Man, I love Apfelwein

I apologize if these questions have been answered already, but 721 pages is quite a read. I plan on making a batch of this within the next month and letting it age till thanksgiving/christmas to use as gifts and drinks for special events.
1. I don't have a kegging set up, is there any way for me to back sweeten and still carbonate it?
2. How dry is this? Can you give me something of comparable dryness (even if it has a completely different flavor)

JRDroid said:

I apologize if these questions have been answered already, but 721 pages is quite a read. I plan on making a batch of this within the next month and letting it age till thanksgiving/christmas to use as gifts and drinks for special events.
1. I don't have a kegging set up, is there any way for me to back sweeten and still carbonate it?
2. How dry is this? Can you give me something of comparable dryness (even if it has a completely different flavor)

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1. Splenda is probably the easiest to get ahold of and use, even though a lot of people still use lactose. I myself don't like the idea of lactose in case anybody you're giving it to is lactose intolerant. Both of which are non-fermentable sugars so they shouldn't affect carbonation.

2. Its bone dry, but if you're goanna let it age as long as you've mentioned it'll mellow out pretty well and its still very pleasant for being this dry.

Quick question for those who have made this before. . . I have a batch that includes a mess of blended fruit that is still cloudy and suspended; does cold crashing work with Apfelwein like it does with beer? If I drop the temp to 35 for a few days, will it help clear the mix?

I just made a batch with Bayanus strain Cider Yeast (Youngs). Anyone tried this before?
Also, I used brown sugar as it was all I had in the cupboard. I'll not be drinking this for a while but Ill post results.

Just sampled my first batch now that fermentation is ceasing, plan to bottle this up in the coming days as time allows. But I have to say, "Wow!" The taste even 2 months young, is pretty incredible considering how little effort and money went into this. A touch of tartness, a touch of apple, and a little burn to let you know you're drinking something good With a few months aging, this will be fantastic I have no doubt.

mrF1xIT said:

1. Splenda is probably the easiest to get ahold of and use, even though a lot of people still use lactose. I myself don't like the idea of lactose in case anybody you're giving it to is lactose intolerant.

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I'd also worry about the anaphylactic reaction that Splenda can cause in sensitive individuals. Do a quick Google on it and you'll see mounds of information.

made a 23L batch using sunrype 100% pure apple, 1kg dextrose, EC-1118. let it go for a month and a half, kegged added an additional 3L apple juice and 1L water. carbed to an almost "session" cider/wine hybrid. the only problem i have is not drinking it all.

Just made my first batch of this. I'll probably let it go until June and bottle and drink it around October.

what a great day today was. My apfelwein is getting better everyday and my wife found someone on craigslist giving away wine bottles, 11 cases of them. I now have enough wine bottles for plenty of Apfelwein, so I started another batch!

So for those of you that don't want to read 720+pages of responses do what I did. Go to your User CP and change the responses from 10/page to 360/page. It cuts it down to only 23 pages. Much easier read 23 pages than 720. Really it is.

Yes I did read them all, took me about 3 weeks.

I did have a question concerning the long term viability of the yeast for bottle carbing, I found the answer somewhere between post number 6100 and 6200

So I currently have 10 gal going and no questions.

JRDroid:
720 pages is a long read, but an easy search. Your questions are answered probably 100 times in this thread.
People are nice here and happy to help in general.

Krisabsinthe: Wine bottles are fine is you do not carb you Apfelwein. Wine bottles are designed for still wine, not champagne, and can become very dangerous. Still (uncarbed) Apfelwein is the traditional way they do it in Germany. They add sparkling water for the fizz when drinking it.

Krisabsinthe: Wine bottles are fine is you do not carb you Apfelwein. Wine bottles are designed for still wine, not champagne, and can become very dangerous. Still (uncarbed) Apfelwein is the traditional way they do it in Germany. They add sparkling water for the fizz when drinking it.

