Late Oxygenation

I made a cranberry cider last week (following EdWort's recipe for apfelwein, only with cranberry juice). I pitched one packet of Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast.

It took FOREVER to start fermenting and I after 48 hours was about to repitch. After some reading past threads here, I waited until 72 hours had one, at which point it had started bubbling gently. It's now been 6 days, and fermentation has never at any point since been very active. The cider I made the day before and the mead I made the day after have been fermenting quite nicely

After much thinking, I think the delay is due to my having forgotten to aerate before sealing it up. I'm a little concerned about it not fermenting out properly. Is there any benefit to aerating/oxygenating in the middle of the fermentation?

There's not really any benefit. Yeast only really need oxygen during the reproduction phase, and not during fermentation. Any oxygen you would put in would be likely to stale the cider.

+1 to what Shane said.

Ciders and meads don't have the same nutrient levels as wort so a yeast nutrient probably is a good idea for all ciders and meads. (You'd probably be ok with a braggot.)

Rehydrating dry yeast is a good idea, too as the poor yeasties can't regulate what comes through their cell membranes when they're rehydrated; directly pitching can lead to an up to 50% instant cell death. (Although some dry yeast companies account for this by actually giving you twice as much yeast as required; I don't want to be a mass murder to billions of yeasts so I like to re-hydrate before pitching.) ; )


Adam