Man, I love Apfelwein

I just used all 5 gals of apple juice in my carboy, and its filled just below the top of the neck... is this too much? Should I go ahead and try to pour some out? Or will it be okay since its just Montrachet yeast?

^^^Just leave it be, but, by ALL means, use some sort of blow-off tube, rather than an airlock, for the first week or so of fermentation.

glenn514

jgoette said:

I just used all 5 gals of apple juice in my carboy, and its filled just below the top of the neck... is this too much? Should I go ahead and try to pour some out? Or will it be okay since its just Montrachet yeast?

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Mine was about that full and it didn't overflow. There is practically no krausen. It bubbles a tiny bit, but that's about it.

wonderful, tiny champagne bubbles. ... .

I know some people have used splenda to sweeten, my question....does splenda inhibit further fermentation? I'm sweetening half and bottling with the intention of carbing and leaving half unsweetened.
TIA guys!

Well mine is bubbling away like crazy... very cool... I'll be sure to report how the Bourgovin yeast did in 4 weeks or so. Can't wait to make some nice holiday beverages from this stuff over christmas...

Tasted the Apfelwein while taking a hydrometer reading today. YUM!!!! It's at .997 right now, even after just 2 weeks. I was kind of expecting it to be just above the 1.000 range. I'm going to let it sit another 2 weeks before I even think about bottling for the sake of clearing and conditioning. I also used WLP720 Sweet Mead/Wine Yeast. These yeastie beasties did a brilliant job on the Apfelwein. It's quite dry with a tart appleyness, no off flavors, and hardly any yeast cake. It's clearing well also. This pic is a bit hazy cause it's just the macbook photobooth. I'll take one with the good camera in a couple weeks and post it, providing there has been a significant clearing.
I love the stuff!!!
After drinking my hydro sample, I decided to try it with a smidge of sprite in the glass and boy it's refreshing! Screw my question about splenda, we are leaving it as is Going to bottle carb a few and leave the rest straight up. The hubby seems to think he needs the bubbles. Thanks Edwort!!!

man oh man i need to make another batch... I used lactose on half the last batch, but as you found out with mixing with sprite, very good! I posted this a page or two back, but really, try mixing with diet coke or coke zero, they go together so well!!

TheWeeb said:

man oh man i need to make another batch... I used lactose on half the last batch, but as you found out with mixing with sprite, very good! I posted this a page or two back, but really, try mixing with diet coke or coke zero, they go together so well!!

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Will do!
I'm going to have a hard time keeping my hands off of the stuff! It's so yummy! But I really want to see what it's like with proper aging. Yes.... 3 hydrometer readings later and I need an asprin lol...

i just made batch....It's in the fermenter now!

Got mine in the carboy friday night. Left for San Francisco saturday morning and returned to this activity this afternoon!

yeah mine is bubbling steady ~ 2 bubbles a second.

TheWeeb said:

man oh man i need to make another batch... I used lactose on half the last batch, but as you found out with mixing with sprite, very good! I posted this a page or two back, but really, try mixing with diet coke or coke zero, they go together so well!!

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I'm going to have to try that sometime soon.

Well, I brought a six pack of this to a birthday party on Sunday, the first venue where anyone besides me was drinking the concoction, and those who tried it really liked it. It cut through the heat of the Blair's Death Rain potato chips and 3rd Degree Burn Doritos we were eating very nicely.

We noticed that it takes about 4 sips to get used to the taste. Also, we decided to stop calling it apfelwein or apple wine, and are calling it dry cider instead. This was my first batch, and it had been in the carboy for 8 weeks and in the bottle for 8 more weeks. Fortunately, I planned ahead, and had already put a second batch in the same day the first batch was bottled, and I bottled the second batch this past weekend before making a third batch. I plan on having a batch every 8 weeks, in other words. Hopefully the first batch lasts that long...

Excellent recipe!

