Man, I love Apfelwein

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i know there's a how does it taste section in the faqs on the first page, but i'm looking for something more specific. i don't like wine. it's too dry for me. however, i do like cider. should i tweak this recipe to make it sweeter? or is there a chance i'll like it?

To me, it taste like Champagne with apple overtones. Its VERY dry. Champagne drinkers will love it!
 
I made my first batch on 1-1-11 with 2lb brown sugar and Montrachet Wine Yeast. I tried it for the first time tonight. I was not impressed. Did I jump the gun and try it to soon? Its warm going down so i know it has a kick. I guess it tasted more like champagne.
 
I started my first batch on 12-8-10 and bottled on 1-8-11. I tried it again 2 days ago and the flavor is just now getting real nice. Wait a month and try it again, the apple flavor is just now starting to come out and i used 2LB light brown sugar and 1LB cane sugar with Montrachet yeast. I marked my bottles for when to try them so I dont drink it all down ;) get another batch started soon. If you like wine and cider I say after 2 months or more you will start to like the flavor. My wife likes it now, but not last week, BIG BIG changes happen :)
 
So, do most people bulk age or bottle age? Is there a diffrence in taste?
It depends, bulk aging gives a more uniform flavor (each bottle will taste like the last) and I suggest at least 1 month bulk then taste and bottle. This stuff is GREAT after it hits a certain age and on my 1st batch was 2 months from start. I have another going with Coopers Ale Yeast and another going with 2 Gal Grape and 3 gal Apple with Montrachet. after testing / measuring Gravity i only had 20 bottles. I took 5 bottles to a party and test a bottle every week, im down to 8 bottles already. Again I would bulk age 1-3 months and then bottle. Maybe some more people can give their experience and age times and we can get a great idea on proper bulk aging time.
 
So, do most people bulk age or bottle age? Is there a diffrence in taste?

I bottle in 22's and just hide some of them from myself. I almost always bottle after 30 days and let the majority of the aging be done in the bottles.
 
Mine's been on the yeast for almost 3 months (2.7 to be exact) I will probably bottle it in the next week or so when I get a chance.
 
My batch is now jsut over 2 months old. going to wait until 3 moths then bottle it up. What bottles do people use to bottle the cider up in?
 
FWIW I like to add a few ounces of cranberry juice at serving time. Just seems to complement it so well. I wonder if replacing a quart or two with cran from the start would do the trick?
 
Just started a batch with 3lbs of dried amber malt instead of dextrose, 3 cloves, and one vanilla bean. I may steep some oats in it to add even more body. Then in 2 weeks, I'll add 2 sticks of cinnamon.

I'm going for an apple pie spin on apfelwein :)
 
What bottles do people use to bottle the cider up in?

Well I guess it would depend on you? First if you are going to carbonate it then I would imagine that you would need to use either beer bottles or Champagne bottles? If not then wine bottles or whatever you like?

Personally 16-22oz Grolsch bottles are perfect because you can bottle it up and drink some tomorrow easily or you can have a lot to pass around at a party!
 
Created in the past four hours, under the influence of one liter of Edwort's Amazing Elixir, second in a series of three interpretations of ancient cave paintings found in Southern France. Yea, a bit 'o' culture for this thread:mug:

It is more than just fermenting and drinking; it can be inspiration :drunk:

cavebullfinished1.jpg
 
Well I guess it would depend on you? First if you are going to carbonate it then I would imagine that you would need to use either beer bottles or Champagne bottles? If not then wine bottles or whatever you like?

I'm finally going to be able to use those clear and green bottles that I don't like using for beer!
 
I'm finally going to be able to use those clear and green bottles that I don't like using for beer!

It adds a bit of character to use odd bottles saved from other things; joe's ancient mead on the left, in a German Obstwasser bottle, apfelwein plus (used fruit coctail in primary) on the right in a bourbon bottle. These are of course for the non-carbonated versions; I am using 1-liter flip tops for the bubbly stuff.

bottlesforwine.jpg
 
OK. Found this thread yesterday and thought, hum...I've got an empty carboy, wife's going shopping, got dextrose in the freezer, and got washed Wyeast English Ale yeast in the fridge...not champagne yeast but what the heck.

She brings home 1G of Zeigler's Old Fashioned Apple Cider...not apple juice, but the only thing they had with no preservatives.

Ok, I'll try it...the worst that happens is I'll end up with 1G of prison swill for under $6.

So this morning...

1G Cider ($5.38)
6.4oz Dextrose (on hand)
1 Eng Ale (free, washed, on hand)

Tossed it all into a carboy, shook the snot out of it, tossed on an airlock, resting on the dining room table under a tee shirt at 68*...really, 1/2-hour max time spent including sanitation.

Now 2:20 PM and the air lock is burping...dining room smells like cider...can't wait until the sulphur phase...SWMBO'd will be soo pleased! :D

We'll see...
 
I started my first batch of this on 1-22-11 in a 5 gal carboy using Edworts recipe other than brand of juice. According to directions I was supposed to start another batch 2 weeks later, so I used my MR Beer and have a test batch of 2.25 gal apple and .5 gal cranberry pomegranate juice, 1 lb dextrose and about 2/3 pack Montrachet yeast. I also started a 1 gal test batch using apple juice and .5lb light brown sugar and the other 1/3 of the yeast pack. Both test batches are fermenting away.

In the time after I started my 1st batch of this, I read the whole thread. Well maybe all except the same old questions that get asked over and over and over.....

