How long does hard apple cider take to ferment?

>>8243499
depends on a lot of factors
what alcohol content are you aiming for?
what's the ambient temperature?
is your yeast happy?
Usually a few weeks

>>8243499

There's essentially 2 fermentation periods, primary, and secondary.

Primary fermentation lasts as long as it takes for the yeast to consume most of the sugars, and this is the most active part of the process. A 5 gallon batch of typical beer is usually very active for the first 3 to 4 days, but then tapers off after a week or so.

Secondary fermentation really depends on what you're brewing and can last anywhere from a week, to a year. This is where the yeast are barely active and are slowly converting any remaining sugars to booze.

For a gallon of apple cider, I'd say give it a week, but let the amount of CO2 being blown out be your guide.

>>8243567
Since its just a half a gallon, it will it be less?

>>8243550
>what alcohol content are you aiming for?

I want about 8 percent alcohol content

>what's the ambient temperature?

After having the half a gallon of Zeiglars Apple CIder sit out on the counter for about 5 hours, I put it in a pot of hot water because it wasn't getting warm enough. Waited about 20 minutes and it was ready to begin brewing.

>is your yeast happy?

I bought Cider House Premium Yeast

>>8243609
Short answer leave it for two weeks.

No need for a secondary container, just don't pick up the yeast at the bottom when siphoning.

Even if you get a little bit it should settle in whatever container you put it in.

>>8243609

No, because the amount of yeast will be scaled to the amount of sugary liquid you're trying to ferment. Don't try and overpitch to speed up fermentation either, it won't work.

File: gallon-brewing-800x510.jpg (86KB, 800x510px)

86KB, 800x510px

>>8243636
>>8243709
Well the fermenter is of pic related from Amazon, what tools should I get to avoid the yeast from being poured in the final product?

>>8243737
Most siphoning hoses are built with a standoff to avoid sucking up yeast from the yeast cake, so as long as you get one of those you should be fine.

There are some clarification agents you can use to get all of the yeast still in solution to settle on the bottom, but it wouldn't be an appropriate application in beer.

What you need to understand though is that you do want some yeast, specifically that yeast that's still alive in solution, to stay in the beer when you bottle it. Unless you want to artificially carbonate it yourself.

You'll have to let it sit after you bottle it for 3 weeks in order to have that natural carbonation build up, and when you go to drink it either be careful and avoid disturbing the sediment that's settled to the bottom, or poor into a glass and avoid pouring the sediment.

>>8244571
Also one more question: It stopped foaming after a few hours. Is it supposed to do this?

>>8244571
>>8243567

these are accurate. if you want to be ghetto about it, just wait until the bubbling stops, then add a pinch of sugar more and bottle it for another weeks. if they explode, you added too much.

>>8245513
>if they explode, you added too much.

That's the proper farmhouse cider method.

Filter the sediment out through an old sock for the full experience.

>>8245528
>>8245513
I added about half a cup of sugar in the mix of half of gallon of Apple Cider.

Its bumbling but there is small bubles as if there is carbonation in it. The foaming stopped, is that normal?

>>8245528

fock year it is. I used an old undershirt for about 60 gallons worth until it gave out.

>>8245631
yes that's normal, it's the fermentation underway. if you put a condom on the top of the bottle it will blow up like a balloon in about 24 hours, you can see the gas that way.