Apple and Pear Cider FG - When to bottle?

[Kalthor]

So, doing my fist cider and have a quick question about what to expect for FG as it's been fermenting for a while now....

These are the ingredients:

6x 20L Apple Juice
2x 850ml Pear Juice
1x 250g Honey
5x Tea Bags
1x Lemon Juice
1L Water
1x Safale S-04 yeast

OG: 1.048 and it was done on June 4th (!!)

At the moment I'm done to 1.004, thought that I had FG a few days ago with 1.006 and was getting ready to bottle but just noticed today that it had dropped once again. Should also mention that temperature is between 14.5 - 15.5 as I have the fermenter in the underground garage (no room to keep inside unit.... specially with two small kids).

So, it's been in the fermenter for just over 5 weeks now.... how much longer can I expect this to drop before I can bottle?

 

[Airgead]

Could go as low as 1.000 (actually could go as low as 0.996)...

S-04 at 15 odd degrees is likely to ferment pretty slowly. Particularly if there was no additional nutrient added.

Don't worry though. Cider likes a longer, slower ferment.

The only indication you will have is that the gravity stays stable for 5 or so days.

Cheers
Dave

 

[beercus]

I did one similar but it had some DME in it. It finished at 1.008..... I used Wyeast 4766 Cider Yeast. The pear juice will have unfermentables in it so it should not get to 1.000.

So you should be close

Beercus

 

[Vini2ton]

I did a few ciders sort of flying blind in a way. Only bottled them in coopers pets. Safety first. Turned out well with similar recipe. 120 lts is a big effort dude. Typo?

 

[Kalthor]

120 lts is a big effort dude. Typo?

Nope, not 120.... just 20L.

Could go as low as 1.000 (actually could go as low as 0.996)...

S-04 at 15 odd degrees is likely to ferment pretty slowly. Particularly if there was no additional nutrient added.

Don't worry though. Cider likes a longer, slower ferment.

The only indication you will have is that the gravity stays stable for 5 or so days.

Cheers
Dave

Cool, will leave it alone for now (feel like I need to get a second fermenter, this is taking valuable beer making time!)

 

[Vini2ton]

You can never have too many fermenters or demijohns.