Better than Apfelwein...

4 gallons of juice. It cleared in 10 days.

I have hard cider, clear and ready for drinking, in ten days.


But then I took a gravity reading. 1.010. It should get lower. I just roused the yeast and I'll let it sit for a bit just in case the CO2 in suspension is throwing off the reading...

Sweet! I will soon have a weihenstephaner yeast cake available once I put my next batch into secondary and apple wine was next on my list. I didn't want to have to goto the LHBS just to buy yeast. Now all I need to do is goto the grocery store and dump some apple juice on the cake. I think I may go with a half gallon of pure maple syrup and a few cinnamon sticks as well. I've already done Edworts original recipe and it was awesome. That stuff really sneaks up on you.

OK, you have successfully made me try fermenting cider with Weinstephan weizen. Hope it turns out to be delicious.

Here's what I have in the carboy at the moment:
4.5 gallons of fresh pressed cider. (That's all they had at the store, I cleaned um out)
32 fl oz bottle of *real* grade A maple syrup
1 - 1oz can of apple pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)

Emptied about half of the cider from each jug into the carboy and poured an equal amount of maple syrup into each jug and shook the hell out of it. I steeped the spices in about 4 cups of water for 15 mins. Pitched all of this right on the yeast cake I had.

OG was a little lower than I wanted, I guess I miscalculated the SG of maple syrup. None-the-less, I'm starting off at 1.051 and expect to finish at around 1.000 given this is a beer yeast and not a wine or champaign yeast. My guess is I'll end up around 6% or so. I'm thinking I'll bottle and prime for a refreshing cider. That is if I can wait that long for it to carbonate. Still waiting for my first bubbles in the airlock (waiting sucks).

For those who have tried the Weihenstephan yeast (wow, try pronouncing that after a few pints of Apfelwein!) how aggressive a fermentation can I expect? I know that hefeweizen yeasts are infamous for very active fermentation, and often require a blowoff tube.

One thing I love about EdWort's recipe is that the fermentation is very...how shall I say...civilized! It goes like crazy, but is well behaved with very little krausen and I can fill the carboy right to the neck.

I may try this with my next batch, and would like to know what to expect. (No need to paint my ceiling with apple juice.)

Airtight said:

The characteristics of the beer yeasts don't seem to carry over into cider. Take for example the 3638 Bavarian Wheat.
There wasn't any banana, bubble gum, plum anything in the cider.

Click to expand...

Did you mean to say the 3068 Bavarian Wheat? Or did you also try the 3638?

Why did you cut the sugar back to 1 pound with the beer yeasts?

Hey Ed, where could I get a pitcher and glasses like those in your pic? I think they are really cool!

Hey Gansta RIB,

what are you planning to prime with? how much?

thanks

I am making this with the WLP830... ohh yeah. This will be great for Xmas dinner at the new house along with a deep fried turkey!!

Pol

I read all the postys. Very interesting use of yeasts...I have tons of HW yeast in the fridge. I'll have to experiment also.

I like the sound of the brown sugar, but also thought about adding malto detrine to thicken it up for that "home-made" feel.

I thought about adding a cinnamon stick to a batch and just let it sit in there...and thoughts??

BlindLemonLars said:

For those who have tried the Weihenstephan yeast (wow, try pronouncing that after a few pints of Apfelwein!) how aggressive a fermentation can I expect? I know that hefeweizen yeasts are infamous for very active fermentation, and often require a blowoff tube.

One thing I love about EdWort's recipe is that the fermentation is very...how shall I say...civilized! It goes like crazy, but is well behaved with very little krausen and I can fill the carboy right to the neck.

I may try this with my next batch, and would like to know what to expect. (No need to paint my ceiling with apple juice.)

Click to expand...

I've used the strain on a cider (awesome) it'll be more lively than the wine yeast, it won't be as dramatic as the fermentation you get using wort but i'd recommend leaving a fair amount of head space all the same.

I've made an apfelwein batch with Cotes de Blanc yeast and had zero buttery flavor, FYI.

Hi
I am new to this forum and kinda new to cider. (only 6 gallons under my belt)
I was planing on making a batch of Apfelwein using the wheat yeast. I live in the middle of upstate NY apple country so getting super fresh pressed cider isn't a problem. My question is should i use campden tabs to kill the natural yeast or just run with it?

My last batch I used the campden, fermented till dry then carb'd in the bottle.

I've got 4.5 gallons fermenting with wyeast 3068...and a 96oz bottle of apple juice "marinating" with some cinnimon, allspice, and nutmeg.

I'm planning on giving the cider about a week two and racking to secondary...then add the "marinated" bottle of juice.

Oh, and no sugar added...og of 1.040

Can you mix the yeasts? I have almost a full packet of Munton's Dry (5g) that was from a kit, some expired Danstar yeast (11g), and a packet of Red Star Champagne yeast (5g). I was thinking about using the expired yeast to create a started and pitch the Champagne and Munton's Yeast together and see what happens.

