Apfelwine question

Just curious, I am going to do Edworts exact recipe(with the Montrachet yeast). I was wondering at what temps. does this need to ferment?? I want to keep it in my basement due to the "RHINO" farts I have heard about.

My basement right now is in the low 60's, after the fart phase I can always move it upstairs where it will be no cooler than 65 till' spring.

I just figured I would post this here because it would get more traffic. If it has to get moved I will understand.

Thanks

If you are going to do the recipe to the exact then make sure the yeast that you use can take the temps that are in your basement. I for one think you should be alright. You might not get a real active fermentation and it should take a little while longer due the the cool temps. Good luck. I did the recipe but used Wyeast 3068 (Wheat Yeast) with it. It has been in the keg aging for 8 months now. I plan on serving it around the 1st of the year.

1234 said:

If you are going to do the recipe to the exact then make sure the yeast that you use can take the temps that are in your basement. I for one think you should be alright. You might not get a real active fermentation and it should take a little while longer due the the cool temps. Good luck. I did the recipe but used Wyeast 3068 (Wheat Yeast) with it. It has been in the keg aging for 8 months now. I plan on serving it around the 1st of the year.

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Thanks, thats pretty much what I am wondering about(the temps)...Good luck with yours.

Be prepared for a loooong fermentation at those temps. Mine has been sitting at 60-63 for almost 5 weeks now, and the airlock is still bubbling a couple times a minute.

I used his exact recipe as well.

atromic said:

Be prepared for a loooong fermentation at those temps. Mine has been sitting at 60-63 for almost 5 weeks now, and the airlock is still bubbling a couple times a minute.

I used his exact recipe as well.

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I am in no rush, I actually plan on carbing it after it's done fermenting, and letting it bottle condition until summer.

I googled that yeast and saw a couple of links that said it was good from 50 degree to 86 degrees. 50 sounds awfully low to me, but I don't know much about it.

Wine yeast (such as the Montrachet) has a huge operating range, because our enologist brethren are somewhat like the Belgians in their tweaking of temps during a ferment. My uncle is a pro winemaker and he does these cold ferments at 52, ramping the temps up to the upper 70's over a four week period, to develop different flavors without using wood. It's crazy.

Bottom line, you're gonna be fine, if slow. It'll still smell like the southbound-end of a northbound Rhino.

khiddy said:

Bottom line, you're gonna be fine, if slow. It'll still smell like the southbound-end of a northbound Rhino.

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That's Funny!

I made my first batch of apfelwein with ambient temperatures of around 64-65, and didn't notice any off odors at all, but it did seem to take a couple of weeks longer for it to clear. I followed the recipe exactly, w/ montrachet and 2# dextrose. I've also read that adding some yeast nutrients will prevent the rhino farts.

gecko45 said:

I made my first batch of apfelwein with ambient temperatures of around 64-65, and didn't notice any off odors at all, but it did seem to take a couple of weeks longer for it to clear. I followed the recipe exactly, w/ montrachet and 2# dextrose. I've also read that adding some yeast nutrients will prevent the rhino farts.

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Did you add the yeast nutrients?? If so what did you use? Thanks.

Hmmm... thinking a bit about this, I wonder if the rhino farts are caused by stressing out the yeast, since the OG of the apfelwein can be fairly high and we usually only pitch one packet of yeast. Perhaps pitching two packets, and adding in some yeast nutrient, would make a difference? Not as simple as the given recipe, but certainly not a real challenging change, either...

I'm just spitballing here, folks.

My plan is to actually use Red Star Cote des Blancs yeast in my next batch, which I am scheduled to begin in a few weeks. There is such a thing as too much apfelwein, folks: I have just over 3 gallons serving in my kegerator, and another 5 in the carboy that will be ready to serve at Christmas. I figure if I start a new batch every 3-4 weeks, that will keep the apfelwein pipeline full!

Ernie3 said:

Did you add the yeast nutrients?? If so what did you use? Thanks.

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With my first batch I didn't use any. I have a second batch about ready to keg, but this one used WLP300 (hefeweizen) yeast and bru-vigor for nutrients. I also kept it in a temperature controlled fridge at low 60's, and again no bad odors that I noticed.

Thanks Guys, does this need to stay out of the light like beer does?

Ernie3 said:

Thanks Guys, does this need to stay out of the light like beer does?

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No, I have kept mine in a blue water bottle to ferment and in clear glass when bottled with no problems. no hops= no skunk.

gecko45 said:

I made my first batch of apfelwein with ambient temperatures of around 64-65, and didn't notice any off odors at all, but it did seem to take a couple of weeks longer for it to clear. I followed the recipe exactly, w/ montrachet and 2# dextrose. I've also read that adding some yeast nutrients will prevent the rhino farts.

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Same here made a 5 gallons batch and notice no "farts" or off smells.

Made a batch according to recipe no farts either.

Of course I was also making an omegang clone with forbidden fruit wyeast. It was super bananna and clove. Perhaps it masked the rhino farts.

One more question....How long can you leave this in the Carboy? I know it gets better with age, but I would also like to carbonate mine. Do you think 2-3 months is OK? Will I have to add more yeast??

Sorry about all the questions, but the Apfelwine thread is just toooo long for me to read through. I started a while back but had to quit.

I guess I asked more than one more....

2 or 3 months should be fine. I think I left mine for 2 months before getting around to transferring to a keg and carbing with whatever yeast was transferred along.

gecko45 said:

2 or 3 months should be fine. I think I left mine for 2 months before getting around to transferring to a keg and carbing with whatever yeast was transferred along.

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I thought kegging was forced carbonation?

Thanks.

Oh Yeah, I just finished throwing my first batch of Apfelwine together about 1 hour ago. I can't wait, I guess I will let it sit in the carboy 3 months and then bottle condition for 3 months....just in time for Memorial Day Weekend!

Ernie3 said:

I thought kegging was forced carbonation?

Thanks.

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With kegging you have a few options: you can chill and force carb, or you can add priming sugar (or for apfelwein a can of frozen apple juice concentrate works) and let it sit at room temp for a couple of weeks and carb itself.

I would ferment with the yeast at the temperature in the recipe so carefully prepared by Edwort.
My first batch has been aging for 2 months or more and is pretty tasty. I can't wait to see how it develops over time.