Apfelwein Sanity Check

I wanted to give Ed Wort's Apfelwien a try, so I made up a 1 Gallon batch.

It's been 5 weeks now, and I'm just a little concerned about how it looks. The carboys he has in the pictures look a lot different, but then again, he doesn't mention how long they have been sitting. I just wanted to post a quick picture of mine, and see if it should be raising a red flag.


You may be able to see a bunch of yeast on the bottom of the bottle. I haven't cracked it open to see if it smells funny or anything. I think I was mainly expecting it to look a whole lot clearer than it does. Am I not being patient enough, will it change color / clear up in the coming weeks?

Thanks for the help!

After 5 weeks it should be pretty clear. Mine turns very clear after about 2 weeks. If a cider was used it may stay a little cloudier though.

No, it was apple juice. Any ideas? Think fermentation is stuck?

MikeScott said:

No, it was apple juice. Any ideas? Think fermentation is stuck?

Click to expand...

Mine was a couple months before it was completely clear, and took even longer before anyone but me would drink it.

Different juices and yeast combos may affect how cloudy it looks and how long it takes to clear.

THe only way to tell if you have a stuck fermentation is with a hydrometer, not by looking at a cludy carboy....so only you can tell if it's ok or not.

I'm betting since it's cloudy it is fine, and you just need to have patience.

Thanks Revvy!

Turns out I'm not real good on the documentation. I don't have my OG, but I pulled the satellite fermentor, and right now it's at a nice round 1.000. According to the recipe, that means I might be done, or I may have .002 left to go (I'm betting I'm done).

I've got one nostril clogged up, so I didn't trust my sense of smell, so I pulled a sample. Very alcoholic, really sharp. I don't think any organism could live in there, so I'm not too worried about contamination

Think I should leave it alone until it clears, or bottle it and then leave it alone? I wasn't planning on calling it done until about 6 months out (from what I've read).

Thanks for the help!

Did you really say satellite? *Groan*

Actually that "satellite fermenter" idea will only tell you WHAT IT WILL FINISH AT, NOT when your 5 gallon batch will be done.

It's used to measure attenuation of the yeast, not rate of fermentation.

It will take yeast a lot less time to chew through 12 ounces of wort than it will 5 gallons.....so don't trust that silly thing that someone came up with because they are too afraid to take samples from their beer as being accurate.

If you do take that as "gospel" you more than likely are rushing your beer off the yeast way to soon. You know "bottle Bombs" or suddenly posting an "is my beer in secondary ruined?" thread because now that you moved it to secondary because the "satellite" said it was done, you now have this scary looking growth that you have never seen in your bucket (because the lid is one) that suddenly grew on top of your wort and is ugly as sin....which we of course will tell you to rdwhahb because that is just krausen and it formed because you racked too soon and the yeast is still trying to work to make beer for you.

The idea came from commercial breweries, but you have to realize when they are using in it a 3 or 7 or 10bbl fermentaion setup, that their sattelite looks like this.



And they are drawing off hydro sample out of that bucket just like we do.

And they are STILL going to be taking readings and tasting the REAL beer in the ACTUAL FERMENTER, before making any determination.

It's been adopted by some home brewers, and unfortunately gets perpetuated by people (mostly noobs scared of taking real hydro readings) but it's about as accurate as airlock bubbling, (and you know where I count that in terms of fermentation gauges- slightly below the astrological calender )

Your satellite MAY be at 1.000 but that may or may not be where your 5 gallon carboy is at......

ANd yeah, based on my experience letting it mellow for 6 months is a good thing....People loved the final product when it was carbed and conditioned (they called it applechampaigne....but it was the same people who could not stand it when it was still raw.

Revvy said:

Did you really say satellite? *Groan*

Actually that "satellite fermenter" idea will only tell you WHAT IT WILL FINISH AT, NOT when your 5 gallon batch will be done.

It's used to measure attenuation of the yeast, not rate of fermentation.

Click to expand...

When I heard of the idea, I thought it was a fine idea, I figured that if I pitched the yeast into the wort, stirred it all up, and then took a sample, then I would have proportionately the same amount of yeast.

I'll listen to the voice of experience though. Thanks for taking the time to straighten me out

Revvy said:

Your satellite MAY be at 1.000 but that may or may not be where your 5 gallon carboy is at......

Click to expand...

It's only 1 Gallon

MikeScott said:

When I heard of the idea, I thought it was a fine idea, I figured that if I pitched the yeast into the wort, stirred it all up, and then took a sample, then I would have proportionately the same amount of yeast.

I'll listen to the voice of experience though. Thanks for taking the time to straighten me out




It's only 1 Gallon

Click to expand...

yeast reproduces rapidly. . . there is no way to know how much yeast you have in either the sat. or the gallon jug. If I were you I'd let it sit there for a few more weeks, if for no other reason to make sure the fermentation is complete. that said I've never even looked at the apfelwein recipe. At any rate I can confirm that your reading from the sat. fermentation is pretty much useless at telling you whats going on in your primary.

Thanks rjschreoed!

MikeScott said:

I'll listen to the voice of experience though. Thanks for taking the time to straighten me out




It's only 1 Gallon

Click to expand...

Duh, you know I looked at that pic this morning and I STILL made it look like a 5 gallon carboy in my mind...I guess I was more concerned with looking at the liquid then the container. Just had a blond moment I guess.

Well 12 ounces as a satellite for 1 gallon is marginally more accurate than it would be for a 5 gallon batch...but still that would ferment out faster than the gallon one as well.

Revvy said:

Duh, you know I looked at that pic this morning and I STILL made it look like a 5 gallon carboy in my mind...I guess I was more concerned with looking at the liquid then the container. Just had a blond moment I guess.

Well 12 ounces as a satellite for 1 gallon is marginally more accurate than it would be for a 5 gallon batch...but still that would ferment out faster than the gallon one as well.

Click to expand...

I was asking about the liquid, so that seems like a pretty plausible oversight

Although I didn't take the gravity reading from the gallon batch, I did taste it, and if it isn't done fermenting, then I accidentally made the recipe for apple rubbing alcohol. It's pretty strong, and I'm not too concerned with any bacteria living in there either.

MikeScott said:

I was asking about the liquid, so that seems like a pretty plausible oversight

Although I didn't take the gravity reading from the gallon batch, I did taste it, and if it isn't done fermenting, then I accidentally made the recipe for apple rubbing alcohol. It's pretty strong, and I'm not too concerned with any bacteria living in there either.

Click to expand...

Yeah if anything it will keep the swine flu away.

But that's the funny thing, a lot of people talk about it clearing and drinking it right away. I don't know who they are sharing it with, but that stuff is rocket fuel for months and months. It is really harsh, but 6-12 months and it mellows smooooooth....Dangerously smooth. And carbing it should be a Law.

During the conditioning phase noone who tasted it would drink it. It was harsh as sandpaper. But when I let it go, and bottled it almost a year later to be ready for Christmas, people loved it, and couldn't believe it was the same thing they had tasted back then.

I tend to think that those who drink it young, are perhaps a tad bit inexperienced in brewing, and don't realize how awesome it is if you let it mellow....Like the guy who said there's was clear in 5 weeks....mine wasn't clear enough to read a newspaper through for a couple three months.

That's pretty much what I've read here, so I was planning on letting it sit for at least 6 months or so, as well as carbonating it. In the meantime I was going to make some Graff, which I understand is ready pretty quick.

I was also thinking of making some mead. I think my main issue is I don't want to tie my bottles up for a year or more