Man, I love Apfelwein

Thanks for the responses. I have decided to bottle after I get over this cold I have. Rhinofarts good, Rhinovirus bad.

Welp, I finally made it to the current "end" of this thread! It has taken me about ten days, on and off, but the information put forth is tremendous!

My apfelwein has been chugging away now for two weeks. There is little airlock activity, but there are still numerous tiny bubbles rising to the surface inside the Better Bottle. The "must" seems to be clearing a bit, but I am in no rush. I will not bottle it until it is crystal-clear.

Since I have seen NO posts from folk who HAVE bottle-carbonated apfelwein in #1 PETE NON-soda bottles, I will be the test case! I plan on putting the filled jugs into a large plastic tub, in the event that they do, in fact, explode. We will certainly report on the success or failure of the attempt.

glenn514

Recluse said:

Er... Priming sugar IS Dextrose. The added Dextrose isn't going to make it sweeter, but it MIGHT give you bottle bombs!! Or did you mean lactose??

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Yes I did mistype. Thank you for catching that....lactose was my sweetening sugar.

finally getting around to making some.

can i ferment red star at 57F?

you guys just primary for 3+ months?

Yep. My most recent batch fermented between about 53 and 59 for 2+ months.

Ok, I made a 1 gallon test batch a few weeks ago. I used Mott's natural pastuerized apple juice (i think it is closer to cider) it was cloudy when I started (before yeast or sugar addition). I have read that this will clear out after a LONG period of time. Since this is a test batch to see if I will like it, I was curious as to what the negatives of drinking this stuff while cloudy could be. Before you completely jump down my throat, , I was planning on waiting a full four weeks in primary, then bottling. I was gonna carb some and have some still. I will probably sweeten some of each with splenda and a hint of cinnamon. Anyway, anyone had issues with cloudy wine? Will it affect the taste?

cool. i'll be making some this weekend.

i'm not a big hard cider fan, but it seems so easy and cheap. and i have a 5-gal free. lol.

MaliciousMushrm said:

Ok, I made a 1 gallon test batch a few weeks ago. I used Mott's natural pastuerized apple juice (i think it is closer to cider) it was cloudy when I started (before yeast or sugar addition). I have read that this will clear out after a LONG period of time. Since this is a test batch to see if I will like it, I was curious as to what the negatives of drinking this stuff while cloudy could be. Before you completely jump down my throat, , I was planning on waiting a full four weeks in primary, then bottling. I was gonna carb some and have some still. I will probably sweeten some of each with splenda and a hint of cinnamon. Anyway, anyone had issues with cloudy wine? Will it affect the taste?

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I did a 5 gallon batch with natural unpasturized cider from the local market, with EC 1118. After 4 weeks in the primary it cleared beautifully, but the sides and bottom were covered in inches of sediment that was easily disturbed. Since I'm in no hurry I racked to a secondary to let it clear more. As long as fermentation is complete the clarity issue is only aesthetic, as the cloudyness of natural cider is due to apple bits left in suspension.

I have two batches right now. One I started on January 23rd and the other on February 03rd. I am going to let them both set in the carboy for another month and then I'll bottle. Maybe carb up some bit most will be the "no-bubble" kind.

Once upon a time when I was a student, I used to make something similar to Ed's Apfelwein. But then I used normal bread yeast. Which also gave that kind of egg fart smell that has been described in the thread.

Decided about a month ago to take a trip on memory lane and make a new batch. I used Safbrew T-58 instead, no egg fart smells in the house (which was good as SWMBO is pregnant and kind of sensitive to smells right now).

Today I decided to keg it and sample it....remember that taste. Tastes even better now when you are not that desperate to drink it to get ready for the night club.

Ended up at 9.7 % ABV so it's pretty lethal.

I did a hydro test today. My reading came out to about 1.001 (been 2 weeks in carboy) but there was carbonation. Is this a result of fermentation that is still on-going? I have an airlock on so it isn't stopped up completely. I let it sit for about 10-20 minutes and then took a taste. It still had a bit of fizz. I am new to brewing so help me out here. I thought this stuff was supposed to be "still"

What yeast did you use? I'd expect a few bits lower for most yeast such as d-47 and ec-118.

HAVING SAID THAT - you can have dissolved CO2 if you have not -de-gassed or waited it out.

DrKarma said:

... Decided about a month ago to take a trip on memory lane and make a new batch. I used Safbrew T-58 instead, no egg fart smells in the house (which was good as SWMBO is pregnant and kind of sensitive to smells right now). ...

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T-58 is pretty estery, isn't it? How did that come out?

twohands said:

What yeast did you use? I'd expect a few bits lower for most yeast such as d-47 and ec-118.

HAVING SAID THAT - you can have dissolved CO2 if you have not -de-gassed or waited it out.

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the yeast was montrochet (sp?) I am not saying it is finished, but what do you mean my de-gassed? I am planning on waiting a few weeks still. Should I take the airlock off to de-gass? Or will the next few weeks let the c02 out on its own? Should I try to stir it up or anything?

Ok, did I screw this up?


A few days into fermentation I tried a little sample, and it was not bad. Already was tasting kinda dry. Seemed to be doing the apfelwein thing...rhino fart smell for a couple days, etc. Two weeks later, fermentation has pretty much stopped, and the smell of it has completely changed. It's kind of an odd sweet yet sourish smell...almost like corn or something, but it's not very pleasant. I took a taste, and it reminds me of...warm colt 45, of all things. It has a similar aftertaste. It is a lot..smoother...or something, than it was in the first few days, however.

Should I just let it sit a few more weeks or a month and then try a sample? Nothing nasty appears to be going on in it...nothing floating at the top, etc.

MaliciousMushrm said:

the yeast was montrochet (sp?) I am not saying it is finished, but what do you mean my de-gassed? I am planning on waiting a few weeks still. Should I take the airlock off to de-gass? Or will the next few weeks let the c02 out on its own? Should I try to stir it up or anything?

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To de-gas, stir it really well with something sanitary. A bottle brush works well, since it'll knock gas out of solution with all of those little hairs. Do it just before bottling, for like 5-10 minutes.

tacocat said:

Ok, did I screw this up?


A few days into fermentation I tried a little sample, and it was not bad. Already was tasting kinda dry. Seemed to be doing the apfelwein thing...rhino fart smell for a couple days, etc. Two weeks later, fermentation has pretty much stopped, and the smell of it has completely changed. It's kind of an odd sweet yet sourish smell...almost like corn or something, but it's not very pleasant. I took a taste, and it reminds me of...warm colt 45, of all things. It has a similar aftertaste. It is a lot..smoother...or something, than it was in the first few days, however.

Should I just let it sit a few more weeks or a month and then try a sample? Nothing nasty appears to be going on in it...nothing floating at the top, etc.

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Fermenting anything has it's phases of nastiness. There are yeast by-products from fermentation that need to be re-absorbed by yeast. The sour smell or flavor you notice is probably acetaldehyde, it's the chemical that yeast turn to alcohol. I notice it during the ending stages of fermentation in some of my beers and wines. It will go away. Your best bet is to not sample it and pass judgment until it's in the bottle for awhile. Sampling it as fermentation proceeds is a good way to understand off/green flavors, but it won't taste right until the yeast have dropped at least.

Hegh said:

T-58 is pretty estery, isn't it? How did that come out?

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Drinking it now...it's dry and tasty, wouldn't call it estery.

I'm making three 1 gallon batches of this this weekend. 1 plain, 1 will be with raspberries, and 1 with currants.

Just noticed that my second carboycap doesn't have a tight seal. I am sure air is escaping, but it's not going through the airlock. Normally I wouldn't worry about it, but since this is likely going to sit for many months should I consider getting a new cap?

So I just finished off my keg of aphelwein and it never tasted really apple'ey. The aftertaste was amazing like a honey crisp apple from applefest in wisconsin. I added 2#'s of sugar as suggested to give it that extra kick. It was very dry and you could taste the booze if I would not have added the sugar would it have stayed sweet like apple cider? Has anyone else had this happen to there aphel. It definetly got you messed up quick.

I just bottled my first 2.5 gallons after 4 weeks in primary. I had to take a hydrometer sample and by golly that stuff is GOOD! Even lukewarm, flat and green. Absolutley delicious. Of course I'm a sucker for a good hard cider anyway. I can't wait 'til fall. I'm doing this same treatment to some fresh pressed cider... Make me a badass apfelmost. Thanks Edwort!!!

Question for those wiser than me...

So I have a 5 gallon batch that has been sitting in primary for nearly a year. It has been neglected long enough for the airlock to dry out a couple times. Somehow it still smells just like it should, so it seems that I've dodged the bullet and have a drinkable batch (fingers crossed).

But a year is a long time, so I'm concerned about the yeast health and whether it will carbonate after bottling without some kind of intervention. Anyone have experience here? I have corn sugar and carb tabs, and even some extra Montrachet yeast if need be. What, if anything, should I do?

somecallmetex said:

Just noticed that my second carboycap doesn't have a tight seal. I am sure air is escaping, but it's not going through the airlock. Normally I wouldn't worry about it, but since this is likely going to sit for many months should I consider getting a new cap?

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It's up to you, but it's not going to hurt it if you leave it alone.

Brad said:

So I just finished off my keg of aphelwein and it never tasted really apple'ey. The aftertaste was amazing like a honey crisp apple from applefest in wisconsin. I added 2#'s of sugar as suggested to give it that extra kick. It was very dry and you could taste the booze if I would not have added the sugar would it have stayed sweet like apple cider? Has anyone else had this happen to there aphel. It definetly got you messed up quick.

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*their

No, it will not stay sweet, it just won't have so much alcohol in it. With the extra sugar, it will hit about 8.5% ABV; without, I believe it gets to about 6.5%. So it won't taste like alcohol, but it also won't get you "messed up quick."

vantage said:

... But a year is a long time, so I'm concerned about the yeast health and whether it will carbonate after bottling without some kind of intervention. Anyone have experience here? I have corn sugar and carb tabs, and even some extra Montrachet yeast if need be. What, if anything, should I do?

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You may want to rehydrate and mix in a bit of fresh Montrachet. As it is, this stuff seems to take forever to carb, and after a year most of your yeast is likely to be dead. Probably don't want a whole packet, but maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of one...

hi, i just bottling my 1st applewine yesterday night which make from 1 gallon of apple juice and 1 pound of sugar. but when i take a sample to drink, it dint have any apple smell and not really have alcohol smell...and have a souring taste and a bit warm through throat. is that normal??

reality_felix said:

hi, i just bottling my 1st applewine yesterday night which make from 1 gallon of apple juice and 1 pound of sugar. but when i take a sample to drink, it dint have any apple smell and not really have alcohol smell...and have a souring taste and a bit warm through throat. is that normal??

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It's probably fine, just let it age a bit. How long was it in the fermenter?

Hegh said:

It's probably fine, just let it age a bit. How long was it in the fermenter?

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i using anchor wine yeast VIN13 and left it into fermenter for 1 month without any racking. it finish bubbling after 8 day. The wine color is nice, golden color. just the taste of apple is missing, a tinny bit of alcohol smell[i expect it to be strong due hard due to 1 gallon juice wif 1 pound sugar] and only can taste souring. hopefully with aging can bring out apple flavour again.

I started a batch last night. H.E.B. has organic apple juice in 1 gallon glass bottles. I added 7oz. turbinado sugar, a packet of Nottingham and gave it a jolly good shake. I topped it with a stopper and airlock, and when I woke up this morning, it had filled the airlock with foam.

I cleaned out the airlock, refilled it and it's bubbling away nicely. :rockin:

Bottling our second batch tonight - from EdWort's exact recipe. This batch is much more clear than my first, which used unfiltered organic apple juice, cotes des blanc yeast and org. brown sugar. I'm going to do a couple one gallon satellites using montrachet and cotes des blanc yeasts (respectively) in unfiltered AJ vs. filtered AJ.

While not clear, the first batch tastes excellent after just over a month and a half bottle conditioning. I can't wait to compare the first and second batches.

So, long story short - I need the 6gal better bottle that I put my apfelwein in. What's the best way to move it and not leave yeast behind? I don't want to stall it or kill fermentation - the batch has been going since 2/27/2010.

