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OHIOSTEVE · 01-02-2010, 06:37 PM

just checked the SG and it is still at 1.010 .......tasted the sample and it is good ( MUCH more smooth than last time) but weak flavor wise. almost like fizzy water with a splash of apple juice. I understand the apple flavor will come out more with time....it has almost zero alcohol taste to me..actually kind of a pleasant sipper....I have decided to bottle this like beer ( prime with corn sugar and cap) is there any reason I couldn't do that in the near future? I need to top off the carboy but I will use apple juice I think as the flavor is weak enough without watering it down more. I understand this will kick up fermentation again... I have thought about using apple juice to prime it for bottling...would that workif I am patient with carbonation?

chirs · 01-02-2010, 07:44 PM

I don't blame you for not reading through the 3,000 pages in the original apfelwein thread...but you'll find people were reacting very much the same. It really is amazing how the apple flavor just reappears out of nowhere @ 5-6 months. I'm bummed I drank/gave away 3 gallons in the first 3 months.
On the other hand, I also wish my introduction to cider wasn't just APFELWEIN. While that thread was a big hit, I had never really had much cider at all – apfelwein or otherwise.
I found this little amateur experiment interesting: http://thepauperedchef.com/2009/11/the-final-word-for-now-on-homemade-hard-cider.html

jackson_d · 01-04-2010, 04:45 AM

yes you can bottle it like beer. Ed Wort suggests 3/4 cup of priming sugar.

I wouldnt do the apple juice primer without some research first, it might be too much sugar and you might get bottle bombs.

it is german style dry cider. it is not supposed to taste like woodchuck, etc. its very smooth. the flavor will come out in time. as i've said, mine has a slight maple syrup taste at 8 months.. Its very good and very smooth but it doesnt necessarily scream APPLE CIDER at me.

why dont you just leave it be and then you've made Apfelwein. After you drink your batch in all of its glory, you can take notes and alter the next batch. For instance, a friend of mine used 2# brown sugar to mix into the juice instead of Corn Sugar. The brown sugar doesnt ferment all the way and it leaves a lot of sweetness. Tasted much more like a sweet cider instead of dry, as the Apfelwein is meant to be dry.

What do you mean 'top off the carboy' ?

OHIOSTEVE · 01-04-2010, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackson_d

yes you can bottle it like beer. Ed Wort suggests 3/4 cup of priming sugar.

I wouldnt do the apple juice primer without some research first, it might be too much sugar and you might get bottle bombs.

it is german style dry cider. it is not supposed to taste like woodchuck, etc. its very smooth. the flavor will come out in time. as i've said, mine has a slight maple syrup taste at 8 months.. Its very good and very smooth but it doesnt necessarily scream APPLE CIDER at me.

why dont you just leave it be and then you've made Apfelwein. After you drink your batch in all of its glory, you can take notes and alter the next batch. For instance, a friend of mine used 2# brown sugar to mix into the juice instead of Corn Sugar. The brown sugar doesnt ferment all the way and it leaves a lot of sweetness. Tasted much more like a sweet cider instead of dry, as the Apfelwein is meant to be dry.

What do you mean 'top off the carboy' ?

I have drawn a couple of samples out of the carboy to test the sg...there is a bit of head space and I was wondering about adding water or apple juice to "fill" the headspace......