First cyser

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Maronleighton

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Started my first batch of cyser friday around 10 a.m. d-47 yeast 3 pounds clover honey. But I have a question about the airlocks. I see no big bubbles popping or moving but the inside cap is lifted off the tube, so I don't know if thats OK or not. So maybe you guys can take a look and tell me if I'm being just a bit obsessive lol. The must itself had been bubbling, but it seems to have slowed down as of Sunday morning, still no airlock activity. 20200913_084006.jpg20200913_083954.jpg
These pics are this morning 9/1320200911_135720.jpg
This is when it was first pitched on Friday 9/11. It looks to have way more activity than the current photos. So I'm a bit concerned. Any feed back would be great. Thanks!
 
Hi Maronleighton, and welcome. Measuring the change in gravity over time and the gravity at any point in time is what tells a wine maker what is going on inside the fermenter. Watching bubbles or movement in an airlock might be amusing but that really tells us next to nothing. An hydrometer is perhaps the only piece of equipment that is necessary - a bit like an inch-tape if you are a carpenter.
 
* if I had the foam seen in photo 9/13 I would assume it is active. When there aren’t other indicators a gravity is the only indicator, @BernardSmith has good points.
* At some point look into tannic apples (bitter sweets or bitter sharps). I did a crabapple cyser last year which was about half cider half crab (10% would balance better), backsweetened with apple concentrate to 1.015 and got a blue ribbon at contest.

Welcome to WMT, wish you could bring a finished to the vinters club meeting so we could compare cysers.
 
* if I had the foam seen in photo 9/13 I would assume it is active. When there aren’t other indicators a gravity is the only indicator, @BernardSmith has good points.
* At some point look into tannic apples (bitter sweets or bitter sharps). I did a crabapple cyser last year which was about half cider half crab (10% would balance better), backsweetened with apple concentrate to 1.015 and got a blue ribbon at contest.

Welcome to WMT, wish you could bring a finished to the vinters club meeting so we could compare cysers.
So the lack of foam isn't saying its inactive necessarily?
 
without some measurements everything you do is guessing and risky I am not sure what the specific gravity of honey is but if low then you might have fermented out pretty quickly. someone else might know what the sg of honey is. I assumed you did not add any sugar.
 
without some measurements everything you do is guessing and risky I am not sure what the specific gravity of honey is but if low then you might have fermented out pretty quickly. someone else might know what the sg of honey is. I assumed you did not add any sugar.
Nope, no sugar added.
 
Apple Cyser Mead Recipe - 1 Gallon - Home Cider Making here is a recipe I got off of the internet plus some discussion. I also googled specific gravity for honey which would average about 1.040. since you said some bubbling occurred although not in the airlock there is a chance your cyser might be done. without the hydrometer we can't tell. your steps and the recipe call for seem to be tracking together so I don't think you made any errors. getting a hydrometer and making measurement is what is needed before any further steps.
 
Apple Cyser Mead Recipe - 1 Gallon - Home Cider Making here is a recipe I got off of the internet plus some discussion. I also googled specific gravity for honey which would average about 1.040. since you said some bubbling occurred although not in the airlock there is a chance your cyser might be done. without the hydrometer we can't tell. your steps and the recipe call for seem to be tracking together so I don't think you made any errors. getting a hydrometer and making measurement is what is needed before any further steps.
So the sg would've gone up with adding the apple juice as well, correct?
 
So the recipie I followed has an original gravity of 1.138. I took a reading last night, it was at 1.050. So that should put me around 11% abv. So might that explain why there isn't a lot of bubbling or foaming in the must? I'm only 6 days in.i have a hard time thinking it might be done already. Maybe it just slowed down because the yeast is trying to break down more complex sugars? This was the must this morningIMG_6605.jpg20200916_035623.jpg
 

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