Nottingham or any other ale yeast will ferment just as dry as Montrachet if not more dry. I have a batch on tap right now that was fermented with S-04, it finished a few points lower than the Montrachet.
Well guys, I think I will do the Montrachet and use table sugar to get a tiny bit more sweetness. Maybe after the first time I'll start experimenting, but for the first Apfelwein I might as well stick to tried and true methods!
:rockin:
holy balls... 6648 posts...
i didn't read 'em all. i want to make this for x-mas, but have a couple of questions
1)Table sugar or brown sugar instead of corn sugar?
1a) will it be sweeter? what's better, regular table or brown? will this raise the ABV too?
1b) if I were to use table/brown sugar, do I use the same amount as the original recipe called for?
2) do I have to worry about skunking due to light exposure?
3) does it smell pretty good while fermenting, or should I lock it up like the red-headed step-child? It'd be pretty cool to have a room smellin like apple while it's doing it thing
Thanks for the help!
How interesting...were on page 666 and talking about the smell of sulfur ! I first read this thread when Ed originally posted it. Today I just made 20 more gallons. I have always stuck with the original recipe until today. I made two batches like normal. I then made one with Premier Cuvee yeast, and one with the montrachet, but added one gallon of cranberry juice in place of a gallon of apple juice. In lieu of reading thousands of posts, does anyone know if this has been tried? Too late now, I know, just curious. Cheers fellas!
This is my first 5 gallons of Apfelwein. Before reading very far I started a batch all wrong. I used 2 lbs table sugar and 71b-1122 yeast. It bubbled like crazy for a few days then stopped. I checked the SG at 12 days and it was down at .995. I did a quick taste and no vinegar but very bad. Do you think it will taste ok? One post said it was watery with little taste. Has anyone had OK results with this yeast? How long should I wait to bottle? The normal, anything greater than 4 weeks?
After reading about 500 pages, today I started a second 1 gallon batch per Ed's recipe. Thanks Ed.
I think I sanitized very well, but this is my first batch of anything. I will give it 2 more weeks and if it still has a strange taste I will start over.
Right before pitching the yeast, I took a gravity reading and found that it was only 1.054. From what I've read, it should be around 1.064 after adding 2 pounds of sugar. Looks like mine will end up around 7% instead of 8.5%. Any ideas as to why my gravity reading is so low?!
I bought the same apple juice from Costco (tree top). I used sodium metabisulfite 4 oz per gallon.
It is starting to clear, I tasted again yesterday and it is tasting more like wine. Should I spend the money for a ph meter or check the acidity (t.a.) and maybe add acid blend?
Thanks for your quick response. It put my mind at ease.
I think I'll have to add my 5 gallons to the running total. Ignore the porcelain fermenter on the left!
Not that it matters to you now but for anyone else you dont need a blow-off for this.. it has no krausen, just a tiny layer of bubbles. A simple airlock will work..
...oh and it does smell like rhino farts from eating apples that have been sitting in the hot african sun all day. :cross:
did you take a final gravity with the EC-1118? How was the taste? Did it still have that dry characteristic?It's been almost three months since I made two batches of Aepfelwein. Batches were identical with the exception of using Montrachet yeast in one and Ec-1118 (Pris de'Mousse) in the other. My conclusion is that the EC-1118 is the preferable yeast for those looking for the original German flavor. This conclusion is certainly true (to my mind) if you don't intend to age the aepfelwein for any significant length of time. Differences MAY arise as the products bottle-age and I will report on my findings as i sample bottles which have seen 6 months of aging.
The Montrachet batch took 2 months to ferment and clear. The Ec-1118 batch was fermented and clear at the end of three weeks. The Montrachet batch had a 'thinner' taste than the EC-1118 and was also less tangy. The EC-1118 had more apple character than the Montrachet.
I have plenty of aepfelwein experience, having lived in the heart of aepfelwein country for a decade and having helped friends make it from apples harvested from their private aepfelwein-designated orchards.
Bottom-line: When my wife (a native of Frankfurt where aepfelwein is preferred over beer) and I tasted the two batches, the EC-1118 batch prompted us to both say "this tastes just like Ebblewoi!" The Montrachet batch tasted "close" but not quite right.
Since i am fluent in German I am digging deep into the recommended practices of aepfelwein-producers. I may summarize my findings of what the pros do in a future posting.
I am also making additional batches for comparison purposes.
Can it? Sure.Can it be drunk before the yeast clears?
Enter your email address to join: