Cider Keeve: Day 23

I checked in on the cider keeve last night.  I wanted to see how the fermentation was going.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am hoping for a slow fermentation that will, in theory, allow the Brett a chance to eat some of the sugars instead of the Sacchro dominating everything.

Upon looking at the carboy, I felt hopeful.  The head had kept at a soft dense foam.  I really don't have a lot of experience with fermenting cider, but it just seemed like the type of head that would result from a slow fermentation.  What has surprised me is the color of the cider.  It was so dark before, and now it is an almost vibrant orange color.

Keeved cider fermenting.

When I tested the gravity, I didn't know what to expect.  All I knew is that I was hoping for a high number indicating a slow fermentation and that the keeving process actually worked.  Today I came across this graph of gravity readings from keeved cider fermentations:

Lambourn Valley Cider

My gravity reading was 1.032.  Fantastic!  I am on track with other keeved ciders, so I now know I achieved a successful keeve.

When I think about the lambics I've done (1 and 2), they were at ~1.010 at the 2 month mark.  I anticipate this cider will be at about the same gravity.  The question is, what will the Brett have done in that time, and what, if anything, will it continue to do in this nutrient poor environment?

(Also, I plan to put some Drie Fonteinen dregs in there tonight to make sure there are stronger Brett strains than the Wyeast ones.)