FG 1.02 done?

[Tantalar]

I made a cider with

1 gallon cider - 16 cups
(empire unorganic, organic gala, mott's cider)
1 1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup cinnamon and sugar
1/5 packet yeast (nottingham)
dash of yeast nutrient
did NOT heat the cider

about a month ago and let it sit and ferment for about a month. I have already racked it a few times. (tons of sediment and had overflowing issues)

I started the cider about 1/29/10 and its 3/5/10 now. There hasnt been any movement in the airlock for at least a few days that I have seen. It was going once every few minutes a week ago. Will it definitely go down to 1.00 eventually if I leave it alone? I have had it at a warm 70 degrees using the Nottingham yeast. Can I bottle it at 1.02 or will it explode? What if i dont add any priming sugar? It just seems like the yeast stopped. I havent changed its environment or anything. All of my other ciders have almost completely stopped as well but this batch is the only one I am touching right now until I know for sure.

 

[Niederhofer]

Take a gravity reading and then take another in a couple of days. This is really the only way to know if fermentation is finished. You won't always see activity in the airlock. Good luck!

 

[CandleWineProject]

Cider will go down to 1.000 or even .998. You can bottle around 1.020, but it will be sweet. I would not bottle before that, as 1.020 is the upper reaches of safe. If you use priming sugar, take it all the way to 1.000 or lower, or you will get bombs.

Niederhofer is right - measure it with a hydrometer. I had a batch that wasn't active on the airlock, but when I measure it, I was surprised at how done it was.

 

[Tantalar]

I guess after now experiencing almost the entire fermentation process I have really learned a lot... I think from now on I am going to just throw the stuff into primary fermentation. Forget about it for 2 months... then rack it, let it sit for 2 months, then let it sit in the fridge for a week, then rack it, then bottle it.

I have been checking on this cider a lot and have exposed it to a lot of air (I know bad idea) but it still tastes pretty good. It has a very strong burning alcohol taste. God did I throw tons of stuff into the primary hahaha. It probably is pushing 7% now but the alcohol taste has not really mellowed out yet. I hear that if I leave it to bottle condition that will settle down over time.

 

[CandleWineProject]

Umm, don't forget about it for 2 months. When allowed to sit on the lees, it can develop off flavors. Rack it at about 1.020 or so. You can forget about it afterwords and kind of let it bulk age, but rack it when you get 1/4" of lees. So the 2 months is fine, but you probably won't need to refrigerate at that point (4 months) because, well, there won't be any sugar left to have yeast still be alive. But a final rack always helps the bottling process because then you aren't trying to not overfill a bottle while making sure you aren't sucking up lees. Too much to deal with.

I know large scale craft makers who sample their cider every day and chart it. I say up until that first racking, the CO2 that the yeast has been putting off helps to protect the cider because it is denser than air. So when you open it up, it doesn't exactly escape. In fact, I thought I had some finished wine that I put a plug in, and it popped the plug and was that way for a few days before I discovered it. I've tasted it several times since then, and it is fine. After the first racking, the yeast isn't putting out so much CO2, so it's a little tender then, but by then, there isn't much sugar and the alcohol and pH are helping it stay healthy. I'm saying it is okay to open it up, but be careful.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

With all the sugars added, I think you may have reached the limit of the yeast at 1.020.
I just bottled a batch that I used S-04 on, and it just died at 1.020. It's good but sweet for my taste, but I think it will make for some hand outs to friends who enjoy the sweeter drinks.
Do not dis-par, someone will love it, you just have to find that person.

 

[Tantalar]

Is there a way of telling if the yeast is all killed off? I am on spring break now for a week. I put it all back into the storage vessel it has been in. I am only worried that I'd like to carbonate it. If worst comes to worst I could just shake it for a really long time right? hahaha. It's only going to make at most 5 12 ounce bottles worth. A LOT of it was lost during racking a few times because there was SO MUCH sediment. I learned a good lesson about what raisins will do as well. Jeez they do soak up a ton of juice and then expand like balloons!

So if the FG is the same for 1 week then I can say pretty well enough that it has indeed reached its FG. That must mean it is a relatively high alcohol content. Any idea what % Nottingham dies off? I am thinking right now that at most the SG could be no more than 9% maybe with the raisins 10% you cant really calculate the raisins because they just sink to the bottom at first but they should be factored in as more fermentable sugar right?

I have 1/2 of a gallon of actual hard cider but it is still right now. I also have 3 others which were started at around the same time. I am guessing that they are done too. I should have taken a hydrometer reading before I left my place in Boston... but I can be pretty certain that by the time I get back they will be done because there has been no airlock movement in them for at least a few days and if this cider is just finished now, those must be finishing soon because I added less fermentables with the same yeast and same juice.

 

[Yan]

A vinometer can give you a rough idea, as long as you degas the stuff. I keep one on hand for when I lose track of things.

I always puree my raisins (or any dry fruit), helping to dissolve the sugars so I can take a more accurate OG reading. I never leave anything whole, except for oak, hops when I dry hop, and spices.