Fermentation so long...

[eyalius]

Started fermenting my cider 10 days ago at level of 1.040

Today I've checked and it was 1.030.

It is my first cider - what should I expect? When can end fermenting (level/time)?

 

[tooldudetool]

That is unusually slow... how big of a batch? how much and what type of yeast did you pitch? Did you oxygenate the juice before pitching? Did you add any yeast nutrients? What temperature is the cider fermenting at?

Assuming you took care of your yeast (oxygenated juice, added nutrient, fermented at room temp), they should have chewed through that sugar already... without more details of your process its hard to determine exactly whats going on.

 

[eyalius]

Fermenting at ~12-14 celcius. 20 liter. Wine yeast.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Fermenting at ~12-14 celcius. 20 liter. Wine yeast.

Depending on the strain of yeast, this is too cold. Some white wine & champagne strains are intended to ferment low & slow, others will be stressed or even go dormant at such temps. Before you warm it up though, check to see what the suggested temp range is for that strain of yeast; then adjust the temp so that the must falls within that range, preferably on the lower side.
Regards, GF.

 

[eyalius]

Thanks

 

[Gavin C]

Hydrometer or refractometer reading?

 

[eyalius]

Hydrometer

 

[phug]

Probably mostly a factor of temp

 

[eyalius]

Will it just take longer time to ferment or do I have a deeper problem?

 

[lowtones84]

What kind of juice did you use? Certain preservatives will either kill yeast or stop them from reproducing and otherwise functioning very well. Not saying this is what happened, just that it's a possibility if it's not something that you thought of.

 

[oljimmy]

I have never used a yeast that didn't do reasonably well at 12c/53F. Nottingham, S-05, S04, D47, 71B and EC-1118 and Montrachet have all fermented well in the 50s for me.

Many producers ferment with champagne/wine yeasts at 50 F. So long as you eventually drop below 1.015, you'll be fine. I wouldn't worry too much about it.