What else do I need to do?

[OdinOneEye]

Yesterday I got started on this new, though fairly basic, cider recipe I found that warrented a try- at least on my part

• 5 gallons of cider
• two pounds of honey
• two pounds of brown sugar

And some yeast, naturally.

I wanted to leave some head space so I wouldn't get a big sticky mess spilling from my carboy, so I left out a gallon to add later, once the primary fermentation quieted down. The thing is, the yeast hasn't taken and I'm getting concerned. What else should I do to get this thing rolling?

 

[Walker]

What else should I do to get this thing rolling?

Kill a chicken and wave it around over your head. A goat would be better, but a chicken might be easier to acquire.

seriously, though...

when did you pitch the yeast, and did you aerate the mix before pitching?

-walker

 

[david_42]

Toss in some yeast nutrient. Four pounds of sugar in four gallons of cider is a heck of an osmotic load on the yeast. A good cider runs 1.060 and a pound of sugar kicks this to 1.100 or so. You would have been better off adding the sugar later. Also, most yeasts will not be able to ferment this completely, they'll die when the ABV hit 8-9%. You'll need a high gravity yeast to finish it.

 

[OdinOneEye]

Aaaaawwww yeah! I've got some definite bubblage now! Thanks a dozen