I want to bottle my apfelwein still in wine bottles. It has been aging in a 5 gallon carboy for 3 months, should I degas and wait a few days then bottle? I'd like to give a couple bottles away and don't wanna give bottle bombs. I took a sample last night and it's pretty good but it did have a bit of carbonation. I racked once after the first month. Thanks
Bottling apfelwein
- Thread starter terryb127
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kurtism
Well-Known Member
so i take it, it has been constant at 1.001 for a few days?
basically, if you want it still, degas it carefully. are you filtering at all?
basically, if you want it still, degas it carefully. are you filtering at all?
kurtism said:
It has been constant but, I can't filter, I don't have filtering equipment. I just degassed for about 20 min by hand with a plastic spoon and it seemed like it was the first time I did it each time? Do I need to stabilize like wine? I really just wanna bottle it. Is it worth it to buy beer supplies and bottle that way? (caps and capper)
Dicky
Well-Known Member
You only need to stabilise if you are back sweetening. It inhibits reproduction of yeast. So long as you're keeping it dry, I wouldn't worry about it.
For how many days has it stayed at 1.001?
Dicky
For how many days has it stayed at 1.001?
Dicky
what did it start at??? 1.001 means there is still sugar in the liquid unless you maxed out the alcohol tolerance, in other words an active ferment so you don't want to bottle tell it is done. If it is active the only stabilize technique that will truly stop it is pasteurization either in or out of bottles.
Dicky
Well-Known Member
...Apfelwein starting at 1.030? Isn't that just...cider?
Dicky
Dicky
cider is in the wine family so it still applies. besides it is best not to try to define/categorize wine/cider as it will create a huge argument.
Dicky
Well-Known Member
Mmm...I don't know. The English in me is weeping.
But, like you say. It's pretty much brewed the same way, so I shall.
Dicky
But, like you say. It's pretty much brewed the same way, so I shall.
Dicky
brewingmeister
Well-Known Member
Don't say the c word. It does sound like your apple based beverage could stand to drop a few more points.
After 3 months it's still fermenting down? That seems like a very long time, unless it was kept pretty cold.
yes or no. if you want it to have a light carb, basically only what is in the liquid already will not usually cause problems in the bottle however, I never degas because by the time the wine has properly cleared there is no co2 left in it.
Daze said:
Thanks, I don't mean to be a pain in the a$$ but, are you sayin I can Bottle in wine bottles even if there is a light carb? I did degas last weekend, I'm gonna pull a sample this weekend and see what it's like. Thanks again.
a wine bottle will handle a very LIGHT co2 level,(in other words a very small amount of CO2 already in solution...VERY SMALL) however in most cases just the act of filling the bottles will finish the degassing process. Did the SG drop further than 1.001?? if not there is still sugar in there and you are still running the risk of bottle bombs. all the degassing in the world will not help you if co2 is still being added by the fermentation process.
terryb127 said:
Hey daze
I just checked it and it's 0.998 with very very light carb. I shook the sample it the tube and it only gave a slight "puff"
Should I let it sit for a few days and check the sg again before bottling? Thanks
Dicky
Well-Known Member
It shouldn't really matter so long as the seal is good and it's kept in the right conditions.
That said, a clear bottle shows off the colour of apfelwein.
Dicky
That said, a clear bottle shows off the colour of apfelwein.
Dicky
Daze said:
Hey Daze
I bottled the apfelwein about 5 days ago and so far so good, no bottle bombs. Opened a bottle tonight and it's great, I do have another question, is it normal to have a very very small amount of sediment at the bottom? It's very minimal, I think I'm the only person that noticed it. Thanks
