Hello! This is my first post here, and I've never done any brewing before so please bear with me. I've started my first jug of cider with apple juice, bread yeast and sugar, but I made a mistake when following the recipes I had.
All of the recipes simply said to add the yeast in, but I did not know I was supposed to 'hydrate' the yeast before dropping it in. I just poured one pack of dry yeast straight into the juice. It seems to be fermenting anyway (maybe from the air..I don't know), but will the fermenting stop early or will there be problems because I didn't hydrate the yeast?
Another question I have is about hydrometers. Are they really necessary, or can I go by taste? There are no brewing stores around here but if it's recommended I can order one. I was thinking of adding extra sugar in a few days to prevent the sugar content getting too low.
Thanks in advance!
All of the recipes simply said to add the yeast in, but I did not know I was supposed to 'hydrate' the yeast before dropping it in. I just poured one pack of dry yeast straight into the juice. It seems to be fermenting anyway (maybe from the air..I don't know), but will the fermenting stop early or will there be problems because I didn't hydrate the yeast?
Another question I have is about hydrometers. Are they really necessary, or can I go by taste? There are no brewing stores around here but if it's recommended I can order one. I was thinking of adding extra sugar in a few days to prevent the sugar content getting too low.
Thanks in advance!