Man, I love Apfelwein

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I also made some more today this will be my 5th and 6th batch, tried using a high alcohol yeast and more sugar on one, ill see how it goes,the other was pretty much standard, heck i love this stuff.

just a quick one, the yeast used is capable of producing up to 21% alcohol, i have used 1kg (2.2lb) of sugar in a 1 gallon demijohn, sg was i think 1010, any idea what the final Alcohol percentage is likely to be?.
Uh, I think your gravity was more likely 1.110. So if you ferment to 1.0 you would have about 14.7% abv. Distillers yeast does tend to go completely dry.
 
I pitched my first batch of this today. I'm following the recipe exactly: 5 gallons of TreeTop 100% apple juice, 2 pounds of corn sugar, and 1 packet of Montrachet yeast.

I'm planning to bottle and carbonate it, which will be a first for me.
 
After 6 months being in the business of home brewing I have finally made up a batch of the famous edworts apfelwein. Used frozen concentrate and ec1118. Sounds like it should do the trick. She's happily murky and bubbling this morning. Glad I'm going on vacation so I don't have to sit here impatiently waiting.
 
I am brewing this in a 6 gallon bucket. Should I rack this to a 5 gallon carboy after a week or so, or is it fine to just leave it in the bucket and not worry about the extra head space?
 
What an epic thread.

I have never had any kind of apple wine before or cider.
I am really new to brewing in general. Im only in 3 months and have already blown 1500 bucks on gear and ingredients.

I had to try the apfelwein because it seemed so easy and I wasnt wrong.
I literally spent 10 min making this.

I didnt get a gravity reading but really who cares. I dont plan on touching this for 2-3 months at least. Here is my obligatory pic.

20130317_185408_zpsdf1bc5e0.jpg
 
I am brewing this in a 6 gallon bucket. Should I rack this to a 5 gallon carboy after a week or so, or is it fine to just leave it in the bucket and not worry about the extra head space?

The ideal situation would be to ferment six gallons in the bucket, or just start the 5 gallons in the carboy. From your post, it sounds like you have already started with 5 gals in the bucket. If it has only been going for a week or so, I would add in another gallon of juice to top of the bucket.
5gals in a 6 gal bucket should be fine for a month, as this is common practice with beer. If you plan on aging longer than a month,either top up with apple juice early on or transfer to secondary after a few weeks.
 
Thanks. I'm planning on kegging it (I want it carbonated) so I guess I'll just leave it for a month in the bucket, and then I'll transfer to the keg and let it finish aging there.
 
Just kegged up my batch made 6 weeks ago. Had about 3 pints right off the keg. Damn this stuff is good. I will definitely be going to get more apple juice tomorrow
 
Put together my first batch last night. Original EdWort recipe....

They laughed at me at my LHBS and asked me if I was from (insert redneck state name here) when I asked for a packet of Montrachet (which I pronounced Mont-ratchet) hahaa. At least now I know the correct pronunciation
 
vivasbeer said:
Put together my first batch last night. Original EdWort recipe....

They laughed at me at my LHBS and asked me if I was from (insert redneck state name here) when I asked for a packet of Montrachet (which I pronounced Mont-ratchet) hahaa. At least now I know the correct pronunciation

Which is... Haha
 
Please fill me in on the right pronunciation so I dont look foolish also

Mont (French silent "t") - rah - shay

You should say it with one hand on your hip, the other with your pinkie sticking out, and your nose in the air. That is how the French say it.

I like "Mont-rachet" myself. I'll have to try that sometime at my LHBS. They actually pronounce Safale as "Sahf-all-ay" vs. "Safe-ale" so it might actually fly there.
 
Mont (French silent "t") - rah - shay

You should say it with one hand on your hip, the other with your pinkie sticking out, and your nose in the air. That is how the French say it.

I like "Mont-rachet" myself. I'll have to try that sometime at my LHBS. They actually pronounce Safale as "Sahf-all-ay" vs. "Safe-ale" so it might actually fly there.[/QUOT

Lol thanks for saving me the embarassment!!...i started my first batch on saturday, original recipe, 5 gallons. Does my airlock need to be filled to the top? I thought i filled it but its about an inch down now....
 
Does my airlock need to be filled to the top? I thought i filled it but its about an inch down now....

Keep an eye on it. Yeah, you generally want to keep it full but as long as the bubbles have something to bubble through it will be OK. Make sure to top it off if you are going to be away for a few days.
 
Does my airlock need to be filled to the top? I thought i filled it but its about an inch down now....