Mine going crazy

So I had my first taste,

It is only 2 months old but I had to keg it and try it for myself. I carbed it up to 10 psi and served it cold. Maybe a little too cold. I found that like wine, if served too cold, 34?, it looses a lot of flavor. When warmed 10-15 degrees, a lot more flavor is released. Now, I didn't have to take a few sips to get used to it. I found it is what it is. A dry applely wine type drink. And I dig that. But my question is, how will this get better with age? It is very drinkable right now. Will it increase in flavor, complexity? I hope so. I hope it doesn't mellow out, because I think it is very mellow right now. Any experts out there that made their apfelwein last more than a few months?

Thanks.

Took my first Hydro sample and taste, at two weeks in the fermenter. Personally, even with the alcohol burn and not really much flavor, I didn't think it was bad. Definitely not up on my list of top ten drinks just yet. But, it is only two weeks old. Not even really done fermenting yet though I got an adjusted S.G. of 1.0025 if I did the temp correction right and my glasses weren't smudged. From the S.G. of 1.0705 (adjusted for temp) that gives me a current 8.908% alcohol. Still a bit low, but it's young.

Now, the bad news. SWMBO made some serious faces during tasting. And some nasty sounds. Yes, she sipped three times. And yes, she made those faces and noises all three times. Best I could tell her was that it would get better with age, much like her. She saw right through THAT one.

Overall impression: It has potential. And, it looks like urine. I mean, it really looks like urine. Maybe I shouldn't have made that comment just before SWMBO tasted it?

Okay, my kids are grown. (Matter of fact, we had the grand baby scare today. We thought we were going to be new grandparents but seems the first grand baby is on hold. He was trying to be six weeks early.) Now, I've got to wait for my Apfelwein to grow up.

BrewBarron said:

So I had my first taste,

It is only 2 months old but I had to keg it and try it for myself. I carbed it up to 10 psi and served it cold. Maybe a little too cold. I found that like wine, if served too cold, 34?, it looses a lot of flavor. When warmed 10-15 degrees, a lot more flavor is released. Now, I didn't have to take a few sips to get used to it. I found it is what it is. A dry applely wine type drink. And I dig that. But my question is, how will this get better with age? It is very drinkable right now. Will it increase in flavor, complexity? I hope so. I hope it doesn't mellow out, because I think it is very mellow right now. Any experts out there that made their apfelwein last more than a few months?

Thanks.

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it will lose some of the hot alcohol taste and the apple flavor will become more pronounced

LOL I wouldn't worry two weeks isn't long enough. Two months is supposed to be the minimum before drinking 3 is recommended and 6 months or more is supposed to be even better.

akthor said:

LOL I wouldn't worry two weeks isn't long enough. Two months is supposed to be the minimum before drinking 3 is recommended and 6 months or more is supposed to be even better.

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Thanks. I'm not worried. Yet. I'm planning this for the two month mark when my brother visits. He really likes the "hard ciders" and hope this will let him sleep well each night he's here.

I was really disappointed that SWMBO couldn't stand the taste or smell. Hoping for a better reaction than that.

I could definitely feel the alcohol after a few minutes. Except for SWMBO's three sips, I drank the entire sample. And I was just starting to get a mellow warm glow.

But, just to cover my bases, SWMBO requested a cream ale, and that goes in the fermenter this weekend.

wcarter1227 said:

it will lose some of the hot alcohol taste and the apple flavor will become more pronounced

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Thanks wcarter1227. I am not picking up the alchohol taste right now, though I only added 1 pound of dextrose instead of 2, so that may be it. I'll wait and see I guess. Hope it lasts.

Yeah I kegged a batch after a month cuz I needed the slurry to make skeeter pee. And boy it still smelled like jailhouse hooch. The samples I've tasted tasted very "white winey" to me. I made a batch of Graff hoping it will be more "applely". But the Alpfelwein is cheap and easy to make and I am sure my friends who are wine drinkers will love it. Plus I can use the slurry to make Skeeter Pee so I will continue making it.

specialkaye said:

Thanks. I'm not worried. Yet. I'm planning this for the two month mark when my brother visits. He really likes the "hard ciders" and hope this will let him sleep well each night he's here.

