I recently put together an experimental brew of 4 gallons apple cider, a quart of tart cherry extract (reconstituted), a half pound of black currants (dried), and just shy of three pounds of wildflower honey. I added pectin enzyme for clarity, and yeast nutrient for five gallons which it came out to be, and used redstar cuvee yeast. Unfortunately, the day after brewing, I had to go out of town on business for three days so I couldn’t say what activity happened in that interval, but now on day four, there seems to be little activity. There is no krausen (though I don’t know if this type of brew or ciders in general produce much krausen), and my airlock only bubbles 2-3 times per minute. Smelling the airlock after a bubble, it smells more of yeast than alcohol, but opening it up and smelling the brew itself smells strongly of dry wine. Does anyone have any thoughts? Since this is somewhere between a cider, wine, and mead, I didn’t know exactly which rules apply. Is it possible that fermentation is already slowing down and nearing completion? Or is it becoming stuck?
Thanks for any advice!
