Thanks EDWort!!!

Just put my first batch of apfelwein in the keg for aging, took a little taste when I did my gravity reading. It taste awesome! Wish I had taken everyone's advice and started a second batch right away, but I will get one started in the next couple of days. SWMBO is going to love this stuff!

mw20 said:

Wish I had taken everyone's advice and started a second batch right away

Click to expand...

Don't feel too bad, it could be worse. I didn't think I'd like it, so the first time I only made a two gallon batch! Of course it was gone almost immediately...

I wised up and got 5 gallons mixed up right away, and have kept at least one batch fermenting ever since. I keg three gallons of each batch, and bottle the remainder. I've long since lost track, but I think I'm up to around 45 gallons now. Actually, I guess that would be 47...

my first batch of EdWort's Apfelwein will be ready for bottling on December 30th. I can't wait to try it on bottling day!

Must be the only person in the world that doesn't like Apfelwein. Tastes a lot like white wine to me, which I don't really care for. I've had other friends that like it though and it was nice and easy to make.

TheH2 said:

Must be the only person in the world that doesn't like Apfelwein. Tastes a lot like white wine to me, which I don't really care for. I've had other friends that like it though and it was nice and easy to make.

Click to expand...

Did you carb yours? Un-carbed, I find it tastes like cheap white wine, very "hot" with alcohol...especially if it hasn't aged a long time. Once it's carbed up and aged a bit, it's more like Italian sparkling wine (spumante) with a touch of apple.

I let it sit in the better bottle for 2 months, and then carbed (adding corn sugar to carb). It was in the bottle for four weeks when I tried it. It has been another 4 weeks and I haven't tried it again. I'm definitely going to give it another shot, just that when I'm grabbing a drink I'd much rather have a beer.

TheH2 said:

just that when I'm grabbing a drink I'd much rather have a beer.

Click to expand...

Oh, as would I! But apfelwein is a nice refreshing change of pace once in a while, and I can no longer show up at a family event without a bottle or two. It brought tears to the eyes of a German lady, made her homesick!

The great thing about it is the effort to results ratio...it's hard to believe such a minimal investment in ingredients and effort can create such a refined, high quality product.

Hoping mine turns out. There are some slow signs of activity in the airlock and a small layer of yeast/bubbles on the top. I racked to primary about 24 hours ago. First batch for me and I am excited.

TheH2 said:

I let it sit in the better bottle for 2 months, and then carbed (adding corn sugar to carb). It was in the bottle for four weeks when I tried it. It has been another 4 weeks and I haven't tried it again. I'm definitely going to give it another shot, just that when I'm grabbing a drink I'd much rather have a beer.

Click to expand...

keep letting it sit. trust me it gets better

TheH2 said:

Must be the only person in the world that doesn't like Apfelwein. Tastes a lot like white wine to me, which I don't really care for. I've had other friends that like it though and it was nice and easy to make.

Click to expand...

You are not alone, but you must not have followed the 3 glass rule.

Give it some time to age. You might try mixing it with some 7up or Sprite if you want a sweeter drink (Germans do this all the time).

Some Germans will cut it with sparkling mineral water so it's not so strong and they can drink more over time. It's quite refreshing in the summer.

EdWort said:

You are not alone, but you must not have followed the 3 glass rule.

Give it some time to age. You might try mixing it with some 7up or Sprite if you want a sweeter drink (Germans do this all the time).

Some Germans will cut it with sparkling mineral water so it's not so strong and they can drink more over time. It's quite refreshing in the summer.

Click to expand...

Have you or anyone else tried it with mulling spices?

OhioGuy said:

Have you or anyone else tried it with mulling spices?

Click to expand...

Oh yeah, in the Winter, when it's cold outside, I make Heiße Ebelwoi.

I add a piece of cinnamon stick, 2 clove pieces, and some tubinado sugar to make a hot mulled Apfelwein. Add a shot of good rum, serve in a mug and it will warm you up right quick. Make only as much as you will serve or drink in an evening.

I agree with the others. It is an acquired taste and the older the batch, the better.

My wife likes it and she's not much into adult beverages. At first she was hesitant, but now she is asking for it.

I'll definitely have to see if I acquire a taste for it, I only have about 50 bottles left. I just can't stay away from my ESB. The good news is that the more I stay away from it the more it ages so the better it is getting.

