Man, I love Apfelwein

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Ok, need to build a time machine, so I don't have to wait for my next batch of Apfelwein to age properly.
timemachineal5.jpg
 
pcrawford said:
Will it change a bit with age? Does anyone else think it tastes like champagne?

I carbonated a few bottles from my last batch. I have to say that they taste exactly like the champagne my sister-in-law had served at her wedding a few weeks ago. I'm not much into wines though.

I have some stored in a refridgerator for the past few months... it is amazing how much the taste is improving.
 
Well, its been about five weeks and my initial batch has cleared nicely and now is as clear as the original apple juice. Does this thing ever stop fermenting? It has been held at 68-74 F for the entire time.

I started another batch this week and it got off to a roaring start.





I mixed up a batch in strict accordance with Ed's recipe on April 2. After 24 hours the fermentation was underway. As of this morning the batch is cloudy, the airlock is bubbling merrily along and I observe a 1/2" ring along the sides of small bubbles as well as some small bubbles rising through the center. I am maintaining the tem,perature at about 68 F.

I used Krkland brand apple juice available in 1 gallon jugs at the local Costco.
 
Question: Will it turn out ok if i dont ferment for the full 6 weeks?

I am moving to Wyoming next week and my apfelwein will have been in the primary for only about 3.5 weeks. Will it be ok if i bottle it and take it with me? or should i show my dad how to bottle it so he can do it when its done?
Thanks.
 
Question: Will it turn out ok if i dont ferment for the full 6 weeks?

I am moving to Wyoming next week

Apfelwein will ferment just fine in Wyoming. I promise.
Strap your carboy in the back seat, pack your cloths around it and go. It will be Fine!
You could also leave it till you go back to your dads
 
Apfelwein will ferment just fine in Wyoming. I promise.
Strap your carboy in the back seat, pack your cloths around it and go. It will be Fine!
You could also leave it till you go back to your dads

Thats true, but im not bringing my brewing equipment with me. I will be living at a friends house for 4 months working in the oil fields and wont have time or space for it. Could i leave it here in the primary for 4 months until i get back?
 
Thats true, but im not bringing my brewing equipment with me. I will be living at a friends house for 4 months working in the oil fields and wont have time or space for it. Could i leave it here in the primary for 4 months until i get back?

I'd just leave it in the carboy until you get back. Or you could have your dad bottle it after it clears.

By the way - welcome! I used to surf down your way all the time.
 
I'd just leave it in the carboy until you get back. Or you could have your dad bottle it after it clears.

By the way - welcome! I used to surf down your way all the time.

Thanks! I tried surfing for about a year and never got the hang of it. Now im more into kayaking, fishing, and beer drinking. :)


So, it will be ok after 4 months in the carboy? I will probably do that then. If it doesnt work, im only out ~$20.
I was hoping i could bottle it and bring it with me so id have something to drink in Wyoming..
 
I started my last batch in December, and bottled it yesterday.

Came out just fine!

steve
 
Just tasted my first batch for the first time yesterday. Took my gravity reading (1.001 at 66*F). Drank my sample. A little surprised at how it turned out. Very clear.(expected) tast like a pale wine. Could definitely see it tasting like champaigne after carbing it. Does more apple taste come out after being bottled?? Not a giant fan so far. Thought it was so so but not something worth waiting 2 months for....*Hoping more flavor comes out in growlers*
 
Just tasted my first batch for the first time yesterday. Took my gravity reading (1.001 at 66*F). Drank my sample. A little surprised at how it turned out. Very clear.(expected) tast like a pale wine. Could definitely see it tasting like champaigne after carbing it. Does more apple taste come out after being bottled?? Not a giant fan so far. Thought it was so so but not something worth waiting 2 months for....*Hoping more flavor comes out in growlers*

From what Ed has been been saying, letting it mellow for months the apples do come back more in time. I think he said he just finished off a keg recently that was 8months old and it was wonderful. I'm hoping so myself as the first reading I took I tried the sample and it was tart and hot lol!
Anyway...my first batch is a bit over 2 months now. I'm going to check the grav this week and see if I should bottle. Then I'll start another batch while the current one rests for a while. Letting this stuff sit while life rolls on anyway...well, I don't mind the wait. Especially if I like it after a good aging.

:mug:
 
When do you think a Noob should give Apfelwein a try?
I mean A DIE HARD Beer drinker...NooB
Like batch #3 or #4....Maybe #2 if they got a glass carboy with their kit?

I'd say its a good batch #1. Its easy and you cant screw it up..unless you dont follow the directions...

