Man, I love Apfelwein

This stuff improved in flavor significantly in just two weeks so far, it's impressive. It was a bit too intense alcohol/less apple flavor but I just drank some and its getting quite nice now. The bottle I drank was also bottle carbing for just 5 days but it already has a nice amount of carbonation. So far I like it much more than when it is still.

Just started my first batch today. Hopefully going to start a second batch in a couple weeks. Thanks for the recipe.

Just started my first batch (5 Gal.) yesterday. Used Ed's original recipe and added 4 tsp of yeast nutriants just to give it some help. Took seven hours for the bubbles to start and today it looks like its boiling in there. I have never seen so much activity, now the wait for this to finish.

2 bottles down...EdWort, see you in hell. Only Satan himself could create such a tempting concoction.

Bottled my 2nd batch yesterday(pitched March 24th so ~4 months bulk aged) ...and added a unsweetened/still gallon from my previous batch(pitched Feb 21). This 6 gal batch is all carbonated and sweetened. Still have a few bottles of the 1st batch so I hope to get some good age on the 2nd batch.

Also started Skeeter Pee from the yeast slurry my pipeline is starting to take shape.

2-3 weeks after bottling my apple cinnamon batch, I only have 12 bottles left of 24 bottled. Arg, people won't keep away from it. I think the apple cinnamon is a bigger hit than the straight apple I did. Although, I did do the normal 2 lbs sugar + 4 cans of extra concentrate. The flavor is out of this world!!!

The other night I drank half a bottle, then when I woke up and realized the whole bottle was gone. No alcohol flavor but bit me in the ass!!!

detlion1643 said:

2-3 weeks after bottling my apple cinnamon batch, I only have 12 bottles left of 24 bottled. Arg, people won't keep away from it. I think the apple cinnamon is a bigger hit than the straight apple I did. Although, I did do the normal 2 lbs sugar + 4 cans of extra concentrate. The flavor is out of this world!!!

The other night I drank half a bottle, then when I woke up and realized the whole bottle was gone. No alcohol flavor but bit me in the ass!!!

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Try a little nutmeg and a tiny bit of clove too. You won't taste them, they will just make it seem like the cinnamon is more complex.

I discovered this tread last Saturday. Since then, I've skimmed through the entire thing, purchased 2 Better Bottles, 16 gallons of apple juice, and started 2 batches of the original recipe and 1 batch of a cider with Nottingham yeast and no added sugar.

Hope this stuff is good!

By the way, I'm fermenting this in my basement which is about 65-68 degrees. I didn't use yeast nutrient, and haven't had any 'rhino fart' issues. There was only a slight sulfur smell on day 2 and 3 if I put my nose right up to the airlock. I wonder if it's mostly a temperature thing.

dave8274 said:

I discovered this tread last Saturday. Since then, I've skimmed through the entire thing, purchased 2 Better Bottles, 16 gallons of apple juice, and started 2 batches of the original recipe and 1 batch of a cider with Nottingham yeast and no added sugar.

Hope this stuff is good!

By the way, I'm fermenting this in my basement which is about 65-68 degrees. I didn't use yeast nutrient, and haven't had any 'rhino fart' issues. There was only a slight sulfur smell on day 2 and 3 if I put my nose right up to the airlock. I wonder if it's mostly a temperature thing.

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To some degree yes. With warmer temperatures you have more yeast activity, so you get pretty much all your sulfur compounds in a short amount of time. If they are produced over a longer amount of time they could be present, but at levels that are difficult to detect.

I looked for, but was unable to find, a reference that had good data on a variance in the total amount of sulfur compounds produced being effected by temperature.

Another thing that varies is the nutrient content of the juice. Different varieties harvested at different times of the year and processed in slightly different ways are going to produce juices that are a little different. Not in any way that's important to a human, but to yeast on the other hand...

The first wine I ever made was an apple wine, used the same basic recipe. Didn't know what I was doing, just got a gal. of juice, added some sugar and yeast and let it go. Excellent first try. Time to go juice shopping.
The only yeast I have on hand is Lavin 1118 and 71B, will one of these work ok for this?

wildozarkwine said:

The first wine I ever made was an apple wine, used the same basic recipe. Didn't know what I was doing, just got a gal. of juice, added some sugar and yeast and let it go. Excellent first try. Time to go juice shopping.
The only yeast I have on hand is Lavin 1118 and 71B, will one of these work ok for this?

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I use 1118 for apfelwein and skeeter pee, it works great for both of them.

I have used 1118 also with good results.

Man I make 5 gallons of this stuff every couple weeks, trying to get a pipeline going so it can actually age some. Around here it gets aged in weeks, not months, I don't even know how good it is when aged cause the old lady likes it so much sweetened and carbonated at any age.

