Heeding my amateur brewer neighbor’s advice today, I took a measurement with the hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of my fermenting cider. According to my neighbor, at this point, I should be at zero (even, or 1.000), indicating that the majority of the sugar had been processed (I think).

Well, its not (yet) - its reading at about 1.020. Still have a little ways to go, I believe.  If my calculations are correct (caveat lector: I doubt it) I’m at about 4.2% ABV at the moment. Here’s what I used to figure that out:

1. Started (OG) at 1.050, probably at ~70-75ºF (kitchen)
   

2. Measured (FG) at 1.020, probably at nominal temperature (60ºF) (basement)
   

3. Used Wikipedia’s handy formula
   

So, the waiting continues (and the hoping that it will be worth it!).