Man, I love Apfelwein

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
PDXHollyD said:
Has anyone ever calculated the nutritional values for this stuff? Is there a way to figure out how many calories, carbs, etc. are in a serving?

My wife has an app on her phone that she uses to track her calories with and Ed Worts Apfelwein is in it. I think it's called my fitness pal or something like that.
 
wburns said:
Most likely an answer to this in the previous 1100 pages, just I am entirely too lazy to spend 100 hours reading all of them.

Does this stuff have to be carbonated? Can it be bottled in wine bottles? I have zero beer making supplies.

Thanks!
Will

Degas like you would with wine and go for it.
 
so it's been 4 weeks, tasted some over the weekend and BOY is it strong, but not too tasty.

Anyone keg these in corny kegs with co2 system? How much did that run you?
 
so it's been 4 weeks, tasted some over the weekend and BOY is it strong, but not too tasty.
This stuff really does need to age. Even with good fermentation temps and nutrients, I'd say an absolute minimum of 2 months after you hit fg. Since usually you are a little bit nutrient poor and temps aren't really being controlled, the 3 month mark really is about right for a minimum.

Mine was kinda nasty when it first fermented. Now, at 5 months, it's amazing. :) I don't have much of it left anymore.
 
blefferd said:
My wife has an app on her phone that she uses to track her calories with and Ed Worts Apfelwein is in it. I think it's called my fitness pal or something like that.

Ha! I just looked it up in that app and it's there. But it doesn't give any real info other than 200 calories per 12 oz, which seems low. Maybe look at Beersmith.
 
Just tried some after being in the bottle for two months (carbed) and it tasted ok. Needs to age more, but man does it have a serious kick! One beer plus a bottle of apfelwein and having a conversation with the neighbor was challenging :)
 
My wife just asked me if there was a dead Rhino in the storage room....so things must be progressing nicely!
 
Hehehe...my first batch of 3 gallons is bubbling nicely. Doesn't seem to smell too bad though. 'Course it's in the man cave though...the GF might think differently if it was at her house.
 
I'm thinking about hitting my batch with a tablespoon of honey, bottling and bottle conditioning in grolsch bottles.

When I go visiting I could bring a bottle or two as a host gift.

I know I personally would appreciate it if someone showed up with some sparkling apfelwein.
 
Wow. So I started this about 11 days ago, and I won't lie... I did it mainly to create a yeast slurry for a batch of skeeter pee. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this since its supposed to finish real dry. I just checked the gravity as I want to rack it at 1.05. Tasted my sample and I'm blown away. It's pretty dry but I love it! I think this is going to be amazing with some age. I'm actually a little upset that I'll be using my bucket and 2nd carboy to make the skeeter pee cause I want to get started on a 2nd batch of this right away.

Ps: at 11 days my gravity is about 1.08 fermenting at an ambient temp of 66-68 degrees.
 
Wow. So I started this about 11 days ago, and I won't lie... I did it mainly to create a yeast slurry for a batch of skeeter pee. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this since its supposed to finish real dry. I just checked the gravity as I want to rack it at 1.05. Tasted my sample and I'm blown away. It's pretty dry but I love it! I think this is going to be amazing with some age. I'm actually a little upset that I'll be using my bucket and 2nd carboy to make the skeeter pee cause I want to get started on a 2nd batch of this right away.

Ps: at 11 days my gravity is about 1.08 fermenting at an ambient temp of 66-68 degrees.

Looking forward to seeing the action when I get home from work. I made my first batch last night and hope its everything its cracked up to be. Mines sitting around 62 degrees and there was already some small bubbles formong when i left this morning. Heck, the hop bill for half my brews cost more than the ingredients for this entire batch!
 
My batch is very drinkable from the get go. It's over 5 weeks old. I know I won't be able to make it the multi month mark like most of you guys are doing. I'm going to make a ten gallon batch next I think.
 
Wife and I opened a bomber of this tonight that was bottled in early 2010. Smoooooooth stuff. I bottle carbed this batch and it is perfect. Good thing I have 12 more swing tops from this batch. Love this with some age on it.
 
