Edwort's Apfelwein OG?

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D0ug

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I asked this in the recipes forum and didn't get many responses, thought I'd try here.

Is there a target OG for Edwort's Apfelwein? I have seen quite a range, seeing numbers from 1.071-1.060, and have heard of people reporting upto 1.090. With the variation of sugars available in commercial juices, I was wondering if anyone knew what the original recipe might have for a starting gravity target, or if people who have made this often have an OG they like to shoot for when brewing it.

Thanks
 
Mine is around 1.060, but I don't even take readings of my Apfelwein any more. Just use the juice/sugar ratio that Edwort says in his OP, and you'll be fine. Also, you'll be able to tell when it's done b/c it will be crystal clear.
 
Really? Why did you stop checking, is your starting gravity that consistent from batch to batch? Or is the character of the drink indifferent to the abv?


Maybe I'll just try a ladder experiment and see what happens when the abv changes.

Thanks for the feedback
 
I did a batch of this a few weeks ago, and the gravity of the 100% apple juice alone (costco brand) was 1.048. After the 2 pounds corn sugar was in there I ended up about 1.067. I would think that would be pretty consistent, there aren't really any variables.
 
I made it with 5 gallons of Treetop apple juice and 2 lbs of corn sugar with 1.060 OG a few weeks ago. It was very well mixed before the OG sample because I aerated with a wine degassing paddle.

It would be interesting to pour a very small sample from each juice container into dish to get refractometer gravity readings for each gallon of juice. I wonder how much variation there really is.
 
All you need to know about Apfelwein is that you need to be careful drinking it and, especially, serving it to the uninitiated.
 
I made it with 5 gallons of Treetop apple juice and 2 lbs of corn sugar with 1.060 OG a few weeks ago. It was very well mixed before the OG sample because I aerated with a wine degassing paddle.

It would be interesting to pour a very small sample from each juice container into dish to get refractometer gravity readings for each gallon of juice. I wonder how much variation there really is.

I pulled a sample at 2.5 weeks and it's at 0.9966, very clear and tastes great. I'm planning for 8 weeks in primary and bottle carbonating.
 
Yeah I guess I was thinking apple juice was apple juice, but I suppose depending on the apples used to make it it could have varied sugar content
 
All you need to know about Apfelwein is that you need to be careful drinking it and, especially, serving it to the uninitiated.
Absolutely - it takes a minute or two to refocus the taste buds but after that it is a wonderful drink. Starting Brix for me was 21 degrees. As a drink it is crisp, sharp and full of apple.. I made some two years ago using only crab apples with no back sweetening. Still have a couple of bottles left that I will treasure for another day. It is also good for cleaning out the lower intestine.
 
Holy thread necro Batman!

My Apfelwein usually clocks in between .060 and .080 depending on if I add sugar or not but I don't check too much.

Sunrype brand apple juice that I buy bulk from cotsco has a consistent .060 right out of the carton everytime I have tried it.
 
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