If it's a three piece there's a fill line. Either way if there's fermentation and the thing is bubbling it is fine. So long as there's enough liquid to reach the top of the vents on the little cap thingie inside you have no worries.
 
Excellent. Thank you guys for the info...have any of you bottled both straight from the primary as well as from a secondary you racked into? Im just curious if there is a difference in the final product and if you prefer one method over the other
 
Put together my first batch last night. Original EdWort recipe....

They laughed at me at my LHBS and asked me if I was from (insert redneck state name here) when I asked for a packet of Montrachet (which I pronounced Mont-ratchet) hahaa. At least now I know the correct pronunciation

I did the same but they didn't laugh at me. I wouldn't have known i pronounced it wrong unless you mentioned it. Maybe they didn't laugh because I'm Asian and they expected it. Haha
 
I just stole a taste of mine (orig. EdWort recipe) after exactly one month in the carboy and had to stop myself from drinking more. It's good already. Going to get the ingredients for a second batch tomorrow. :mug:
 
Haha.. same here just tasted mine after month and its clear and taste great already. I think I'm gonna put some in bottle and some in bottle with corn sugar to carb it up.. that way I can free up the fermenter for more....
How would it work if I used the yeast that's already in the Carboy for another batch? Will it work? Or just clean it and start from scratch?
 
SWMBO has already informed me that she prefers HER Apfelwein sparkling, thank you. She thinks it is just fizzy cider and isn't aware of the added honey - and I couldn't bear to break that to her ;) Should be pretty interesting come sampling time as she is a bit of a teetotaler at times.
 
Should be pretty interesting come sampling time as she is a bit of a teetotaler at times.

That reminds me of judging a competition ... we were travelling so I wanted to be on our best behavior. I was judging Belgians and Scotch ales (!) and my fellow judge was judging meads. Late in the flight he jumped up, chair flying backwards, precariously balancing on what looked like a flat floor. In a very Keith Richards flowing move his hands waved around the current victim's mean to which he loudly proclaimed: "You give your woman this mead, her legs will just FLY (hands flinging out, distributing said mead evenly over the judges) open!"

They never invited us back
 
My apfelwein is like 2 months old. Has been bottled. But doesn't really have any flavor to it. Made it following all direction but cut it to one gallon. I did add cinnamon sticks and can taste the cinnamon tho. Do I just need to age more?
 
Everybody so far on this page is not bulk aging long enough. I would go 3 months at a minimum. that's when the apple flavor really starts to show back. I plan on making another batch with 1 gallon of cherry juice added to it. It is killer at 5 months bulk aging. Started my recent batch in January and will keg it in a few months. Build up an inventory and or dedicate a carboy to let this stuff age. It improves immensely. My batches are a little over 6 months old now.
 
Everybody so far on this page is not bulk aging long enough. I would go 3 months at a minimum. that's when the apple flavor really starts to show back. I plan on making another batch with 1 gallon of cherry juice added to it. It is killer at 5 months bulk aging. Started my recent batch in January and will keg it in a few months. Build up an inventory and or dedicate a carboy to let this stuff age. It improves immensely. My batches are a little over 6 months old now.

You mean bulk age in primary right? No need to rack even for 6 months?
 
rideincircles said:
Everybody so far on this page is not bulk aging long enough. I would go 3 months at a minimum. that's when the apple flavor really starts to show back. I plan on making another batch with 1 gallon of cherry juice added to it. It is killer at 5 months bulk aging. Started my recent batch in January and will keg it in a few months. Build up an inventory and or dedicate a carboy to let this stuff age. It improves immensely. My batches are a little over 6 months old now.

I propose an experiment. Pull off and bottle a gallon or 2. Bulk age the rest. Taste test in 3 months and let us know which is better.
 
While 6 months is a long time, I've recently found irrefutable proof that age helps this. I bottled after letting it sit for 2 months. The day of bottling, roommate who is a big wine drinker really liked it. Popped open a bottle a week later, roommate said it was even better. I'll be letting the batch I have going now with wine-soaked raisins go for about 5 months and then bottle.

Then again, I thought this stuff tasted great at the 2 month mark, but age would make it taste even more glorious. So balance your patience against need to drink some of this stuff ASAP.
 
My apfelwein is like 2 months old. Has been bottled. But doesn't really have any flavor to it. Made it following all direction but cut it to one gallon. I did add cinnamon sticks and can taste the cinnamon tho. Do I just need to age more?
Yes. The flavor balance changes with age. I would say it tastes much more like apples after 4-6 months then it did at 0-2 months.

