Is fermentation complete? When is F.G. measured?

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D_Nyholm

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I'm making my first cider am curious if my fermentation is complete and when the F.G. was measured. I am currently at 1.012 with just the juice and corn sugar in the primary and the airlck is getting pretty slow. It has also been around 2 weeks. I am not sure if the recipe measured to the 1.010 before the addition of the apple juice concentrate and syrup or if the gravity was measure after. I am assuming that it was before because 1.010 should be a relatively dry cider and this one sure sounds like it is on the sweet side with what is added. If that is the case, looks like i can have this done in the next couple of days...

Here is this recipe:
Dave's Carmel Apple Cider

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Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: Nottingham
Yeast Starter: NONE
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.054
Final Gravity: 1.010
Boiling Time (Minutes): 1
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 1
Tasting Notes: Tastes just like carmel apple pie

This is a sweet cider and it tastes just like drinking a caramel apple pie :

Ingredients:
5 Gal. Apple Juice (Treetop or Mott's)
5 – 12 oz. cans of Apple Juice Concentrate
2 lbs. Dextrose
5 campden tablets
12 oz. Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
Nottingham Yeast

Recipe for Cinnamon Dolce Syrup:
2 cups of water
2 cups of brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil, at boil reduce heat and simmer for approx. 5 minutes (until volume is reduced to half). Cool & bottle for future use.

In carboy add 2 gal of apple juice, then add the 2 lbs. of dextrose then swirl (you want to mix the dextrose in well as to dissolve), then top off with the remaining 3 gallons of apple juice, pitch the yeast, sit back and wait.
When the fermentation has ceased and it now looks like apple juice once again, re-rack and add the 5 crushed campden tablets, and let the mix sit for 12-24 hours.
Siphon into your bottling bucket and now add the 12 oz. of Cinnamon Dolce Syrup & the 5 cans of Apple Juice concentrate. Bottle and enjoy.
 
I would think final gravity should be after everything is added, but I think they are talking before, since the concentrate and caramel will probably add about 20 points to the SG. That would require your fermentation to get down to around 0.990. I won't say that's impossible, but it's not typical.

Cider does not have the unfermentable sugars that you have in beer. It will ferment well below 1.000. 1.010 is on the high side of semi-sweet. Anything over 1.012 is considered sweet according to the BJCP guidelines. Fermenting to 1.010 and then adding the concentrate and caramel will make this quite sweet.
 
Boo, i was hoping that it was almost done and I could be kegging it in a few days. Guess i'll be waiting another week or so to get it ready. Though I guess if i stop fermentation now, i wont have to add as much of the apple juice concentrate?
 
I am currently at 1.012 with just the juice and corn sugar in the primary and the airlck is getting pretty slow. It has also been around 2 weeks. I am not sure if the recipe measured to the 1.010 before the addition of the apple juice concentrate and syrup or if the gravity was measure after.

Reading thru the recipe, I'd say the 1.010 was taken at the end pf Primary ferment. If you want the 1.010, give it a day, then continue with the rest of the recipe.
 
Reading thru the recipe, I'd say the 1.010 was taken at the end pf Primary ferment. If you want the 1.010, give it a day, then continue with the rest of the recipe.

Yeah, that is what I was hoping. I didn't know if yeast choice (nottingham vs. Champagne) would matter. This sure isn't like beer brewing and it is a lot of fun seeing the fermentation as it goes. Also, took a small sample at 1.020 and it tasted like a commercial hard cider to me, carbonated and all from the fermentation :)
 
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