Man, I love Apfelwein

mine was in the carboy for over a month. the sg seemed to finish at 1010. i kegged it. should i wait a while, or just drink it. it tastes greak. its still pretty sweet.

is it possible that my fermentation was to coold. around 65 in my basement?


when i make y next one, i want to make it bigger. if i add another # of dextrose, should i add more yeast?

So, turns out my scale is broken. It said a 5lbs jar of honey was only 3lbs. It's the same scale I used to weigh the dextrose in my most recent batch of apfelwein... I have a feeling this batch is going to take a while to mellow....

Brewnurse said:

First , let me say that this is one loooong thread! I think we will see 20 pages soon.

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433 pages...

Has anyone actually read every page?

Made 5 gallons of this a few months back (probably 4 -5 months ago). After bottling and conditioning for a month or so I tasted it and it finishes with an unpleasant almost sulfurous taste. I did add some brown sugar to a basically unchanged recipe from the first page. Is this aftertaste something that should mellow and go away or did I perhaps f&@k things up with the brown sugar addition?

I made it through 270 or so pages.

I do have some questions about from the people who have tried mixing in other juices. If those alterations turned out to taste any good? Specifically the people who used a gallon of cranberry with 4 gallons of apple.


Also, does the apfelwein clear quickly around a month? The batch I did on the 5th of last month is starting to layer, with the clear layers on the top. But I have a feeling I will be leaving it in the carboy for at least another week. Since my fermentation temp dropped to the mid 50's when the big cold snap happened. It was at that temp for about ten days.

Just got back from delayed christmas with the family. Brought four bottles of my apfelwein and it was a HIT!

hungrymonkey said:

Also, does the apfelwein clear quickly around a month? The batch I did on the 5th of last month is starting to layer, with the clear layers on the top. But I have a feeling I will be leaving it in the carboy for at least another week. Since my fermentation temp dropped to the mid 50's when the big cold snap happened. It was at that temp for about ten days.

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I'm in the same position (put it together on the 5th, waiting for it to clear). I figure mine's gonna take another week or two, but I'm thinking about cold-crashing it, maybe starting next weekend. Anyone know about how long it takes and whether that would help?

Hegh said:

I'm in the same position (put it together on the 5th, waiting for it to clear). I figure mine's gonna take another week or two, but I'm thinking about cold-crashing it, maybe starting next weekend. Anyone know about how long it takes and whether that would help?

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I have not taken a gravity yet. I figured I would wait it out until the full 30 days.

My only options for cold crashing, would be to put it outside. But the temps would vary

patience - it will clear in due time. May take 6 weeks, may take 8, may take 16....

but give it time. You don't want to rush this.

I have been thinking about re-using my old, dusty Mr. Beer keg to make a 2-gallon batch of Apfelwein. I stuck close to the original recipe last time around, and wasn't too thrilled with the results (I did use a cider instead of juice, though).

I was thinking of using some old Koelsch yeast or maybe some California Ale yeast (or both - what the hell) that have been sitting in the back of the fridge and calling for my attention for a while to achieve somewhat lower attenuation and more esters vs. Montrachet, and maybe use a pound of orange blossom honey instead of dextrose to boost the ABV and get a hint of mead/cyser character going as well.

Does anyone have any experience along these lines?

ArcaneXor said:

I was thinking of using some old Koelsch yeast...

Does anyone have any experience along these lines?

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I'm almost ready to bottle after using Koelsch yeast, but not for another week or so. I'll let everyone know how it turns out. Unfortunately, it's my first batch, so I can't post comparisons with the standard Montrachet... Other than that, though, I used the same exact recipe.

Arcane there are some good threads on here about different yeasts and additions to help you make a good hard cider, which I think I am going to delve into as well, but it will no longer be Apfelwein.

The thing with Ed's recipe, that I think a lot of people forget, is that it is not made to be a sweet hard cider. He made the recipe to replicate a particular drink from Germany which, according to the German I gave a couple bottles to, it does VERY well.

Jonnio said:

Arcane there are some good threads on here about different yeasts and additions to help you make a good hard cider, which I think I am going to delve into as well, but it will no longer be Apfelwein.

The thing with Ed's recipe, that I think a lot of people forget, is that it is not made to be a sweet hard cider. He made the recipe to replicate a particular drink from Germany which, according to the German I gave a couple bottles to, it does VERY well.

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Absolutely, I understand that. I need to come up with a proper name for my concoction... Transatlantischer obergäriger Honig-Apfelwein Transatlantic because it's inspired by Ed's Apfelwein but uses yeasts from both sides of the Atlantic, obergärig because of the use of ale-yeasts, and the rest should speak for itself (there just isn't enough honey in there to call it a Cyser, and I don't think calling it a cider would be appropriate, either).

I am prepping my yeast starter right now (I improvised, using a 50:50 ratio of table sugar and DME and some yeast nutrient to acclimatize the yeast a bit). I'll give the Koelsch a six-to ten hour head start to establish itself before adding the California Ale Yeast, which should be the more dominant strain. Once it ferments out, I'll decant the supernate and add it to two gallons of White House 100% apple juice made from concentrate and water (and nothing else) and a pound of clover honey (they were out of orange blossom). Six weeks in a Mr. Beer keg ought to do it - if not, I'll transfer to 1-gallon glass jugs at that point to fine/adjust/whatever else may be necessary before bottling.

For a total cost of less than $12 for two gallons, I think it's well worth doing the experiment.

Just tried my first sip of Apfelwein, straight from the hydro test jar. Both myself and the SWMBO thought it was very good. Still a little boozy, but it's young.

SG was 1.007 (OG 1.071) which is a little high from what I have read. Started the batch on Dec 10th* so it has a little longer to go despite being crystal clear. Additionally, it was fairly effervescent - so much so it felt like it had been lightly carbed - which also makes me think it isn't done fermenting.

*For some reason I thought I started the batch on the 1st of December explaining why I took a gravity reading so early.

I just bought some old orchards premium pomegranate blueberry juice that is all natural sugar. I was wondering if natural sugar was best for fermenting? This stuff is very berry and has a blend of grape, pear, apple, pomegranate, and blueberry juice all from concentrate. I'm not sure the ratios but you can definitely taste the blueberry overall.
does this sound very good to anyone else? I tasted some of the juice and it is very sweet. will this bee good or bad. for the end result? I plan on fermenting and following Ed's recipe, just changing the juice. Also if anyone has any suggestions on what type of yeast I should use I am more than open to any suggestions.

I used a half gallon of blueberry-pomegranate juice in my apfelwein variation and it is quite tasty. Not sure if it's coming out through the apple, but it's a good drink.

HA! SWMBO just made a batch! I instructed and opened the bottles for her...other than that totally hands OFF! W00T for her!

BigKahuna said:

HA! SWMBO just made a batch! I instructed and opened the bottles for her...other than that totally hands OFF! W00T for her!

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WOW. Way to go Big K!!!! I'm glad she's trying to befriend the "enemy"

Well my 1-liter, 50% table sugar/50% light DME starter for my washed and resuscitated yeasts (Koelsch/California Ale) finished by this morning. It smells rather interesting compared to a normal wort starter, but there are no signs of infection. It's crashing the the fridge right now, and I'll decant and pitch tonight into 2-liters of juice and 1 lb of Honey, perhaps with a small amount of brown sugar added.

I am conflicted whether or not to start the fermentation warm or cold - I want the yeasts to produce some esters, but I don't want headache-inducing fusels, either. Right now I am leaning towards starting with cold yeast into cool must, and letting it ramp up into the lower 70s by itself, which which point I'll start controlling the temperature to maintain ca. 70-72 degrees. I will be using some Wyeast nutrient as well.

Unrelated question: Has anyone ever tried any of the following?

• Using lightly toasted oak cubes or chips to achieve some additional complexity?
• "Dry-apple-ing", i.e. doing a secondary fermentation with either fresh or lightly baked apples?

I know that departs from the original intent to produce a clone of authentic German Apfelwein, but if anyone has experimented, I'd be interested to know.

EDIT: I am drinking the yeast starter right now (well, the supernate), and it tastes like a very thin, very cidery beer with a moderate yeast bite and plenty of esters, as expected. Little sourness (surprisingly, usually starters without hops are pretty sour), and certainly no sign of infection.

My final recipe:

2 gallons of pasteurized White House Apple juice from concentrate, no additives
5 oz of dark brown sugar, dissolved in 1 cup of boiling water along with 1 tsp of Wyeast nutrient and 1/2 tsp of Fermax
16 oz generic clover honey
1-l starter of a blend of washed Koelsch and Cali Ale Yeast, comprised of 50% table sugar and 50% light DME, decanted.

Fermented in Mr. Beer keg with minimal temperature control, starting at ca. 65 deg C, will likely ramp into the mid-70s as it approaches room temperature. Moderate amount of aeration by shaking.

I just bottled my third batch of apfelwine. First batch was made exactly according to EdWort's recipe. Delicious, a huge hit at dinner parties, but I found it a bit "thin" on flavor.