Everybody so far on this page is not bulk aging long enough. I would go 3 months at a minimum. that's when the apple flavor really starts to show back. I plan on making another batch with 1 gallon of cherry juice added to it. It is killer at 5 months bulk aging. Started my recent batch in January and will keg it in a few months. Build up an inventory and or dedicate a carboy to let this stuff age. It improves immensely. My batches are a little over 6 months old now.
Hmm, yes to the aging. Though I still don't agree that aging in bulk is imperative.

I propose an experiment. Pull off and bottle a gallon or 2. Bulk age the rest. Taste test in 3 months and let us know which is better.
That's a good idea. I doubt it will really settle the debate, but it would tell me which I prefer. I'll have to round up something around 3 gallons for bulk aging the next batch.

While 6 months is a long time, I've recently found irrefutable proof that age helps this. I bottled after letting it sit for 2 months. The day of bottling, roommate who is a big wine drinker really liked it. Popped open a bottle a week later, roommate said it was even better. I'll be letting the batch I have going now with wine-soaked raisins go for about 5 months and then bottle.

Then again, I thought this stuff tasted great at the 2 month mark, but age would make it taste even more glorious. So balance your patience against need to drink some of this stuff ASAP.
I would say two months is pretty much a minimum for a good flavor. The apparent alcohol continues to drop, and the taste keeps smoothing out. That increases the perceived apple flavor, as it's not fighting with the alcohol flavor/aroma much anymore. After about 6 months my batches have virtually no alcohol aroma. Still a very small amount of alcohol flavor, more of a nice burn then anything else though.
 
Anyone know of a good apple juice to use for this that can be found in central il? Like at SAMs club or Walmart etc.
 
reinstone said:
Anyone know of a good apple juice to use for this that can be found in central il? Like at SAMs club or Walmart etc.

If you're a Costco member or know someone who is, I've had great results with their store brand "fresh pressed" apple juice which is not from concentrate. My costco in NJ had it for $8.89/2 gallons.
 
Just got my apfelwein down to SG 1.000, so I capped it and put it in the cupboard to age a bit. Although, I did sample it and by my opinion this stuff is ready to go now! I don't know how I am going to get any of this to age and significant length of time. I'm hoping my other batch of cider will distract me for a while!
 
SWMBO has already informed me that she prefers HER Apfelwein sparkling, thank you. She thinks it is just fizzy cider and isn't aware of the added honey - and I couldn't bear to break that to her ;) Should be pretty interesting come sampling time as she is a bit of a teetotaler at times.

Apfelwein, aka Pantydropper :) ....
 
It's very simple to make.

5 Gallons of Tree Top Apple Juice from Costco
2 pounds of Dextros (corn Sugar)
1 packet Dry Montrachet Wine yeast

1. Sanitize your carboy (I love my Better bottles) and big funnel.
2. Pour half of one gallon of juice in the Carboy. Then add 1 pound of Dextrose to the half empty bottle of juice. Put the cap on and shake it up to dissolve the sugar.
3. Repeat step 2 with another gallon of apple juice and the other pound of Dextrose
4. Pour the half bottles of juice/dextros into carboy
5. Pour the rest of the juice into the carboy saving about a quart
6. Sprinkle the yeast into the funnel then rinse with the rest of the juice so all the yeast is now in the carboy.

You can fit all the juice in it, don't worry.

Wait 4 weeks at least then keg, chill, & carbonate. I don't do a secondary, but you can if you want to age it beyond 4 weeks. I would not rack till it clears like the first bottle.

You can see the difference in the colors based on the date. The first bottle was made 9/12, the second on 10/5 and the third on 10/10. I use cheap Texas vodka for my airlocks. They burn through some during the first few days of fermentation, so I keep it handy there.

The end result is a crisp, dry, refreshing Apfelwein at 8.5% abv that rocks on hot summer days. SWMBO is loving it on tap. Her German mother is coming for Christmas, so I need to make sure I have enough to last.

Oh yeah, this makes a great Grog in the winter time.

Take a quart in a sauce pan, add some rum, turbinado sugar, and float a cinnamon stick in it and simmer for a while. Serve hot in mugs. It'll warm you right up.

1. Can I use a program like Beersmith to Scale down the recipe? --> say for making in a 3 gallon Better Bottle.
2. If I scale down the dextrose how badly will that affect the ABV? SWMBO is looking to have 5-6% ABV. I wasn't sure of the original recipe ABV.
 

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