Want to Make Nice Cider Type Drink For SWMBO

I been reading that the Apfelwein but also see that it isn't sweet after yeast do their job.

My SWMBO loves good Abormist style drink so if I could end up with something like that it would be great.

Any suggestions? I was hoping for something like the Apfelwein which seems to be easy and requires only a single stage fermentation.

Apfelwein is the bomb and super easy. I think your SWMBO will dig it just fine if you carbonate it up. You could always add some Splenda to sweeten it. Remember anything you add sugar to and store at room temperature will probably ferment out (and maybe explode). If you need something sweeter use Splenda.

Try a single gallon experiment to see if it'll work for you. Here's what I did.

Or do the apfelwine recipe with a different yeast. I use Notty on mine, but you could go something even less attenuating. I like the residual sweetness of notty.

Or try Graff... It has good sweetness... not as simple though.

Or make something like apfelwein, but serve it mixed with a little sprite. Yummy, even for the dudes.

GroovePuppy & chefmike thanks...

GP, so do you got the simple instructions for that gallon deal. I see the brown sugar, airlock, I'm assuming yeast. Just need the specifics to handle the gallon I guess. Remember I new and only have one beer batch under my belt. I just think that if I do something for the SWMBO, that'll help me not get into dog house while I spend to much time with my beer stuff....

well...I guess it depends on what your SWMBO wants..does she like a dry, thin bodied, sour, wine type of cider? Then Apfelwein will be what you want. If she likes more of a true "hard cider" taste...I'd try the Southern Sweet Cider recipe here in the recipe section, and add a bit of cinnamon extract at kegging or bottling to taste..It's excellent and very very drinkable young.

Dan

or you could use a good juice, not cheap store bought stuff. Need an og around 1.065 or so, then ferment it down to about 1.020, rack it in a clean carboy, leaving the yeast behind, cold crash the carboy to about 34 degrees for at least a day, re rack into a new carboy. this should knock the yeast out of suspension leaving enough of the sugar and apple flavor in. check out this sticky for the details: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/results-juice-yeast-sugar-experiments-83060/.

brewagentjay said:

GP, so do you got the simple instructions for that gallon deal.

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Just divide down. Apfelwein calls for 2lbs of sugar in 5 gallons. Just go for 6oz for a gallon and you'll be close enough. One thing to note is that the Tree Top bottle doesn't "settle" when you open it so you need to take a little juice out to make room for the sugar. I did a batch from a brand in a squarer, thin-walled bottle and when I opened it the level dropped enough to get sugar in.

Add the sugar, cap it and swirl to dissolve, then add about a fifth of the yeast from a Pasteur vial and airlock it. On one batch I didn't have a stopper that would fit the neck. I took a balloon, put a few pin holes in it, and stretched it over the neck. Ghetto airlock. Worked a treat. :rockin:

flyweed said:

well...I guess it depends on what your SWMBO wants..does she like a dry, thin bodied, sour, wine type of cider? Then Apfelwein will be what you want. If she likes more of a true "hard cider" taste...I'd try the Southern Sweet Cider recipe here in the recipe section, and add a bit of cinnamon extract at kegging or bottling to taste..It's excellent and very very drinkable young.

Dan

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Or "dry, light-bodied, sharp, wine type of cider". It's all how you say it! FWIW I've never served Apfelwein to anyone, male or female, who didn't immediately ask for a refill.

So what size rubber stopper fits in the gallon apple juice bottle?

brewagentjay said:

So what size rubber stopper fits in the gallon apple juice bottle?

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The on in the picture is a #7.

Well, I got my frist batch of Apfelwein fermenting............ I had to use a different brand because couldn't find the Top Tree but I got something similar Tree Leaf or something like that. I used that montrachet yeast and 6 to 7 oz of brown sugar so hopefully with some time I'll have to a nice gallon of apfelwein and perhaps it goes well I'll make a full batch.

GroovePuppy said:

The on in the picture is a #7.

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I got the number 7 but it was almost to small but after the airlock was in place it was just right.

So how long do I let this ferment for?

brewagentjay said:

So how long do I let this ferment for?

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'til it's done.

It'll take 4 weeks at least. Wait until all bubbling has ceased and it's clarified.

Damn, I'm so not looking forward to the next three weeks. I guess I should use some of the left over yeast and make another batch in case I like it.

brewagentjay said:

Damn, I'm so not looking forward to the next three weeks. I guess I should use some of the left over yeast and make another batch in case I like it.

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An Apfelwein pipeline!

GroovePuppy said:

An Apfelwein pipeline!

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I hate when the pipeline runs dry!

Why not just brew her some Island Mist or Orchard Breezin wine? The kits are fast, easy, sweet, and easy drinking.

Nurmey said:

Why not just brew her some Island Mist or Orchard Breezin wine? The kits are fast, easy, sweet, and easy drinking.

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Because I haven't heard of them before. Who has these kits? What do they take to make?

Well now I know about them and I plan to make a wine kit in the future but I have to get the beer pipeline going and it sounds as if I need to get the an Apfelwein pipeline kicking as well. So I got to brew at least one more beer and and two more gallons of apfewien. Then I can think about wine.

Question becomes can I use my beer kit or will that be an issue?

Depending on what your beer kit included.
If you want to bottle wines, your need a corker.
A few more chemical to treat the wines, but they come with the kits.
I can tell you right now, if you like brewing, you will have a hard time having enough carboys so start keeping your eyes open for good deals.
Ciders, wines, meads, take much longer to ferment and age than most beer do. And the true secret to happiness is having a full pipeline of goodness coming your way. (Not just brewing talk here).

I did another 1 gallon Lucky Leaf Apfelwein. My LHBS said I should have used all the yeast in my first batch.....

So curious I did ad more yeast to second batch first batch is 1g and second is 3g but I did add 8oz of brown sugar instead of 6oz. Now the second batch is fermenting like a run away train.

Question should I add more sugar at some point to feed these yeast and keep it from getting too dry?

brewagentjay said:

Question should I add more sugar at some point to feed these yeast and keep it from getting too dry?

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Depends on the yeast, and what your potential alcohol (SG) was to start with.

If your yeast is nearly petered out, and you throw more sugar in there, you'll end up with dead yeast (eventually) and leftover sugar. On the other hand if you have some really badass yeast and they can withstand lots of alcohol, then you'll simply feed the little buggers, and they'll eat all your sugar, make it dry AGAIN and piss more alcohol.

I just did some Welch's Grape juice wine with LOTS of sugar (SG was 1.105) and the Lavlin EC1118 yeast I used took that straight to 14% or so ABV and left me with a fairly dry red wine. Had I used another yeast, it would have died earlier in fermentation being unable to handle the alcohol volume, and I'd have ended up with a sweeter wine with less kick.

I'm still new to all this too so if I'm misunderstanding anything hopefully someone will correct any errors, but this is how I understood it.

GroovePuppy said:

'til it's done.

It'll take 4 weeks at least. Wait until all bubbling has ceased and it's clarified.

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So I'm at 21 days on first batch..... It still has small bubbles coming up so I'm assuming I need to wait for that to stop and it gets clear or more clear?

Question if Cold Crash it then can I bottle early and will it be sweeter?

Just curious I got two batches of your deal going and 1 batch of my very on attempt with a cherry white grape juice and white sugar.....

:rockin: