Ed's APFELWEIN Yeast Question!

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jhonda00

jhonda00

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Going to make Ed's Apfelwein and I was wondering if some yeast I have will work. I have some Belgian White in my secondary and thinking about just using that cake. I believe it's White Labs Belgian Wit Ale WLP400. What do yall think?

Also, I have some American Hefeweizen Wlp 320 that I have at my disposal. What do you think?


Thanks Guys,
Jacob
 
Do you think with time it will clear like with a wine yeast? I know I've seen people making this with other ale yeasts, but Belgian Wit yeast is a flavor of no other. I'm just trying to not have to make a trip to the brew shop. I also have the hefeweisen yeast. What do you think about that?
 
I think both of those yeasts will deffinately add a different character to the apfelwein. It could be interesting. If you are not planning on serving it carbonated if you do a good cold crash you should be able to drop out most of the yeast. It might be interesting if you ferment at higher temps to see if you could come up with a banana, clove apfelwein combo. Sounds interesting.
 
jhonda00 said:
Do you think with time it will clear like with a wine yeast? I know I've seen people making this with other ale yeasts, but Belgian Wit yeast is a flavor of no other. I'm just trying to not have to make a trip to the brew shop. I also have the hefeweisen yeast. What do you think about that?
Click to expand...

Sure, given enough time. If you go 6-8 weeks in the primary and then rack to a secondary for bulk aging (and as stated above, cold crash if possible), I bet you could clear it.

Apple-banana wine does sound good ;)
 
I was thinking of carbonating it, but what do you mean cold crash? like let it age in the bottles in the fridge?
 
That means to put the whole fermentor in the fridge for a few days before you bottle it.
 
Yeah, I was afraid you were going to say that lol. I don't have a fridge dedicated for fermenting. Do you think if I age the bottles in the fridge for a week or so it will do the same thing? Well, a lot of the flavors from those yeasts are there because the yeast are still suspended in the drink. I think I'm just going to go with the cake and see what happens. If it's not clear, it's no big deal. I bet it will still taste good.

What do you think?
 
Oh yeah, one more thing. I guess since it's ale yeast I need to make a blow off tube if I'm fermenting in my 5 gal secondary.
 
jhonda00 said:
Oh yeah, one more thing. I guess since it's ale yeast I need to make a blow off tube if I'm fermenting in my 5 gal secondary.
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It never hurts to start off with a blow off tube, especially if you've got limited head space. Putting the bottles in the fridge won't quite do the same, though the yeast should settle if you rack to a secondary for a while, and then whatever is left will sit in the bottom of the bottles. Just be careful when you pour it out.
 
Putting the bottles in the fridge won't do the same as cold crashing in bulk. If you don't have the space available to you for a cold crash. I would let it sit for about a month in primary and transfer to secondary for another month to help clear it out. You could even try some finings like insenglas (sp) a couple days before you bottle. If you want some of those banana/clove flavors try starting the primary out around 75-80 and bring it back down after about a week. YES use a blow off tube if you are starting a 5 gal batch in a 5 gal carboy. It will save some clean up.
 
I may be wrong, but I'm not sure ale yeast will be able to handle the alcohol content in apfelwein. Definitely keep an eye on hydrometer readings to make sure it's fully fermented before you bottle.
 
Benjibbad said:
Putting the bottles in the fridge won't do the same as cold crashing in bulk. If you don't have the space available to you for a cold crash. I would let it sit for about a month in primary and transfer to secondary for another month to help clear it out. You could even try some finings like insenglas (sp) a couple days before you bottle. If you want some of those banana/clove flavors try starting the primary out around 75-80 and bring it back down after about a week. YES use a blow off tube if you are starting a 5 gal batch in a 5 gal carboy. It will save some clean up.
Click to expand...


Are you guys thinking this might not be a bad idea? Also, do you think I should go with Hefeweizen or Belgian Wit yeast?
 
I make a hard cider all the time with WB06 Ale yeast. It comes out nice with a clove/caramel spice to it.

I would not try "Apfelwein" with Ale yeast though, to high of an ABV.

If I was you, I would try both yeast cakes with the same recipe and compare.

Try this recipe.

Mott's Apple Juice (or any one with no preservatives, White House works good to)
10 oz of Light Brown Sugar per gallon (should come out to 1.060 OG)
1 tsp of yeast nutrient per gallon (helps it out since it's Ale yeast)

Ferment it for 3 weeks between 65-75F. Most Ale yeasts I have used always stop a ~1.00 SG (OG @ 1.060-1.00 FG = ~7.8% abv) Rack to a bottling bucket. Make a simple syrup w/ 6 tsp of table sugar per gallon for carbonation. Mix it in gently and bottle accordingly. Store capped bottles @ 75F for 2 weeks, then chill and enjoy.

This is a tried and true recipe, let me know if you use it with you yeasts, I am curious how it turns out.
 
unclejimbay said:
I make a hard cider all the time with WB06 Ale yeast. It comes out nice with a clove/caramel spice to it.

I would not try "Apfelwein" with Ale yeast though, to high of an ABV.

If I was you, I would try both yeast cakes with the same recipe and compare.

Try this recipe.

Mott's Apple Juice (or any one with no preservatives, White House works good to)
10 oz of Light Brown Sugar per gallon (should come out to 1.060 OG)
1 tsp of yeast nutrient per gallon (helps it out since it's Ale yeast)

Ferment it for 3 weeks between 65-75F. Most Ale yeasts I have used always stop a ~1.00 SG (OG @ 1.060-1.00 FG = ~7.8% abv) Rack to a bottling bucket. Make a simple syrup w/ 6 tsp of table sugar per gallon for carbonation. Mix it in gently and bottle accordingly. Store capped bottles @ 75F for 2 weeks, then chill and enjoy.

This is a tried and true recipe, let me know if you use it with you yeasts, I am curious how it turns out.
Click to expand...

Well this sounds good, but have you ever made Ed's Apfelwein? If so, which one do you prefer? My girlfriends brother is coming into town for the holidays and he loves cider so I wanted to have something good to drink for him.
 
I personally prefer the cider with light brown sugar, it has a bit more taste and takes a bit less time for fermentation (2 weeks). It's also a bit cheaper since you use light brown sugar instead of corn sugar.

I also very much like the Apelwein. I alternate between cider/apfelwein. I would suggest making the apfelwien first, you can not go wrong with it. And it gets better with age so start a batch ASAP for the holidays. It is the best baseline for comparison.

It carbs excellent after 4 weeks of fermentation @ 6 tsp of table sugar per gallon.
 

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