Ok, so here's my story...I started 3 gallons of cider in the primary two weeks ago. I added nothing to it, just let it sit. Two days later I added 7g of dry yeast and didn't get a reading on the hydrometer. After a week of sitting I tried another hydrometer reading and got nothing. I added sugar and finally got a reading of 1.030. I let it sit another week and, today, get get a reading of 1.020. Am I on the right track or am I going backward? Any kind of info. or criticism is welcome.
Novice Cider Maker...PLEASE HELP
- Thread starter hubs731
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What do you mean for your reading after fermentation you "got nothing"? Did you get .990? Or 1.000? Or what exactly. It sounds like it fermented out, and you added more sugar?
Next time, add more liquid so that it floats. It could read as low as .990 once fermentation occurs, so you need a lot of liquid in the test jar.
Yes, it should go down (not exactly "backward") as as the fermentables lower due to fermentation, there are less fermentables less in the liquid.
I have no idea what to tell you, as I don't know what you started with nor what you've done since- but don't add more sugar!
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TheCrackpot
Well-Known Member
What was the reason behind letting it sit for two days in the fermenter before pitching the yeast?
How does it taste? Sweet or dry?
Did the cider have preservatives?
How does it taste? Sweet or dry?
Did the cider have preservatives?
You don't need to rack to secondary. If the gravity is stable, then rack to your bottling bucket and bottle away. Are you going for a sparkling cider or just a still cider? If still, do you have the ability to cold crash to get all the yeast to drop out of suspension?
You really didn't give us enough information to help you properly. What yeast did you use? What juice? What was the temperature? Adding sugar several days into it, will cause most yeast to wake back up and start fermenting again, so you may have just stimulated them back into alcohol production.
You really didn't give us enough information to help you properly. What yeast did you use? What juice? What was the temperature? Adding sugar several days into it, will cause most yeast to wake back up and start fermenting again, so you may have just stimulated them back into alcohol production.
What kind of apples? Most fresh pressed that I've seen locally measures about 1.010 - 1.030 before fermentation.
TheCrackpot
Well-Known Member
I mean how does it taste right now? Sanitize a spoon or something, taste some of it, and if you can tell it has fermented (tastes dry instead of sweet ) then transfer it to secondary if you want.
Or let it age in the primary longer. Transferring to secondary isn't a matter of life or death. It is really only necessary for long term aging.
When hydrometer readings aren't working for you, just go by taste.
Or let it age in the primary longer. Transferring to secondary isn't a matter of life or death. It is really only necessary for long term aging.
When hydrometer readings aren't working for you, just go by taste.
I agree, taste it and see how it tastes to you. It may only be 3% or 4% ABV based on the type of yeast you used. Baking yeast generally does not create a lot of alcohol and less alcohol tolerant than brewer's yeast. My first cider was spontaneous fermentation with highly concentrated apple cider. It was more like apple liquor, but it was tasty. You have most likely made a semi-sweet cider that should be easy to drink.
TheCrackpot
Well-Known Member
Take what you learn from this batch and apply it to the next batch and it will get better. Don't let your first batch experience be discouraging.
bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
hubs731, Hi. An hydrometer reads the density of a liquid. The density of a liquid that you are fermenting is for all intents and purposes a measure of how much (fermentable) sugar is in the liquid.*** This density is referred to as "specific gravity". Pure water has a specific gravity of 1.000. When the numbers are above 1.000 there is sugar present. The higher the numbers AFTER the 1 the more sugar there is. Pressed apples typically provide a reading from about 1.040 to 1.055. As the sugars ferment they are converted to alcohol and alcohol is less dense so the numbers drop towards 1.000.
A reading of 1.000 is the same as a reading that water will give you. In other words, if you took a sample of water (at about room temperature) and dropped your hydrometer in it it the level of the water would be at the level of 1.000 on your hydrometer (so you need a fairly long and narrow tube to take a reading - a measuring cylinder is useful). Now, alcohol is in fact less dense than water so in fact you can routinely expect your cider to ferment to below 1.000 - perhaps 0.996 or even 0.994.
Last point. The density of liquids are affected by temperature. (think how dense water is at room temperature and how dense it is when the temperature drops to zero and it freezes)... So, hydrometers are calibrated to read the density at specific temperatures. You don't want to measure the density of your cider if it is significantly above or below that temperature.
*** the same hydrometer is used to measure how much anti-freeze is in your radiator because all it does is measure the density of a liquid compared to the density of water - so it could be measuring the amount of salt in a sample of ocean
A reading of 1.000 is the same as a reading that water will give you. In other words, if you took a sample of water (at about room temperature) and dropped your hydrometer in it it the level of the water would be at the level of 1.000 on your hydrometer (so you need a fairly long and narrow tube to take a reading - a measuring cylinder is useful). Now, alcohol is in fact less dense than water so in fact you can routinely expect your cider to ferment to below 1.000 - perhaps 0.996 or even 0.994.
Last point. The density of liquids are affected by temperature. (think how dense water is at room temperature and how dense it is when the temperature drops to zero and it freezes)... So, hydrometers are calibrated to read the density at specific temperatures. You don't want to measure the density of your cider if it is significantly above or below that temperature.
*** the same hydrometer is used to measure how much anti-freeze is in your radiator because all it does is measure the density of a liquid compared to the density of water - so it could be measuring the amount of salt in a sample of ocean
So there will be less alcohol in my cider as I let it sit? I see on my hydrometer that as the numbers go up, the alcohol goes down. So, as I went from 1.030 last week to 1.020 this week, the amount of alcohol decreased?
cujocon
Well-Known Member
You subtract one number from the other to calculate the alcohol...
The easy way to think of it is this:
My cider started at 1.040 (enough sugar to make 5.2% alcohol)
My cider finished at 1.000 (I used up all the potential sugar)
So I have 5.2% alcohol cider.
The easy way to think of it is this:
My cider started at 1.040 (enough sugar to make 5.2% alcohol)
My cider finished at 1.000 (I used up all the potential sugar)
So I have 5.2% alcohol cider.
AidanSavage
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Dont forget, that's CA vs CT. Aside from region differences, it could also be the apple types and time of season.
Maybe. It depends on the cause. It could be too much sugar, too high of a fermentation temperature, etc. If it's simply because it's boozy, then it will improve.
Maybe. What's the SG?
It's hard to say for sure, since no one knows where you started, but if you recently brought it up to 1.030, and it's back down to 1.020, and sort of sitting there it's either stuck or done. No way to really know, as the initial readings didn't happen so it may be stuck. Or it might be done. But if you rack, and it starts to clear, I'd call it done. But I wouldn't bottle for a very long time, if ever, as if it's stuck fermentation may restart and the bottles will blow. Unless it's done.
That's why accurate hydrometer readings are so important if you're going to bottle something. It's not a big deal for people who keg and the keg can hold 130 psi of pressure without blowing- bottles can't.
