Is my cider ready to bottle?

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charlieshomebrew

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I have 24L of apple & blackcurrent cider. It's been fermenting for 10 days and it has already gone from SG 1040 to 1002. Is my cider ready to bottle. And should I add lactose to give it a sweeter taste?
 
Lactose will definitely give you some sweetness but it will also add body to the end product. I think lactose is an acquired taste, so test it before you add it to the whole batch.

If your gravity is already to 1.002, sounds to me like it's about ready to bottle if you aren't going to bulk age it in secondary. If you want it carbonated, you'll probably still need to add some priming sugar. I usually add about 3.5 oz of corn sugar for 5 gallons. (with FG's around 1.002-4) If you used a wine yeast, you might use a little less. It will finish off those last .002+ points in the bottle.
 
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