Hello,

(this answer may be somewhere in this thread... but there are so many pages...)

Does anyone know how much granulated or corn sugar is needed to prime just 1 gallon for carbonation? I used EdWort's Apfelwein recipe... Also, I do want to backsweeten, which I can do with nutrasweet, splenda, or whatever. Does anyone know about how much sweetner I would need for the single gallon? I have quite a few of the small sweenter packages at home, like you would find in a restaurant. Does either sweetner (prime or back) need to be added to water and boiled prior to adding to the batch, and can I just add them together?

A half packet of Montrachet yeast was used which I have heard causes it to be dry...

When bottling I am going to put some in a plastic bottle as well, I heard by using one you can get an indicator of how your carbonation is doing by feeling the pressure...

Thanks!

ND
 
EdWort said:
Apfelwein - Fermenting

Award Winning Apfelwein Recipe (German Hard Cider) Apple Wine Recipe
Placed 1st in the Cider & Apple Wine category at the BJCP sanctioned Alamo Cerveza fest (out of 11 entries) and took 2nd place for Best of Show for the main category of Meads & Ciders (out of 50 entries).

Ingredients

5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives) I use Tree Top Apple Juice
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast

Equipment

5 Gallon Carboy (I use a Better Bottle)
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel
[*]First sanitize the carboy, airlock, funnel, stopper or carboy cap.
[*]Open one gallon bottle of apple juice and pour half of it into the carboy using the funnel.
[*]Open one bag of Dextrose and carefully add it to the now half full bottle of apple juice. Shake well.
[*]Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.
[*]Pour in the mixture of Apple Juice and Dextrose from both bottles into the carboy.
[*]Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.
[*]Open the packet of Montrachet Yeast and pour it into the neck of the funnel.
[*]Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks. I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle. You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.
[*]Put your stopper or carboy cap on with an airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka. No bacteria will live in vodka and if you get suckback, you just boosted the abv.There’s no need to worry about filling up a carboy so full when you use Montrachet wine yeast. There is no Kreuzen, just a thin layer of bubbles (Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKG84Md2GMk). I'm able to fit all but 4 oz. of my five gallons in the bottle. Ferment at room temperature.

It will become cloudy in a couple of days and remain so for a few weeks. In the 4th week, the yeast will begin to drop out and it will become clear. After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so. Racking to a secondary is not necessary. It ferments out very dry (less than 0.999, see here)

Apfelwein really improves with age, so if you can please let it sit in a carboy for up to 3 months before bottling or kegging, then let it sit even longer. Here's what some folks think.

If you want to bottle and carbonate, ¾ cup of corn sugar will work fine. Use as you would carbonate a batch of beer.

Remember to reserve judgment till after 3 glasses. It grows on you.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND START ANOTHER BATCH 2 WEEKS AFTER YOU START THIS ONE.
YOU WILL THANK ME LATER! :D

GENERAL QUESTIONS
compiled by Dammed Squirrels from the first 37 pages of this thread. Thanks DS!

How does it taste?
It ferments quite dry. Some people have tried different yeasts in order to achieve a sweeter taste. It may take you a few glasses to get a feel for the flavor. It is very reminiscent of a sort of apfelwein produced locally in Germany. There really is no comparable product in the United States. It's drier and less sweet than commercial hard ciders. It gets better with age and at 6+ months, the apple flavor really comes out.

How do you sweeten it?
Many folks back sweeten it with Wine Conditioner. Wine Conditioner is a blend of sucrose and sorbic acid. The addition of 2-4 oz. per gallon adds sweetness and prevents renewed fermentation. It can be purchased as any LHBS that caters to wine makers. Others will use Splenda or lactose (other non-fermentable sugars). Germans who prefer it sweet (or Suß as they say) will add a splash of Sprite or 7up to a glass. This is the easiest method as you don't have to make a whole "sweet" batch that way.

What is the difference between Apfelwein and hard cider?
EdWort says, “Most ciders are a bit sweeter. Ciders and Apfelwein are about 6% abv, but I like the little boost I give it with 2 pounds of Dextrose. It adds no body or flavor and still tastes like Possmann's Apfelwein, only it will kick your butt much quicker.”