The dollar general close to me always has apple juice for $1.50 per .5gal, plus we had a coupon for $5.00 off so its a really inexpensive brew. I have a few apple trees in the back yard that produce more than we can eat or give away, so i am looking forward to making a few batches this fall with my own apple juice!
 
ok i got 67 pages into the thread and said enough... gonna make eds 1 gal recipe for the wife 2 test she is from geissen possman is what her and her mother drink. my question is after the 4-5 weeks when i got to bottle it do i need 2 kill the yeast? i want it flat as is traditional. motherinlaw will add clubsoda when she wants it carbonated.
 
ok i got 67 pages into the thread and said enough... gonna make eds 1 gal recipe for the wife 2 test she is from geissen possman is what her and her mother drink. my question is after the 4-5 weeks when i got to bottle it do i need 2 kill the yeast? i want it flat as is traditional. motherinlaw will add clubsoda when she wants it carbonated.

It might not even be clear after 4-5 weeks. I have bottled after 6 months in the primary (crystal clear by the way), and it was still.

As long as the FG is in the right place and staying constant, you shouldn't get any additional fermentation in the bottles.
 
Yeah, I thought of that after posting, just I've been making Apfel wein for a few years and got the recipe from My German Father in law, and they don't add any sugar or yeast, but they also let it sit for a long time, like 8 months to a year sometimes longer.
But a very nice post about apfel wein.
Thanks
 
I need to top off my carboy as main fermentation is just about done. Can i top off with more apple juice or will that trigger more fermentation?
 
I need to top off my carboy as main fermentation is just about done. Can i top off with more apple juice or will that trigger more fermentation?

It will start more fermentation, why do you need to top it off?
 
I was convinced after reading the first few pages, one of the guys did a Apple Juice, Brown Sugar, Nottingham and I thought it sounded good. Well I now have 5 gallons happily bubbling away! :D I added 5 sticks of cinnamon for flavor. We'll see how it tastes after I let it sit for a month or maybe more, but I might be calling edwort a mother F#$ck#r
 
I was convinced after reading the first few pages, one of the guys did a Apple Juice, Brown Sugar, Nottingham and I thought it sounded good. Well I now have 5 gallons happily bubbling away! :D I added 5 sticks of cinnamon for flavor. We'll see how it tastes after I let it sit for a month or maybe more, but I might be calling edwort a mother F#$ck#r

5 sticks of cinnamon is probably way to much. I put 4 in a batch and it tastes nothing like apple and it was started on 12-5. Tastes nothing of cinnamon either but something else. If I were to use cinnamon again I would do more like 1/4 to 1/2 stick or maybe more after racking to a bucket and let it soak a couple days before bottling . I have a grape-apple that i started on 1-8 and i added sparkleoid today so I can bottle in a week, already tasting decent. So I think the massive amount of cinnamon I used is going to take a while to mellow out and let the apple come out.
 
5 sticks of cinnamon is probably way to much. I put 4 in a batch and it tastes nothing like apple and it was started on 12-5. Tastes nothing of cinnamon either but something else. If I were to use cinnamon again I would do more like 1/4 to 1/2 stick or maybe more after racking to a bucket and let it soak a couple days before bottling . I have a grape-apple that i started on 1-8 and i added sparkleoid today so I can bottle in a week, already tasting decent. So I think the massive amount of cinnamon I used is going to take a while to mellow out and let the apple come out.

I second this. I put 3 in a batch and it was overpowering.

In my apple pie batch I am going to add 2 sticks 3 weeks into fermentation.
 
So I did a 3 gallon batch of this New years day, and I am still bubbling! this is going to be dry!
That is cool though. I hope it will be good this summer.

2 questions...
1. Are people transferring to a secondary? Should I?

2. If I want to make another batch as soon as this is done can I just throw more apple juice right on top of this after I siphon it out? Will the yeast have enough kick left to take on another batch?
 
KoedBrew said:
So I did a 3 gallon batch of this New years day, and I am still bubbling! this is going to be dry!
That is cool though. I hope it will be good this summer.

2 questions...
1. Are people transferring to a secondary? Should I?

2. If I want to make another batch as soon as this is done can I just throw more apple juice right on top of this after I siphon it out? Will the yeast have enough kick left to take on another batch?

In answer to your first question, I think most just leave it in the primary. I usually leave mine in the primary for 6+ months with great success.

As for adding another batch on the yeast cake, I've never done that. The dry yeast is cheap enough that I don't mind using a new packet for each batch.
 
5 sticks of cinnamon is probably way to much. I put 4 in a batch and it tastes nothing like apple and it was started on 12-5. Tastes nothing of cinnamon either but something else. If I were to use cinnamon again I would do more like 1/4 to 1/2 stick or maybe more after racking to a bucket and let it soak a couple days before bottling . I have a grape-apple that i started on 1-8 and i added sparkleoid today so I can bottle in a week, already tasting decent. So I think the massive amount of cinnamon I used is going to take a while to mellow out and let the apple come out.

Hmm, that has me worried now, thanks for the tip though.

The 5 sticks seemed small so I'll just see how it turns out, since I'm not going fishing for them in the bottom of the carboy now. :cross:

I can always make another batch since this is a pretty cheap recipe. :rockin:
 
So I did a 3 gallon batch of this New years day, and I am still bubbling! this is going to be dry!
That is cool though. I hope it will be good this summer.

2 questions...
1. Are people transferring to a secondary? Should I?

2. If I want to make another batch as soon as this is done can I just throw more apple juice right on top of this after I siphon it out? Will the yeast have enough kick left to take on another batch?

1. I've never put it in secondary
2. Yes, you can pitch on the old cake. I've done it when the brewshop was closed and it worked just fine.
 

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