Should I swirl the **** out of the carboy and try and suspend the yeast before I rack it? Add additional yeast to the vessel I move it to (I have another packet)?

Thanks in advance!

Burgs said:

So, long story short - I need the 6gal better bottle that I put my apfelwein in. What's the best way to move it and not leave yeast behind? I don't want to stall it or kill fermentation - the batch has been going since 2/27/2010.

Should I swirl the **** out of the carboy and try and suspend the yeast before I rack it? Add additional yeast to the vessel I move it to (I have another packet)?

Thanks in advance!

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If you swirl it first, you'll probably get more than enough yeast to finish the job. If you're really worried, pour some boiled and chilled water into the carboy after you've drained it, swirl that, and dump it (carefully!) into the new vessel (possibly through a sanitized intermediate container like a measuring cup).

Well, my buddy just got some new kegs and was going to decommission one because the seal is finicky. We moved the apfelwein to that and got it sealed up and out of the way. I didn't swirl it too much, but at the end we let the racking cane suck up a decent amount of the yeast from the bottom - fingers crossed!

Alright, I've tapped my first keg of Ed's 'wein. This went into primary in mid-Nov, then into the keg in mid-Jan, and into my keezer a few days ago.

My first sip, I gotta admit I was a bit worried - tasted pretty vinegar-y, like cider that has gotten a bit old. However, it may not have been cooled enough, or maybe those taste buds got kicked out of my mouth after that. It is now tasting quite good - there is a wine-like note, which might have been what I wasn't expecting on that first taste. I have the regulator set to 8lbs - it isn't fully carbed yet, but I think that might be what I'd like as far as carbonation.

I've got a second batch that just went into a keg last week, and decided to go ahead and order enough sugar and dextrose for 4 more batches once I found out that the Montrachet yeast has such a long shelf life (I'll only need it to last about 3 months).

Thanks, Ed!! I love the simplicity, the cost, and of course, the taste of this beverage!

I just cracked open some six'ish month old apfelwein that I've left still and holy crap! I've always carbed it up, but wow this stuff is like candy at cellar temps when still.

how long does this stuff usually take to carb up? i had it my primary for about 8 weeks so im not sure how much viable yeast was still available.

mixmasterob said:

how long does this stuff usually take to carb up? i had it my primary for about 8 weeks so im not sure how much viable yeast was still available.

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It's pretty much like beer and takes a few weeks at room temp usually. I wouldn't be too worried about the yeast. I had one sitting nearly 4 months in the primary before bottling and they all carbed up just fine.

If we want to transfer to another carboy, do we want to be "gentle" with it or is air getting to it not as critical as with beer?
I've tried to read the whole thread looking for an answer but d**n this is one long read! Thanks for any advice.

Greydog said:

If we want to transfer to another carboy, do we want to be "gentle" with it or is air getting to it not as critical as with beer?
I've tried to read the whole thread looking for an answer but d**n this is one long read! Thanks for any advice.

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You don't have the same oxidation issues working with this as you do with beer. Instead, you have oxidation issues that pertain to wine. That doesn't mean you should just go shaking it and splashing it around or otherwise be careless with it, but if you do expose it to a little more oxygen than usual you won't have apfelwein with a wet cardboard flavor Just follow the same procedures and you'll have nothing to worry about.

marubozo said:

You don't have the same oxidation issues working with this as you do with beer. Instead, you have oxidation issues that pertain to wine. That doesn't mean you should just go shaking it and splashing it around or otherwise be careless with it, but if you do expose it to a little more oxygen than usual you won't have apfelwein with a wet cardboard flavor Just follow the same procedures and you'll have nothing to worry about.

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Thanks, marubozo!
I kind of thought that but, it's good to hear from someone who knows.
Really neat how everyone helps each other here, isn't it?
Greydog

I've read up to post 550 this afternoon. Seeing that there is over 600 pages to this thread I was wondering, while I continue reading.. Has there has been a concensus on the reduction of sulphur smell? I'm in a an apt complex. So as much as I don't want to deal with the smell for a couple days. I'm sure the neighbors would appreciate it even less.