Adjusting cider SG after fermentation starts

[theshadows]

This is my first time brewing anything and I am making some noob mistakes.

We juiced 4 gals of fresh apples 3 days ago. Used 1/8 tsp sodium metibisulfite and let it sit in the fermenter 24 hours.

I was following a recipe and added 4tsp yeast nutrient, 5 lbs raw honey and 1.25 lbs brown sugar, stirred it together with the sanitized spoon thiefed some out to read the SG and it was 1.098. Added a packet of champagne yeast put the lid on and airlock and set it in the 65 deg basement.

It is moving along great now. However after some further reading I now realize that I should have been taking SG readings as I was adding the honey and sugar.

So my question is, would it be ok to juice another gal of apples and add it straight to the fermenter to lower the sugar content a bit? I took a SG reading before adding the honey and sugar and it was around 1.02 if I remember correctly. (Didn't write it down)

If it is ok to add this new juice could I just dump it right in since the yeast I want is really growing well.

Also I have read to get the cider off the lees in the first few days and into a carboy. Is this a good idea or should I just keep it in the fermentation bucket?

 

[scott78]

As Im having a quiet night shift, I will give this a go.

adding 1 gallon to what you have would reduce the gravity to 1.084

working back from a final alcohol of 7% you would need a starting SG of ~1.053

based on a Uk Gallon you have 18.2 Liters at a SG of 1.098

your unsweetened juice sounds a bit low at 1.020, the lowest i have had so far this year is 1.035.

if we say your getting 1.030 i think you would need to add 35 liters to get the bulk down to 1.053

you can add fresh juice on top of fermenting juice, keep a record of the new juice SG and the volume, i leave the juice on the lees until its all finished fermenting (that can take months)

 

[theshadows]

As Im having a quiet night shift, I will give this a go.

adding 1 gallon to what you have would reduce the gravity to 1.084

working back from a final alcohol of 7% you would need a starting SG of ~1.053

based on a Uk Gallon you have 18.2 Liters at a SG of 1.098

your unsweetened juice sounds a bit low at 1.020, the lowest i have had so far this year is 1.035.

if we say your getting 1.030 i think you would need to add 35 liters to get the bulk down to 1.053

you can add fresh juice on top of fermenting juice, keep a record of the new juice SG and the volume, i leave the juice on the lees until its all finished fermenting (that can take months)

Thank you. I will juice an apple or two to see what it's SG is to figure out how much I would need to add. Do I have to worry about killing off the wild yeast at this point?