Apfelwein by the 4th?

If I start an Apfelwein today using Edwort's recipe, do you think I can have it kegged and force carbed by my 4th of July party that weekend? I just emptied a keg and I'd hate to leave a tap open for the party. I'm not going to have time to brew anything else, so I figured I'd give a shot at the apfelwein.

Edwort's recipe calls for something like 4-5 weeks of fermentation. I have about 4 1/2 weeks left. Any way I could speed it up to be safe? Use a 1 lb less dextrose maybe?

You could try using Champagne yeast instead of the slow working Montrachet. If you start today, the the original recipe MIGHT be ready by the 4th.

I think your only issues would be with clarity at that point. I have a couple batches that are ~ 3 weeks old and done fermenting but are still cloudy. Also what was your juice source? The store bought juice I bought cleared much much quicker than the fresh pressed apple juice I used.

bubbachunk said:

I think your only issues would be with clarity at that point. I have a couple batches that are ~ 3 weeks old and done fermenting but are still cloudy. Also what was your juice source? The store bought juice I bought cleared much much quicker than the fresh pressed apple juice I used.

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I haven't bought anything yet, but planned on getting store bought juice after work. Cold crash after fermentation is complete?

It's gonna be tight, but I +1 the champagne yeast suggestion. Quick and dry. Cold-crash, or just don't give a hoot about clarity.

khiddy said:

It's gonna be tight, but I +1 the champagne yeast suggestion. Quick and dry. Cold-crash, or just don't give a hoot about clarity.

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Can I expect any different flavors from the champagne yeast? What's the reason for Montrachet in the first place?

Should I ferment this upstairs, then? At about 72F?

nipsy3 said:

If I start an Apfelwein today using Edwort's recipe, do you think I can have it kegged and force carbed by my 4th of July party that weekend? I just emptied a keg and I'd hate to leave a tap open for the party. I'm not going to have time to brew anything else, so I figured I'd give a shot at the apfelwein.

Edwort's recipe calls for something like 4-5 weeks of fermentation. I have about 4 1/2 weeks left. Any way I could speed it up to be safe? Use a 1 lb less dextrose maybe?

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As long as you don't use montrachet. I would reccomend safale-05 or nottingham.

nipsy3 said:

Can I expect any different flavors from the champagne yeast? What's the reason for Montrachet in the first place?

Should I ferment this upstairs, then? At about 72F?

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Yes, you can expect a much cleaner and more appley taste.

Montrachet makes it taste the most authentic, that doesn't mean it's good, just authentic. That's the reason for montrachet. Many people change up the recipe to suit their tastes.

You also can dial back the dextrose if you wish. You don't really need to add any at all; the only reason it's there is to bump up the ABV%. Using a different yeast, you'll get a different taste, as noted by others here. I find that Nottingham is a fairly quick performer, and neutral, so you'd get a quick result (and pretty clear, too - Notty always floccs out really well for me, especially when cold-crashed).

I say get rid of the dextrose completely, and use s-04 or nottingham. Let go for a month, then kill the yeast (whatever method you like), move to the keg with some apple concentrate to sweeten it up, then force-carb the sucker. A dry cider will be very "green" tasting in that amount of time, but a semi-sweet or sweet one will taste pretty darn good.

By the fourth is really tight. I'd just do a regular cider rather then doing apfelwein. My experience (and I'm on my fourth batch) is that four weeks in the primary allows for clearing. Then it's drinkable after a month of conditioning, but after four months it really starts to improve. I just opened a bottle of my first batch that has been conditioning for around 8 months. Getting really good now.

I am new to this and at this point my experience consists of having bottled 2 batches of beer. I decided to give apfelwein a shot. So, I have 3 gallons in a primary, and it has been fermenting for going on 3 weeks, the fermentation lock is still bubbling along at a steady rate. The recipe I found gave me a great starting point. But at what point do I move it to a secondary? Do I need to rack it like you would normally do with wine?

I seem to have gotten in the middle of this without thinking ahead to my next step.... sounded like a good idea at the time... <G>

let it go for a week or so then stick it in the fridge

In my experience, apfelwein is a slow fermenter (several weeks to reach FG). Even after it finishes fermenting, it off-gases for a long time, making the airlock bubble despite no real yeast activity. Use a hydrometer to gauge progress.

nickmpower - one week isn't long enough, even with champagne yeast. Apfelwein isn't beer...

Where should the FG be?. The SG started out at 1.140, I checked it 2 days ago and it was at 1.065. Both measurements at 68 degrees.

