Man, I love Apfelwein

Yakima 728
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cfy7 said:
I just pulled off a sample of the Apfelwein that I started on the 1-10-08 and it has a slight aftertaste and odor of the elephant farts that it made in the first few days.

The OG was almost the same as in Ed's recipe, 1.062 and now it is at 1.005. Has anyone else noticed this slight off taste? Will it go away by the time it clears, or is there the possibility that I have an infection on my hands?

Thanks.
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Mine finished under 1.000 and needed about 3 weeks in the bottle to get good.
 
adso81 said:
I just decided to make a small one gallon test batch. I used a little more than 1/2lb of corn sugar and accidentally dumped in about 3/4 of the cote de blanc yeast packet. Should I expect any problems? I did a little shake it it immediately clouded.
Click to expand...

It'll taste fine.
 
ok i have an apfelwein i started on 1-19-08 it has been almost 3 weeks. i have noticed that the bubbling has pretty much stopped. i have also noticed what appears to be some yeast islands floating on top. i made it according to ed's directions except i did a 2.5 gal batch. i drew a sample and it tasted good. is this normal and will the yeast islands go away as it clears out?
 
sflcowboy78 said:
ok i have an apfelwein i started on 1-19-08 it has been almost 3 weeks. i have noticed that the bubbling has pretty much stopped. i have also noticed what appears to be some yeast islands floating on top. i made it according to ed's directions except i did a 2.5 gal batch. i drew a sample and it tasted good. is this normal and will the yeast islands go away as it clears out?
Click to expand...
At 3 weeks you're not quite done yet. Some are happy at 4 weeks, but my last batch didn't get crystal clear until it had been in primary for 8 weeks. I know it's hard to wait, but if you can be patient the Apfelwein will clear up totally and it'll be worth your time.
 
ma2brew said:
At 3 weeks you're not quite done yet. Some are happy at 4 weeks, but my last batch didn't get crystal clear until it had been in primary for 8 weeks. I know it's hard to wait, but if you can be patient the Apfelwein will clear up totally and it'll be worth your time.
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my last batch is settling quite a bit in the bottles, im gonna go ahead and leave it in the carboy for 7+ weeks. no more gunk for me!
 
I am going to make my 2nd batch tonight and currently have a beer i'm going to rack to secondary. Could i reuse some of the yeast cake off a beer to ferment the apfelwein??

I'm worried that the yeast would have problems because of the different type of fermentables from a beer to the cider?

What do you think?
 
Sure, but you'll probably want to do some yeast washing. No one wants beer flavored apfelwine.... at least i don't think they do.
 
What temp did you guys ferment your Apfelwein at? Since I'm not home for a lot of the day, the heat is usually at 55 degrees. Thats also the average temp of my basement. Is this too cold for an optimum fermentation or is it not that big of a deal?

-Jeremy
 
60 to 72 is the optimum temp range for ale yeast, with 68 being the best. Wine yeast is similar.

I'd kick it up 10 or so degrees, if you can.

I think, (this is just my opinion) that too many higher alcohols are formed above 75 degrees.

steve
 
Crazytwoknobs said:
Everyone wait untill it goes CLEAR!

I made the mistake of bottling cloudy apfelwein and I'm screwed now...
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you arent screwed, you jsut have chunks in the bottom. give it a month, it will settle out in the bottle.... (lettign it clear is better)
 
So, after reading a few pages, I've decided to get my feet wet with this homebrewing thing by attempting to make a batch of this awesome sounding Apfelwein. I don't yet have any equipment, so I need some help.

I'm about to get some bottles and the ingredients, but what else would I need to do a batch? Can someone check my list to see if I forgot anything?

6.5 Gal Better Bottle (with or without spigot?)
Autosiphon (Should I get the kind to fit 1/2" tubing?)
Funnel w/ strainer
Blow-off tube or fermentation lock? Which one is more appropriate for Apfelwein?
Bottle filler. Could I attach the bottle filler to the spigot on the BB, or will the trub get in the way?

Is this enough to do a full batch? Are there any other tools you'd advise?
 
elbajista said:
So, after reading a few pages, I've decided to get my feet wet with this homebrewing thing by attempting to make a batch of this awesome sounding Apfelwein. I don't yet have any equipment, so I need some help.