Is this like Apfelmost / Apfel Korn?
No. Apfel Korn is a german liqeur made from wheat spirits. Apfelmost is spontaneously fermented with fresh-pressed apples or apple juice. It is probably similar, but the results may vary as a result of the spontaneous fermentation. Either way, Apfelmost is most certainly has a lower alcohol content since the initial gravity is not increased by the use of concentrate or corn sugar.

What’s the difference between apple juice and cider?
Cider is made by pressing apples. Juice is then filtered to remove all of the stuff that makes it cloudy.

Can I use apple cider instead?
Sure! You can use whatever you want. However, there is not enough information in this thread to give you any better details as to how it will turn out. I recommend starting a new thread or ask more experienced cider-makers.

What kind of Apple Juice should I use?
Ideally, you want to use 100% natural apple juice with no preservatives. The only acceptable preservative is ascorbic acid, which is a source of vitamin C and does not affect fermentation. Pasteurized juice is preferred, since it will have less bacteria.

How much will this recipe cost me?
5 gallons of Apfelwein can be made for between 20 and 25 dollars.

What else can you do with this recipe?
EdWort says, "this makes a great Grog in the winter time. Take a quart in a sauce pan, add some rum, turbinado sugar, and float a cinnamon stick in it and simmer for a while. Serve hot in mugs. It'll warm you right up."



Drink a quart of water and take 3 aspirin before going to sleep tol help reduce the effects of excessive Apfelwein consumption as well as the urge to call EdWort a M'F**kR the next morning! :D

Whoop
 
I primed a gallon batch for the first time last night and its conditioning in swingtops. Excited to try this stuff sparkling.
 
Thanks Mike! Is that 3/4 cup per gallon of corn sugar to bottle and carbonate? If that's for your 5 gallon recipe... I guess I will have to figure out how much for 1 gallon equivalent.
 
Hello,

(this answer may be somewhere in this thread... but there are so many pages...)

Does anyone know how much granulated or corn sugar is needed to prime just 1 gallon for carbonation? I used EdWort's Apfelwein recipe... Also, I do want to backsweeten, which I can do with nutrasweet, splenda, or whatever. Does anyone know about how much sweetner I would need for the single gallon? I have quite a few of the small sweenter packages at home, like you would find in a restaurant. Does either sweetner (prime or back) need to be added to water and boiled prior to adding to the batch, and can I just add them together?

A half packet of Montrachet yeast was used which I have heard causes it to be dry...

When bottling I am going to put some in a plastic bottle as well, I heard by using one you can get an indicator of how your carbonation is doing by feeling the pressure...

Thanks!

ND
If you are going to backsweeten anyway, I wouldn't bother with the sugar alternatives. Sweeten the batch to taste, bottle. When your plastic tester bottle has the kind of pressure you are wanting, pasteurize the bottles.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/

The amount of sugar you are going to want for priming is going to be far far lower then what you are likely to want for sweetening. The little that is consumed for carbonation is pretty insignificant to flavor. If you prefer though, you can use a priming sugar calculator. Here is the one I like. It has suggested volumes for different styles.

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html
 
Mine has been fermenting/finished for now 3-4 weeks. Pretty sure its 3 weeks for my 1gallon juice not from concentrate. AND then 3 1/2 weeks for my 2.5g juice from concentrate. My 1gallon batch is starting to clear up. Think cold crashing it would hurt? (mainly to speed up the process of clearing) AND this is good to bottle at 4 weeks right? Just wondering what other peoples opinions are. As in...
1. Move to a secondary for bulk aging
2. Prime and bottle
3. Keep still and bottle

How many months do most feel this is best to drink at?
 
Three is a good minimum. More then six would be very nice.

Four weeks is plenty of time for your brew to have finished fermenting and cleanup. Bulk aging is usually preferable as it produces a more consistent product then bottle aging.

I prefer mine lightly carbed. That is entirely a matter of taste though.
 
Three is a good minimum. More then six would be very nice.

Four weeks is plenty of time for your brew to have finished fermenting and cleanup. Bulk aging is usually preferable as it produces a more consistent product then bottle aging.