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For sure, I got another one going with Ale yeast and im going to get some 1L growlers for that business. I tried my Apfelwein today im a little over 4 weeks now and its tasting quite nice, I cant wait to see what a year will do.

have my first brew in ferment right now and considering slightly altered recipe of this when i clear out my fermentor in a couple weeks. anyone try or read anything on here about using a pound of honey and a pound of brown sugar in the recipe? i've made it to page 42 and no mention yet of the honey except to say that it needs to sit longer, no mention of how much honey was used or how it affected the final.

verbal144 said:

have my first brew in ferment right now and considering slightly altered recipe of this when i clear out my fermentor in a couple weeks. anyone try or read anything on here about using a pound of honey and a pound of brown sugar in the recipe? i've made it to page 42 and no mention yet of the honey except to say that it needs to sit longer, no mention of how much honey was used or how it affected the final.

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I would say that the flavor it would impart to the wine("wine") would depend on weather it is Clover honey or natural bee honey. If the Honey does not say "From Bees" it is from a clover (most likely) and will impart a flowery flavor and would kinda change this into a mead / beer / wine. I would say that if you have never tried the original recipe then do that first. Also you are correct about the Honey needing more time to ferment, depending on amounts and yeast strain it could significantly increase the ferment time. I started a 1 Gal batch with honey the same time I started my 5 Gal batch of original recipe and the 1 gal is still going strong, I started them both on 12-5-10. I have tried the original and it is nearly awesome but I wont even try the 1 Gal cause it still looks gross from fermentation and is going very strong. Also make sure it is either pasteurized or organic as to refrain from accidentally adding unwanted additives. It may sound absurd but be very careful when changing things up. If I have learned anything from HB wine and cider it is that things hardly ever change in the way that you expect them to. Like many things in life the only constant is that there are no constants lol. Other than that I think honey will taste nice in Apfelwein. A good experiment for you would be to get some mead and try it, then try Apfelwein. Then try to imagine the honey mead flavor in the Apfelwein. But then again experimentation is more fun! I know this is just a bit of a rant but I would honestly just try the ferment because no matter what anyone says (including me) only you will know if you like it and for the price.....why not. Have fun man and please let us know how yours turns out.

EDIT:
Sorry forgot to answer a question. You would use as much honey as you needed to reach the desired Starting Gravity. Just search around for what a good gravity is. If you have a Hydrometer then you can use the markings to determine what range your in. Mine has ranges marked for beer, wine and desert wines starting and final gravities. You can also do math, find out how many mg of sugar 2 LB of corn sugar has and use the same. Not sure if it would be perfect and I would use the hydrometer as gospel and the math as a backup plan. As always I reserve the right to be wrong at any point and im sure others will correct me if I am...which is most welcome.

I have used honey in many of my batches. The yeast you are using will ferment out all if not most of the extra flavor from it unless you stop it early. I've also noticed that honey doesnt clear as fast as the dextrose does. The great thing about Apfelwein is that it's simple. When I mix in the honey, I do it like I do the dextrose. Just shake it up, no need to pasteurize. You can put the container of honey in some warm water to make it easier to pour if you want. If you have a Costco in your area, its your best bet for honey, as they have 6lb jugs of Silverbow clover honey for 7-8 dollars. Honey from a grocery store can be retardedly expensive

You would have to use 15ish pounds of honey to turn this into a mead. Mead is very different from Apfelwein, a couple pounds of honey will not bring it close. (which is good, I dont think we want to wait for years to drink this)

This recipe is very forgiving and you can play around with it as much as you want. Every batch I make has anywhere from 2-4lbs of fermentables in it. If it tastes like crap right off the bat, then let it sit in bottles for a couple months. I've used dried malt, liquid malt, brown sugar, cane sugar, corn sugar, and agave syrup. All change the taste a bit, but they're all good. The malt makes it more full tasting and "beery"

(clover honey is still from bees, bees collect pollen from the clovers. Only bees can make honey)

krisabsinthe said:

I would say that if you have never tried the original recipe then do that first.

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nsw8148 said:

I have used honey in many of my batches.

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thanks for getting back to me guys, i understand i should maybe go with the original first and then experiment but i guess i read how dry it was and wanted to add a touch of sweetness without going overboard and having to mess with splenda or lactose or anything. i was curious about the honey because SWMBO's aunt and uncle have their own bees and make their own honey so it would be cheap and easy for me to get. my fermenter is occupied until MLK day so i have a week or so to mull it over...

