Beer Forum

I currently have my first batch of hard cider fermenting in primary. I pitched yeast on 9/16, the yeast became very active on 9/17 and have been going crazy for the last 10 days. The original gravity read 1.076. I decided to take a reading this evening and got the reading 1.076 AGAIN! The lock has been bubbling like crazy, the cider is constantly bubbling, and the sample was carbonated and had a slight taste of alcohol. This doesn't make sense. What can potentially be the issue here?

User error. Or broken measuring device. Hydrometer or refractometer?

Did you de-gas the sample before measuring? Did you spin the hydrometer to ensure the bubbles don't stick to it? Did you measure some plain water to ensure it's accurate?

Thank you guys. After doing some homework, I came to the conclusion that you are both alluding to. I did not de-gas the sample and I did not spin the hydrometer. I have tested the hydrometer in water and it is accurate. Thanks again for responding, I'm going to take another sample and post the results.

I took proper reading. The sample give a reading of 1.058. With an OG of 1.076, would this be considered a slow fermentation considering it has been 11 days at this point? Any advice? Should I leave it alone and let the cider continue to plug away, or should I consider adding nutrients? Thanks again for taking the time to help a brother out.

I might consider rehydrating a packet of dry champagne yeast into about a cup of boiled then cooled 95F water for about 10 mins, and pitching the solution into the fermenting cider.

Did you add nutrients at the start? Cider tends to be low on nutrients compared to beer, so if you have an otherwise healthy ferment, that may perk them up.

spiderwrangler wrote:that may perk them up.

It perked me up.