best way to age apfelwein?

I want to age 5 or 10 gallons of Apfelwein for 9-12 months.
Which is better:
A: bulk age in primary on the lees
B: bulk age after racking to secondary after primary fermentation
C: age in the bottle after 3 mos in primary

I want to start with 10 gallons hoping some will last a full year

Cheers Dusty

dusty1025 said:

I want to age 5 or 10 gallons of Apfelwein for 9-12 months.
Which is better:
A: bulk age in primary on the lees
B: bulk age after racking to secondary after primary fermentation
C: age in the bottle after 3 mos in primary

I want to start with 10 gallons hoping some will last a full year

Cheers Dusty

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Give it 3 kids, a mortgage, and a spouse.

B!

I've done both A and C.

I like C as it frees up a carboy for something else (like more apfelwein!)

I let mine sit in the primary for 6 months before I bottled it. Its now a year old and delicious.

I'd rack it off the lees & let it sit a couple months, then bottle & wait for the 1 year mark. Regards, GF.

I had a batch that I forgot about and let it sit in the carboy for 14 months. It was awsome!

When you let it sit in the carboy that long, should you put a solid stopper on top, or should you use an airlock? I think a solid stopper is fine after fermentation is done, but I'm new at this!

ssnyder35 said:

When you let it sit in the carboy that long, should you put a solid stopper on top, or should you use an airlock? I think a solid stopper is fine after fermentation is done, but I'm new at this!

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I would use an Airlock , because you're going to keep it for such a long time and during that time
the ambient Temp. and Pressure would varry and that leads to degassing which means the Wine will emit CO2 .

By using an Airlock , the Carboy will be in no danger .

Hector

Not only is it releasing CO2 with an airlock, but also other fumes that you may not want in the wine.

CO2 is probably the most abundant to fill the head space, but any lighter gases will rise right up like rising hot air and be first out the lock.

Mine has been in the primary for almost 7 months. I tried some the other day... Holy goodness!!! I say leave it in the primary, stick it in a dark whole somewhere and forget about it.

I age my batches of apfelwein for at least a year. I don't care for the taste of it young. I rack once or twice: after primary into a secondary, and then maybe around the 6 or 7 month mark after it has cleared and probably won't drop any more sediment. At about 8 or 9 months I switch it to a solid stopper, then keep a close eye on it for a few days to make sure the batch doesn't pop the top.

Texron said:

I had a batch that I forgot about and let it sit in the carboy for 14 months. It was awsome!

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in the primary? I was worried about the lees imparting some off flavors after that long.

D. 3 months in Carboy then move to keg...

-=Jason=-