I experienced problems with my tilt when fermenting my last two ciders. Immediately after adding my dry yeast. I drop my Tilt into the cider. In both cases, my initial reading was around .991 or so after several days my reading has not changed that much. Today it is .997. Any ideas as to why? Any solutions? Thanks
Tilt Problem
- Thread starter Bill B
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Was it calibrated ? Have you checked with a hydrometer?
Yes, I calibrated it prior to use. I calibrated it using water. Did not use a hydrometer.
Interestingly the tilt reading continues to drop.
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I've never done cider, but .991 starting out seems suspicious to me. I'd have thought it'd be notably higher.
At least 1.020 or more. A quick google and everyone says in the neighborhood of 1.040 or better. Is this a different type of cider?
Even if you calibrated it wrong, you'll still know when it's fermented out all the sugar that can be fermented. Just wait till the SG stops falling and you get the same reading 3 days or more apart.
At least 1.020 or more. A quick google and everyone says in the neighborhood of 1.040 or better. Is this a different type of cider?
Even if you calibrated it wrong, you'll still know when it's fermented out all the sugar that can be fermented. Just wait till the SG stops falling and you get the same reading 3 days or more apart.
No, both times it was an apple/pomegranate. I used a champagne dry yeast.
One issue I’ve seen with my Tilt (which I love) is getting a biased low gravity after high krausen. I figured out that it was shmutz on top off the float, essentially weighing it down. Swirling the fermenter to spin down the traub in the conical cleaned it up and the gravity increased a couple of pts.
This is only a few pts kind of effect and doesn’t seem obviously applicable to your situation.
This is only a few pts kind of effect and doesn’t seem obviously applicable to your situation.
Thanks for your reply. I think that my problem was that my starting gravity was not correct. Subsequent readings were based off of that incorrect starting gravity. I have a couple of options; allow fermentation to continue until it appears to have stabilized and then cold crash to stop any further fermentation (if any). Also, I am watching my ABV reading increase, as the "incorrect gravity reading" continues to fall. I have a second tilt unit (different color) which I may introduce at this time.
Thanks I realize that, However, the gravity reading continues to drop and I continue to ferment.
