Starting with 6g cider, 5 lbs sugar, campden for 24 hrs before adding 1 packet of the Brewers Best Cider House Yeast. It has been picking up slowly. I would say the airlock bubbles about once every 2 seconds. So I know that there is fermentation going on, but like I said it just seems like its fermenting a bit slower.
I have never done wine or cider before. Just seemed like with that much sugar it would be fermenting much quicker. Definitely not upset with this pace though. Especially since it will be racked then bulk aged for quite some time anyway. haha.
You can toss in some nutrient to help ease it along. I also never use campden tablets, so maybe there's something residual? IDK, but maybe someone else can answer to that. (most cider is fine as is, provided it's preservative free. they typically UV pasteurize it , unless you're pressing the apples yourself, which I doubt.)
Also, I usually start with Pasteur Champagne Yeast, so using a cider yeast, especially with all that sugar... It may not be designed to handle that much, especially not immediately. Most ciders are around 6% abv, which would put it close to beer, but with all that added sugar, you're going to be reaching higher. I have no experience with that yeast, but it may just be a bit of a slower one.
I'm not saying that you'll kill your yeast or that it'll get stuck or anything, but just that it's working, but it's probably trudging along slowly for a few different reasons related to the sugar and what other additives are there or not.
Best thing to do is forget it for a week, come back, and check its progress. Maybe rack it off the lees if it looks like it needs it, give a taste to see how far it may have come thus far, and until then, again, just leave it.
I've got a batch that I've been step adding to for about a month now. I think it's still got maybe a week or two to finish where I want and be ready to bottle, carb, and pasteurize. I find that's a little fast even.
My first back of cider, which was straight up cider, no sugars, and with a cider yeast (which was kind of also an ale yeast), took about 6 weeks, and was racked every week. Your mileage may vary, but again, if you got fermentation, don't panic.
EDIT: here's
a thread started by someone using the same yeast as you.
Just straight cider, it took them three weeks to go from brew to bottle. The yeast, the suggest, might also work from the bottom, meaning you won't see much action.
