Man, I love Apfelwein

Wow... I have been making this stuff for two years now and I didn't even know it. What I mean is that I make wine at home as well as beer and the OP recipe is very similar to my Apple Wine. So..... is Apfelwein german for Apple Wine?

I have used Lalvin EC-1118 and D-47 yeast for my recipes and I obtain the fresh pressed Apple Juice (non-pasturized) and add regular table sugar to get an OG of about 1.085 to 1.090. I also add tannin, acid blend and pectic enzyme to aid in clearing out the haze associated with the Apple juice. Golden raisins can also be added to increase body I make six gallons using this recipe and another six gallons which is spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and sometimes clove, after primary fermentation is complete.

So I suppose the only significant difference in what I use versus the original recipe posted is the Sugar I am using versus the Corn Sugar plus the few added ingredients. I have to say though that either way, it turns out very good. I ferment mine dry and have not sweetened after fermentation is complete, but have considered doing so in future recipes.

I also bottle my creation in wine bottles (750ml) and cork them for storage.

Oh! I guess another difference would be that CO2 is not an issue for Apfelwein since it is typically consumed early and either bottled or kegged. I de-gas so that I do not create bottle bombs using the wine bottles for storage.

I may give other yeasts a go for future creations.

Salute!

I am thick sometimes. I just did a dictonary.com search on "Apfelwein" and I answered my own question from the previous post. "YES" Apfelwein is German for Apple Wine, you dummy!

Sorry EdWort. But it is nice to know that my recipe is similar to what you have become so famous for. I can only hope that someday, my Apfelwein creations can come close to yours.

Salute!

I love apfelwein.
I do.
truly.
so much that because I shipped all of my remaining stock out as Christmas gifts. I sanitized some tubing and siphoned off a pint of my spiced Apfelwein still living in it's better bottle.

ok. was planning on bottling it tomorrow anyway... but there was this craving I had.

I just made a batch tonight and drank the very last bottle of the last batch I made. 5 months old I believe. damn good.

So how is 'Apfelwein' supposed to be pronounced? Is the 'f' silent? Is it pronounced 'ween' or 'wine'?

So I made up another batch, this one's OG is 1.057 with sugar, probably due to low sugar content in the apple juice. Should I add more dextrose to get it up to 1.066 as per the original recipe?

cdanprice said:

So how is 'Apfelwein' supposed to be pronounced? Is the 'f' silent? Is it pronounced 'ween' or 'wine'?

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Ap-fel-vine, but the A is very short, almost like an O or an E.

finally had my first sip the other night.......it was o.k. i guess. kinda like apple and feet. however heated with pumpkin pie spice and a little sugar it makes a nice hot cider. guess its just not my style.

not so fast! have a pint a day for a week. It took me three pints before I could stand it. But after waiting two months I was determined to enjoy it

So how long before it starts tasting good? It finally finished up and it's not the best right now. Not bad, but not very good either. I carb'd it all and plan on trying some out again in about a month.

Mine is 3 months old, and just now becoming tasty. Others, and Ed included, say it's best after about a year. Hide some of those bottles and forget about 'em. Trust me, you'll thank yourself when you play hide and find the apfelwein later.

I am sure this has prob. been discussed before, but anyway, i was at the bar the other night and had some woodchuck cider and my wife liked how it was really sweet and still had an apple taste. So, i was thinking just make the original recipe, sorbate it and add some more applejuice to it? anyone done this or is there a better way to get it closer to that taste

My batch was a month old yesterday so I decided to taste it tonight. Wasn't too bad... and SWMBO liked it. As that was the purpose of making it I was glad to hear that.

kjones said:

I am sure this has prob. been discussed before, but anyway, i was at the bar the other night and had some woodchuck cider and my wife liked how it was really sweet and still had an apple taste. So, i was thinking just make the original recipe, sorbate it and add some more applejuice to it? anyone done this or is there a better way to get it closer to that taste

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EdWort has suggested pouring it over Sprite/7up or some other carbonated sugar-water to get some extra sweetness and bubbles. Haven't tried it myself, but I will when my batch is done.