Grimster said:

Man I make 5 gallons of this stuff every couple weeks, trying to get a pipeline going so it can actually age some. Around here it gets aged in weeks, not months, I don't even know how good it is when aged cause the old lady likes it so much sweetened and carbonated at any age.

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It sounds like you need more fermenters.

Just realized I sent my final 2 bottles from batch #1 home with my Mother-N-Law. Glad I started a second batch as recommended. ...also started batch #3 this morning.

Leadgolem said:

It sounds like you need more fermentors.

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Yes I do!

Now that it's legal here, there's a LHBS opening up literally 4 miles from my house on SATURDAY, I've put off buying new fermenters, lids and airlocks for almost 3 months just so I can be there on opening day and buy them from the local guy. Just hope his markup isn't so bad that I have to limit myself to a small "token" purchase rather than the hundred or so bucks I actually will spend there if he's got decent price and selection.

offtopic: Ok it has my spelling of fermenters underlined as wrong, and yours with the o. Damn spellcheck (spellcheck is also underlined, I give up)

I went ahead and started 19 gallons this time, hopefully they will have time to age. They have been on for 2 weeks and still bubbling!

One question though, I have never had this happen before, but since I had just brewed some beer and had the hydrometer sanatized and ready, I took a sample and it almost tasted fizzy, but definitely on the right track taste wise. so, anyone know if the fizz is dissolved co2, or has anyone tried it this early. Just wondering because this is the first time brewing in a better bottle.

Grimster said:

Yes I do!

Now that it's legal here, there's a LHBS opening up literally 4 miles from my house on SATURDAY, I've put off buying new fermenters, lids and airlocks for almost 3 months just so I can be there on opening day and buy them from the local guy. Just hope his markup isn't so bad that I have to limit myself to a small "token" purchase rather than the hundred or so bucks I actually will spend there if he's got decent price and selection.

offtopic: Ok it has my spelling of fermenters underlined as wrong, and yours with the o. Damn spellcheck (spellcheck is also underlined, I give up)

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Oops, typo. It's fermenters. Yes, I had to add it to my spellcheck dictionary too. Along with about 30 other brewing related words. Spellcheck is actually a function we use as a word, like googling. Technically, neither exists in formal English. Which is why the dictionaries can be edited.

EDIT: I just looked at the file for firefox where all the words you add to the dictionary go. I've added 108 words, of which 89 are specific to brewing...

I started my second batch 6 days after starting my first batch hoping to age the second batch for a good 6 months or better. I have a feeling that the first batch is going to go fast.

My batch has been sitting for 5 weeks now and although I don't plan to bottle until the 2 month mark, I'm starting to think if there is anything else I'll need to do prior to bottling? Edwort doesn't mention adding anything prior to bottling (K-Meta or Sorbate) and I also don't see mention of degassing the wine. I walk by the wine often and usually give it a swirl every night to mix it up and keep it active. I have noticed that it's definitely still got a lot of co2 in it and I don't want any bottle bombs. Do you guys degas your apfelwein or will it work out on its own in the next 3 weeks?

jstampler said:

My batch has been sitting for 5 weeks now and although I don't plan to bottle until the 2 month mark, I'm starting to think if there is anything else I'll need to do prior to bottling? Edwort doesn't mention adding anything prior to bottling (K-Meta or Sorbate) and I also don't see mention of degassing the wine. I walk by the wine often and usually give it a swirl every night to mix it up and keep it active. I have noticed that it's definitely still got a lot of co2 in it and I don't want any bottle bombs. Do you guys degas your apfelwein or will it work out on its own in the next 3 weeks?

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Im curious about this as well.

I have a batch that is just over 4 months old. Been bulk aged in a carboy.

I want to bottle it within a week, with 1/2 carbed and 1/2 not carbed. Going to prime with apple juice concentrate. Is there enough yeast (its crystal clear) in suspension to carb it? Should I shake a bit of yeast into suspension to carb it?

And does anything need to be added to the non carbed (K meta, sorbate)?

jstampler said:

My batch has been sitting for 5 weeks now and although I don't plan to bottle until the 2 month mark, I'm starting to think if there is anything else I'll need to do prior to bottling? Edwort doesn't mention adding anything prior to bottling (K-Meta or Sorbate) and I also don't see mention of degassing the wine. I walk by the wine often and usually give it a swirl every night to mix it up and keep it active. I have noticed that it's definitely still got a lot of co2 in it and I don't want any bottle bombs. Do you guys degas your apfelwein or will it work out on its own in the next 3 weeks?