Ed insprired me to pick up 2 gallons from my local orchard (about 50 yards from home) to make this in my mr beer keg (it was still in the box!) but the O.G. was 1.067 out of the bottle, so i pitched right into it. no sugar needed.
it has only been about.... hmm, 4 weeks in primary, and 5 in 22oz bottles... so 9 weeks. this stuff is sooooooooo good. ohh man. i had one bottle with SWMBO, and we both had quite the hangover the next day! (nothing to do with the 8 homebrews each beforehand though!) quuite potent, mine ended up @ 9.74%. i wish i had bought 20 gallons, as they sold out till next august

I made my first batch on 2008-08-16, Went through primary in around 3 weeks, secondary in 3 weeks, in a keg since then. The keg is crash chilling now to bottle. I'm shooting for a light carbonation but bottling in wine bottles. First time I have tried this so hopefully I will not be posting about blowing out corks.
This is the first time in over a decade I have tried to clean and remove lable's from wine bottles. Since when did they start using super-glue on them?

I think Mead and this are the only thing worth bottling, I'm looking forward to judging the taste over many months.

That and having things this potent on tap is just dangerous.

TheH2 said:

Must be the only person in the world that doesn't like Apfelwein. Tastes a lot like white wine to me, which I don't really care for. I've had other friends that like it though and it was nice and easy to make.

Click to expand...

EdWort said:

You are not alone, but you must not have followed the 3 glass rule.

Give it some time to age. You might try mixing it with some 7up or Sprite if you want a sweeter drink (Germans do this all the time).

Some Germans will cut it with sparkling mineral water so it's not so strong and they can drink more over time. It's quite refreshing in the summer.

Click to expand...

My latest batch turned out a bit "thin" tasting so I mix up 1 - 2 tsp grenadine, splash of cranberry sprite, splash of cranberry juice, and top off with apfelwein for a killer cocktail. It goes over very well with the alco-pop crowd.

Sour-Apple Pucker also cuts the tart of the apfelwein but makes a heck of a lady killer!

Kauai_Kahuna said:

That and having things this potent on tap is just dangerous.

Click to expand...

Just kegged a batch 2 nights ago for New Years. dun dun dun!!

Ed, I just tapped some of my kegged christmas Apfelwine. Its only 6 1/2 weeks old (kegged for 5 or 6 days) and half way thru my imperial pint glass and I'm startin to feel a little woosy...

I def should have followed Ed's advice on starting a second batch right away. I made some 3 months ago with the intention of bringing it home for xmas and new years. Well now I've only got a few bottles left and have a huge need for more. For the price this stuff rocks and it definetly works as an industrial strength panty remover

This coming Tuesday is 4 weeks in the primary for my first batch. I was hoping to bottle it next week and carb it up to try a couple out on new years eve.

This doesn't seem like enough time, but I want to try.

I make it just so I can watch it bubble, and bubble and bubble.....I can go on all day.

So, I brought the apfelwein in for my office pot luck and most everyone loved it. Couldn't bring beer b/c my we don't need no stinking beer gun didn't work.... One of my coworkers family is German (she went to a German school for primary education) said it tastes just like the stuff her dad buys around Christmas. Most of the others loved it too, and I didn't exactly set it up for success, I told everyone I didn't like it. Looks like it will be easy for me to give away if I don't acquire a taste for it.

Does this really need to ferment at such a high temp? I can go as high as 65 but after that its just too much work and too expensive. Anyone tried fermenting this recipe in the 65 degrees area?

Hoserama said:

Does this really need to ferment at such a high temp? I can go as high as 65 but after that its just too much work and too expensive. Anyone tried fermenting this recipe in the 65 degrees area?

Click to expand...

Mine is fermenting at about 65-67 degrees right now. I pitched the yeast on the 10th. 24 hours later I had slow activity in the air lock, now it is going crazy with a bubble every second or less and my closet smells like sulfur (from what I understand the norm). Fermentation seems to be going very well.

BlindLemonLars said:

Did you carb yours? Un-carbed, I find it tastes like cheap white wine, very "hot" with alcohol...especially if it hasn't aged a long time. Once it's carbed up and aged a bit, it's more like Italian sparkling wine (spumante) with a touch of apple.

Click to expand...

Ditto on this. I really don't like any cheap wine. I do like refreshing palate cleansing beverages though. Ths fits that bill perfectly when carbed.

I could see this drink being one of my stand-by dinner bevs.