Man, I love Apfelwein

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heres a pic of my supercarbed apfelwein 2 months in the bottle. Wow, this stuff gets so much better with time. After 1 month in bottles it was slightly carbed with a strong yeast bite and smell and a huge alcohol burn. Now after 2 months in the bottle this stuff has started to lose the yeast bite, the burn is almost gone, and its insanely carbed. I opened up a 1 liter swingtop bottle and it blew off like a bottle of champagne.:drunk:

Here is a link to a pic.

Warren Carter's Photos | Facebook

Cheers to Ed and his amazing recipe!:mug:
 
I'm not a huge fan of white wines in general and to me this tastes like a slightly appley, cheap chardonnay.

Have you carbed it yet? I'm of the same opinion, when it's flat: cheap white wine! However, the carbonation takes it to a whole different place, and it becomes refreshing and very enjoyable.
 
Cracked open a couple of 5 month old bombers yesterday.This stuff really does get better with age. The apple flavor is really starting to shine through.Also tasted buttery to me. Anyone else notice that?
 
Have you carbed it yet?

Yeah, I carbed it. I don't know, it's definitely dryer than tyour typical hard cider, but it still tastes too sweet to me. I had OG of 1.066, FG 0.996. Maybe I just need to let it age longer, but to me i's similar to some of the cheap local white wines in the MD/VA area, only carbonated. I do like the kick it has, and how simple it is to make, I just wish I loved the flavor as well.
 
Yeah, I carbed it. I don't know, it's definitely dryer than tyour typical hard cider, but it still tastes too sweet to me. I had OG of 1.066, FG 0.996. Maybe I just need to let it age longer, but to me i's similar to some of the cheap local white wines in the MD/VA area, only carbonated. I do like the kick it has, and how simple it is to make, I just wish I loved the flavor as well.

Give it time.... its an acquired taste for some people. I served this at an event in June and the people raved about how good it was. I had people who lived in Germany for 10+ years tell me its as good if not better than what they drank when they were there. These people were not beer drinkers either, just cider and wine.
 
Does anyone know approx how many calories are in a 12 oz. serving? I'm trying to slim down, watch what I eat and all that. I'm guessing at least a couple hundred based on the alcohol content but honestly I have no idea how to figure it out...

Looking forward to that buttery taste I've seen others mention.
 
Does anyone know approx how many calories are in a 12 oz. serving? I'm trying to slim down, watch what I eat and all that. I'm guessing at least a couple hundred based on the alcohol content but honestly I have no idea how to figure it out...

Looking forward to that buttery taste I've seen others mention.

If you go back a few pages, you'll find someone asking how many carbs are in this. I posted a calculation showing the approximate residual sugars (I don't remember the result). That'd be a good start for you.
 
Accidentally opened a bottle of this last night.
Returned from long weekend vacation and needed a couple beers to downshift before bed. had a Wit from the keezer and found a bottle of what I thought was an old extract batch I had done with a buddy to show him the process. opened and thought....hmm not much carbonation. Started pouring and thought, man, this thing will not foam at all and hmm..that's wierd, never saw the yeast layer come towards the neck at all. Upon lifting the bottle to look inside I smelled my doom. Whoops. this was the bottle I put in to chill after bottling my apfelwein last week. Only had one 12oz bottle and one beer, but on a very tired body. Son woke me up at 2:30 with either teething pains or a nightmare. Regardless it was hellacious screaming for a half hour and I'd had 2 hours sleep after my Apfelwein. Felt like a full on hangover!!
 
Just had to add my 2 cents...

So I mixed up the first batch of Apfelwein and through it in my bedroom closet. The next evening, my wife comes out of our room and asks me, "Did you just let out a bad fart?"

I went into the room and smiled with delight at the sweet sulfuric acid eminating from the airlock. I said, "Honey that is a wonderful smell because it means that the yeast is working hard and doing its job"

She gave me that You're an Idiot look and stomped out of the room. To be nice, I moved it into a hall closet and stuffed a towel under the door to contain the odor. In a sick way, I kind of enjoy the smell because it makes me think of how good the finished product will be. In fact, I'm gonna stuff my head in the closet when I get home tonight. :cross:

Disclaimer: She is pregnant, so I did the nice thing and moved it to avoid sleeping on the couch!
 
My first two batches smelled horribly (But it's not tough to get used to), however this last batch, made with Safeway brand Apple Juice (No preservatives other than Vitamin C) didn't have much of a smell to it at all. The yeasties are definitely still hard at work though, so that may be an option for some of you who can't stand the smell. It was a bit more expensive, but I was there, and it worked.
 
about how long do you bottle condition before you are able to drink it? I know patience is my friend, so I'm willing to wait, but I'm just looking for round numbers. This will be my 3rd homebrew. Its been in the primary for about 1.5 months at 64 degrees. Any input?
 
So, I'm 5415 posts late to the party. But I sloshed up my first batch of this yesterday afternoon.

happily churning away this morning.

