Gravity at 1048 after 1 week of fermenting, What does this mean?

[CFO]

I have been brewing my cider now for 1 week, and it is fermenting strong. I have just bought a hydrometer and the specific gravity is 1048. Isn't this super high? Do I have a strong cider on my hands? I'd love some more information on what this actually means. Thanks

 

[Drewed]

It means you have some sugar left in your cider. We will need more information to tell you more.

What was your starting gravity? (Yep, we know you just got your hydro, so skip this for now.)

What is your batch made from? Fresh pressed cider, store bought apple juice, frozen concentrate? Did you add sugar or honey?

What yeast did you use?

Did you direct pitch the yeast, or did you make a starter?

Have you added any yeast nutrients?

What is your fermentation temps.

All I can tell you right now is that you have some apple flavored liquid with a SG of 1.048.

 

[CFO]

It means you have some sugar left in your cider. We will need more information to tell you more.

What was your starting gravity? (Yep, we know you just got your hydro, so skip this for now.)

What is your batch made from? Fresh pressed cider, store bought apple juice, frozen concentrate? Did you add sugar or honey?

What yeast did you use?

Did you direct pitch the yeast, or did you make a starter?

Have you added any yeast nutrients?

What is your fermentation temps.

All I can tell you right now is that you have some apple flavored liquid with a SG of 1.048.

Store bought apple juice + 200g sugar

Don't know the yeast, i know it was cider yeast however

Direct pitch dry onto surface

No yeast nutrients

Average 18 Celsius

Hope this helps, its my 2nd brew after a horrible batch of Mead, hence how new i am

 

[Drewed]

Did your store bought juice have any preservatives in it?

 

[CFO]

Did your store bought juice have any preservatives in it?

Nope, fresh and pure

 

[Drewed]

1. Double check the label. If it says anything along the lines of “in order to preserve freshness," or “stabilized," or "Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, etc…" Those bad boys are yeast killers. UV light, and "acids" are fine, "Pasteurized," will work but I find them to taste "thin."

2. "Cider yeast" is more of a marketing term than anything else. Heck, most of us use an "ale" yeast (Nottingham.) If your sure your juice isn't "preserved" I would get a pack of Nottingham and hydrate it before pitching.

 

[hecliff]

Got a good deal on grocery store apple juice and pitched 1118 on 4/1. it's 4/5 and no sign of yeast activity. Ingredients says only apple juice and vitamin C. What did I do wrong? Sanitized every thing an keeping temp at 65F,

 

[CFO]

Got a good deal on grocery store apple juice and pitched 1118 on 4/1. it's 4/5 and no sign of yeast activity. Ingredients says only apple juice and vitamin C. What did I do wrong? Sanitized every thing an keeping temp at 65F,

The only thing I can say is try and get the yeast going by bathing your carboy in some hot water. Worked like a treat for my red wine earlier.

 

[MarkKF]

Just to be sure I would try more yeast. But this time hydrate it according to instructions on the package. You could pitch it into a small amount of juice with both yeast & juice at room temp. Then shake every 4-6 hrs. for 24 hours. If it's going then add it to the rest of the juice.

 

[hecliff]

Thanks for the suggestions . They are appropriate and timely. I checked with my LHBS to make sure the yeast was not "aged" and he suggested I check the S.G. to make sure the yeast was not working. DUH! I'm beer brewer with a lot of experience with beer yeasts but it seems that EC1118 is not a vigorous yeast . It will not even show bubbles in the air lock. I checked the gravity and in 5 days it had dropped to about half of O.G. Thanks again and as they say, 'you learn something very day.'

Hecliff

 

[Maylar]

Thanks for the suggestions . They are appropriate and timely. I checked with my LHBS to make sure the yeast was not "aged" and he suggested I check the S.G. to make sure the yeast was not working. DUH! I'm beer brewer with a lot of experience with beer yeasts but it seems that EC1118 is not a vigorous yeast . It will not even show bubbles in the air lock. I checked the gravity and in 5 days it had dropped to about half of O.G. Thanks again and as they say, 'you learn something very day.'

Hecliff

EC-1118 has the reputation of being the most vigorous yeast on earth.

 

[Drewed]

Mead wont always foam up and cause a "krausen." Some kind of do, some don't. However, EC1118 is a very active fermenter. You should be seeing bubbles in the airlock. Do you have a leak in the system somewhere?

 

[hecliff]

Could possibly be a leak. I check with another user of the 1118 and was told it was an active fermenter. I will double check for Leaks. Thanks.

Hecliff

 

[BadgerBrigade]

but it seems that EC1118 is not a vigorous yeast .

Hecliff

EC1118 champ yeast by lalvin always was a very vigorous yeast for me?

 

[user 198378]

Have you tried degassing your cider? I know with mead you can get too much CO2 dissolved and it will actually stall fermentation. So the solution is to just degass and it should start back up and get further down to 1.02

You can just shake the fermentor since the top of it is already filled with CO2 so no risk of oxidation.

 

[hecliff]

It seems that Drewed was correct. I reset my ferm lock o'ring, the bucket O'ring, and this morning it was bubbling slow but happily. Again, thanks for all the suggestions.

Hecliff.