[SCBeerDude7]

You may or may not have read the thread on my Honey Brown Ale, that was my very first brew ever.  Those bottles are still sitting and carbonating.  This is my second time brewing anything, but my first time brewing hard apple cider. 

Anyways, let's get on to this Hard Cider!

Fermentables:
- 3 gallons of organic Apple Juice, no preservatives, no ascorbic acid, nothing.  Must have been pasteurized when packaged.  This stuff was opaque.
- 2 Gallons of organic apple juice, ascorbic acid only.  This stuff was translucent.
- Sugar.  I can't remember how much I added exactly, but I tested different amounts of sugar in a small sample of apple juice to get 7-8% potential alcohol, then extrapolated this for the 5 gallon batch.

Yeast:
- I re-used 1/3 of the yeast cake from my previous Honey Brown Ale brew.  That was Safale S-04.

Other Info:
- Yeast Nutrient (added before pitching)
- Original Gravity (OG) = 1.064 (taken before adding Lactose)
- Added Lactose (0.75 lbs)
- Held fermentation at 62°F-63°F and is still sitting today at this temperature.

Day 8 - I still have Krasen at the top.  Swish the Carboy to make it drop then added Pectic Enzyme and swirled the Carboy.  I didn't have this Enzyme available before I pitched the yeast, so ordered it, but added 2.5tsp on Day 8.

Day 9 - (YESTERDAY) Krausen back at the top.  I figured it was stuck up there so I swished the carboy back and forth to get it to break apart and drop again.

Day 10 - (TODAY) This morning, the Krausen is back!  I swish it back and forth, it breaks up and bits are sinking.  Left with some fine white bubbles on the surface.

This afternoon that Krausen is back again!!!  What the heck?  Has Zeus told Poseidon to "Release the Krausen"?  I take photo #1.
I shake it again, it breaks up and bits sink.  Photos #2-#7
I check back after only 45 minutes and took photo #8.

Is this really still fermenting at day 10 !?  I don't want to take a gravity reading until this Krausen leaves the surface...

STUBBORN KRAUSEN


SHAKE IT BABY!







45mins later..... RELEASE THE KRAUSEN!

[Drewch]

- Added Lactose (0.75 lbs)

Is this to add residual sweetness without having to add sulfites and back-sweeten?

[denny]

I've been making cider for 20 years and my advice would be to remember that it's more like wine than beer.  It takes time to ferment and condition.

[SCBeerDude7]

- Added Lactose (0.75 lbs)

Is this to add residual sweetness without having to add sulfites and back-sweeten?

Yes, I plan to bottle carbonate and don't want to kill the yeast.  I also don't want to do that method where you back sweeten with sugar and heat the carbonated bottles up to pasteurization temp to kill the yeast when it's carbonated enough.  I just wanted a little bit of sweetness, so added some Lactose in hopes it won't be too dry. 
The attenuation of S-04 is between 72 – 75%, but I think that's for beer, not apple cider.  I'm assuming it will attenuate 100% due to the simple sugars, so I added a bit of Lactose.
I have no idea if the amount of Lactose I added was too much or too little.  I just went for it.

I've been making cider for 20 years and my advice would be to remember that it's more like wine than beer.  It takes time to ferment and condition.

I appreciate your experience Denny.  What's the longest fermentation you've seen with apple cider?

[denny]

- Added Lactose (0.75 lbs)

Is this to add residual sweetness without having to add sulfites and back-sweeten?

Yes, I plan to bottle carbonate and don't want to kill the yeast.  I also don't want to do that method where you back sweeten with sugar and heat the carbonated bottles up to pasteurization temp to kill the yeast when it's carbonated enough.  I just wanted a little bit of sweetness, so added some Lactose in hopes it won't be too dry. 
The attenuation of S-04 is between 72 – 75%, but I think that's for beer, not apple cider.  I'm assuming it will attenuate 100% due to the simple sugars, so I added a bit of Lactose.
I have no idea if the amount of Lactose I added was too much or too little.  I just went for it.

I've been making cider for 20 years and my advice would be to remember that it's more like wine than beer.  It takes time to ferment and condition.

I appreciate your experience Denny.  What's the longest fermentation you've seen with apple cider?

Maybe a couple weeks.  I just do juice and yeast with a touch of nutrient.  Then I xfer to a keg and store cold for 6-12 months before bottling.

[Saccharomyces]

STUBBORN KRAUSEN

That is not krausen.  Krausen is a foam head.  What you have is a yeast head.  A yeast head usually forms with true top-fermenting cultures after the foam head is skimmed or falls.  The yeast head that forms with a true top-fermenting culture is meant to be skimmed and repitched.  Cropping from the top results in a much cleaner yeast culture than cropping after the head finally sediments.  It is not only free of break and hop particulate matter when used to ferment beer wort.  It is also free from wild yeast and bacteria because wild yeast and bacteria do not floc to the top.  I have never seen a yeast head form like that one using S-04.