Is it possible? Allergic to Apfelwein???

After coming to this forum to read up before brewing my first batch, I was bombarded with the word "apfelwein" everywhere I looked. I had a spare 5 gallon carboy which seemed like it was just begging to harbor this beloved HBT beverage. 3 days after my first brew I made my first batch of apfelwein. About a week after the first pint was drawn, the keg is filled with air. However I've noticed every time *I* drank it, half way through the glass I would get endless sneezing fits and a stuffy nose that ended about 15 minutes after my last sip. This didn't happen to any of my friends or family who consumed much more of it than I, so I don't think it was something that got into the batch. I'm not allergic to apples, apple juice, or corn sugar, so could it be the montrachet yeast or one of its byproducts?

Has anyone else experienced this problem???

If worst comes to worst I'll keep fighting through the sneezing and quaffing down the apfelwein, but I'm thinking of either changing the yeast or brewing it identical to verify if it is the montrachet I'm allergic too. Or maybe just swallow a handful of Claritin with my first sip.

Antihistamines and alcohol really don't mix well. At the very least, you'll fall asleep in your apfelwein. At worst, you won't wake up. One thought, did you use campden tablets? Sulfites can cause reactions in some people.

I doub if a Noob would use Campden tabs....That's reserved for old wine snobs that just can't get over the issue of pitching yeast right into juice

You could try a different strain of yeast. The Cote Des Blanc is a good strain. It leavs a bit more fruity, and kills a lot of that acidic twang that IS Apfelwein, but It's worth a shot.

BigKahuna said:

I doub if a Noob would use Campden tabs....That's reserved for old wine snobs that just can't get over the issue of pitching yeast right into juice

You could try a different strain of yeast. The Cote Des Blanc is a good strain. It leavs a bit more fruity, and kills a lot of that acidic twang that IS Apfelwein, but It's worth a shot.

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Thanks for the secondary burn @ the old win snobs, takes the edge off of mine I was under the impression that pasteurized juice was free of foreign yeasties and bacteria, am I mistaken? You are correct though that this noob didn't use any campden. I'm thinking of trying the montrachet again to verify thats what it may be before I experiment with the recipe because I may very well want to come back to the montrachet.

What about sulfur from the fermentation? To test your theory it's the yeast, make two different batches, maybe 2 gallons each. Then drink one glass from one batch, then the other. By the time you figure it out, you'll be too drunk to care.