

the cider give off a smell of alcohol, and a taste as well. it is rather dry tasting and does still have bubbles in it. It is also quite tart, it is no longer sweet as the original product was and has a slight taste of apples, it almost tastes like a cheap champange. and it does not taste yeasty which is unexpected because it is not clear.

Any suggestions on what my next course of action should be??

Thanks for the replies and the help everyone, you are all a great help to a new brewer!!

My next course of action would be to rack it off into a secondary and allow it to sit while it ages. The flavor will improve over time and it will lose a lot of that "harsh alcohol" burn. The clarity should also improve. Just a side note (because you mentioned being a new brewer), most people call a cider with honey in it a Cyser. I thought this might help you out in the future when looking up recipes or searching through forums.

As far as hydrometers go, you would normally take an initial reading before it starts fermenting: 1.064

Then when you think your fermentation process is complete you will take one each day, for three days: 1.010 1.008 1.006 (it is still fermenting)

OR: 0.998 0.998 0.998 (it now looks complete)

You would then calculate how much the gravity decreased: 1.064-0.998 = 0.066
and multiply it by 131.25: 0.066*131.25 = 8.66% ABV

So I guess this is my first batch of cyser and cider will be next ahah.

Should I rack it in to a white bucket? or should I rack it in to the bucket then siphon it back in to the carboy??

thanks for the info on how to properly use the hydrometer, do I always multiply by 131.23? is that a standard, or specific to cider?

Thanks a ton! You guys are so helpful!

If you already have it in the carboy and don't have another, I would just leave it there. You could rack it to a bucket but they don't seal as well as the glass carboys. Many people don't use a secondary for cider. Also, 131.23 is a standard number used for beer also.

I would wait another two weeks, rack it to the sanatized bucket, clean and sanitize the carboy, and rack it back and top off any head space and let it sit for another month or so to clear and age.
If your looking at making a lot of ciders to fill up the pipeline, I would keep an eye out for more carboys at a good price. It is really kind of hard to have too many carboys.

It is still quite murky, it would be nice to let it settle and become clearer. I agree, and believe that more carboys are necessary, having only one is already a problem ahaha. it would be quite nice to pick up a few more, after looking around it seems that they are not terribly expensive either. I saw some plastic ones that were rather inexpensive, but i think it would be better to stick to glass. What do you all use? i feel as though most of you use glass, it just seems better.