I was really disappointed that SWMBO couldn't stand the taste or smell. Hoping for a better reaction than that.

I could definitely feel the alcohol after a few minutes. Except for SWMBO's three sips, I drank the entire sample. And I was just starting to get a mellow warm glow.

But, just to cover my bases, SWMBO requested a cream ale, and that goes in the fermenter this weekend.

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i know that

Two months is supposed to be the minimum before drinking 3 is recommended and 6 months or more is supposed to be even better.

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but does it matter if i let it sit in the primary for the 2 months or can i bottle it at 1 month, and let it age for 1 month in bottle?

jgoette said:

i know that but does it matter if i let it sit in the primary for the 2 months or can i bottle it at 1 month, and let it age for 1 month in bottle?

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Ooooo Good question, cause now that mine is at .997 I'd like to clean up the fermentor and move on to something else, or put another batch of apfelwein in it. Does it sitting on the yeast cake improve the flavor, or are we going to get the same effect in the bottle?

jgoette said:

i know that but does it matter if i let it sit in the primary for the 2 months or can i bottle it at 1 month, and let it age for 1 month in bottle?

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it will get better if you let it sit on the yeast a bit longer. personally idont think the stuff is any good till its like 6 months old

I bottled mine at 1 month and started drinking it at 1 month and 24 minutes.

It's alright for quick homebrewed wine..definitely don't love it..

jgoette said:

I just used all 5 gals of apple juice in my carboy, and its filled just below the top of the neck... is this too much? Should I go ahead and try to pour some out? Or will it be okay since its just Montrachet yeast?

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What yeast are you using? I used WLP300 in a 5gal Better Bottle and it burst out of the carboy in the 1st 6hrs! I had to transfer it to a 6gal Better Bottle and all has been good since.
I would throw caution to the wind and transfer it over to a bigger setup...IMO!

mstef said:

I bottled mine at 1 month and started drinking it at 1 month and 24 minutes.

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At least I'm not the only one that anal.

OK today I sampled a glass of original Apfelwein (I call it original cuz I mix different juices a lot but this is the pure Ed's recipe) this batch was fermented for 2 1/2 months and then kegged and carbed with sugar and has been sitting for another month.

Threw it in the "carberator" last night with the intention of filling a gallon growler with it today to bring to a friends for the football games. They are big into wine and I want to get their opinion. And to be honest I got no beer money and I have no beer ready to go right now.

So I pull off the first pint expecting sediment, I carried the keg downstairs and put it in the fridge last night. It was crystal clear looked just like the original apple juice it was.

I drank a couple sips. Very dry, very much like a white wine, not a lot of apple flavor but I guess it tasted like white wine made of apple and not grape. I am NOT a wine drinker, don't really care for the stuff but I could drink this in a pinch (wouldn't be my first choice) and not be bothered by it. Also not a lot of carbonation to it. But I had read it would be like that.

After I filled the growler I brought my "sample" upstairs and decided to add some splenda to it like I had read about in Ed's original post.

WOW! what a difference! The two packets of splenda ignited the carbonation so that it was all bubbly like a wine cooler and with the bit of added sweetness the apple flavor became more pronounced. While the other way it was drinkable this way made me want more!

I am going to pick up a bottle of sprite on the way down and try it like that too.

But I am really intrigued by the idea of backsweetening a whole keg now. I think I would prefer to do it with a frozen concentrate. How have you guys done it? How much concentrate to a 5 gallon batch? Anyone tried diffent juices besides apple concentrate? What about like dumping a whole 2 liter bottle of sprite into the keg?

Also do you add some sorbate to the keg before the juice to prevent further fermentation?

I am very excited by this since I have made 25 gallons of it over the last few months and I have only tasted month old samples which were akin to what I have read jail hooch would be like. I will keep making it and eventually my pipeline will get to the point where I have 6 month old and 1 yr old batches which should really be excellent!