This is the first since I started brewing (~2 years) that I've had all of my fermenters going at once (well, I will have them all going this afternoon when I brew BM Cent Blond)
 
about how long do you bottle condition before you are able to drink it? I know patience is my friend, so I'm willing to wait, but I'm just looking for round numbers. This will be my 3rd homebrew. Its been in the primary for about 1.5 months at 64 degrees. Any input?

My first batch was drinkable after 11 weeks counting 8 in the fermenter and 3 in the bottle but I carbed mine. Just tried some the other day after 5 months and it was much better though.
 
I tried mine for the first time last night it stayed in the fermenter for 11 weeks then I carbed it in bottles. It hasn't been in the bottle for about a 1 1/2 weeks and this stuff is awesome. I am glad I started another batch like Edwort suggested. Thanks Edwort...
 
I bought a better bottle online specifically for this. I just "brewed" a batch today hoping that I'll be able to leave it in the bottles until Christmas time. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to start another in 2 weeks.

BTW, I went to Sam's and had to get 8 of the 86 oz. bottles of Mott's to get enough. It was like 4.76 per 2-pack I think. My total cost was probably be less than $25 besides the equipment I bought for it.

I'll check back with you in a few months when I bottle :mug:
 
Does anyone know approx how many calories are in a 12 oz. serving? I'm trying to slim down, watch what I eat and all that. I'm guessing at least a couple hundred based on the alcohol content but honestly I have no idea how to figure it out...

Looking forward to that buttery taste I've seen others mention.


Watching what you eat will be harder if you leave your avatar like that! If that were me, I'd get hungry for a burger everytime I logged into HBT :)
 
I just cracked open a bottle that bulk aged for 3 months then in the bottle for 6. It's really really good. It tasted like crap the last time I tasted it 3 months ago. This really has to age at least 9 months to appreciate.
 
How did this turn out for those of you who tried Lalvin 71B-1122?

I went into my LHBS and asked for Montrachet but she talked me out of it saying this was almost the same without the sulfury aromas.
 
Gonna do this one real soon. I'm sure it's in here somewhere but how about strict temp control on this one? "Room Temperature" for me is 74-80°. I sure as hell don't want fusels in this thing.

At bare minimum, if I were to control it to 68-72 for a week or so (during yeast development), could I simply "let it go" after that?
 
71B-1122 turns out pretty dry and watery. I'm currently aging one to see if the apple flavor returns, but it is currently very minimal. I bet you would get torn up easily because it is very smooth, just not flavorful. The montrachet turns out the best in my opinion. I have tried a couple other wine yeasts, but have come back to montrachet. The original is the best.
 
I bought a better bottle online specifically for this. I just "brewed" a batch today hoping that I'll be able to leave it in the bottles until Christmas time. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to start another in 2 weeks.

BTW, I went to Sam's and had to get 8 of the 86 oz. bottles of Mott's to get enough. It was like 4.76 per 2-pack I think. My total cost was probably be less than $25 besides the equipment I bought for it.

I'll check back with you in a few months when I bottle :mug:

I found the exact same deal. I initially planned on a 5 gallon batch, but tomorrow I'm picking up a 6 gallon carboy....:ban:

I'll need another 80 ounces of AJ (688oz. total in the pack from Sam's) , but I only have 2 lbs. of dextrose plus a priming sugar packet. Instead of running back to the LHBS to buy another 0.4 lbs. of dextrose, can I just use the 5 oz. priming packet for the extra gallon in a 6 gallon batch? I'll only be I'll be 1.4oz short on dextrose.

I can always go back before bottling time for priming sugar, but my question is how much this will affect the final product and ABV?
 
I found the exact same deal. I initially planned on a 5 gallon batch, but tomorrow I'm picking up a 6 gallon carboy....:ban:

I'll need another 80 ounces of AJ (688oz. total in the pack from Sam's) , but I only have 2 lbs. of dextrose plus a priming sugar packet. Instead of running back to the LHBS to buy another 0.4 lbs. of dextrose, can I just use the 5 oz. priming packet for the extra gallon in a 6 gallon batch? I'll only be I'll be 1.4oz short on dextrose.

I can always go back before bottling time for priming sugar, but my question is how much this will affect the final product and ABV?

Substitute an equal mass of table sugar, you'll be fine. Then you can save the (more expensive) dextrose for priming or something else.
 
Doesn't table sugar affect the taste adversely? Or will the relatively small amount (6.4oz) not have a noticeable affect?

The "adverse" effect on flavor is generally described as "cidery," which won't make any difference here.

Also, the small quantity won't make any difference. It's only really for beer that you need to worry about it, although I bet you'd be able to tell the difference between side-by-side apfelwein batches where one used dextrose and the other used sucrose.
 
I'm bottling my first batch today. I planned on starting a new one as well. What is the advantage of batching right over the old yeast cake? Just convenience? I have the new yeast, but keep reading of so many wanting to do that. I like the idea of cleaning out the carboy and starting fresh, but if there's an advantage other than convenience, maybe I'd try it?
 
The "adverse" effect on flavor is generally described as "cidery," which won't make any difference here.

Also, the small quantity won't make any difference. It's only really for beer that you need to worry about it, although I bet you'd be able to tell the difference between side-by-side apfelwein batches where one used dextrose and the other used sucrose.

