Checking in

[wonderwoman66]

I’m a week into my first 5 gal batch of cider and am realizing I only pitched 1 packet of yeast and wonder if I should’ve put both in; my local supplier gave me 2 in case I made up to 10 gal. It’s currently slowly bubbling away (I added nutrient with the yeast) and is cloudy so I presume all is well in that glass carboy. I used .388 oz of Nottingham Ale yeast.

Should I take another specific gravity reading to determine what’s happening and where the cider “is”? I did not add any extra sugar/honey and sterilized with Campden tablets. Finally, how important is the Ph factor at this point?

Thanks for helping another cider newbie!

WW

[baratone_brewer]

1 pack in a 5gal batch is plenty. Gravity reading is going to tell you what you need to know.
Did you check the pH before starting your batch?

[wonderwoman66]

Thanks for the clarification on the yeast. All is going well, however I didnt have the equipment at the onset to check the Ph; therefore, Im not going to worry about it now.

I recently took a sample and got 1.001 specific gravity, so Im assuming the yeast is finished “eating.” Today I racked the cider into a freshly sterilized carboy to allow additional clarification. Can I add pectic enzyme now (3/4 tsp per gal) to help it along? Oops…the cider is still bubbling, it just burped!

And finally, how about sweetening it up a bit? I plan to make “sparkling” hard cider and will add the honey/sugar combination to carbinate it, but is that all I can do to sweeten it?

Looking forward to the finished product…

WW