Apfelwein question

I started a 5 gallon carboy of apfelwein on Oct 1. It is still bubbling slowly. Should I wait until it is completely still before bottling this stuff? I can tell with beer but this is my first attempt at apfelwein.

Regards,
Al

I'm not the most experienced, but I'd say wait.

GIusedtoBe said:

I started a 5 gallon carboy of apfelwein on Oct 1. It is still bubbling slowly. Should I wait until it is completely still before bottling this stuff? I can tell with beer but this is my first attempt at apfelwein.

Regards,
Al

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Edwort says give it 6 weeks in the fermenter.

Is it clear yet?

You should ALWAYS wait until it's done fermenting before bottling.

No exceptions!!

homebrewer_99 said:

You should ALWAYS wait until it's done fermenting before bottling.

No exceptions!!

Click to expand...

Yeah I know it was kind of a stupid question but I'm on my first Apfelwein and I really just want to get it bottled before Thanksgiving for gift purposes.

Regards,
Al

GlusedtoBe said:

I really just want to get it bottled before Thanksgiving for gift purposes.

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Ed says 6 weeks, but personally any time after it clears is good. Now... It won't be the BEST apfelwein, but if the people drinking it have no reference to go on, it will be DAMN good as long as it clears up before you bottle/keg it.

Funny about that Apfelwein. It seems to always have some bubbles in it. I have made several batches and all of them had tiny little bubbles. They never seemed to go away. I just waited until clear and then bottled....No problems yet

If you really want to know if it's safe to bottle, take a hydrometer reading. If you are under 1.00, you should be safe to bottle.


TL

I got sick of waiting on my first batch (second one is bubbling as I write). So I used sorbate and camden to hault fermentation. Then I used a clarifier (I think it was isinglas) a couple days later I put some of it in 1 gallon glass jugs and threw it in the freezer (no not trying to make apple jack). The next day it was really clear, and the yeast were all settled, so I let it thaw (there was a little ice in 'em) and transferred into other jugs. As a test, I put some in a glass and put some priming sugar in it and waited to see if it started fermenting again. It didn't, and me and some friends started drinking it about a 5 weeks after I had started it. I'm thinking the batch I'm making now will just have to sit till Christmas time. It's just not a quick one, that apfelwine.

Yeah I've had mine in the fermenter going on 7 weeks, and I have no intention of bottling for another week or so, it started to go clear around 4 weeks. I personally do not like the stuff that much, I have drunken the stuff several times in Germany, it's just not my cup o' tea. My wife however loves the stuff, she actually been nagging me for the last two weeks about "when is my apfelwein going to be done"....

FWIW, the batch I made with Premier Cuvée yeast cleared completely in just under three weeks. I let it remain in the carboy another two weeks anyhow, but it did clear very quickly. The resulting Apfelwein does not taste significantly different from my Montrachet batches.

I'm back to Montrachet now, but Premier Cuvée might be worth a shot for somebody in a hurry.