Hegh said:

EdWort has suggested pouring it over Sprite/7up or some other carbonated sugar-water to get some extra sweetness and bubbles. Haven't tried it myself, but I will when my batch is done.

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That is a little different beast. Sprite and Apfelwein is extremely good, but it doesn't make it like most of the commercial ciders. Apfelwein is going to be a little more dry and have a little less of an apple juice flavor to it than say Strongbow. When you add the sprite it makes it sweeter, but it's a sugary sweet, not a residual apple sweet.

Hegh said:

EdWort has suggested pouring it over Sprite/7up or some other carbonated sugar-water to get some extra sweetness and bubbles. Haven't tried it myself, but I will when my batch is done.

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Yeah, i like it original, which is the way i make it and i have also added sprite to it and like it that way as well. But, i was just wanting to add more apple flavor and sweetness. I think i will just make a 4 gallon batch and then add the last gallon boiled with some brown sugar after i add sorbate. I will post how it turns out.

Jonnio said:

Sprite and Apfelwein is extremely good

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"Spryte" is SWMBO's online alias. I have to agree with you there.

Ok, probably a stupid question that has been answered, but after trying to read through 130+ pages with now on page 431, I figured I wouldn't get chastised.... too much? lol

i saw this in the OP:
"2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags"

but couldn't find any "corn sugar".. will pure cane sugar work?

Yep!

Pogo

I am still in the process of collecting my 'gear' to start brewin beer, then one of my buddies told me about EdWort's recipe. I said, hell, I got a couple carboys already and I can at least start making something... so I did.

I stayed pretty true to his recipe except for the yeast. Here is what I used:

5 gallons of Tree Top apple juice from Coscto, sold in 2 gal packs: $8 each
2 pounds brewers/corn sugar from LBS: $2.50 for both
1 pack of Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast: $.50

Being the first time of 'brewing' anything, this was extremely simple. Having a funnel would have made it easier, but it all went pretty smoothly. Putting the sugar in the gallon jug and shakin the crap out of it, does produce some foam, which instead of letting it chill out, I promtly dumped it in. I didn't get all 5 gallons because of the foam, but my kids will take down the rest I'm sure.

Here is a link to some pics I took during the process:
Apfelwein pics- 12-16-08

Now I wait, and collect the rest I need to start brewing!

dmob29 said:

I am still in the process of collecting my 'gear' to start brewin beer, then one of my buddies told me about EdWort's recipe. I said, hell, I got a couple carboys already and I can at least start making something... so I did.

I stayed pretty true to his recipe except for the yeast. Here is what I used:

5 gallons of Tree Top apple juice from Coscto, sold in 2 gal packs: $8 each
2 pounds brewers/corn sugar from LBS: $2.50 for both
1 pack of Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast: $.50

Being the first time of 'brewing' anything, this was extremely simple. Having a funnel would have made it easier, but it all went pretty smoothly. Putting the sugar in the gallon jug and shakin the crap out of it, does produce some foam, which instead of letting it chill out, I promtly dumped it in. I didn't get all 5 gallons because of the foam, but my kids will take down the rest I'm sure.

Here is a link to some pics I took during the process:
Apfelwein pics- 12-16-08

Now I wait, and collect the rest I need to start brewing!

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Prepare for the stink...

nealf said:

Prepare for the stink...

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Its goin strong, but no real smell. I still smell apples when I stick my nose over the lock. How long before it starts to stink... and seeing as I'm using champagne yeast, will it?

I'm a noob to this, so please bear with the ignorance.

dmob29 said:

Its goin strong, but no real smell. I still smell apples when I stick my nose over the lock. How long before it starts to stink... and seeing as I'm using champagne yeast, will it?

I'm a noob to this, so please bear with the ignorance.

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My first batch has been going for two weeks today, fairly steady bubbling, but no stench. I too smelled apples when I got close, but never anything unpleasant. I'm using Kolsch yeast, though, so I don't know that my experience will relate to yours.

I just bottled my first batch of apfelwein. 48 bottles and I drank one the last one It tasted pretty good "as is" with the priming sugar and no carbonation. I did this first batch with Sam's Club brand juice and I started a 6 gallon batch with Motts. I will keep everyone posted on the results.