I'm also racking an ale to the secondary tomorrow. Should I harvest that yeast cake out of the carboy and save it for something else or should I just go ahead and toss the juice/cider on that?

Gnagsta how did your batch turn out? I like the idea of using the apple pie spices but was wondering how strong the flavor turned out...

homebrewer_99 said:

I read all the postys. Very interesting use of yeasts...I have tons of HW yeast in the fridge. I'll have to experiment also.

I like the sound of the brown sugar, but also thought about adding malto detrine to thicken it up for that "home-made" feel.

I thought about adding a cinnamon stick to a batch and just let it sit in there...and thoughts??

Click to expand...

I like both those ideas, Bill!
I just put a batch into carboy with WLP300. My harvested yeast was a little old, but it had been washed and didn't smell bad. Even though I used yeast nutrient, it took about 36 hours to show signs of fermentation. The yeast in bottom of carboy looked double of what I pitched, though, at about 20 hours after pitching. Now it's bubbling nicely, hope it doesn't get too vigorous I left hardly any extra space in the carboy! I'm wondering about Maltodextrin and cinnamon/clove/etc. now that you mention it...

macs said:

Hey Ed, where could I get a pitcher and glasses like those in your pic? I think they are really cool!

Click to expand...

I got mine in Germany. I don't know of any retailer here in the states that sells them. You can only find them in Apfelwein regions of Germany too. Mainly in about a 200 KM radius of Frankfurt.

Sorry guys, mine did not turn out as well as I expected (though I finished it all). The issue at hand is that I used too much "real" apple cider. Apple Cider, or un-alcoholic pressed cider, by nature is quite sour. This just may have been the variety I had purchased. Once you take the sugar from it, it becomes quite tart. I will surely experiment again for sure. I think next time I would probably go with maybe 3 gallons of high quality apple juice, and1 gallon of cider followed by a gallon of maple syrup in secondary. This would be a rather expensive recipe thereby defeating Edwort's rather economical recipe. The beauty of his recipe is that is will be the easiest/cheapest "brew" you have ever made, and yet have quite good if not great results, last new years was great!

I love this thread because it offers an awesome recipe that has been proven to be a success. And yes I know "If it ain't broke don't fix it", but if his recipe is that damn good and that damn simple, I believe we could all put our own tweaks into it to satisfy our tastes... Once again props to Edwort for spawning this thread.

I add two cinnamon sticks to the primary, use montrachet, and let it go for a month. After 30 days I keg it and add splenda to taste. The girlie's like it a little sweeter. I find it gets much better with age. I almost through 5 gallons that I brewed up last summer.... its PERFECT!

Anyone know the right FG for Ed Wort's with Wyeast 3068? I've had it going for well over 2 months and am still seeing tiny bubbles. I'm wondering how close it is, because this seems like a really long time.

Wyeast 3068 is definitely very slow fermenting when it comes to apfelwien for some reason. I'm approaching week 3 with bubbles still regularly coming out of the airlock, a large amount of krausen, and a gravity of 1.022 as of a few days ago. I was hoping primary would be done in 10 days like most hefe beers, but it looks like I could start a batch of normal apfelwien using montrachet and have it done before this one. Darn. Oh, I also used table sugar instead of dextrose, so that may have had something to do with it.

Anyway, I'd say go ahead and take a gravity reading. After a quick search, it looks like most hefe yeasts finish around 1.013-1.010 (given that you haven't breached 10% abv). Take a reading everyday for the next few days. If it's around that mark, and doesn't change from day to day, I'd say go ahead and bottle.

Good luck to you. I really hope yours is done, because I don't wanna have to wait another month for mine!

EDIT: And keep us updated! I'm curious to know how it cleared (if at all), how it carbed, how it tastes, etc.

I made a batch with 3068 and can comment on the following:

1) Yes, it ferments a lot slower than Montrachet
2) I had to put a blow-off tube in my 6 1/2 gallon carboy because of krausen
3) It finished crystal clear - more so than the Montrachet batch did

With that being said, I still have mine bulk-aging and have yet to even taste it! Also, I used corn sugar per the original recipe.

Hope that helps - GL63

OK, I've attempted about 3 batches of this and have yet to be satisfied with any of it.

I had to toss out the last batch it was so bad tasting....worse than anything I've ever brewed...

Any way, someone earlier asked if anyopne had ever used Sweet Mead yeast. This is exactly what I've been thinking about doing. So much so that I picked up 6 gals of Apple Juice tonight.

The Weizen yeast sounds intriguing also.

99

I used the Sweet Mead yeast with 5 gal apple cider- Came out excellent.

elzzib said:

EDIT: And keep us updated! I'm curious to know how it cleared (if at all), how it carbed, how it tastes, etc.

Click to expand...

