Quick fast and Tasty Apfelwein/Cider

I just finished drinking my second batch of this and am starting on the third, I have had raving reviews of it.

Recipe:
Batch Size 5.5 Gal.
OG 1.065
18 Cans frozen concentrate apple juice
Safale 04 or 05

Dump each can in to your fermenter and then add 2 not 3 cans of HOT water, these should all be frozen still hot water is laziness but it actually balances out so you can instantly pitch the yeast. Do this for all 18 cans and you will have perfect starting sugar levels.

I then pitch the yeast right on it and let it ferment for 2 weeks at around 65 degrees. I then rack it and let it sit for about another 3 - 4 weeks. I then keg it up and add some potassium sorbate to stall the fermentation and add 2 more cans of concentrate (warmed to room temp), let it rest in the keg at 12psi (40 degrees) for a week, week and a half and enjoy the 2 glasses it takes to make you feel REALLY good.

I've also made a batch with cinnamon and it really tastes like liquid apple pie.

Don't you just like it when it's THAT simple???

Makes me want to be a teenager again...if I knew then what I know now...

Do you really need to add the potassium sorbate if you chill it to ~40 deg? Aren't the yeast pretty much dormant in that range?

Also i've been making the apfelwein and I would like to backsweeten it... is that was the 2 cans of apple juice are for?

Yes I backsweeten and flavor with the 2 cans of consentrate.

rj_hockey -
You know, I have been thinking of this, but I will have to keep my eyes out for a good sale. Even on sale the concentrate cans can be just below $3 here.
I really like the idea of mixing it with 2 equal parts instead of three to up the taste.
Thank you very much for posting this.

Kauai_Kahuna said:

rj_hockey -
You know, I have been thinking of this, but I will have to keep my eyes out for a good sale. Even on sale the concentrate cans can be just below $3 here.
I really like the idea of mixing it with 2 equal parts instead of three to up the taste.
Thank you very much for posting this.

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Wow....

I love Hawaii, but damn $3 a can is expensive!

Think I pay about $0.95 / can here in Oregon

Let me know if adding the 2 additional cans of concentrate help with the taste of the cider. I have 5 gallons of apfelwein in the closet and I'm worried about it being too sour.

IXVolt said:

Wow....

I love Hawaii, but damn $3 a can is expensive!

Think I pay about $0.95 / can here in Oregon

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I am going to keg my apfelwein this next weekend and I'll toss in two cans of concentrate...

If your kegging you may want to start with one can, my wife and friends like the sweeter ciders, so they prefer 2 cans.

I would love to try this, i just cant find cans of apple concentrate anywhere! Im starting to think they dont even supply it in the UK!

so thats two cans H2o total or 2 cans per can of concentrate? thanks!

gnomepants said:

so thats two cans H2o total or 2 cans per can of concentrate? thanks!

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I'm certain he meant 2 cans per can of concentrate.

I backsweeten mine the same way...without water just concentrate.

Chrisrush: The 2 cans (no water) really does a nice job of adding the apple flavor and sugar back into a dry cider. I've done this several times and am quite pleased with its effect.

I just pulled my first pint of this recipe, and I must say it turned out exactly how I was hoping. The two cans of concentrate really kick up the apple flavor and increase the sugar just to the right level. I'm very happy with how it turned out. Now I'm deffinately going to have to keep this one on tap all the time!

Might be a tough year for apple cider. Around here the crop is running 15-50% of normal. Too much rain at blossom time.

Yeah, there several orchards down here in Southern Oregon I go to for "u pick" fruit. And one of them was totally fruitless. The rain and hail destroyed all the blossoms on the entire orchard!

I was shocked... Hard times for the orchards.

homebrewer_99 said:

I'm certain he meant 2 cans per can of concentrate.

I backsweeten mine the same way...without water just concentrate.

Chrisrush: The 2 cans (no water) really does a nice job of adding the apple flavor and sugar back into a dry cider. I've done this several times and am quite pleased with its effect.

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Thanks. Definitely what I wanted to hear.

chrisrush said:

Thanks. Definitely what I wanted to hear.

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I can confirm just using two cans of concentrate (no water added) is the key. Also... I just thought of it, but if you added juice WITH preservatives (potassium sorbate) it would probably be a good thing at this point.

