A couple basic cyser questions

[henryakirk]

I've only ever made BOMMs where primary is super fast but now I'm making a more traditional cyser started with an ale yeast and O.G. of 1.135 and added white labs 099 at S.G. of 1.080 and fermentation started to slow down, is this normal?

It took 4 days to get from 1.04 to 1.03

Is 1.01 or 1.005 a good time to rack to secondary and add fruit vanilla spices and cinnamon, or should I wait for a lower S.G?

 

[Arpolis]

I am no cyser expert because I have been tinkering and playing with different cyser recipes and all have just been ok. But personally I would just let the mead ferment until it wants to quit. There is no rush to get a mead off of a bed of ale yeast usually. It can go 30 - 60 days and be just fine. Let it go and when it is 90% - 100% clear with most all sediment at the bottom and fermentation is comely done. Then rack to a new container. Add your second round of ingredients and let her rip.

 

[bernardsmith]

Not sure I totally agree with Arpolis. We don't know how much headroom is in the primary fermenter and if the primary is a bucket then it may make good sense to rack the cyser into a carboy when the gravity drops close to 1.000. A gravity of 1.005 is a good time to rack. Racking too soon (with the gravity above 1.010) can remove too many of the active yeast cells and stall the fermentation...

 

[henryakirk]

Should I just add fruit and spices late in primary at like 1.015? And rack to carboys at closer to 1.005 or 1.000

I only have 1 gallon carboys so my plan eas to rack to a second ale pail let it soak flavors out for about a month then rack to 1 gallon bottles to age for the next few months