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I'd imagine that at the 2 month mark, the fermentation should be well done. With no new fermantable sugar sources added, there should be no worry of bottle bombs. Therefore, there should be no need for kmeta and sorbate. There should be no need to swirl the apfelwein, either. I'd just let it set and clarify now if I were you.

Anybody ever tried this w wlp090? I have used both wine yeast and us-5. SWMBO likes it but it packs a bit too much wallop. Thinking of dropping the extra sugar.

jstampler said:

My batch has been sitting for 5 weeks now and although I don't plan to bottle until the 2 month mark, I'm starting to think if there is anything else I'll need to do prior to bottling? Edwort doesn't mention adding anything prior to bottling (K-Meta or Sorbate) and I also don't see mention of degassing the wine. I walk by the wine often and usually give it a swirl every night to mix it up and keep it active. I have noticed that it's definitely still got a lot of co2 in it and I don't want any bottle bombs. Do you guys degas your apfelwein or will it work out on its own in the next 3 weeks?

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The residual dissolved co2 isn't even close to enough to cause a bottle bomb. You generally get bottle bombs when you bottle with sugar still in solution and the yeast continues to produce co2 in the bottle.

SFGiantsFan925 said:

Im curious about this as well.

I have a batch that is just over 4 months old. Been bulk aged in a carboy.

I want to bottle it within a week, with 1/2 carbed and 1/2 not carbed. Going to prime with apple juice concentrate. Is there enough yeast (its crystal clear) in suspension to carb it? Should I shake a bit of yeast into suspension to carb it?

And does anything need to be added to the non carbed (K meta, sorbate)?

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It will carb up. Don't be surprised if it takes a couple months though.

I don't personally add anything when I bottle still. If I've got a batch I think might go vinegary, I'll pasteurize it. Mostly though, I just bottle once fermentation is completely done.

BadDeacon said:

Anybody ever tried this w wlp090? I have used both wine yeast and us-5. SWMBO likes it but it packs a bit too much wallop. Thinking of dropping the extra sugar.

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If it's on the strong side, then yeah omitting the extra sugar is a good idea. Most commercial juice is still about 1.050, so if it ferments to 1.0 you are still looking at a 6.7% ABV.

I haven't tried wlp090, but I have had good results with Pasteur champagne. Though, that does ferment extremely dry.

Another option would be to dilute the finished brew with unfermented apple juice. Then bottle pasteurize. That would let you drop the ABV, and add some sweetness back.

jstampler said:

My batch has been sitting for 5 weeks now and although I don't plan to bottle until the 2 month mark, I'm starting to think if there is anything else I'll need to do prior to bottling? Edwort doesn't mention adding anything prior to bottling (K-Meta or Sorbate) and I also don't see mention of degassing the wine. I walk by the wine often and usually give it a swirl every night to mix it up and keep it active. I have noticed that it's definitely still got a lot of co2 in it and I don't want any bottle bombs. Do you guys degas your apfelwein or will it work out on its own in the next 3 weeks?

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Yeah, not enough co2 to cause bottle bombs, just enough to give the finished product a nice effervescence!

dlprice45 said:

Yeah, not enough co2 to cause bottle bombs, just enough to give the finished product a nice effervescence!

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I'm not concerned about bottle bombs and if I bulk age long enough degassing shouldn't be necessary. But the one thing I still worry about is not using k-meta. Isn't there a risk of oxidation if you don't use k-meta? I'm at the end of week 1 of my first attempt at Apfelwein and I want to clear-up any potential problems before I get to bottling time. Anyone ever have a problem with oxidation?

Thanks,

LOUMIK

LawrenceJackson said:

I'm not concerned about bottle bombs and if I bulk age long enough degassing shouldn't be necessary. But the one thing I still worry about is not using k-meta. Isn't there a risk of oxidation if you don't use k-meta? I'm at the end of week 1 of my first attempt at Apfelwein and I want to clear-up any potential problems before I get to bottling time. Anyone ever have a problem with oxidation?

Thanks,

LOUMIK

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I've only had an oxidation problem with a gallon I didn't have bottle space for. It got stored in the plastic juice jug. After 6 months, it had a very slight cardboard flavor. I've never had an oxidation issue when I've stored in glass.

Scored a box of peaches for $5 this week, all of them were bruised and/or overripe or just ugly, but I got nearly 2 gallons of juice out of them. Added 3 gallons of apple juice, and sugar to reach 1.090 and it's now fermenting like crazy with EC1118. Can't wait to sweeten and keg it, I expect good things from it.

Well, I'm about to start making my first brew, and I decided on making Apfelwein after seeing this thread. My brother used to make blueberry wine and I was going to make a batch, but I decided to go with this instead because it sounded pretty delicious and I've been drinking some hard cider and apple beer every once in a while. Just need to rig up a blow off tube tomorrow and let the silicone cure for 24 hours before I start it. Going to try it with some natural sugar. Should end up pretty tasty. I think I'll add about 2 cups extra sugar to the 5 gallons.

