Man, I love Apfelwein

zachary80 said:

Thanks. Would you choose citric? Some posts I found on ciders suggest an acid blend which would be citric/tartaric/malic, I was originally leading towards malic due to its presence in green apples. I currently have tartaric/malic/ascorbic on hand but wouldn't mind ordering more for the future.

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I would choose citric acid. However, that's because I use it in cheese making and it's a lot cheaper to buy it in bulk.

I personally enjoy the flavor of citric and ascorbic acid. I don't care for the flavor or tartaric acid personally. I don't have a clear memory I can define as malic acid, so I can't comment on that one.

What's the earliest anyone's bottled for consumption?

I can be patient, but this weekend is bachelor/bachelorette weekend in vegas for me and my fiance and I'm tempted to siphon off some of this stuff for the trip. Is it worth it? I'm 9 weeks in. I started 3/13/13.

...and just in case...no we're not sticking together out there, we don't plan on running into each other.

pkrath84 said:

What's the earliest anyone's bottled for consumption?

I can be patient, but this weekend is bachelor/bachelorette weekend in vegas for me and my fiance and I'm tempted to siphon off some of this stuff for the trip. Is it worth it? I'm 9 weeks in. I started 3/13/13.

...and just in case...no we're not sticking together out there, we don't plan on running into each other.

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It will be ok at 9 weeks. IMO, not worth it really. On that kind of trip I wouldn't be drinking anything as low octane as homebrew.

Should apfelwein have a little head? Here's a pic of mine, I don't recall noticing it before but I may have been too drunk to remember! Mixed it 2/3rds apfelwein 1/3 apple juice in the cup if that matters.

That's about 5 or 10 minutes after pouring and after drinking about half of it too.

Leadgolem said:

It will be ok at 9 weeks. IMO, not worth it really. On that kind of trip I wouldn't be drinking anything as low octane as homebrew.

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Touche. The mrs will have to wait. I'd rather not turn out an inferior tasting product. She can just bring the rice wine if she wants.

BamaProud said:

You mean you didn't read all 11,198 posts? just throw it in.

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Exactly.. lol

Thanks everyone

Acyr90 said:

Should apfelwein have a little head? Here's a pic of mine, I don't recall noticing it before but I may have been too drunk to remember! Mixed it 2/3rds apfelwein 1/3 apple juice in the cup if that matters.

That's about 5 or 10 minutes after pouring and after drinking about half of it too.

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That's fine for either a batch that has been mixed with juice or one without pectin enzyme. The pectin will trap some of the dissolved co2, and/or air introduced when you mixed/poured the drink.

Mixed up a 5 gallon batch last night about 7pm EST and this morning it's already bubbling away. :rockin:

Thanks to EdWort for the recipe and everyone else who contributed to this thread!

Its bubbled for about a week. When can I expect the pachyderm farts? I need to warm SWMBO before the dives headfirst into the adjoining laundry room and gets a nose full.

Note the growing collection in the spare shower. It stays at a consistent 64 degrees in that bathroom.

TangoHotel said:

Its bubbled for about a week. When can I expect the pachyderm farts? I need to warm SWMBO before the dives headfirst into the adjoining laundry room and gets a nose full.

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You might not get them. Not every batch does.

bleme said:

You might not get them. Not every batch does.

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I hope this is the case. Though this morning I left the door to the room open and the basement had a distict "something's a fermentin'" odor to it... thankfully it wasn't too pungent.

Hi,

I had my first batch in the primary for 3 months. I bottled it, using the Vinbrite Wine Filter I had from making a red wine - figured I'd use it since I had it. The bottles were crystal clear. Left the bottles to sit for a couple months, and now most of them, if not all, have a fluffy sediment in the bottom. Is this normal? any way to prevent the sediment on future batches?

CuzaWat said:

Hi,

I had my first batch in the primary for 3 months. I bottled it, using the Vinbrite Wine Filter I had from making a red wine - figured I'd use it since I had it. The bottles were crystal clear. Left the bottles to sit for a couple months, and now most of them, if not all, have a fluffy sediment in the bottom. Is this normal? any way to prevent the sediment on future batches?

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Drink it faster

CuzaWat said:

Hi,

I had my first batch in the primary for 3 months. I bottled it, using the Vinbrite Wine Filter I had from making a red wine - figured I'd use it since I had it. The bottles were crystal clear. Left the bottles to sit for a couple months, and now most of them, if not all, have a fluffy sediment in the bottom. Is this normal? any way to prevent the sediment on future batches?