I prefer mine lightly carbed. That is entirely a matter of taste though.

Thanks for the answer, I plan to let them go for a little bit longer. Let 1g of the from concentrate stay still and bulk age. the other 1.5g carb, bottle, pasteurize.
I did the two batches mainly to see the difference in taste between from concentrate and not from concentrate apple juice.
 
If you are going to backsweeten anyway, I wouldn't bother with the sugar alternatives. Sweeten the batch to taste, bottle. When your plastic tester bottle has the kind of pressure you are wanting, pasteurize the bottles.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/

The amount of sugar you are going to want for priming is going to be far far lower then what you are likely to want for sweetening. The little that is consumed for carbonation is pretty insignificant to flavor. If you prefer though, you can use a priming sugar calculator. Here is the one I like. It has suggested volumes for different styles.

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html


Thanks Leadgolem,

According to that calculator - for "standard cider" it calls for .8oz of priming sugar for a 1 gallon batch, which really isn't much. Hopefully it will be enough. I have read that others use a wine conditioner, I might just try a little sweetner on this expermental batch.

Also, the cider is in the stage now where it is pretty clear, and there is a layer of sediment on the bottom of the jug. Am I to rack this into a bucket for bottling and NOT get that sediment into the bottles?

ND
 
Thanks Leadgolem,

According to that calculator - for "standard cider" it calls for .8oz of priming sugar for a 1 gallon batch, which really isn't much. Hopefully it will be enough. I have read that others use a wine conditioner, I might just try a little sweetner on this expermental batch.

Also, the cider is in the stage now where it is pretty clear, and there is a layer of sediment on the bottom of the jug. Am I to rack this into a bucket for bottling and NOT get that sediment into the bottles?

ND
Generally, yes. It will settle out while it's in the bottle and end up in the bottom. If you end up with some, it's really not a big deal. I just prefer to minimize trub in the bottles as it is kinda ugly.
 
I changed things up for my second batch.

The 'problem' was that it took 10 weeks to ferment to 1.000.

The differences from the first were: one quart of 100% cranberry juice (Knudsens), Pasteur Red yeast and periods of fermenting temps in the 59-61 range (mostly 62-64).

I assume the cranberry was not the culprit. I do not know if the Pasteur Red is a slower fermenter to Montrachet. I am guessing the slow ferment was the temps.

I really love this batch, but want to make another quicker so I can apple jack while winter cooperates. Any thoughts or experiences?
 
I made a batch mid-November, and bottled into 12s and 22s last weekend. I added a single Coopers carb drop to each 12 and two to each 22. Any idea how long it will take to carb?
 
I changed things up for my second batch.

The 'problem' was that it took 10 weeks to ferment to 1.000.

The differences from the first were: one quart of 100% cranberry juice (Knudsens), Pasteur Red yeast and periods of fermenting temps in the 59-61 range (mostly 62-64).

I assume the cranberry was not the culprit. I do not know if the Pasteur Red is a slower fermenter to Montrachet. I am guessing the slow ferment was the temps.

I really love this batch, but want to make another quicker so I can apple jack while winter cooperates. Any thoughts or experiences?
You could try a more aggressive yeast. That will mean more krausen, so make sure you have the headspace. Pasteur champagne, or even distillers for a super high abv batch.

The other thing is the temp. Bring it up to 70 or so, and your fermentation will be much faster. I wouldn't go to much over that unless you want to condition for a long time though.
 
I made a batch mid-November, and bottled into 12s and 22s last weekend. I added a single Coopers carb drop to each 12 and two to each 22. Any idea how long it will take to carb?
Lots of factors involved, so it's hard to say. You probably have very low yeast content in the bottles. After that it's mostly a matter of temperature. With relatively high yeast contents and temps around 75-85f, 48 hours is usually enough. I've also seen batches take 4-5 weeks at temps in the mid 50's and low yeast populations.
 
Ok. My first batch is in my carboy right now. Is it normal for the yeast to settle to the bottom immediately??
 
