Great Modified Apfelwein to Horrible Apfelwein in 1 week?

gyrfalcon · 10-24-2007, 04:57 AM

Alright I made an Apfelwein mod on 9-2-2007 which you can read about here: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/edworts-apfelwein-vs-brewfrick-panty-dropper-37751/

Basically the only difference was using ultra fine cane sugar vs. dextrose corn sugar. I tried it around 10-2-2007 and it was GREAT. It wasn't dry and was semi-sweet with a good taste... I actually thought it was the best thing I've ever fermented!!! So I tried it again this weekend and it now has a nasty taste to it... It's pretty much a tart dry taste and has a smell of musty water.

I really wish I knew what happened to this cider. Does anyone have some insight or recommendations? I'm willing to ship a few bottles of it to any willing tasters who could be willing to help me figure out my mistakes.

Tenchiro · 10-24-2007, 05:03 AM

EdWort's minions heard and came to smite you for not following his methods. :P

gyrfalcon · 10-24-2007, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tenchiro

EdWort's minions heard and came to smite you for not following his methods. :P

I wish that was the case... Then we could have had a party since I'm one of them!

Checkout my most recent project: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/15-gallons-eds-apfelwein-42151/

**Yooper** · 10-24-2007, 12:13 PM

Well, I'm just guessing here- but did it get exposed to oxygen between the time it was good and the next time, when it tasted bad and smelled like musty water? It sounds like an oxidation thing. Wine will get a sherry-like taste when it gets oxidized. Does it have alot of head space, or did you rack it?

gyrfalcon · 10-24-2007, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

Well, I'm just guessing here- but did it get exposed to oxygen between the time it was good and the next time, when it tasted bad and smelled like musty water? It sounds like an oxidation thing. Wine will get a sherry-like taste when it gets oxidized. Does it have alot of head space, or did you rack it?

It was never racked until last night... Basically stayed in a 5gallon carboy and didn't have a lot of head space.

I'm hoping I didn't infect it when I last tried it.

**EdWort** · 10-24-2007, 07:35 PM

How did you get your sample to try it back on the 2nd? I hope you sanitized everything!

I'd just leave it for a month and try to forget about it. If it is still nasty 30 days from now then, dump it.

Don't use cane sugar in Apfelwein. Go for Dextros. You could be drinking it now (though a bit green) if you did.

homebrewer_99 · 10-24-2007, 07:41 PM

Ed's a great brewer and all, but I followed his recipe to the T and was not pleased with the results at all. Not his fault.

It's just a matter of personal taste.

I added some potassium sorbate to kill the yeast and backsweetened with another can of concentrate , 1.5 C Dark Brown Sugar, 1/2 C Splenda and some cinnamon sticks. It tasted better for a while then it got too sweet. Again, not his fault.

I poured some in a cup and heated it up for a hot toddy and it tasted GREAT!!! Again, not his fault....

I has several glasses that night...

**EdWort** · 10-24-2007, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homebrewer_99

Ed's a great brewer and all, but I followed his recipe to the T and was not pleased with the results at all. Not his fault.

It's just a matter of personal taste.

Thanks and it's true, not all folks like it. It's an aquired taste (thus the 3 glass rule).

Just as folks in Germany will backsweeten with some Limonade (that's German for Sprite), some folks like a sweeter end product.

The main thing is that you still can make a great drinkable BASE product following the directions. Then you can drink it or modify the finished product to you liking as you have done.

**Seabee John** · 10-24-2007, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

Well, I'm just guessing here- but did it get exposed to oxygen between the time it was good and the next time, when it tasted bad and smelled like musty water? It sounds like an oxidation thing. Wine will get a sherry-like taste when it gets oxidized. Does it have alot of head space, or did you rack it?

Ok noob question... how do you avoid exposure to OXY during racking or bottling? I just bottled my first batch (way too early, I learned) and I did it like I would with beer. Sanitized, primed, bottled. Am I going to end up with 50 bottles of bad hooch?

**Yooper** · 10-25-2007, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seabee John

Ok noob question... how do you avoid exposure to OXY during racking or bottling? I just bottled my first batch (way too early, I learned) and I did it like I would with beer. Sanitized, primed, bottled. Am I going to end up with 50 bottles of bad hooch?

No, I'm sure it would be ok if you did it like beer. I rack my wines several times before bulk aging and then bottling. I use campden (sulfite) in my wines at every other racking to help protect them from oxidation. Still if you only racked once or twice, nothing to worry about.

The only reason I mentioned it was because there is a certain flavor in white wines that tastes "off" and is best described as sherry-like. That's caused by oxidation.