Fermentation question: Stuck fermentation?

[CatsCradle]

Hi everyone. I started a cider on 1/30/21 using motts apple juice. My OG was 1.050 and after 2 weeks in primary fermentation I racked to secondary and recorded a SG of 1.010. Now in March a couple months later I have rechecked the SG and still have a 1.010. I tasted the cider and its semi sweet, and when taking the hydrometer reading noticed lots of co2 bubbles streaming up my test vial. The yeast I used has an alcohol tolerance of 12%. Is this a stuck fermentation (racked off a huge primary yeast cake) or is it normal to have this type of abv? I dont plan on using priming sugar when I bottle, as I expect this will cause a bottle bomb, but if I bottled without priming sugar would I still run into bottle bomb issues or get a nice lightly sparkling cider?

 

[Dr_Jeff]

what yeast did you use?

 

[CatsCradle]

what yeast did you use?

Hi Dr. Jeff,
I used an ale yeast the Omega Honeydew liquid yeast

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I'm not familiar with that yeast, I usually use K1V-1116 or EC-1118.
I would expect it to go lower, down close to 1.000, my suggestion would be to move it to a warmed location and see if that helps.

So it was going good and had a large yeast cake and you racked it off, and haven't seen much movement since then? Is that correct?

 

[CatsCradle]

I'm not familiar with that yeast, I usually use K1V-1116 or EC-1118.
I would expect it to go lower, down close to 1.000, my suggestion would be to move it to a warmed location and see if that helps.

So it was going good and had a large yeast cake and you racked it off, and haven't seen much movement since then? Is that correct?

Yep. It spent two weeks in primary fermentation, racked off a huge yeast cake. Now 2/3 months later its maintained the same 1.010 reading. I added some yeast energizer so maybe that will do something. If not im thinking of just putting in bottles without priming sugar and maybe i'll get a slight carbonation

 

[Dr_Jeff]

My guess is, you should have left it longer on the yeast cake, might not get much more now.

 

[CatsCradle]

My guess is, you should have left it longer on the yeast cake, might not get much more now.

Thanks Dr. Jeff. My thoughts too. I guess its just a finished fermentation at this point rather than being stuck. Have a good weekend!

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Just enjoy the cider and call it a lesson learned

 

[jrgtr42]

agreed you should have left it - there's never a rush, at least at homebrew scale, to rack anything.
At the very least, 2 readings a few days apart, if they're the same, fermentation is over. I like to give it a few more days to a week to make sure, then racking over.
I have also just left cider in primary, not bothered racking, for a few months then packaged. |No issues there either.

 

[dwhite60]

Was this pasteurized juice or did it contain sorbate?