After 10 weeks with the 3068-I tried it last night. It looked to be at 1.002 and was very tasty. Sweet and fruity for sure. Going to wait a few more days or so and then see if it drops any more. Still getting tiny bubbles coming up the side of the carboy-and still cloudy. Tastes like it could be the finished product though.

BrewDey said:

Anyone know the right FG for Ed Wort's with Wyeast 3068? I've had it going for well over 2 months and am still seeing tiny bubbles. I'm wondering how close it is, because this seems like a really long time.

Click to expand...

I started mine on 10/15 and still have tiny bubbles rising and collecting at the surface. There has been no clearing, just a color change. I haven't tasted it or took a SG reading.

Mine was a week later and its at 1.001

I'm going to keg it at this point.

slimer, what yeast did you use and what exactly do you mean by '1 week later'? 1 week since pitching it's down to 1.001? If you're using a hefe yeast, you're going to have to tell me your secret to get it to ferment so quickly

As for me, I'm now into week 4 with the Wyeast 3068 and the bubbles through the airlock are slowing down, but still pretty regular. Last week there was about 1 bubble every 12 sec, now it's 1 every 25 seconds. Hopefully I can bottle by the start of week 5, but that may be optimistic.

No, I started my recipe one week later than the previous poster.

My Apfelwein took about 2 months to get there and I think that the Cotes tastes much smoother than the Montrachet. I did one BB of each.

The next one I'll do is a Cotes and Weisenstephan comparison.

Hopleaf said:

I've made an apfelwein batch with Cotes de Blanc yeast and had zero buttery flavor, FYI.

Click to expand...

Good to hear this...next yeast on my list.

GrantLee63 said:

I made a batch with 3068 and can comment on the following:

1) Yes, it ferments a lot slower than Montrachet
2) I had to put a blow-off tube in my 6 1/2 gallon carboy because of krausen
3) It finished crystal clear - more so than the Montrachet batch did

With that being said, I still have mine bulk-aging and have yet to even taste it! Also, I used corn sugar per the original recipe.

Hope that helps - GL63

Click to expand...

i was curious if you got krausen when pitching beer yeast--which you answered. other thing i was curious about is whether or not to make a starter when pitching (pitchable beer yeast) to apfelwein. if so--starter should be apple juice or a reg starter using DME? Ed..suggestions/recommendations?

I pitched hefe (3068) without a starter and without a problem.

I fixed up a batch last night. Nearly 5 gallons with 1# of light brown sugar. I pitched 3068 (although it was into 57 degree AJ.

The only thing that concerns me is that it's been 13 hours and I haven't seen any signs of fermentation. Will the yeasties lie dormant until the AJ warms up some?

When I checked my blanket wrapped carboy this morning, it was still at about 57-56 degrees. SWMBO will kill me if I try to ferment this inside (the smell) so it's currently on the workbench. Any advice to bring the temp up into the 60s?

ρ®ïMσ said:

i was curious if you got krausen when pitching beer yeast--which you answered. other thing i was curious about is whether or not to make a starter when pitching (pitchable beer yeast) to apfelwein. if so--starter should be apple juice or a reg starter using DME? Ed..suggestions/recommendations?

Click to expand...

I have never made a starter when making cider as I do not think it is necessary.

I've got too batches going. One is a 3 gallons batch, store bought juice, honey and an ale yeast. The other is a 6 gallon batch, fresh cider, a crap load of brown sugar (I should have listened to you guys and not the guys at the brew store) and I used a cider yeast.

A lot of variables I know, but with both I'm trying to make something apple-y and sweet. The cider yeast stinks, the ale yeast smells great. I had a outrageously high SG in the 6 gallon batch so I did make a starter. In both I used nutrient and in the 6 gal. I added pectic enzyme.

Despite the stupid number of variables, I'll keep you all posted.

Sir Humpsalot said:

Haha!!! 64 ounces of Filtered Water with Apple Juice Concentrate (no preservatives): $0.99. No limit.

I bought 8, but I can always go back for more...

Click to expand...

How did this come out?

i just bought 14 concentrates. My thought is that I am going to boil the water and dump the concentrates in them and mix the dextrose in the boiling water. Is this going overboard? Do you think I can just pour the concentrate directly into filtered water in my bucket without boiling the concentrate?

Do you think I can just pour the concentrate directly into filtered water in my bucket without boiling the concentrate?

Click to expand...

It was probably pasteurized at some point right?

Reddy said:

It was probably pasteurized at some point right?

Click to expand...

Yes I believe it was but I am worried about all the filthy hands that have touched it at walmart and all points in between from when it was pasteurized.

I've been getting ready to whip up a new batch of Apfelwein. I was inverting some sugar in the kitchen last night (in place of Dextrose), and thought to myself, "Self, why not caramelize some of that sweetness and use that in a test batch."

So that's what I did. I'm going to do a 2-gallon "test" batch with a pound of what is essentially amber candi sugar instead of dextrose. I think I'll still use Montrachet, because I like the dryness. I'll try to remember to report back on it.