I'm about to get some bottles and the ingredients, but what else would I need to do a batch? Can someone check my list to see if I forgot anything?

6.5 Gal Better Bottle (with or without spigot?)
Autosiphon (Should I get the kind to fit 1/2" tubing?)
Funnel w/ strainer
Blow-off tube or fermentation lock? Which one is more appropriate for Apfelwein?
Bottle filler. Could I attach the bottle filler to the spigot on the BB, or will the trub get in the way?

Is this enough to do a full batch? Are there any other tools you'd advise?
Click to expand...
Honestly, if you're buying just what you need for Apfelwein, a blowoff isn't needed. You didn't say what your bottling plans are, but if you're planning on moving on to doing beer with your equipment then you might as well hold off on a couple things and look at some of the kits. All you really need to get started on AW is a carboy, a suitable sanitizer, airlock/stopper/cap, and the ingredients.

I put the word out plenty, if you are looking for a carboy on a budget see if Old Time Pottery has a store in your town. They have 5 gallon glass carboys for $14.99. Same Mexican manufacture as the ones at your LHBS, just $5-10 cheaper.

I still use a plain racking cane, but I've heard just about all positive reviews on Auto Siphons, so it's not like you'd be wasting your money there. As for a spigot on the Better Bottle (particularly if you get an Auto Siphon), I don't think it necessary, but a spigot on a regular old bottling bucket is indispensable.
 
ma2brew said:
Honestly, if you're buying just what you need for Apfelwein, a blowoff isn't needed. You didn't say what your bottling plans are, but if you're planning on moving on to doing beer with your equipment then you might as well hold off on a couple things and look at some of the kits. All you really need to get started on AW is a carboy, a suitable sanitizer, airlock/stopper/cap, and the ingredients.

I put the word out plenty, if you are looking for a carboy on a budget see if Old Time Pottery has a store in your town. They have 5 gallon glass carboys for $14.99. Same Mexican manufacture as the ones at your LHBS, just $5-10 cheaper.

I still use a plain racking cane, but I've heard just about all positive reviews on Auto Siphons, so it's not like you'd be wasting your money there. As for a spigot on the Better Bottle (particularly if you get an Auto Siphon), I don't think it necessary, but a spigot on a regular old bottling bucket is indispensable.
Click to expand...

I plan on purchasing bottles either at my LHBS (Heart's Homebrew) or online via Ebay Auction.

Regarding this kits, my pseudo-plan was to purchase just what I need for Apfelwein and then later purchase more items for beer brewing. I need to space out the expense of starting up this hobby. A poor college student's bank account just can't take a large purchase all at once. Is this a good idea, or do you think I'll end up spending more than if I had just purchased a kit?

All you really need to get started on AW is a carboy, a suitable sanitizer, airlock/stopper/cap, and the ingredients.
Click to expand...
Don't I also need a bottling bucket, or could I just use a siphon to fill bottles?

Thanks for the info on Old Time Pottery. I'll definitely check it out!

SWMBO is excited about trying Apfelwein, too! This will be the two of us when the batch is finally finished: :tank:
 
elbajista said:
Don't I also need a bottling bucket, or could I just use a siphon to fill bottles?
Click to expand...

He said to start. I have a carboy of apfelvien almost done and all I have are the things he listed. All you need for this recipe is a carboy and the airlock/cap to throw everything into to.
 
any brew shop has "Priming" sugar or "Corn Sugar". Either in store, or online. Even though it looks like confectioners sugar, don't be tempted to substitute, the "Powdered Sugar" From the grocery store has corn starch in it, and you will end up with a carboy of gelatinous, cloudy, nasty mess!
That will NOT help in relations with SWMBO!
 
elbajista said:
I plan on purchasing bottles either at my LHBS (Heart's Homebrew) or online via Ebay Auction.

Regarding this kits, my pseudo-plan was to purchase just what I need for Apfelwein and then later purchase more items for beer brewing. I need to space out the expense of starting up this hobby. A poor college student's bank account just can't take a large purchase all at once. Is this a good idea, or do you think I'll end up spending more than if I had just purchased a kit?