I'm drinking one of my brews right now that was 2lbs dextrose and 2lbs honey, and its sweeter than the batch I made that had 4lbs of just dextrose.


By all means make it regular first, just dont be afraid to experiment

nsw8148 said:

I'm drinking one of my brews right now that was 2lbs dextrose and 2lbs honey, and its sweeter than the batch I made that had 4lbs of just dextrose.


By all means make it regular first, just dont be afraid to experiment

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I may do a full 5 Gal of honey if this 1 Gal ever finishes. I just though of another variable in the fermentation of my 1 gal and my 5 gal, one is on the floor and the other is not. The floor is concrete so the temp will be much lower, so this may be the problem. Second, I thought that "Clover" honey was unnatural honey (removed from clovers mechanically), what I do know is that I HATE the flavor of Clover Honey and LOVE non-Clover Thanks for the mixture of 2LB dextrose and and 2LB of Honey, Ill be doing that after my 5 Gal of original and my 5 Gal of Apple Cider. Once again, thanks for the knowledge guys. Once again I learn something, isn't HB GREAT!

krisabsinthe said:

I may do a full 5 Gal of honey if this 1 Gal ever finishes. I just though of another variable in the fermentation of my 1 gal and my 5 gal, one is on the floor and the other is not. The floor is concrete so the temp will be much lower, so this may be the problem. Second, I thought that "Clover" honey was unnatural honey (removed from clovers mechanically), what I do know is that I HATE the flavor of Clover Honey and LOVE non-Clover Thanks for the mixture of 2LB dextrose and and 2LB of Honey, Ill be doing that after my 5 Gal of original and my 5 Gal of Apple Cider. Once again, thanks for the knowledge guys. Once again I learn something, isn't HB GREAT!

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HB really is the best. Sharing this much good information would be impossible without it

ok, the local home brew store is not as close as one would hope and I am trying to make my first batch. It seems like all the stores nearby carry corn syrup, no corn sugar. I have plenty of table sugar but I would like to stay as close to the original recipe as possible.
So what would be the equivalent in corn syrup? Im assuming it comes in oz, or by the pint etc.
Or would cane sugar be my best bet? Some where in these 700+ pages it looks like 5 lbs cane sugar (table sugar)= 2lbs of corn sugar.
Im probably making it more difficult than it has to be but im just trying to stay on target. Thanks in advance.

jimgriz said:

ok, the local home brew store is not as close as one would hope and I am trying to make my first batch. It seems like all the stores nearby carry corn syrup, no corn sugar. I have plenty of table sugar but I would like to stay as close to the original recipe as possible.
So what would be the equivalent in corn syrup? Im assuming it comes in oz, or by the pint etc.
Or would cane sugar be my best bet? Some where in these 700+ pages it looks like 5 lbs cane sugar (table sugar)= 2lbs of corn sugar.
Im probably making it more difficult than it has to be but im just trying to stay on target. Thanks in advance.

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I think they are within a .05 difference of each other. Havent used corn syrup yet, maybe I'll try it sometime. Cane sugar is something that I use when the brew shop is closed and I need to start a batch, havent had any negative results yet.

.05 difference. That's damn close to even steven... So just two pounds of cane sugar and i should be fine?

anyone know how to put the apple juice into beersmith? i dont need exacts for my brand of juice just something close to get some estimates? thanks in advance and sorry if this has been covered i didnt want to read through 723 pages.....

My first 5 gallons of Apfelwein original recipe assembled last night. Woot!

Started my batch on 26/11/10 and is now still in the carboy in my downstairs cupboard. I was thinking of leaving it there until 3 months then bottling it up? Is it ok to leave there or should it be somewhere else?
Also how long to leave it bottles up before its at its prime? once bottled where should I put them in the garage?
Im thinking of doing another batch, but really dont want to incase it turns out like crap ! though again if it turns out great, ill have to wait say another 6 months for some more! HELP.....

jimgriz said:

.05 difference. That's damn close to even steven... So just two pounds of cane sugar and i should be fine?

