newbie help. not fermenting

[jonnyblurt]

hi iam new to homebrew and this forum , i was wondering if any one could help me, i pressed 5 gallons of juice i added so2 and pectin enzyme then i used a champagne yeast but its not fermenting the sg is 1.060 and hasnt dropped and its been 11 days so far, from the same batch of juice i left 3 litres to make hard cider and it is going mad it is all in my shed and the temp is 15oc. please help

 

[cfonnes]

Sounds like bad yeast.

 

[Yooper]

How much sulfite did you add?

 

[oldmate]

If you haven't killed the yeast by excess sulphites then you need to put the carboy somewhere a bit warmer, 15c is way too cold, try and get it around 20c if possible.

 

[jonnyblurt]

hi thanks for your replies, i added roughly 100ppm sulphate. i was thinking it might be too cold, can you get heaters that will keep it warm and will the juice be off after 12-13 days

 

[jonnyblurt]

also i left it a day after sulphating before adding yeast

 

[jonnyblurt]

right i added some yeast nutrient the weather warmed up and its fermanting like mad, the prob now is the fruit came from old low nutrient tree, i wanted to make sweet cider , but as i added nutrient will it be even harder to slow it down. sg now 1.030

 

[cwi]

right i added some yeast nutrient the weather warmed up and its fermanting like mad, the prob now is the fruit came from old low nutrient tree, i wanted to make sweet cider , but as i added nutrient will it be even harder to slow it down. sg now 1.030

The low-nitrogen juice from unfertilized trees is a rare find, and one of the few ways to get a sweet cider without resorting to heat, chemicals, or careful racking. The nutrient, and pectic enzyme, can result in a drier cider. The biggest change to make in your case though, is the yeast. Champagne yeast is notorious for going very dry. Eliminate the nutrients and pectic enzyme also. Check out CvilleKevin and his thread on cider and yeast experiments for a (over)load of info.

 

[jonnyblurt]

thanks for your reply. very informative ill remember that for next year

 

[jonnyblurt]

damn before i could cold crash and rack the sg dropped to1.000 could i add something to make it sweeter without it refermenting and a random question do the pressure barrels with co2 cartridge carb the cider or is it just for pressure i want carbonated but it sounds like a nightmare when you condition and pasteurise,