Beginner Question

I got a recipe from a friend for what he calls an apple "wine". After reading online and talking to the local home brew store guy it seems like it might be a hard apple "cider". What is the difference between a wine and a cider?

This recipe uses apple juice, priming sugar, and wine yeast.

Well, I've read that the main difference is in the dryness of the final product. A cider is going to be sweeter, either because fermentation is stopped while it's still sweet or it is backsweetened. Cider is also usually carbonated.

An apple wine will usually be fermented completely dry and not usually backsweetened or carbonated.

That's my understanding, someone may correct me though.

The difference is semantics, my friend.
Anybody who's tried to make a rule has found two others whose views conflict, and most people don't have a hard-and-fast set for what distinguishes the two.

I always think of apple cider as a sweet, apple-y (that's, tastes like apples more than fermented apples) and lower ABV drink that can be served without significant aging and is often carbonated. I think of apple wine, by contrast, as a higher-proof still drink which must be aged some to serve and, while still tasting somewhat of apples, has by its process the flavors changed - some muted, others revealed.

But my opinion is just a drop in a very big ocean.

Anyway, post your recipe because now we're all curious.

So I started brewing this apple wine yesterday and it already appears to be doing really good. There's a lot of bubbling going on. However, my airlock has filled up with more fluid and it's getting close to spilling over. Is this a problem or is there any solutions to the problem?

i had this problem this morning- all i did was take off the airlock for a while (while covering the opening with a clean, unused wash cloth) and when i put the airlock back on an hour later, everything was fine. it hasnt bubbled over again yet and its been 12 hours. i think the initial couple of hours is all i had to worry about, maybe its the same for you.

the solution is do not primary ferment with an airlock...and....if your going to ferment with a primary airlock leave airspace between the wine and the airlock...

Thanks Honda. I think that'll work better next time. I'm considering starting a three gallon batch in the next week or so. I'll try leaving plenty of air space below the airlock.

I've got another beginner's question. I had heard that you could use vodka in the airlock since it's sterile. So that's what I did. However when I was pouring the vodka into the airlock some went down the pipe into the wine. Will this cause any issues?

scottyj said:

I've got another beginner's question. I had heard that you could use vodka in the airlock since it's sterile. So that's what I did. However when I was pouring the vodka into the airlock some went down the pipe into the wine. Will this cause any issues?

Click to expand...

Nope, and that's the second reason to use vodka/grain alcohol in the airlock, suck-back.

Having said that I have never had any issues with suck-back and only one issue with mold in the airlock. Mold is easy enough to get rid of. If you're careful removing the rubber stopper and not overfill the airlock then suck-back is not much of an issue either.

I also have never had the suck back problem, I use regular water and have never had mold growth....I dont use vodka because it will eventually evaporate into the air so you will have to baby sit it....