Give it a whirl.. you wont be disappointed.
 
I did it between batches 2-3. I don't really consider it a "batch" cause it wasn't exactly a brew day. just pouring and shaking and pitching. DONE
 
When do you think a Noob should give Apfelwein a try?
I mean A DIE HARD Beer drinker...NooB
Like batch #3 or #4....Maybe #2 if they got a glass carboy with their kit?

Sure. Sooner rather than later, because it will take longer than normal beer. Stick it in the glass primary and forget about it for a while.
 
When do you think a Noob should give Apfelwein a try?
I mean A DIE HARD Beer drinker...NooB
Like batch #3 or #4....Maybe #2 if they got a glass carboy with their kit?

I'd say at least batch #2- it takes at least a month to ferment a batch, which is a loooong time to wait for your first batch. A hefe for batch 1, and then maybe apfelwein makes sense to me.
 
Well I took a grav reading last night on my batch thats just under 2 months old.
It was at 1.002. A couple weeks ago it was at 1.006.
So, I'm assuming its about ready to bottle in a week or two then.
The taste was not as hot as before and somewhat less tart....I chilled the sample and it went down much better lol. I can imagine carbing this up and in a couple months it being even better. That being said, I stopped last night and bought everything but the apple juice to start another batch lol.

:mug:
 
Quick question here, I have my first batch that has been fermenting for about 3 weeks, and I'm leaving my apartment at college to go home for the summer. Would it be possible to bottle up like say a gallon or two and take them home on a 2 hour car ride? I'd be bottling them in glass half gallon and fifth liquor bottles.
 
I took me 3 days, but i found this thread and read though all 331 pages of posts! Anyway, I started my first batch last night...

5 Gallons Mott's apple juice
1 Can frozen concentrate
2 lbs. dark brown sugar
1 packet cote de blanc yeast (re-hydrated)
2.5 tsp yeast energizer


Within 4 hours of putting this together it was fermenting! I was amazed. I have it at about 72 degrees. This morning it was working away nice and fast as well, hopefully will be done in a couple weeks and i will see how it tastes. :)
 
Mine will be 5 weeks this Saturday and still isn't clear or done! Just took an SG and it looked like 1.009 still! Small bubbles just keep running up the side too, luckily I started another 2 weeks after this one :)
 
Ed, you'll be glad to know that one of the 40 Maltose Falcons taps at last Saturdays Southern California Homebrew Festival was dispensing your Apfelwein, and about 3 gallons was served in 2oz increments. Everybody loved it, and countless people asked for the recipe.

I picked up 5 gallons of juice today, so I can replenish my stocks.
 
Ed, you'll be glad to know that one of the 40 Maltose Falcons taps at last Saturdays Southern California Homebrew Festival was dispensing your Apfelwein, and about 3 gallons was served in 2oz increments. Everybody loved it, and countless people asked for the recipe.

I picked up 5 gallons of juice today, so I can replenish my stocks.

Very cool. Who made it?
 
Ed...just got back from a work-related trip which ended in Hessen (Kassel, Melsungen, and finally Frankfurt). It was a great trip despit the fact that I was working. I spent most of the time in Switzerland in the Zug canton near Rotrkeuz and Buonas.

Of course, there was no way I was leaving the Hessen area without stopping by a local restaurant for a little white spargel, sausage, and traditional apfelwein. This was the first time I'd ever sampled the 'real' stuff.

The biggest difference I noticed was how sour the drink was compared to the batches I've made. I really liked it.

My question is how do I get that sour taste into the stuff I make at home? Any ideas?

Vielen dank, tchüss...ssb
 
I didn't read the whole thread (read a lot of it though) so I might have missed this. Do I need to use vodka in the air lock or would just cooled boiled water work? I had planned on making this for this first time tonight but I forgot the vodka when I went out earlier today.
 
As long as the water doesn't end up in the carboy it doesn't matter if you even boil it. I use vodka, but honestly it is probably overkill. You can probably use sanitizer solution as well.
 
I use vodka, I feel the peace of mind is worth a dime's worth of cheap booze. It's so easy to get suckback when moving the fermenter, or even from temperature differentials.

So this morning I'm loading up the dishwasher with empties so I can bottle my stout tonight, and what do I come across...an entire 12 pack of SNPA bottles filled with Apfelwein, and dated 7/7/2007! :D Perhaps I'm brewing too much if I'm misplacing that many full bottles, but I ain't complaining. I put a few in the fridge, and this weekend I'll compare them to the more recent batch in the keg.

Now where did I leave my aspirin bottle?
 

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