Man, I love Apfelwein

CornyKegs 728
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.
Has anyone had an infected batch of apfelwein? My twin brother just made his first batch yesterday and today he says he has 'cottony' gunk floating on top of the apfelwein. Sounded to me like it was infected, but I wanted everyone's input. Dump it or let it ride?
 
What recipe did he follow? If he did it according to my instructions, the gunk is not normal. It's probably a sanitation issue. What did he fill his airlock with?
 
i'm in,a little late but i'm in.doing ed's except for the yeast.swmbo is pretty psyched about it,i dont care if i have brew bud light its all good cause i still get to brew:rockin: but what she doesnt know id that i have enough to do 2 batches.hehehe...and a new car boy!oh snaps !its on now ed!
 
EdWort said:
What recipe did he follow? If he did it according to my instructions, the gunk is not normal. It's probably a sanitation issue. What did he fill his airlock with?
Click to expand...


As far as I know, he followed your recipe. He used two capfuls of Iodophor to sanitize and put water in the airlock, I think. Think that was the problem?
 
Without going through this entire thread again....

Is this supposed to look like lemonade when it is done? I was expecting more of an apple juice color....

Anyway, mine is kegged and will be ready for SWMBO when she gets home Friday!

WOW is this stuff dry...WOOO!!!!!!
 
Here's what mine looks like.

ApfelweinGlass.jpg
 
Whelk said:
Has anyone had an infected batch of apfelwein? My twin brother just made his first batch yesterday and today he says he has 'cottony' gunk floating on top of the apfelwein. Sounded to me like it was infected, but I wanted everyone's input. Dump it or let it ride?
Click to expand...
The "cottony" gunk could be small air bubbles clumped together. I had a similar looking thing and it went away after a few days. Tastes great and is bottled now....

just a thought..
 
I have been surfing this thread for a couple of hours and I cant find a difinitive answer to my question ( Im sure it is in one of the 1412 posts) but I cant find it so here it goes.
I am trying to figure out the best way to end up with a sweet tasting cider.

I have my 5 gallons of 100% juice unsweetened apple juice from concentrate great value brand (all I could find, I want to get this going) also lalvin D-47. so what should I use frozen concentrate, lactose or splenda to end up with my desired amount residual sugars?

has anyone used d-47?

should I use the 2lbs of corn sugar? how about the brown sugar how has that been working?
 
can any one help here Im hoping to make this, this afternoon I gotta get this going Im hopeing it will be palateable by the end of june so the sooner I get started the better
 
killian said:
can any one help here Im hoping to make this, this afternoon I gotta get this going Im hopeing it will be palateable by the end of june so the sooner I get started the better
Click to expand...
What kind of help do you need? The instructions are on the first post of this thread. Here's the link so you don't have to scroll up 1,400+ posts. :D
 
Ryanh1801 said:
I dont think mine is ever gonna finish, im on week five and it is still bubbling away.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat... 5 weeks and I'm getting antsy.
Making a Raspberry wheat this weekend to try and avoid jumping the gun on it.
 
killian said:
can any one help here Im hoping to make this, this afternoon I gotta get this going Im hopeing it will be palateable by the end of june so the sooner I get started the better
Click to expand...

Killian - I recomend keeping it simple, start with Ed's recipe. At bottling/kegging boil about 1-2 cups water with 1 pound of lactose (milk sugar) + 5 oz by wt of corn sugar for carbing.

Its not super dry this way and you'll be sure to hit the gravities.

MLynchLtd. - I've been away, otherwise I'd of answered your question sooner. Carbonation: Use 1 oz by weight of corn sugar per gallon of apfelwein goodness .

:mug:
 
killian said:
can any one help here Im hoping to make this, this afternoon I gotta get this going Im hopeing it will be palateable by the end of june so the sooner I get started the better
Click to expand...

I asked the same question not so long ago in the cider section.
Not that keen on using artifical sweetners or lactose/not sure it would taste right so im going down the road the fruit squeezers use.

Im going to keep tasting till it hits the desired gravity and sweetness and then hit it with pottasium sorbate and campden (half a teaspoon and 1 tablet respectively for each gallon). This stops the yeasties in there tracks and prevents them fermenting it until completely dry.

