newbie question.. is my yeast dead?

[OLDsheepHumper]

Three days ago i started some pineapple wine.
i used 5 gallons of 100% pineapple juice, about 12 cups of corn sugar and the green packet of redstar wine yeast. i also added yeast energizer and pectic enzyme. for the first two days the airlock was going crazy! i opened the bucket up and stirred it every 24 hours those first two days and i had a lot of foam that initially died down after stirring for a few minutes. i came home today on day 3 and the airlock was still. watched it for a full minute and no bubbles at all. i opened it up to take a look and it smells pretty strong. it still looks pretty thick and hazey yellow like before primary fermentation. tastes like malt liquor (i would compare it to a pineapple flavored md 20/20 taste and smell-wise) i know high abv% kills yeast but is it possible that i reached that in only 2 1/2 days? and it still tastes pretty damn sweet. i didnt use the hydrometer before fermentation and i fear that not making sure my sugar content wasnt too high may have ruined this batch. i was really hoping for a good pineapple flavor but this taste like really alcoholic kool aid, ick!. has the fermentation stopped here or can i do something to kick things up again? any advice would be appreciated.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Stop opening it so often. Wait. Wait some more. Read what the smarter than me people post below. Wait a long time. Take three hydro readings on different days. If no change, then fermentation is done. But wait, you are making wine, so I'd wait. While waiting I'd look up pineapple wine (which sounds great) on Jack Keller's site, he's like a guru...http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

 

[saramc]

Based off the sugar alone, the SG was around 1.050; and pineapple typically comes in around 1.050, so assume your OG was 1.100.
Just take a hydro reading, and quit worrying about bubbles in airlock...horrid indicator. I would leave lid just resting on bucket so the must has access to O2, plus give it a 1-2 minute gentle stir once/twice a day until your SG has reached 1.030. Then rack to carboy/secondary container and apply.airlock.
FWIW, some yeasts/musts can start out as violent fermenters with foam and bubbles out the wazoo but a few days later you may think everything is done, only to check SG and realize still cooking. It is quite possible to ferment dry in 3 days, though personally I do not like that.
As far as taste, new winemakers typically do not realize that fermented juice does not taste like unfermented fruit. You are converting that sugar to alcohol, so many things happening. The good news is, country wines, such as what you are making, typically come back around when you backsweeten them much later down the road (a year from now). A bit of sugar brings that pineapple forward again.