Don't I also need a bottling bucket, or could I just use a siphon to fill bottles?

Thanks for the info on Old Time Pottery. I'll definitely check it out!

SWMBO is excited about trying Apfelwein, too! This will be the two of us when the batch is finally finished: :tank:
Click to expand...

Since it takes anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks to get AW to finish fermenting and clear up, you don't need everything right away. You can spread out the purchases as needed to keep any single purchase price lower.

Corn sugar and dextrose are one and the same. If you have a health food store near you they might stock it, but really the only place I've got it from besides my local brewshop was online.

In the 2 months it can take to finish up the AW you should be able to scrounge up plenty of bottles. I use clear ones, like Corona, or green ones, like Heineken, for Apfelwein. Save the brown ones for beer, if you're going to be brewing beer soon.

I would totally advise getting a bottling bucket, but it isn't absolutely necessary.
 
I started a 1-gallon batch with Murray's Apple Cider, 5 oz corn sugar and Montrachet yeast last night, and it started bubbling within two hours.

I am planning on starting a second batch with an added small can of Oregon blackberries next week for a more complex fruit flavor. Has anyone tried adding fruit to the fermenter? I'd love to know how it turned out.
 
I too want to try adding OregoN canned fruit. I wanted to try a 3 gallon batch with 2 cans of Strawberries...I wonder if I just dump it in the fermentor?
The other bright idea I had was to add a gallon of white grape juice. The proble is that it has Potassium Metabosulfate in it. Maybe add this at the end?
 
Hope someone has a ruogh estimate of the OG on Apfelwien?

I threw one together ina RUSH, just a few hours before I went on a 1 week vacation. I used 21 litres of Apple Juice, and 2 litres of Apple/Black Currant Juice (so roughly six gallons) and 1 KG (2.205 lbs) of Corn Sugar.

Everything went fine, except, in my rush I forgot to take an OG reading.

Can someone give me a ruogh guestimate, so I can figure out a rough ABV?

Cheers!
 
My first batch is now 24 hours old.
It is CRUISING! It's like there is a fish tank bubbler in there. AND I gotta tell ya, if this is the "Elephant Fart" smell you all talk about, I'VE BEEN HORRIBLY MISINFORMED ABOUT ELEPHANTS.
 
My OG was somewhere in the ballpark of 1.060. That was also the first time i ever took a grav reading on anything, so there is always that room for error.

And just like with beer, try not to fill the fermenter too high. I've had to clean out my airlock about 4 times now, and I made this stuff on 2/7/08.
 
Anyone overpitch apfelwein? I'm reading up on it now, and I think ~3grams of dry Safale S-05 is too much for a 1gal batch...
 
PeteOz77 said:
Hope someone has a ruogh estimate of the OG on Apfelwien?


Can someone give me a ruogh guestimate, so I can figure out a rough ABV?

Cheers!
Click to expand...


Yes - 5 gal w/ 2lbs of dextrose = 1.065 ~ 8.5% ABV

Edit: Oh crap, you said 6 gal, reduce the reading about 16% ~ 1.055 - this is the lowest possible.

Drink w/ Caution. Its been known for makin' people drunk super quick. Then a killer hangover.

:mug:
 
What is it about Apfelwein that gives you that skull cracking, vomit inducing, wants ta kill yourself hang over??? I know it fades with time. When I started drinking it I could only handle a glass or two and omygod the pain... now I don't get any pain nomatter what I drink... but damn I'll never forget that feeling??? Any rocket science type medical people or chemists that can shed a little light on it?

Your's always

better living through chemistry

-Seabee John
 
My guess would be that there's an unusually large amount of fusel alcohols in apfelwein for some reason. Maybe montrachet doesn't do a very good job of cleanly fermenting this particular recipe. Someone should try brewing a bunch of small batches with different yeasts, and figure out which has the lowest hangover effect.

My other guess would be that people just don't realize how much they're drinking. It goes down too easy for something with 8.5% abv :drunk: :D
 
It's probably not fusels, but methanol. Methanol is more likely, in fruit drinks, for some reason. Fusels come from a high fermentation temp, from what I've heard.

