Hard Cider

[sostman237]

A few weeks back I decided on a whim to make a small 1.5 gallon batch of a hard cider with extra yeast that I had laying around. I've never made a cider before, yet alone buying a pasteurized cider with preservatives and pitching yeast. It has been fermenting for 2 1/2 weeks, which is wonderful. Here's my question: with not having any idea of the original sugar content, should I take hydrometer readings and wait until they does not change over the period of 3 days before bottle carbonating? or should I pretty much assume that it's over now? at the end of the 3rd week?

 

[pkincaid]

Hydrometer for sure! Reasonable and consistent readings should put your mind at ease. Mind you I said.... Reasonable. It's cider... if it's bobbing around at 1.040 or something absurd like that, even for 3 days, then you might have yeast or juice issues.