I will note that I added 3 tsp of yeast nutrient to the second batch and it seems to be a more vigorous fermentation. The only thing that I changed was the volume and I only had 1lb of sugar on hand so I will have a lower alcohol percentage.

I love how easy this stuff is to make.

Wow, made it to the temporary end of the thread.

I moved the active batches to the guest bathroom and woke up to a gaseous smelling house. Not just one bedroom, the whole house.

The guest bathroom is right next to the air intake for the air handler so we both get to enjoy the stinky goodness of the apfelwein!

This sound and looks great. I was just wondering if you have tried using different types of juice, Grape, pomagranite, maybe even orange?

Mapleroots said:

This sound and looks great. I was just wondering if you have tried using different types of juice, Grape, pomagranite, maybe even orange?

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Grape would, obviously, produce standard wine. Not sure how it would taste compared with grape juice intended for wine, instead of for drinking...

I have no experience with it, but orange juice might be a bit too acidic for the yeast.

I have no idea about pomagranite, except that the juice is usually pretty expensive.

If you search around, people have fermented all sorts of juices. But they weren't apfelwein then.

Orange is definitely better as an added flavor than using pure juice, usually. The comparison to the end product I've heard about often is "close to vomit". Orange zest added to another juice like apple or white grape would give you good orange flavor without all the acid. There's been a bit of that done around here.

I bottled my first batch of apfelwein yesterday. I am impressed so far, even though it is only a month old. Slightly white-wine like yet I like it anyway (I typically hate wine). Time to share the love (and the pain) with some coworkers! They will never see it coming!

Hi Everyone,

It sounds like the majority goes through their Apfelwein quickly. However, my wife and I are just occasional drinkers. I bottled my first batch recently and I was wondering what other's experiences on shelf life was for their Apfelwein.

Thanks,
Andrew C.

acooper1 said:

Hi Everyone,

It sounds like the majority goes through their Apfelwein quickly. However, my wife and I are just occasional drinkers. I bottled my first batch recently and I was wondering what other's experiences on shelf life was for their Apfelwein.

Thanks,
Andrew C.

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It gets better with age - a lot of us like to have it at least 6 months old before even tapping into it.

nealf said:

Prepare for the stink...

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You ain't kiddin'! My first batch has been going for a few days now, and it's beginning to smell like an elephant farted into my better bottle. On the bright side, it definitely makes it easier to just leave it alone until it's finished. Nobody in their right mind would try to sample it at this moment.

gabrewer said:

You ain't kiddin'! My first batch has been going for a few days now, and it's beginning to smell like an elephant farted into my better bottle. On the bright side, it definitely makes it easier to just leave it alone until it's finished. Nobody in their right mind would try to sample it at this moment.

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HAHA...awesome! It must be the different yeast strains or somethin. I'm using champagne yeast and with it chillin in the closet in my office at home, it nows has a faint smell of apples when I walk in the room!

What yeast are you using?

Red Star Montrachet is the yeast I'm using. I think I probably will experiment with other types of yeast eventually, but I figured I'd follow EdWort's recipe as closely as possible on my first attempt.

I use the Red Start Montrachet and I don't smell a thing. I am currently fermenting a batch with a different type of apple juice than my first batch and I do not smell anything. The only difference is that I use glass, but I don't think that this would make a difference.

Last I checked, mine was still fermenting, and it's been three full weeks since I pitched. Will it need a couple extra weeks once it looks to have settled to clean up esters and fusels? Or does this not act the same way that beer does?

I have a couple of questions. Mine has been sitting in the primary for almost 5 weeks. It has cleared up nicely but there are still little bubbles coming to the top. Can I bottle this today? I'm just worried about bottle bombs because there are still little bubbles coming to the top (at a slow rate though)

If I bottle this today and do half carbonated and half still, do you think it would be decent tasting if I opened a couple of the still bottles in two days???

Thanks!!

What's your SG reading now?

it all depends on the gravity. what kind of yeast did you use? Some of them will work quicker than others. Assuming you used a wine yeast, and your gravity is at or below 1.000, you should be good to go.

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