[Newbie Alert] TC more like a Reliant Robin

[ukmike99]

Hi,
Thought my first homebrew experience for many years should be something idiot proof and easy,so decided to give TC a try.
Well I used 4l asda cheapo apple juice,approx 250g sugar and 2/3 of a pack of Youngs champagne yeast.
It`s been 4 days now and it`s not exactly an erupting volcano.It`s not even a wet fart.The airlock goes about once every 6 seconds at best(I`ve been reduced to timing it).
It has a sediment of roughly 1/8th inch.There is no head as such.It builds up a half inch of froth roughly every half hour,then this disapears.
Would a good shake liven it up? I am that sad I`ve put some food colouring into the airlock so I can sit down and watch it.
Help please I am obsessed

[CyberPaddy66]

What temperature is it at, the common cause of "slow" fermentations is it being too cold.

I did my 4L Adsa Smart Price TC and it's turned out great, added a 5th Litre of AJ to sweeten it and it's almost like a west country scrumpy - YUMMY!

[ukmike99]

It`s about 18 degrees.I`ve got it in the kitchen so it gets quite hot when cooking.

[CyberPaddy66]

Should be just about right, maybe 2/3rds of a pack is a little light for a good brew.

I'd give it a swirl in the DJ for a few minutes just to see if it's a stuck fermentation, if it is then it'll kick into life and if not then you may need more yeast.

[ukmike99]

Thanks,I`ll give it a good swirl.I thought about adding more yeast but wondered if it would harm it.Can you use too much yeast?

[CyberPaddy66]

Others on here have asked the same thing and so far the answers are yes but it'll have to be one heck of a lot of yeast and as your probably only going to add another 2/3rd or full packet of yeast I'd say no it'll be fine.

For the record I did my TC with 1 tsp of Youngs Wine Yeast, was finished within the week and cleared in about the same (had some yesterday )

[PieOPah]

Did you take any gravity reading to see if it was done?

In the past when I have 'roused' the yeast in my TC, it remained cloudy and never cleared (although tasted fine).

If you are getting activity in the airlock then this would suggest that it is still fermenting.

I don't think the term Turbo relates to the speed of the ferment as it can take quite a while to ferment out completely (my first took about 2 weeks!)

[ukmike99]

Ive not got a hydrometer yet,but it`s on my list
I`ve given it a gentle swirl and its bubbling away steadily.I think it was me being impatient

[PieOPah]

Be very careful with TC without a hydrometer.

When I did mine, I drank it straight from the fermenter (has a tap on it) so didn't have problems with carbonation.

If you don't know if it has finished fermenting then you could over carbonate (not too much of a problem in kegs with pressure release valves, but a big problem in glass bottles!) I would personally leave it for at least 2 weeks to be on the safe side!

[ukmike99]

Well the airlock has now equalised,so I`m guessing it`s finished(must get a hydrometer).I`m getting some bottles to put it in next week,is it ok to leave it in it`s present state for a few days?It`s still cloudy.

[PieOPah]

Yeah there will be no problem leaving for a few days. All my TC stayed in the fermenter for months (drank directly from it!) with no problems!

[CyberPaddy66]

I left mine in the DJ until it cleared, looks beautiful and does the job

[ukmike99]

Well it`s now clearing nicely.I got a hydrometer and if I`m reading it correctly,the final gravity is 0.998.Anything 1.000 and below means it`s finished is that right?
I`m surprised as I thought I`d cocked this up,but I tasted some from the trial jar and it`s not bad.I don`t normally drink cider,but hey,its cheap and alcholic

[Crossbow]

Yup, that's finished (or as near as makes no odds). Cocking up TC would be an achievement in itself

[ukmike99]

Oh believe me,if anyone could cock it up it would be me.