Searched this thread, but cannot seem to find the answers to this crazy series of questions I have:

I used WLP775 English Cider Yeast for my run on this. It's still waiting, and it's going to be another few weeks, but I wanted to know if it would be better to a) pitch right on top of the remaining cake, or b) try to wash the little guys? If b), then should I make the starter with DME as usual, or can one fashion a starter with more apple juice? If so, how?
 
Searched this thread, but cannot seem to find the answers to this crazy series of questions I have:

I used WLP775 English Cider Yeast for my run on this. It's still waiting, and it's going to be another few weeks, but I wanted to know if it would be better to a) pitch right on top of the remaining cake, or b) try to wash the little guys? If b), then should I make the starter with DME as usual, or can one fashion a starter with more apple juice? If so, how?
Pitching on top of the yeast cake should be fine. One of the main reasons to wash the yeast is to remove trub that might have a conflicting flavor with your next batch. As long as you don't have a really skunky ferment, that shouldn't really be an issue with successive batches of the same thing. I wouldn't do that more then once though. The likelihood of contamination would be higher then I would be comfortable with after that.

Fermenting on the yeast cake does raise the odds of autolysis in the batch, but it's doubtful you will end up with anything like that with 2 successive batches.

If you want to make a starter, just use the same juice you are planning for the batch. If you want you can dilute it to your typical starter gravity, then pitch your yeast into that liquid. Typically, apple juice has a gravity of about 1.050. Put the juice remaining from what you used as a starter in the fridge, or it can go off after the couple of days you need for your starter.
 
Yeah, pitching on the yeast cake... kinda worries me, which is why I'd rather rinse it. So, if I have this right, I could just dilute the juice I'm going to use down to 1.040 and use that as a typical starter.
 
Yeah, pitching on the yeast cake... kinda worries me, which is why I'd rather rinse it. So, if I have this right, I could just dilute the juice I'm going to use down to 1.040 and use that as a typical starter.
Yup. It isn't even critical to dilute it. 1.050 isn't that high. The idea is to give the yeast in the starter pretty much the same sugar balance as what's in the batch. That way they are all setup for them when they hit your brew. I do discount the sugar added to the mix here as sucrose is so easy for the yeast to process it doesn't require anything special on their part.
 
Swell. As usual, I kept thinking things must be more complicated than they actually are. Thanks for clearing that up.
 
Hey, I bottled and added dextrose to my batch exactly three (3) weeks ago. Three gallons total made from Apple Cider, it came out great it was my second batch put the first time I've tried carbonating. My question is - normally how long does it take to carbonate. Carbonated only two (2) gallons added exactly 7 teaspoons of dextrose. No bottles have exploited, just wondering if it is ready??? :ban:


CORRECTION: I added 7 Tablespoons of dextrose vice 7 teaspoons. This was base on the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup of dextrose to five (5) gallons for carbonation. Simple math: 4 tbsp per 1/4 cup times 3 equals 12 tablespoons per 5 gals of drink. Divided 12 by 4 equals 2.4 tablespoons per gal. 2.4 times 3 equals 7.2 tablespoon for 3 gallons. 3/4 = 3 (4) = 12 / 5 (3) = 7.2.
 
Hey, I bottled and added dextrose to my batch exactly three (3) weeks ago. Three gallons total made from Apple Cider, it came out great it was my second batch put the first time I've tried carbonating. My question is - normally how long does it take to carbonate. Carbonated only two (2) gallons added exactly 7 teaspoons of dextrose. No bottles have exploited, just wondering if it is ready??? :ban:

Crack one open and give it a try...

I am very curious to see if your 7 teaspoons is enough for 2 gallons. I am about to carbonate just 1 gallon and maybe I can figure out how much I will need depending on results like yours...
 
Crack one open and give it a try...

I am very curious to see if your 7 teaspoons is enough for 2 gallons. I am about to carbonate just 1 gallon and maybe I can figure out how much I will need depending on results like yours...

Correction to my post I added 7 tablespoons of dextrose vice 7 teaspoons. See the edit to my original post above.

Anyway, I will pop one open tonight then give some feedback either tonight or tomorrow. :fro:
 
Back
Top