I have been watching the fermentation lock and originally it was bubbling about every second, now it is about 4 seconds between bubbles (started gradually slowing late last week). I am using Montrachet, which I understand is a rather slow yeast.
Thanks

FG will be somewhere around 1.000 or less. You've got a long way to go.

1.140? How many pounds of corn sugar did you add to what volume of apple juice? If you ferment 1.140 all the way down to 1.000, you're at 18.8% abv. I've been hitting about 9.5 to 10% with my apfelweins. I doubt the yeast is going to attenuate to 1.000 in this case.

If you followed EdWort's recipe, check your hydrometer calibration. Stick it in a cup of 60-70 degree tap water and make sure it reads somewhere near 1.000.

I only added 1 pound to 3 gallons of apple juice (walmart brand). I have calibrated my hydrometer in 60 degree water, came out right at 1.000. The copy of EdWort's recipe I have didn't give me a starting SG. I just cut it in half (kind of).. I actually thought I was going a little light on the sugar <G>... Wasn't really trying for some super high alcohol content. Just wanted something that was going to taste good.

I do have 5 kids, I could have gotten distracted and put in an extra pound, I don't think I did, but its not like it couldn't happen. I knew the SG was quite high, but since I didn't know any better I just went with it.

I for a quick cider I use WLP300 and ferment at around 68F, but the taste is not Apfelwein, but it is a really good cider, I would just crash cool the week before and force carb over 24 hours.
Everything else sounded tasty also.

If you want to serve this to friends or family, do not use Montrachet. Everyone's tastes are different, but if you are serving this to a crowd that is fairly knowledgeable about alcohol/beer/wine, 1 month old apfelwein will not sell well and they will think you make low quality weird "homebrew". For all our sakes, don't be that guy.

If you want to serve a cider, use an ale yeast as suggested above. Brandon's graaf (sp?) recipe looks really good and should be presentable MUCH quicker.

Most people I know, think AW is nasty (literally) before the 7 month point. After that it is pretty good and definitely worth having around. But before that.... I don't see how people can drink it.

SD_Ken said:

The SG started out at 1.140

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As others have mentioned, I don't think that's possible. You'd have to add something like 2 lbs of corn sugar per gallon to get an SG that high.

Brandon O said:

Montrachet makes it taste the most authentic, that doesn't mean it's good, just authentic.

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Hence the name, Apfelwein.

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

Most people I know, think AW is nasty (literally) before the 7 month point. After that it is pretty good and definitely worth having around. But before that.... I don't see how people can drink it.

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+1, kinda. When I first made AW, I drank some at about 2 months. While I didn't think it was "nasty", I wondered what all the fuss was about.

Then life got in the way, and I moved, and the keg of AW just went along for the ride and sat around in the basement of the new place. I tapped it again at about 18 months...pure liquid gold. Induced several hangovers b/c I just could not stop drinking the stuff.

So to the OP, go ahead and make a batch for the 4th of July...2010.

SD_Ken said:

Where should the FG be?. The SG started out at 1.140, I checked it 2 days ago and it was at 1.065. Both measurements at 68 degrees.

I have been watching the fermentation lock and originally it was bubbling about every second, now it is about 4 seconds between bubbles (started gradually slowing late last week). I am using Montrachet, which I understand is a rather slow yeast.
Thanks

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A lot of home brew hydrometers are ok for beer but hopelessly inaccurate at higher SG. They tend to exaggerate a lot which would explain your reading. Being accurate at zero is no indication. A proper wine hydrometer will be graduated in brix or beaume and cost $30 +. Your actual SG may have been around 1.10.

Did I mention that I am really new at this........ Well, that's what I get for trying to go by memory. The original SG was not 1.140 as I thought. I am not sure where I got that number from. I went back and looked at my notes tonight when I got home. The original SG was 1.080. Good thing I take notes I guess..

Sorry guys, next time I will make sure I have my notes in hand rather than think I can remember what I wrote 3 weeks ago..

What I really need to know is, do you rack apfelwein like you do wine, or do you just cool it down to clear it and then bottle it? The general consensus seems to be that it will not be drinkable for a good 7+ months, which is not a problem. I just need to know what the next step is when the fermentation stops. Once its bottled I can store it until its ready for tasting.

Thanks again...

Glad I decided to ask first.

I think I'll just make a small Amber Ale instead and pitch on a yeast cake. That should ferment pretty fast. Turns out I do have some time to brew this Saturday.

I was just about to crack open my one month Apfelwein until I read this thread! So, to rack or not to rack? Any opinions?

-Cheers