r/cider • u/desertdweller1983 • 7d ago
1st timer question
Hi all. First time cider maker here. Trying out 1 gallon first. Bought a glass carboy with airlock. Used store bought unfiltered apple juice, nothing but apples in it. Added 1/4cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient, 1 teaspoon of Pectic enzyme and 1 gram of red star champagne yeast. Within an hour, it was vigorously bubbling. After about a day and a half it all but subsided. It is now a week in and it is at roughly .5-1% abv per hydrometer reading. Is this normal or have I done something wrong? Thanks
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u/ShirkerJPH 6d ago
Taste it. Is it still sweet? The champagne yeast should take it pretty dry.
But like Thick mentioned, you need to take an initial gravity and a final gravity. Just one reading doesn't tell you the whole story.
Also, just my preference, but fermented molasses doesn't taste good to me. If you detect any funkiness in flavors or smells, I'd recommend using plain white sugar next time. If you want the warmth of the brown sugar, maybe use it (or molasses) to back sweeten after fermentation. Cinnamon and cloves are an option too after you get the basics.
Good luck on your adventures!
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u/Commie_cummies 6d ago
What was the starting gravity? And what is the current one?
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u/desertdweller1983 6d ago
Don’t know. Never took it cause I’m new at all this. Lesson learned to have a baseline. We shall see what happens with this batch
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u/Commie_cummies 5d ago
Ah, that’s what I figured! So you’re almost done with primary, the reading you took doesn’t show ABV, just remaining sugars. When it gets to zero and / or stays the same for a week or two, rack it to secondary and let it bulk age. You won’t know how strong it is but it will be booze. Cheers!
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u/desertdweller1983 5d ago
Thanks for the advice. I will be sure to update how awesome or terrible it is. But let’s be honest, if I’m turning water into wine, I will think it’s awesome even if it isn’t!!!
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u/Tharus_ 2d ago
I know I'm a bit late to this thread but you can guestimate the starting SG by the sugar you put in.
~2,5 grams of sugar per litre is 1 "point" of gravity (1.001 = 1 point, 1.085 = 85 points etc.). Since you made a gallon, if you know the sugar content of the apple juice and how much sugar you put in you can divide that by 9,5 to get the approximate starting gravity.
If you then take the current gravity, you'll have 0.135% ABV for every point it's lower. So if you put in apple juice with 100 grams of sugar per liter or 378 grams per gallon + 55 grams of brown sugar that is 433 grams / 9,5 ≈ 45 points (1.045). If you now have 8 points, that would be 45 - 8 = 37 points turned into alcohol or 37 * 0.131 = 4.8% ABV.
Of course this is less reliable than a real starting reading but it can help you take an educated guess!
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u/Thick_Perspective_77 6d ago
there are a couple possible outcomes. 1) did you take a hydrometer reading before hand to compare with? often using just a final hydrometer reading doesn't give the full story. Note that the ABV reading you see in the hydrometer is often the predicted ABV if you were to ferment the liquid as is, not the current ABV. so for example if youre started at 1.05 and finished at 1.005, you could reasonably assume the final ABV was 4.5%. 2) how hot or cold is it where you are? sometimes if its very hot fermentation takes off very quicky, and if its too cold suddenly it can be halted.
Look at the bottom of the fermenter and see how thick the layer of yeast should be. it should be at least a couple centimetres thick. if its very thin, that is often a good way to know that you didn't get full growth of culture and something went wrong. you can always try adding a touch more yeast nutrient to see if that kick starts things, but if it started fermenting then it should be fine.