Ive followed this recipie, but i used concentrate that i got in a kit, enough for 5 gallons, so i hpe thats ok, dilluted it as instructed on tegh kit, is that gonna be a problkem for this? As its a lot more dilluted than 2 parts water to 1 part concentrate.

I also experimented and added soem cinnamin sticks to this, and its been fermenting away nicely all week.

I may then, afetr readign this, when fermentation stops, add a couple of apple juices which contain pottasium sorbate, and even add some aswell just to be sure.

Yes the kit will work as well, I'm sure.. After all your just going to make some wine then flavor and sweeten.

Sorry to everyone about not posting I am in and out of town so much I never get the time.

Has anyone bottled this recipe? Just curious if adding any corn sugar before bottling has had any adverse effects?

Found cans of all flavors of concentrate for .99 cents a meijer. Now my freezer is full, lol.

ptra1004 said:

Has anyone bottled this recipe? Just curious if adding any corn sugar before bottling has had any adverse effects?

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If you add the potassium sorbate, then add corn sugar, it has a very good chance it won't carbonate in the bottle.

So if you want flat sweet cider, then bottling would work fine.

People who back sweeten using concentrate or anything else fermentable, I think keg theirs.

If you want to bottle carbonate, you would need to use a non-fermentable sugar and not add any potassium sorbate.

IXVolt said:

If you add the potassium sorbate, then add corn sugar, it has a very good chance it won't carbonate in the bottle.

So if you want flat sweet cider, then bottling would work fine.

People who back sweeten using concentrate or anything else fermentable, I think keg theirs.

If you want to bottle carbonate, you would need to use a non-fermentable sugar and not add any potassium sorbate.

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...so what if one were to just bottle as is? With out the sorbate or other fermenting halting agent, and no extra sugar. Just curious about possible field experience. I understand the science and principles, I just always find it beneficial to ask people's actual results... I wish I was set up to keg. Cider on tap can't be a bad thing!

If you bottle as is, (using priming sugar and no sorbate) the cider will be good albeit fairly dry. Without priming sugar, it will be flat b/c the yeast will have no sugar to convert to CO2. Just a standard bottling scenario like in beer.

Hmm.. I hope my 1 gallon test of hard cider doesn't last the rest of the night! (after it's done anyhow!!!)

I just threw in some yeast into some unpasteurized (fresh) apple cider from the local Farmers at the Farmers Market. So far it's fermenting with nottingham but it's going slow. Hopefully it turns out! I'm going to let it ferment until at least Sunday night which will be 8 days. Then im going to rack it to a secondary for a few days.

Note: I've never brewed anything before besides tea

You probably don't need to rack to a secondary unless you just like doing that sort of thing. I've done 4 batches of cider so far, and haven't needed to rack once. They all have turned out fantastic.

IXVolt said:

You probably don't need to rack to a secondary unless you just like doing that sort of thing. I've done 4 batches of cider so far, and haven't needed to rack once. They all have turned out fantastic.

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It was suggested.. I've never done it so I guess it could be considered practice LOL. I pitched all 11g of nottingham in the 1 gallon jug. Going to try tasting tomorrow and see where its at.

if you have your mind made up that you want to rack at some point, thats fine. but dont do it at 8 days! i wouldnt even rack a beer before 2 weeks, with cider you should wait more like 4.

Depends on how much residual sugar you want. I just racked a few of mine at 6 and 7 days and there were a couple that I'd wish I caught at 5

CvilleKevin said:

Depends on how much residual sugar you want. I just racked a few of mine at 6 and 7 days and there were a couple that I'd wish I caught at 5

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What do you mean? Do you get a sweeter result by racking earlier?

Yes - search the forum for "cold crash" for details, or read the sticky

Just finished making this last month. It was really amazing. I can't believe how good it was for so little effort/money. Thanks for the recipe!

rj_hockey said:

I've also made a batch with cinnamon and it really tastes like liquid apple pie.

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how much cinnamon did you use and when did you add it?

dstar26t said:

how much cinnamon did you use and when did you add it?

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interested in this info aswell.....also how long did you keep the cinnamon in? I hear if its in too long it can overpower the cider.

I made a one gallon test batch about 10 months ago, and I used 3 sticks of cinnamon and I couldn't taste it at all.

Also of note, I threw it in there when I pitched the yeast, so that may have had an affect.