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I have not seen this with apfelwein. Did you use cider or a cloudy juice to begin with? Is it different than a normal yeast cake? Does it get smaller/compact if you put them in the fridge for a while?

I used Motts Apple juice. This is my first batch of Apfelwein, and I only made one batch of red wine before - so I'm not really too familiar with what a normal yeast cake would be. The sediment is light and fluffy, it does settle to the bottom, but it is loose and if shaken, goes into suspension quite easily. I would assume it is yeast, and I hope so because we drank a bottle, and it tasted quite good. If it is yeast, would adding campden be beneficial before bottling, would it be detrimental to the taste?

CuzaWat said:

I used Motts Apple juice. This is my first batch of Apfelwein, and I only made one batch of red wine before - so I'm not really too familiar with what a normal yeast cake would be. The sediment is light and fluffy, it does settle to the bottom, but it is loose and if shaken, goes into suspension quite easily. I would assume it is yeast, and I hope so because we drank a bottle, and it tasted quite good. If it is yeast, would adding campden be beneficial before bottling, would it be detrimental to the taste?

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I carbonate mine, and drink it dry, so I do not add campden. Most likely it is just yeast if you used Motts Apple Juice. I normally leave the last ounce or maybe even less in the bottle and it comes out crystal clear. A smooth pour (no starting/stopping) will reduce the amount of sediment that makes it into your glass. A small amount at the bottom is common for homebrew / bottle conditioned beer. If it tastes good, don't worry about it.

CuzaWat said:

I used Motts Apple juice. This is my first batch of Apfelwein, and I only made one batch of red wine before - so I'm not really too familiar with what a normal yeast cake would be. The sediment is light and fluffy, it does settle to the bottom, but it is loose and if shaken, goes into suspension quite easily. I would assume it is yeast, and I hope so because we drank a bottle, and it tasted quite good. If it is yeast, would adding campden be beneficial before bottling, would it be detrimental to the taste?

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If it is fluffy looking, it's probably a small amount of yeast stuck to some pectin. Some apple juice is pretreated with pectin enzyme, some isn't.

I accidentally bought four and a half gallons worth of juice instead of five. I already started before I noticed so I went ahead and pitched the sachet of nottingham. Can I add the other 1/2 gallon of juice tomorrow or should I just let it work at 4.5g?

GenIke said:

I accidentally bought four and a half gallons worth of juice instead of five. I already started before I noticed so I went ahead and pitched the sachet of nottingham. Can I add the other 1/2 gallon of juice tomorrow or should I just let it work at 4.5g?

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Either would be fine. Adding juice later will skew your OG reading somewhat is all.

Anyone try wlp720 for apfelwein? I've got a batch 2 weeks in primary so far and it smells awesome!

I'm amazed at the amount of activity in my 5 gallon carboy. I made a batch of this last Friday afternoon (5-17-13) and within 12 hours it was bubbling furiously. It still hasn't slowed down as of this morning! How long does it take before it "calms" down?

I just bottled my first batch on Sunday after 3 months in the primary. It tasted delightful. Any suggestions on what to expect from the bottle - how long should I age in the bottle before I start cracking these open?

I bottled part of this batch still and primed the rest. And I immediately started a new batch on the yeast cake which is now happily churning away.

truvr said:

I just bottled my first batch on Sunday after 3 months in the primary. It tasted delightful. Any suggestions on what to expect from the bottle - how long should I age in the bottle before I start cracking these open?

I bottled part of this batch still and primed the rest. And I immediately started a new batch on the yeast cake which is now happily churning away.

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When u added more on top of the yeast cake did you add another packet of yeast or just use what was left in the yeast cake? And did you shake it to mix it all up again in the juice and sugar

integra93ls said:

When u added more on top of the yeast cake did you add another packet of yeast or just use what was left in the yeast cake? And did you shake it to mix it all up again in the juice and sugar

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No need to add yeast or shake.

My first batch is at 4 weeks June 1. How long should I let this age (within reason) before I try to bottle? Also I'd like to carbonate. Do I prime this the same way I'd do beer? Thanks and sorry if this has been answered before.

Ramon said:

My first batch is at 4 weeks June 1. How long should I let this age (within reason) before I try to bottle? Also I'd like to carbonate. Do I prime this the same way I'd do beer? Thanks and sorry if this has been answered before.

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Opinions vary a lot here. I prefer to bottle before I hit 6 weeks. I've had wine start tasting like soy sauce if it was left in primary after 7-8 weeks. To be honest though, I've never left any kind of cider in primary for more then 4.

Yes, the priming is identical to how beer is done.