Obvioulsy this is no good if you want to bottle condition but mines going into a corny and so that isn't an issue.
 
delboy said:
Im going to keep tasting till it hits the desired gravity and sweetness and then hit it with pottasium sorbate and campden (half a teaspoon and 1 tablet respectively for each gallon). This stops the yeasties in there tracks and prevents them fermenting it until completely dry.
Click to expand...

Cool. Please let us know how it goes after you reach your target FG and what it tastes like after adding the PS & Camden and carbing for a week or so. Also what the ABV is too.
 
delboy said:
I asked the same question not so long ago in the cider section.
Not that keen on using artifical sweetners or lactose/not sure it would taste right so im going down the road the fruit squeezers use.

Im going to keep tasting till it hits the desired gravity and sweetness and then hit it with pottasium sorbate and campden (half a teaspoon and 1 tablet respectively for each gallon). This stops the yeasties in there tracks and prevents them fermenting it until completely dry.

Obvioulsy this is no good if you want to bottle condition but mines going into a corny and so that isn't an issue.
Click to expand...

Delboy,

If you want to keep it simple do this and not add the sweetners and chemicals; buy 5 gal of juice and 4 or 5 cans of concentrate. Pitch Cotes Des Blanc. I don't know the SG gravity but it should stop close 1.000. If you pitch Cotes Des Blancs - YOU MUST USE NUTRIENTS! Cotes wil not work well without it being added to the must. Use the recomendation on the bottle. I think I used 1/2 tsp per gal. I added it as I made the must. Just keep in mind the more fermentables you add, the dryer it gets.

I never heard anybody cut the 2#'s of corn sugar into 1 #. I guess we are all lushes. :D

I think 1# would drop it from 8.5% down to 6%

Personally, I think the original recipe is good as is, however adding 1 # of lactose sweetens and reduces the dryness and isn't one of those fake sugars your body doesn't recognize. I like the froth that it leaves behind too. I tried the Cotes & Concentrate on the my fruited Apfelwein and it tastes pretty damn good. Raspberry is unbelieveable.

Edwort - Its good to see the ol' Blowin' foam avatar again!!!

:mug:
 
Thanks for the suggestions Schlenkerla, unfortunately this one is already fermenting,
i was shying away from the lactose more because of the bottom burps that tend to come with it :D .

I'll be sure to let you know if my K-sorb, campden plans works out, or even if it doesn't.
 
Schlenkerla said:
Edwort - Its good to see the ol' Blowin' foam avatar again!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks! It's good to have it back. I picked up another batch of juice at Costco at lunch. Gonna have a good stock for a hot summer. Hooo Yeah!:tank:
 
Alright. Time to hop on this bandwagon. Just made up 5 gallons. Looking forward to a month from now when I can finally taste what all this commotion is about. :mug:
 
Alright I have mine still in the primary it has been about 5 or 6 weeks, reading is .999

I am looking to throw it in a secondary for a little bit, I want to sweeten it a little is one can of concentrate a good idea for this? I want to carbonate when I bottle to.
I think I am just going to use the cooppers carb tabs, anyways what is the best way to sweeten it a little bit, when I bottle? When I secondary?

thanks in adavnce
 
If you add concentrate, you will be adding sugars for the yeast to start in on again. You will be starting over. If you are looking for sweet, some people have added lactose, some have added Splenda. I think you should leave it and backsweeten with Sprite when you serve it. That is EdWorts recommendation, anyway. But hey...what does he know about this stuff?:D
 
Kayos said:
If you add concentrate, you will be adding sugars for the yeast to start in on again. You will be starting over. If you are looking for sweet, some people have added lactose, some have added Splenda. I think you should leave it and backsweeten with Sprite when you serve it. That is EdWorts recommendation, anyway. But hey...what does he know about this stuff?:D
Click to expand...

OK thanks, Ed or anyone else did you carb your wine and then also add sprite for a backsweeten or just leave it flat and then add sprite?