Can I use table sugar in a 1/1 ratio with the 6.4 oz of dextrose that I'm short?

What about organic cane sugar?
 
Can I use table sugar in a 1/1 ratio with the 6.4 oz of dextrose that I'm short?

What about organic cane sugar?

I haven't done it, but my guess would be that it'd still turn out okay. Post your results if you try it, especially if you've got a batch brewed with 100% dextrose to compare to.
 
Also, the small quantity won't make any difference. It's only really for beer that you need to worry about it, although I bet you'd be able to tell the difference between side-by-side apfelwein batches where one used dextrose and the other used sucrose.

I made a batch with all sucrose instead of the dextrose because I ran out of corn sugar. I couldn't tell the difference in the end product, though fermentation was a bit slower with the sucrose version.

With both I use some yeast nutrient to add nitrogen to the juice, as 'cider flavor' is caused by fermenting nutrient deficient juice.
 
I heart this thread so much.

I poured myself a large glass of this the other night to try the CO2 level in it (undercarbed), but I felt a huge buzz shortly after (22oz only) and my head hurt the next morning.
Im going to go to town on this stuff by week's end just to see how hardcore it is.

Also, what PSI do you guys set your apfelwein kegs to?
 
Thanks knarfks (Another Kansas Brewer!) Appreciate the info.

I had 4 one-gallon carboy's available so I started 3 one-gallon batches swapping the Montrachet for Lalvin 71B-1122 since that's what LHBS sold me and added 1 can of Apple Juice Concentrate per gallon. SG looks like 1.078.

In the 4th one-gallon carboy I made some MAJOR variations to the recipe with ingredients on hand, More of a Melomel or Cyser I suppose:
1 pint each of Blueberries, Blackberries & Strawberries
1 QT Organic Berry Juice (Grape, Apple, Cranberry, Aronia, Raspberry, Strawberry)
1 lb Honey
1 can Apple Juice Concentrate
Sam's Choice Apple Juice
2.5g Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast

SG= 1.090
 
Just started my 2nd batch, I didn't obey the rules and I started my 2nd batch after I was done with my first. My friends drank most of it! still a little left for me. Thanks Edwort, this recipe rocks. It reminds my of the Apfelmoßt I had last year in Germany.

This time I'm trying adding a gallon of Gala apple juice and McIntosh from trader joes in addition to the tree top. We will see if the blend adds any extra taste.

Well I bottled this about 2 weeks ago. It is delicious, I recommend added different apple varieties to spice up the flavor. This one tastes more tart and I quite like it. :mug:
 
I bottled my 2nd batch & really like it. Question: if I used honey instead of sugar, would that make it a cyser (i.e., mead)? I may try that next after my "Joe's Ancient Orange" mead is finished brewing.
 
After all these years, I'm finally on the band-wagon. Only made 2.5 gallons though. I'm hoping the apple crop isn't too bad so I can make some straight cider with fresh juice in the Fall.

Yeah, cyser is cider with honey or mead with apple juice or both.
 
Just got done assembling a 3-gallon batch of Apfelwein. We went slighty askew in the recipe, partially because we love the substituted juice, wanted a bigger kick, and LHBS doesn't carry Montrachet:

2 gallons TreeTop = $7.00
1 gallon Simply Apple Juice = $6.00
2 pounds Dextrose = $2.50
1 pkg Lalvin EC-1118 = $1.00

Yeah, could have made more for roughly the same price but the Simply Apple might add a little something. Plus it has chunks and floaties of pressed apples in the bottle which, if I'm not mistaken, will act as yeast nutrients.

The countdown begins.... I can't wait....
 
I'm bottling my first batch today. I planned on starting a new one as well. What is the advantage of batching right over the old yeast cake? Just convenience? I have the new yeast, but keep reading of so many wanting to do that. I like the idea of cleaning out the carboy and starting fresh, but if there's an advantage other than convenience, maybe I'd try it?


Well....I sampled my first batch as I bottled. Very Good. Very similar to Strongbow, just drier, and less apple taste. I expect as it gets older it will be very hard to tell the difference.

I was feeling a pretty good buzz from my "sample" which I think got me lazy. I mixed my new batch right on top of the old cake. It took a little longer to get going, but two days later it's fermenting away as good as the last batch.
 
Made the mistake of drinking a bomber by myself last night after 3 pints of witbier. Appearently I got a new alarm clock without realizing it that smacks you in the head with a giant hammer before buzzing sonic booms at you! I may have to give up on Apfelwein. It tastes to good to only drink a small glass, but hurts to bad to drink more!
 
Made the mistake of drinking a bomber by myself last night after 3 pints of witbier. Appearently I got a new alarm clock without realizing it that smacks you in the head with a giant hammer before buzzing sonic booms at you! I may have to give up on Apfelwein. It tastes to good to only drink a small glass, but hurts to bad to drink more!

with apfelwein you need to remember the 2:1 ratio. its like drinking 2 drinks for each glass you have. i drank a liter of it the other night. thank god i had the next day off, i didnt want to get out of bed til close to 1pm.
 
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