I've had my first batch made exactly to Ed's recipe in the fermentor for five weeks and thieving a taster, I thought it was great! Gotta get more going and read up here on opinions on carbing. Should make great holiday favors next Christmas!

integra93ls said:

When u added more on top of the yeast cake did you add another packet of yeast or just use what was left in the yeast cake? And did you shake it to mix it all up again in the juice and sugar

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I just poured the new juice on top. Some of the yeast cake broke apart and floated up to the top so I scooped a bunch of that out so I could take a reading.

Ramon said:

My first batch is at 4 weeks June 1. How long should I let this age (within reason) before I try to bottle? Also I'd like to carbonate. Do I prime this the same way I'd do beer? Thanks and sorry if this has been answered before.

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I shoot for 6 weeks minimum but don't worry too much about going past that. I did have a 6 month+ batch that had clearly detrimental oxidation. I ferment in a 5 gallon better bottle filled about to the neck. No transferring except to prime/bottle. Priming process is the same, but I go for a higher volume of co2

zachary80 said:

I shoot for 6 weeks minimum but don't worry too much about going past that. I did have a 6 month+ batch that had clearly detrimental oxidation. I ferment in a 5 gallon better bottle filled about to the neck. No transferring except to prime/bottle. Priming process is the same, but I go for a higher volume of co2

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Thanks for the info! I'll give it a taste at week 6!

I'm having my first glass of Apfelwein. I made it using honey instead of corn sugar. It is only 5 weeks old and I know it needs to age, but man is it is dry, dry, dry. Barely a hint of apple. Actually, barely a hint of anything. I don't know if this is typical of the recipe or maybe due to the use of honey.

It's very smooth, like drinking water. I just drank 12 oz. of it and I am already having trouble typing.

Thunder_Chicken said:

I'm having my first glass of Apfelwein. I made it using honey instead of corn sugar. It is only 5 weeks old and I know it needs to age, but man is it is dry, dry, dry. Barely a hint of apple. Actually, barely a hint of anything. I don't know if this is typical of the recipe or maybe due to the use of honey.

It's very smooth, like drinking water. I just drank 12 oz. of it and I am already having trouble typing.

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Interestingly enough, the apple flavor actually increases when it's been aged. Or, more precisely, the apple flavor is always subtle but the alcohol flavor covers it when it's young. As it ages the apparent alcohol flavor and aroma drop to practically nothing, allowing you to taste the apple more. It will be a little more apparent if you sweeten it slightly. A fair amount of what most people define as "apple" in their head is actually sugar.

I just put a dab of honey in the glass (second glass of the evening ) I see what you mean. Just a little touch of sweetness and the perceived apple flavor pops right out again. It actually brings out the young alcohol flavor too. It's interesting how the brain perceives flavor.

I will leave this dry, but having a little fresh apple juice to splash in the glass will be a nice addition. I might experiment with backsweetening a small batch with lactose before bottling. It only needs a tiny hint of sweetness for the flavors to really pop out.

I have a bucket that I just used for a double IPA, I bottled that 5 days ago and since then I've had the bucket soaking in oxy clean. Anyways, I just rinsed the bucket out and it still reeks of hops, is it a bad idea to use this bucket for a batch of apfelwein?

Just bottled my batch last night. I upped the sugar for my second batch. Its at 10.5 percent right now. Its great though. I made it 3.26.13. I used carb drops in about 36 bottles. The rest I'm just keeping in the fridge. It'll more then likely be gone by the weekend. At 10.5 percent it'd pretty hairy. I had about 5 beers and a makers and coke before I had a pint of it. I felt surprisingly good this am.

MooseRider said:

I have a bucket that I just used for a double IPA, I bottled that 5 days ago and since then I've had the bucket soaking in oxy clean. Anyways, I just rinsed the bucket out and it still reeks of hops, is it a bad idea to use this bucket for a batch of apfelwein?

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Dry it out and let it air out someplace warm for a few days. That helps drive off the smell.

MooseRider said:

I have a bucket that I just used for a double IPA, I bottled that 5 days ago and since then I've had the bucket soaking in oxy clean. Anyways, I just rinsed the bucket out and it still reeks of hops, is it a bad idea to use this bucket for a batch of apfelwein?

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Not exactly, but you will have some hop flavor and aroma in the apfelwein. That might be an interesting variant, but it won't really tell you what apfelwein tastes like.

Thunder_Chicken said:

Dry it out and let it air out someplace warm for a few days. That helps drive off the smell.

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Something else you can do is scrub it out with a baking soda paste.

Get a new pail and keep that one for beer only.

thejudge said:

Get a new pail and keep that one for beer only.

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Ya, that's probably my best bet.