Ed - I shared a 6'r with the BIL's this weekend. They were amazed on how good it was and were interested in how to make AW. I told them how simple it was and also mentioned what they were drinking was 8 months old!
It definately gets smooooooth with some time to sit. I imagine most of you don't let it sit around long. Its worth making a bunch AW so you can accrue some inventory meanwhile brewing several beers so your not temped to dip into them so soon. Dedicate an extra carboy for awhile. I've thought of using champagne bottles so I wouldn't tie up my beer bottles for long storage. It also makes for a nice gift.
To me drinking young AW is the same as making a Imperial IPA and drinking it after two weeks in the bottle. Its a shame to discover how really good it is (3 months later) after you drink the last 3 out of 40. In some way its also like wasting your prized HB on drunk who can't appreciate the quality or flavor. I keep BMC around for this reason.
"Drink No Apfelwein before its time." - Paul Masson - If he had tried Edwort's AW
Well, I mixed up a 5'er today. I was just gonna make a 1 gallon batch, but my local Big Box store (AKA Meijer) had some local grown and pressed cider in stock and on sale for 2gal/$5, and I couldn't pass that up . Tossed in 6 apple juice concentrates to kick it up, but forewent the dextrose. Picked up 4 lbs of it at the LHBS, though, just in case it needs some more kick . Gravity of the cider was around 1.053, but I couldn't get a reading after the concentrate was added; I needed to pour it all directly into the carboy. I'd guesstimate the OG to be somewhere around 1.060-ish. Pitched in Cote yeast, but I have a Montrechet on hand. I think I'll use that last gallon of cider and do "the original", just to compare.
And just for you, Edwort, I'm gonna stow a few bottles for each batch somewhere I can't find 'em and open them up around the holidays.
EDIT: Pron!
Who needs clothes! That's them there a brew closet, now!
If yours stalls or doesn't get rip-roaring in 5-7 days try dropping in yeast nutrient at the rate of 1/2tsp per gallon. Cotes needs yeast nutrients to do well.
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Aging is good. I cracked one of my 4 remaining bottles that I bottled back in April last week and the first glass was nice and carbed. It didn't last mind you and I didn't add anything before bottling, but that first glass had a nice frothy head to start. I'll document the last 3 bottles... for pure research of course...
Ize
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I sold 8 Montrachet yeast packets, yesterday, to a guy who is planning on making 8 batches. (Possibly, much more!)
He scored some frozen concentrate, each container makes 5 gallons, with 3 containers per case. I think he said he got 10 cases! I suggested that he mix one case into 10 gallons, and forget the dextrose.
My calculations for a 5 gallon batch;
concentrate- $2.50.
water- $0.00
yeast- 1.19
Yep, $3.69 for each 5 gallon batch, unless he re-uses his yeast!
If yours stalls or doesn't get rip-roaring in 5-7 days try dropping in yeast nutrient at the rate of 1/2tsp per gallon. Cotes needs yeast nutrients to do well.
Forgot to mention, added some of that, too . Don't want any "elephant farts" .
Very cool. One thing about frozen concentrate, ya need to make it, then let it come up to room temperature before adding the yeast.
For some reason I thought it wasn't good to make it from concentrate, but now that I think about it most of the juice in the stores is from concentrate. Nice way to save some cash.
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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
Primary: Fat Tire clone
Secondary: Summit IPA
On Tap: Edwort's Apfelwein
Up Next: Blue Moon clone, Muddy Waters Ale
Coming Soon: Geforce Shugga
No activity in mine yet. There was some whitish goop on top, which I'm telling myself is the yeast, and the top inch or so of liquid was fairly clear. My guess is that the yeast didn't get mixed in as well as it should have been, and so was top feeding right now at a slow rate, so I rocked the carboy around to get it all mixed in. Then I very decisively walked away and locked it up. I will relax, I will not worry, and I will studiously ignore the temptation to go poke at it. *repeats ten times* .
Just bottled mine after almost 2 months!. I made a paint bucket bottling bucket (HDPE is pretty much HDPE) and bottled up some 24 22oz's and gobbled down the remainder myself. 10 of the bottles I primed with 7 carbonation tablets just to see what I thought of the apfelwein carbonated. Time to put these suckers in a box (just in case, I don't want 22oz grenades) and let them sit for a wee bit. I'll let the hopefully soon to be carbonated ones go till next Friday, I'll start opening the others this weekend.
. Gravity of the cider was around 1.053, but I couldn't get a reading after the concentrate was added; I needed to pour it all directly into the carboy. I'd guesstimate the OG to be somewhere around 1.060-ish. Pitched in Cote yeast, but I have a Montrechet on hand. I think I'll use that last gallon of cider and do "the original", just to compare. 
I cracked one of my 4 remaining bottles that I bottled back in April last week and the first glass was nice and carbed. It didn't last mind you and I didn't add anything before bottling, but that first glass had a nice frothy head to start. I'll document the last 3 bottles... for pure research of course... 
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