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Yup, good to go. I usually have to shake it a bit longer to get it to disolve completely in the juice though.

herminator said:

Started my batch on 26/11/10 and is now still in the carboy in my downstairs cupboard. I was thinking of leaving it there until 3 months then bottling it up? Is it ok to leave there or should it be somewhere else?
Also how long to leave it bottles up before its at its prime? once bottled where should I put them in the garage?
Im thinking of doing another batch, but really dont want to incase it turns out like crap ! though again if it turns out great, ill have to wait say another 6 months for some more! HELP.....

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Is it clear? If so, I'd just bottle it. After 2 weeks begin tasting them until you like it enough to drink. I've never had the patience to keep a batch in primary for that long:cross:

I read somewhere that:

2 cups of granulated sugar = 1 pound and

3 cups of corn sugar = 1 pound

That makes it pretty easy to convert.

PS: Just broke down and made my first batch of Apfelwein. Followed the original recipe except made 3 gallons instead of 5 in case I don't like it. I pretty much don't like any apple wine I have made yet, so.... Hoping for the best.

If anyone if the Omaha area is looking for apple juice, the Bag N Save at 156th and Blondo has Langers on sale for $0.87/half gallon. If I didn't already have 10 gallons in the carboys, I would have picked up a bunch.

I just dove in... let's see how this goes...

I was thinking of making this soon to have it available for spring/summer. Anyone experimented with adding fresh fruit to fermentation? And if so, when is the best time to do so and how much?

Read this recipe and most the post, so now i just ordered a better bottle carboy and corn sugar, so that i can make this

Phormula said:

I was thinking of making this soon to have it available for spring/summer. Anyone experimented with adding fresh fruit to fermentation? And if so, when is the best time to do so and how much?

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I add frozen fruit sometimes, I worry about contamination from fresh.


If you add something that is remotely sour, it will make the Apfelwein very tart.

nsw8148 said:

I add frozen fruit sometimes, I worry about contamination from fresh.
If you add something that is remotely sour, it will make the Apfelwein very tart.

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I have a batch that has been sitting for two months now where I added a large can of fruit cocktail; drew a sample off a few days ago and it tastes pretty musty, like a old can of canned fruit would taste I guess. Not too happy with it, but will let it go another couple of months before bottling. I would suggest anyone wanting to add fruit to really research what works and what does not

I pitched 2 packs rehydrated bayanbus strain cider yeast on 6 gallons of Apfelwein. It smells nice, fermented steadily for 5 days from 1.07 down to 1.000.
But now its been sitting cloudy as swapwater for 4 days. Fermentation has finished, should I just leave it and wait? My last batch cleared as soon as the hydrometer stopped moving...
?
Thanks,
Tom.

I followed the recipe to a T. How long does it take to start fermenting? 24 hours later and all I have is some white circly moldy things on top. There arent mold because if I shake the bottle a bit they dissapate into typical looking foam.

BARBQ said:

I followed the recipe to a T. How long does it take to start fermenting? 24 hours later and all I have is some white circly moldy things on top. There arent mold because if I shake the bottle a bit they dissapate into typical looking foam.

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Sounds about right to me. I think mine took 48 hrs to start fermenting really well. But you will probably get some soon. Relax and try not to think to much about it (I know,.I know) its all good

I didn't search the whole thread...but I have a bunch of 3 gallon Glass Carboys that are sitting around collecting dust.

So I am wondering
3 Gallons of Apple juice
19-20 ounces of Dextrose
1 packet of yeast?

I figured there is 32 ozs of Dextrose in the 5 gal batch and the actual oz would be 19.2oz of sugar

Now my question is if I use the same amount of yeast as a 5 gallon batch will that make my 3 gallon batch dryer??

I got yelled at in one of the forums for reducing the yeast but I think I should just pitch the whole packet of yeast...

Thoughts??

I did a 3 gal batch and just pitched the whole yeast packed and it turned out great!

@tomlivings I don't remember mine really clearing up 'til after a month or so.