Cider is still bubbling after a month?

[Metalman488]

This is my first time trying to brew hard cider and I am starting to get worried. I have had it in the primary fermenter for 4 weeks now and it is STILL bubbling. In fact, it slowed down for a while and is now speeding up again. (I am talking about bubbles in the brew, not the airlock. mistake?)
Here are my ingredients:
1 Gallon HEB Apple Cider (no preservatives)
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
Nottingham Ale Yeast (this yeast was leftover from my Irish Red Ale. which I made a couple of months ago. mistake?)
There is a layer of bubbles around the top of the brew and little floating clumps of bubbles on the surface.

Am I just being impatient? Should I take a hydrometer sample now or after it stops bubbling and, if now, is it safe to taste it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Maylar]

Yes, take a reading and a taste. If you sanitize your test stuff first you can pour the test sample back in.

 

[stella_tigre]

I seem to have this happen a lot - slow down then start up again. For instance, could this be because when some of the yeast expires, it feeds the remaining yeast so it starts up again? Or is there malolactic fermentation getting going?

 

[Maylar]

Some of that could be an illusion, if you're just watching bubbles. For instance, I moved a mead from cold storage to my kitchen and the airlock started bubbling again. It was just gas in the carboy expanding with temperature.

 

[stella_tigre]

That I've seen before - probably if there's a low pressure system moving through, too...but in my case the cider is moderately clear, then gets cloudy and active again, without being moved or any real temp change.

Metalman488 may just be seeing the cider degassing, but it the cider clear or ?

 

[siletzspey]

My cider carboys are 5 months old, and for the last 2+ months I've been getting active bubbles coming up from the depths, and they form a 1/16" - 1/4" ring of crystal-clear foam around the top edge of the cider. Even so, I don't have any noticeable airlock activity! Also, I didn't see any degassing while racking the last time, and after adding k-meta the bubbles stopped, but the bubbles returned 2 weeks later.

I have been assuming the bubbles are from malolactic fermentation (MLF).

--SiletzSpey

 

[Metalman488]

That I've seen before - probably if there's a low pressure system moving through, too...but in my case the cider is moderately clear, then gets cloudy and active again, without being moved or any real temp change.

Metalman488 may just be seeing the cider degassing, but it the cider clear or ?

It is pretty clear and I just took a hydrometer reading and a small taste. The SG was 1.0032 if I checked correctly and it tasted ok.

 

[Yooper]

It is pretty clear and I just took a hydrometer reading and a small taste. The SG was 1.0032 if I checked correctly and it tasted ok.

I'd get it out of the bucket and either into a carboy or bottled or something to protect it.

 

[Metalman488]

I'd get it out of the bucket and either into a carboy or bottled or something to protect it.

I do currently have it in a carboy. Since it tastes okay, I think I will bottle it as soon as I get the chance.

 

[Bombo80]

I have something very similar going on. I started a basic hard cider, let it do the primary fermentation. Then racked it onto thawed and pureed strawberries. I let the secondary fermentation go for about two weeks and racked of the strawberry must. I racked it once again three weeks later, just to get rid of the lees. I let it sit for another three weeks and the SG was 0.996. So I back sweetened it with a simple syrup, which brought the SG up to 1.025. It has been stored at 70* for the past month and the gravity has not changed a single point, but when I take a sample, there seems to be carbonation bubbles in the sample. My guess is it's gong through an MLF, but can't confirm.

First question I have is, What the heck happened to the yeast ? Why has the SG not moved at all ?
I can't believe that all the yeast has been removed.

OG was around 1.070. So I also can't believe the alcohol is high enough to kill off the yeast. (I used Nottingham WLP039)

Any insight would be great. Sorry if I hijacked the thread.