Home Brew Cider Ferment Time?

I made some cider from apples from the trees on my property. I got 2.5 gallons of juice. I added 5 cups of sugar dissolved in 6 cups of water and topped it off with almost 2.5 galons of 100% juice from the store. I added a packet of champagne yeast. It is in a 5 gallon carboy with an airlock. I bubbled like mad for ten days. Now it is barely bubbling at all. How long should I let it ferment? Any advice about cold-crashing it at some point? Any advice would be appreciated. This is my first time doing this.

I'd leave it at the very least three weeks then rack and wait to clear. My ferments usually take a month to finish. The best way you can tell if it's finished is to measure with a hydrometer, when you reach a consistant reading over a period of a few days then you'll know it's finished!

Thanks, I planned on waiting a month before racking. Just checking. Don't know if I can afford a specific gravity meter. Money is tight right now.

skiLLs said:

Thanks, I planned on waiting a month before racking. Just checking. Don't know if I can afford a specific gravity meter. Money is tight right now.

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You can usually pick one up at any homebrew store for around $6.

I just made a cider with champagne yeast. Took several weeks to clear. I primarried for 4 weeks and then bottled. Cleared nicely the last week. With the suger you added and that type of yeast, don't be surprised at how dry it will turn out.