Second batch I ran out of apple juice, so I added a quart of organic cherry juice and 2 quarts of peach-white grape juice, and EC1118 champagne yeast. Turned out delicious, much more flavor and nose. Half my guests preferred it sweet, the other half liked it dry. Beautiful rose color.

This batch was made with 5 gals apple juice, 2# brown sugar brought to 160F with a quart of the apple juice and then cooled, 2 cans apple juice concentrate, and a pkg of Cote des Blanc yeast. It's much darker in color than the apfelwein from the original recipe. Considerably more apple flavor because of the concentrate. It stopped fermenting at 1.090...wasn't stuck, I left it for 2 months. So it's a little sweeter than the other batches I did, but I MUCH prefer the taste. May experiment using other yeasts, but Cote des Blanc has done beautifully with no rhino-farts during fermentation. Can't wait to taste it cold and sparkling!

benthegrate said:

... It stopped fermenting at 1.090...

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Wow! That must be almost syrupy!

Just finished making a batch of this...

I'm about to start my first half batch with my gf in a six gal better bottle. Can't wait!

Only doing a half to try it out and maybe tweak it next time. That and apple juice was only being sold in 64oz bottles at full price (I won't ever use mots, even if sold in gallons). 100% apple juice, ingredients: apple juice.

Mark K.

I just ordered another fermenter to try out this recipe and I'm very excited about it!

I'm wondering how bad it smells when using the Montrachet wine yeast, as posted in the original recipe. I live in an apartment, and very strong smells probably won't fly. Is it mainly other yeasts that cause the bad smell, or do all of them? Also, I read in a previous thread that adding nutrients might help, maybe I should wait to "brew" until I order some?

Well, I am on day 2 of fermenting, so far swmbo has tried to dump it twice, damn this stuff wreaks! Heh, just smells like a LOT of fermenting to me, reminds me of being inside capital brewery.

I will report back in a few days about any smells. ha

jgull8502 said:

I just ordered another fermenter to try out this recipe and I'm very excited about it!

I'm wondering how bad it smells when using the Montrachet wine yeast, as posted in the original recipe. I live in an apartment, and very strong smells probably won't fly. Is it mainly other yeasts that cause the bad smell, or do all of them? Also, I read in a previous thread that adding nutrients might help, maybe I should wait to "brew" until I order some?

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From what I've heard, Montrachet is the smelly one. I used Koelsch for my first batch (started Dec. 5, 2008) and I have yet to smell anything except apples, and that only when I put my nose right next to the airlock.

Has anyone tried cold crashing this? Mine's been sitting for... 36 days at about 56-58*. It's not clear, although I don't think it's fermenting anymore. I checked the gravity a couple days ago and it was at 1.006.

If I wanted to cold crash it, would I need to rack to a secondary? Would it be worth it? Or is it going to clear up on its own in another week or two? My attic is at 35*, so I could move the carboy up there for a while.

I'm using Koelsch yeast, since the LHBS was out of Montrachet, not sure if that'd make a difference.

I made some of this back in September and it is now tasting exceptional. I see a hangover tomorrow morning!!!

I have the apple juice sitting on the floor staring at me right now. I'm going to get a patch going tomorrow.

Ed, The sugar you are using here. Is it just regular table sugar? I asked my lhbs and they said to use fructose. I want to use your exact recipe. Thanks for the help.

The sugar is corn sugar otherwise known as dextrose.

Thank you for your help.

I've got 3 carboys on the way, just getting started! 2 are for apfelwine, the reason I am getting into brewing... thanks Ed. Yay!!!

So once fermentation is complete do i carbonate like i would for beer or do i skip the priming sugar and just bottle?

Tonybrau said:

So once fermentation is complete do i carbonate like i would for beer or do i skip the priming sugar and just bottle?

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Yes.

Actually it's whatever you like. In Germany it is still, but my wife likes it carbonated, so I carb it.

Hmm well since ive never had it there only one thing to do, carb half and leave the other!

Ok, it has been 3 days and it does smell a bit. haha

Nothing major though..just notice it when I walk by it.

I have the never ending ferment going on here! I made a batch (On a yeast cake from previous batch) on September 27th, and it went fine...but got cold....like....38F. I brought it back up from the basement just after Christmas, and it's now chugging along like a mini freight train again.

We need to devise a small turbine to produce electricity from Apfelwein!

Mine's cold crashing in the attic right now (35-45*). I'll probably bottle it on Thursday.

The sample I tasted with the gravity reading was kind of like an apple-y Riesling. Very pleasant and surprisingly sweet (using Koelsch yeast instead of Montrachet, so it seemed to finish out around 1.006).