Either way, they BOTH mess with your head!!

steve
 
i brewed my first batch on 1/29. everybody tells me to brew another batch halfway through the first one. my roommates all think that this stuff is going to taste like maddog 20/20. haha because of the smell of the initial fermentation. what ya think? i find that it is both easy and pleasent to prove them wrong. :rockin:
 
You know what guys, I think I may have found out why the hangovers are so wicked: Acetaldehyde!

I was just reading this page on wikipedia. I followed the link it cited as reference, which led me to this story. A quote:
This strategy would be hugely costly in terms of the energy lost by forgoing aerobic respiration, were it not for ADH2. "Once all the sugar is gone, there's all this ethanol out there," Aris says. The yeast's second trick is to take the ethanol and turn it into acetaldehyde, which it then breaks down using oxygen to reclaim as much energy as possible. "You could say it's delayed gratification," he adds. In short, S. cerevisiae turns sugars into a poison that kills off any rivals, and then feasts on the poison. It's such a successful trick that some other yeasts have evolved a similar strategy, though S. cerevisiae does it best.
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Is it possible that by adding too much oxygen into the must, by which the yeast doesn't use enough during it's reproduction, the leftover is kept in the must until the yeast goes onto this second phase and starts re transforming our precious alcohol into nasty Acetaldehyde? Any bio/chemists around here want to give their opinion?
 
Stole a sampling of my apfelwein today. It's been 2 weeks and it tastes AMAZING!!! I didn't really do Edworts recipe, mine was 2 gallons Apple Juice, 2 cups brown sugar, and Red Star Champagne yeast. Hopefully I can be patient enough to give it another 2 weeks to clarify.
 
BigKahuna said:
My first batch is now 24 hours old.
It is CRUISING! It's like there is a fish tank bubbler in there. AND I gotta tell ya, if this is the "Elephant Fart" smell you all talk about, I'VE BEEN HORRIBLY MISINFORMED ABOUT ELEPHANTS.
Click to expand...

How about now? If you make it to V-day I would be surprised...
 
Schlenkerla said:
Yes - 5 gal w/ 2lbs of dextrose = 1.065 ~ 8.5% ABV

Edit: Oh crap, you said 6 gal, reduce the reading about 16% ~ 1.055 - this is the lowest possible.

Drink w/ Caution. Its been known for makin' people drunk super quick. Then a killer hangover.

:mug:
Click to expand...

OK, so 2.205 lbs would take it back up pretty close to 1.060 again. FG is now .970, so I guess I have finished up with around 8.5% ABV anyway?
 
Schlenkerla said:
Yes - 5 gal w/ 2lbs of dextrose = 1.065 ~ 8.5% ABV

:mug:
Click to expand...

Question... Since Lactose is supposed to be non fermentable then it wouldn't/shouldn't change the abv, right? The reason I'm asking is that I did 5 gal w/2 lbs Dextrose, but I also added 1/2 pound of lactose.

I took a sample for an OG reading, then realized I didn't have my glasses- I carried the theif into the bedroom, got my glasses, looked at the reading, walked back to the kitchen, poured the sample into a glass, then the phone rang...And several hours later I realized I never wrote the OG down.:eek:

Although the lactose won't affect the final ABV...it would affect the OG reading, wouldn't it?

If so anyone know roughly what my approximate OG would be with 5gal juice, 2 lbs Dextrose and 1/2 pound lactose?
 
Schlenkerla said:
...Drink w/ Caution. Its been known for makin' people drunk super quick. Then a killer hangover.

:mug:
Click to expand...


The second night I drank the apfelwine, I wisely followed EdWort's sage advice about drinking water before bed and found the after affects greatly diminished. I now drink of jar of water for every jar of apfelwine and find I am at least ambulatoy and functunal the next morning, if not just fine.

I love this stuff!
 
I started mine in the carboy around January 7th.
Almost 5 weeks later, im still bubbling. Contractions are about 40 seconds apart.

I used a blowoff tube, because whenever I go look for an airlock, the bottoms are cut off, the top and hat are no where to be found ;)
 

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