New Cider Maker, just want to check.....

So I started up making cider the other night:

Started 3/8/2013. Poured Sprout's unfiltered organic apple juice into 2 gallon primary fermenter.

Added 1/3 lb light brown sugar
1/2 tsp energizer
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
1 crushed Campden tablet

Allowed to sit 24 hours

Added 1 package standard Pasteur champagne yeast 3/9/2013 8:45 pm

OG 1.065

I have not seen much action in the airlock but I put my Faith in it that things were working.....

I have seen no action for 24 hours now so I popped the top today and took a G measurement. .990 I practically have moonshine.... Is this normal?

Am I ready to rack it to the secondary (original glass jug I bought the apple juice in)

I was expecting a couple of weeks of fermentation not 6 days with hardly any action noticed....

~DD

If your temps were on the warm side...then yep, it only took 3-4 days to complete. It's going to need tome time to mellow out since you added additional sugars and used champagne yeast. You can let it sit a few more days where it is...or you can go ahead and rack. Either way is fine. I'd give it a few weeks and taste it again. If you are looking to drink it sooner or are looking for a lower alcohol content, try using an ale yeast and keep your OG under 1.060.

Pickled_Pepper said:

If your temps were on the warm side...then yep, it only took 3-4 days to complete. It's going to need tome time to mellow out since you added additional sugars and used champagne yeast. You can let it sit a few more days where it is...or you can go ahead and rack. Either way is fine. I'd give it a few weeks and taste it again. If you are looking to drink it sooner or are looking for a lower alcohol content, try using an ale yeast and keep your OG under 1.060.

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Thank Pep. The temp on the guage on the outside of my fermenting bucket is 72 so it is prolly a bit warm

Thanks for the quick response and reassurance

~DD

So I finally bottled this yesterday. I had racked it to a secondary about a week ago or so....

Bottled yesterday after back sweetening it with 2 cans FAJC. Taste tested and it was definitely much sweeter than the completely dry that it ran from the Champagne yeast.

I am a little concerned at the moment, I don't like still cider at all. I bottled two plastics (first and last) and the rest glass beer bottles.

With the 2 cans FAJC I put in I figured that would likely be enough sugar for it to bottle carb but 24 hours later my plastic test bottles have not experienced any pressure change whatsoever.

All the bottles are sitting together on my kitchen counter. Did racking it to the secondary eliminate so much yeast that I likely won't be able to get any bottle carb action happening?

~DD

No. You will have enough yeast to bottle carb. It may increase the time to carbonate based on how clear it was racking to secondary, but it should carb just fine. 24 hours isn't enough time for the CO2 to form and then get absorbed into the liquid. Give it a few more days at room temp and check again. I assume you are going to pasteurize? Just make sure to keep an eye on it. You don't want to over carb and then try and pasteurize.

Yep. Bottle pasteurization is the plan. Thanks for the reply and reassurance Pep