Just a quick question. I just bottled by Apfelwein after 6 weeks in the primary. My FG reading was 1.002. Will I have any problems with "bottle bombs"? I know I should have taken a reading prior to bottling, but I thought I would be out of the woods after 6 weeks The yeast is Montrachet and the O.G. was 1.07.

blackhammer said:

Just a quick question. I just bottled by Apfelwein after 6 weeks in the primary. My FG reading was 1.002. Will I have any problems with "bottle bombs"? I know I should have taken a reading prior to bottling, but I thought I would be out of the woods after 6 weeks The yeast is Montrachet and the O.G. was 1.07.

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How clear is your Apfelwein after only 6 weeks?

I just remembered mine's been sitting in the bucket for 9, I should get around to bottling that...

So I am finally making this. I am following the exact recipe on page 1 and Ed mentions that he uses a 5 gal carboy and leaves it there until it clears. My question is, should I use my 6.5 gal carboy instead, once fermentation completes, rack to a 5 gal carboy until it clears? I am hoping to let this age for about 4 months so that it's kegged and carbonated by around Christmas.

Or as Ed mentions, should I just leave it in the same carboy for 4 months? Being a beer brewer, that goes against everything I believe in! LOL

hio3791 said:

So I am finally making this. I am following the exact recipe on page 1 and Ed mentions that he uses a 5 gal carboy and leaves it there until it clears. My question is, should I use my 6.5 gal carboy instead, once fermentation completes, rack to a 5 gal carboy until it clears? I am hoping to let this age for about 4 months so that it's kegged and carbonated by around Christmas.

Or as Ed mentions, should I just leave it in the same carboy for 4 months? Being a beer brewer, that goes against everything I believe in! LOL

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My advice: Make it in a 6.5 gal carboy, use an extra half pound of sugar, and leave it there until it clears (usually about 5-6 weeks for me). If you follow Ed's recipe, you will be grateful for the extra 1.5 Gallons at the end. I try to bottle-age mine without much success...

Walter_Whites_Batch said:

My advice: Make it in a 6.5 gal carboy, use an extra half pound of sugar, and leave it there until it clears (usually about 5-6 weeks for me). If you follow Ed's recipe, you will be grateful for the extra 1.5 Gallons at the end. I try to bottle-age mine without much success...

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Thanks Andrew. I only bought 2 lbs of corn sugar, per the recipe instructions. I've never made wine or cider, just beer so I am a bit apprehensive.

Can I leave it in the 6.5 gal carboy for 4 months or should it be racked once it clears?

Should I heat up the corn sugar in water in order to sterilize it or is it safe to mix with the apple juice per his instructions?

Has anyone ever tried bottling and then starting a new batch right away on top of the yeast cake and just adding another packet of yeast? I'm planning on bottling in a week and I have everything ready to make another batch but I don't really feel like cleaning the carboy if I don't have to.

Kdog22,

It is crystal clear. You can actually read the newspaper through it

I want to jump on this thread too.
My carboy was free after bottling a Mead I made back in November 2012.
Started 21Aug2013.

I did a 5 gallon batch used 5 gallons of Mott's apple juice, 2 pounds of corn sugar, and I used Cote des Blancs
yeast (Brew store didn't have Ed's recommended strain) I added about 20 raisins. SG: 1.060

It's sitting at about 75 degrees F. I'm hoping its as good as everyone says , because I should be able to make another batch before my Melomel needs to be racked into secondary.

I think I'm going to try and bottle mine on Sunday, which would put it at 9-10 weeks in the pail. It's right around 1.000. Planning on sweetening with lactose and carbing with 4oz corn sugar. I have heard horror stories about people doing this and having a lactobacillus infection and bottle bombs, I'm not too concerned, there are no signs of infection. I'll just put them in a big plastic tub in the garage for a while.

hio3791 said:

Thanks Andrew. I only bought 2 lbs of corn sugar, per the recipe instructions. I've never made wine or cider, just beer so I am a bit apprehensive.

Can I leave it in the 6.5 gal carboy for 4 months or should it be racked once it clears?

Should I heat up the corn sugar in water in order to sterilize it or is it safe to mix with the apple juice per his instructions?

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If you only have 2lbs of dextrose, I'd just mix it up in your 5 gal carboy, as per Ed's instructions, very little airspace is needed, blow-off not necessary. No need to sterilize the sugar either. Some folks on here say bulk aging in the primary is ok for a long time (4 months ++) but once you take your 1st sample at about 1 month I bet you'll want to bottle sooner...