frolickingmonkey
Well-Known Member
We crushed and pressed apples from our small orchard and are attempting to make hard cider with 15 gallons of the juice. The fermentation seems ridiculously slow, but I started brewing beer about 3 months ago, and am used to quick fermentation...
I thought this yeast strain was a quick ferment, but quick relative to what? Is this normal, or will it get stuck? I tasted the sample I pulled for the gravity reading, and it tasted OK (sweet, of course, but no sense of infection or anything). The must has cleared significantly since the first day and there appears to be a thick layer of sediment on the bottom of the fermenter.
All experience and advice appreciated... Do I need to RDWHAHB?
- 10/19 15 gallons of must in a 20 gallon food grade plastic fermenter (OG 1.044)
- 10/19 Added 15 Tsp (one per gal) of Potasium Metabisulfite and let it hang out for 24hrs
- 10/20 Rehydrated 3 packets of Lalvin 1118 Champagne yeast, cooled to 72 degrees; added rehydrated, cooled yeast to 64 degree must
- 10/29 After 9 days @ 66-68 degrees, the gravity has only dropped to 1.040
I thought this yeast strain was a quick ferment, but quick relative to what? Is this normal, or will it get stuck? I tasted the sample I pulled for the gravity reading, and it tasted OK (sweet, of course, but no sense of infection or anything). The must has cleared significantly since the first day and there appears to be a thick layer of sediment on the bottom of the fermenter.
All experience and advice appreciated... Do I need to RDWHAHB?