how long should i ?

[DeanoD]

i have a gallon dj which has a bung and airlock in the top
my cider has been sitting in it for 4 weeks now and its still bubbling away 1 every couple of minutes , should i leave it in this dj till it finishes or should i move it off its sediment and then let it carry on fermenting in a fresh dj ? any advice would be great :thumb:

 

[carl_saint]

I'd leave it for another couple of weeks. It will be fine. I left one batch in the primary for about 3 months before racking off and it was fine!

 

[Sean_Mc]

4 weeks, its done and i believe what your getting is atmospheric difference in your airlock.

Rack off the crud to bottles and prime :thumb:

 

[DeanoD]

carl saint i was worried it might give of some bad taste if it sat too long on its sediment .
sean ive tasted it and its far too sweet plus i can see bubbles forming at top of cider in the dj so its not finished yet

 

[Sean_Mc]

Then its been fermenting at a very low temp, whats the gravity readings?

Christ I have WOW ready to drink in four weeks

 

[bobsbeer]

I'm guessing you don't have a hydrometer? If not then I urge you to get one asap. That's the only way to tell when fermentation has finished.

 

[DeanoD]

i have a hydrometer but never checked at the start what should a dry cider finish at on hydrometer ? its been kept at a fairly unstable temp cold at night warm in day so will take slightly longer i dont mind how long it takes just dont want a sweet cider

 

[Sean_Mc]

Whats the reading now?

 

[DeanoD]

ive not checked to be honest because its still bubbling inside the dj only small bubbles but its still fermenting

 

[Sean_Mc]

Good luck to you :thumb:

 

[DeanoD]

ok cheers :thumb:

 

[bobsbeer]

I would take a reading now and then check it in about a week. If you are around 1.005 to 1.000 you are probably done. But check it again in about 3 days to make sure.

 

[DeanoD]

so if its finished but still too sweet how do i make a dryer cider next time ? i used a sachet of cider yeast and 5 litres of shop brought apple juice for this batch

 

[bobsbeer]

I'm not an expert at cider but I would use a champagne yeast. That should take it down to .995 at least; but don't give up on yours yet.

 

[DeanoD]

perhaps i will try a cider using champagne yeast next time , im not giving up on it ,i have plenty of homebrew lager and white wine to keep me entertained plus an ipa in my big fv which will be ready for bottling in a weeks time :)

 

[WillG3]

Yeast nutrient could also help in your pursuit for dryness. It can be bought at most brewing shops and will enable the yeast to function more effectively, so increasing their capacity to break down sugar.

 

[DeanoD]

is it too late to add it to my brew now ? i have a small diy shop near me that does very limited home brew stuff but im sure ive seen that in there , if i need kits and stuff i drive off to ashford and use easy home brew :thumb: