Fermentation Question

[jeffj502]

I recently started an apple cider on 12/23/13 here was my recipe

3 gallons 100% apple juice
3 lbs of sugar (I thought the guy at my local brew store said lbs when he might have said cups....opps)
1 packet yeast
1.5 tsp yeast energizer

The potential problem that I am seeing is that the yeast seems to be working but all that has been produced is pinhead bubbles at the top. I am seeing about 1 bubble per second through the airlock but I am concerned its not working as it should. Should I add more yeast?

 

[Setesh]

Nope, you are fine. Beer has a lot of head forming proteins in it, and ale yeast is top fermenting. Mix the two and you form a krausen at the top. Your cider and wine yeast combo won't do that. The churning action and the off gassing are proof that it is working. 3lbs of sugar to 3 gallons of juice is a lot of sugar though. I used 3 cups to 5 gallons of juice in my last cider. I don't have BeerSmith installed on this machine to do those calculations. What was your OG?

 

[jeffj502]

This is my first attempt at brewing but my first calculation I believe there was a potential between 10-12% if I read correctly.

 

[Setesh]

It looks like apple juice is around 1.052, so you likely had an OG of about 1.098. That is going to be some very hot stuff! It will probably turn out more like a prison wine than a cider, and you will be able to taste what sugar does to the character of a cider. I would make sure and save a few bottles of this one and compare them to your next one (made with less or no sugar) so that you can learn from the comparisons. It's really fun to do that too! Let us know what you think when it has finished.