First Mead and Apfelwein

I fill like a boy who just finshed looking at his first Playboy. SWMBO said I could get started. So I drove to the local home brew shop and bought 4 1 gallon jugs, a beer equipment kit, a brown ale kit, all sorts of yeast and chemicals. Went by the local bottled water company and picked up 2 5 gallon carboys ($20ea). Then went to kroger and got the stuff to make Apfelwein and my first batch of JOAM - clove. I just finshed making both and can not wait.
Only question is Should I have taken gravity readings on either of these. Both recipes have time limits and say when they clear bottle.

Taking an original gravity (OG) is not as crucial as determining the final gravity (FG). You really need to take gravity readings for 2-3 days with no change to verify that fermentation is complete (or stuck like my Braggot at 1.030).

Congrats on the new purchases and good luck with your batches.

Knight03 said:

I fill like a boy who just finshed looking at his first Playboy. SWMBO said I could get started. So I drove to the local home brew shop and bought 4 1 gallon jugs, a beer equipment kit, a brown ale kit, all sorts of yeast and chemicals. Went by the local bottled water company and picked up 2 5 gallon carboys ($20ea). Then went to kroger and got the stuff to make Apfelwein and my first batch of JOAM - clove. I just finshed making both and can not wait.
Only question is Should I have taken gravity readings on either of these. Both recipes have time limits and say when they clear bottle.

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You can take as much extra info as you like really, extra data is always handy to retain for understanding and control issues.

Your only problem might be (with the JAO, not the apple wine, I don't make those), is that the orange and raisin in the JAO also have a sugar content, but as it's retained in the flesh of the fruit, it isn't easily measured. It's the same problem whenever you ferment on the fruit/pulp.

If you've followed the JAO instructions to the letter, it's pretty straight forward and produces a good product. It might not taste the nicest when it's first finished though, meads, as a rule, like to take some ageing time. JAO is no exception, though you might also be lucky enough for it to taste Ok when young. Either way, it will improve with age.

regards

fatbloke

Thanks. I forgot to get a wine theif though. Sanitized turkey baster? The Apfelwein is bubbling away like crazy. Is it to late to take a reading?

Knight03 said:

Thanks. I forgot to get a wine theif though. Sanitized turkey baster? The Apfelwein is bubbling away like crazy. Is it to late to take a reading?

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I have both, but it's usually quicker to take a sample with the turkey baster.

I usually have "CJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ's sanitiser" (5 crushed campden tablets and a teaspoon of citric acid in 500mls water) available in a spray, and always keep a hydrometer and test sample tube at the ready.

Then I just spray the test sample tube, hydrometer and any part of the turkey baster that's likely contact the wine (outside the tube, inside the tube and inside the bulb) and leave it for a couple of minutes. Then I just suck up enough until the test sample tube has 100mls of wine/must (amount required to take test) and drop the hydrometer into it.

Yes I always pour the sample back into the ferment and have never had a problem doing that - some like to dump the test sample, the choice is yours....

regards

fatbloke

Just a update. I tried a sample of both tonight. Jaom if mead taste anything like this I may have found a new drink. A little pithy on the orange rind. (But i understand. I read other post from Fatbloke. It helps off set sweetness.)
Apfelwein it taste much better 2 mths old than just one. Still think I need to wait some more. Do I rake off yeast now if Im going to bulk age for a nother month or 2?

I've primaried Apfelwein for 4+ months with no problems; but if you want to rack, go ahead....

And it tastes so much better when it's aged in the bottle 1+ year! Get some more going!

AZ_IPA said:

And it tastes so much better when it's aged in the bottle 1+ year! Get some more going!

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do you cork or cap your apfelwein when aging it? Last time I capped and carbed, I am thinking about corking it still and aging it a bit.

I cap with O2 absorbing caps...

funkadelicturkey said:

do you cork or cap your apfelwein when aging it? Last time I capped and carbed, I am thinking about corking it still and aging it a bit.

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I like it much better still. I put some of my last batch in a Franzia bag and that 5L was gone super quick.

I was wondering was a Franzia bag was and came across this http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/16-reasons-why-franzia-is-better-than-bottled-wine. I might have to try the bag...looks like a versatile product.

OK, I could not wait until the fruit dropped in the Joam. I started it on 1-1-11. Racked and bottled 4 22oz bottles tonight. Sorry i drank the rest. I have been playing with it and have decided that a wine glass filled to the normal level with 3-4 drops of vanilla extract make a big diffrence in the flavor. I feel that it softens some of the citris rind flavor.
I also opened a bottle of Chaucer's Mead. (The only commercial mead I have had, or could find) I like JOAM better. I dont want to run it down but it smelled like a new plastic shower cutain, when you take it out of the package. And Kinda tasted like it , too.
I guess I need to make a new batch of sack mead or vanilla. Or find a good sample of Mead to decide if i like it or not. Sorry for the drunkin ramblings. I have had a glass of apfelwin(quality control) a glass of Chaucers and about 20oz of JOAM.