If I decide to add splenda or lactose do you do it at bottling or secondary?
 
mot said:
OK thanks, Ed or anyone else did you carb your wine and then also add sprite for a backsweeten or just leave it flat and then add sprite?

If I decide to add splenda or lactose do you do it at bottling or secondary?
Click to expand...

Folks in Germany add Sprite to non-carbonated Apfelwein to make is sweet. They will also add sparkling mineral water to it to add some bubbles and to cut the alcohol content which allows them to drink more or perhaps less.

I added some splenda at bottling. I've never tried lactose as it gives me gas like you would not believe.
 
EdWort said:
Folks in Germany add Sprite to non-carbonated Apfelwein to make is sweet. They will also add sparkling mineral water to it to add some bubbles and to cut the alcohol content which allows them to drink more or perhaps less.

I added some splenda at bottling. I've never tried lactose as it gives me gas like you would not believe.
Click to expand...

Ok how much splenda did you add?
 
I would pour out a few 4 oz. glasses and start experimenting, noting how much splenda you add to each glass till you get the desired sweetness. Then it's a matter of tripling the amount for a 12 oz. bottle.

You should be able to nail it within a few glasses (or you may get hammered :D)

I'd start off with 1/2 teaspoon in 4 oz. and work up from there.
 
since this is a higher alchohol has anyone had problems having it carb?
All the sugar I have found on this thread says same as you would carb a beer. Or do you need more?
 
mot said:
Ok how much splenda did you add?
Click to expand...

I saw this posted before. We need a sticky for this thread.

FYI - 1lb of Lactose does the job at bottling + 5 oz by wt of corn sugar for carbing.

The post was in April, right around the end of my first batch.

You might find a separate thread in the wine section on splenda.

:mug:
 
Schlenkerla said:
I saw this posted before. We need a sticky for this thread.

FYI - 1lb of Lactose does the job at bottling + 5 oz by wt of corn sugar for carbing.

The post was in April, right around the end of my first batch.

You might find a separate thread in the wine section on splenda.

:mug:
Click to expand...

yeah this thread is nuts with different info .....hard to (and a pain) to search through all the threads.

Need the basic recipe, sweetening and carbing info as a sticky or something
 
Ok I think I got everything figured out but one thing, I am thinking of putting it in a secondary and let it sit a little while longer. Another few weeks...When I do carb them do you think I will need to add more yeast to help in the carbination because it has been sitting so long, or do you think I should just skip the secondary and go right to the bottles?
 
so i finally decided to keg my first batch of Apfelwein yesterday! i was going to bottle a couple bottles to give out but i forgot i hadnt sanitized any bottles so i did the next best thing i had my wife hand me a glass as i was syphoning the hard cider into the keg.

Well she hands me the biggest mug we own i think its around a 24 oz or bigger lol so i fill it up with the syphon tube and dump the rest of the crap in the bottom of the better bottle. i try the hard cider and its good! i finish setting the keg up in the freezer and commence to finishing this monster glass of hard cider! well i go about doing some yard work and im starting to get a buzz half way threw the glass! whew this stuff is ruff i think lol like cheap wine, it must not be done yet lol
well i put the water hose on the tree and fill up my glass again (im using the 3 drink rule i think there should be an amendment in there some where as to the size of glass you use!) about 3 hours and a pizza later i decide to go outside. oh crap i think i forgot to turn the hose off its flooding out my tree! lol

needless to say after 3 glass's i was done :drunk: :drunk: i tried to finish watching the hockey game but my wife said i had passed out around 930 lol i woke up around 4am with a splitting head ache and cotton mouth like crazy! i still have a headache im waiting for the coffee and bc powder to kick in lol
 

Similar threads

nxc3441
apple pie cider under 10 bucks a gallon
Replies
2
Views
879
nxc3441
nxc3441
C
what canna do with it?
Replies
5
Views
413
fluketamer
F
H
Apple cider stupid questions
Replies
3
Views
764
Graham H
G
A
New Fermenter
Replies
16
Views
757
Austin Willoughby
A
Chalkyt
Using Fuji juice to make sweet carbonated Cider
Replies
1
Views
415
Chalkyt
Chalkyt

Latest posts

Back
Top