Thank you Ed!

Also BEWARE, one glass made me feel like I had 3 or 4 beers Gonna have to wait a bit to drive now

Tasted my first Apfelwein this weekend. Kegged it after four weeks. FG=0.999. Very wine-like flavor. I am not much of a wine drinker, but I could get into this. I am wondering if this might be a "gateway wine" for me. I am seriously thinking about getting some Cabernet juice and giving it a shot. Made my second batch of EdWort's Apfelwein right after tasting the first. Though for my third, I might boost the gravity about 20 points. Why settle for 8% when you could have 10%+?

Tasted the hyro sample of mine today at a little over a week in the fermenter. Gravity sitting right around the 1.000 mark... I'm liking this stuff. I could feel the alcohol burn pretty quick and see this being a sneaky-drunk kind of beverage. It's going to be tough waiting another three weeks, then carbing time.

So how long should this stuff bubble before it is completely fermented out? I have my fiurst batch that very lightly bubbling and its its only been 11 days....

Will it furment for 2 weeks and then clear for 2 weeks?

Here she is nearing 1 month. Took another gravity reading today and she's been stable at .998 I'm happy with that! The clarity is pretty nice too! Now to let her go another couple months to age... although now that I am at the mark for the earliest possible time to drink it.... I know I'm going to have a hard time keeping my hands off of it. This stuff reminds me of a green apple jolly rancher, and I can dig it. I plan on carbonating half the batch and leaving the rest as is. Some is going as x-mas gifts, which I think will go over really well! Thanks again Edwort.

I'm drinking a bottled one after 5.5 weeks. Today I jugged 3 with brown sugar in them, and left the last jug and twelve ounce bottles un-sugared. Pkincaid hit flavor description at this stage on the head.

Just thought I would update everyone on how my first batches went. My first batch is on tap now. I let it sit in the primary for 1 month, then kegged it up and let it sit for 5 more months. Its been about 7 months since I fermented this one. It was a little too dry for my taste, so I killed the yeast and backsweetened with 2 cans of frozen apple juice. Tastes almost spot on with woodchuck now. It also works great for making black velveteens =D This batch is about half gone now. I have my second batch in a keg also just sitting in the cellar. That one is also about the same age. Should be real good by the time I get to that one! Its so easy a caveman could do it!

Just stumlbled across this thread, and looks great! Im going to give it a try. Im from the uk and the yeast you mention cant be bought over here. Is there a suitable sub for this? or will any yeast do?
When you leave it to ferment, does it have to be keep in a warmer place than the garage? like indoors?

I just used a dry wine yeast, and It got down to the same expected .999 SG. Also from what I've read most people try and maintain temps around 65*-75*F.

Thanks Hex, Also Dextrose sugar is this important as well? Im going to look out for some apple juice this week.
Iam pressing my own apples though these will be used for a long fermenting process, I want something a bit quicker then tastes great.

BrewNinja1 said:

Just thought I would update everyone on how my first batches went. My first batch is on tap now. I let it sit in the primary for 1 month, then kegged it up and let it sit for 5 more months. Its been about 7 months since I fermented this one. It was a little too dry for my taste, so I killed the yeast and backsweetened with 2 cans of frozen apple juice. Tastes almost spot on with woodchuck now. It also works great for making black velveteens =D This batch is about half gone now. I have my second batch in a keg also just sitting in the cellar. That one is also about the same age. Should be real good by the time I get to that one! Its so easy a caveman could do it!

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mmmm black velveteen's sounds tasty, tell me more?? 1 to 1 ratio? what's the mix?

herminator said:

Thanks Hex, Also Dextrose sugar is this important as well? Im going to look out for some apple juice this week.
Iam pressing my own apples though these will be used for a long fermenting process, I want something a bit quicker then tastes great.

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Note...if you use fresh pressed apple juice. It will not become crystal clear. But it will still taste yummy!