Man, I love Apfelwein

SSBrew - 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I've had multiple batches react differently during fermentation; the majority of them act just as the recipe described: steady slow bubbling, no major evident activity. A minority of the batches, however, have actually required me to use a blowoff tube due to the vigorous reaction. Both fermentation types seem to ferment on the long-term, and neither seems to taste any better than the other.
 
I'm 66 hours into my first batch of Apfelwein (and first "brew" for that matter). :mug:

Everything is chugging along nicely, and I've been reading/searching this thread but I can't find a definitive answer to what I'm looking to do. Hopefully this isn't a "noob" question that I missed the answer to somewhere in here. I'm planning on bottle carbonating and aging this stuff for a while, but I'm looking for a more champagne level of carbonation. How much priming sugar should I use in a 5 gallon batch?
 
Here's a question whose answer I've not come across in this thread (though I haven't read it all!). I have a batch I'm splitting with a a buddy at the two month mark already, so we'll see how it tastes before trying anything crazy with the next batch.

Though I have been lurking a whole lot, I have only brewed one batch of beer, so I may have no idea what I'm talking about here, either. Since this is rather dry, what would be the effect of taking 2 qt or a gallon and boiling it down/reducing it as in a wee heavy? Would it concentrate the apple flavor more? Would it add unfermentables to sweeten up the taste or thicken the mouthfeel? I believe I did read that it will need some finings to clear if boiled, but I'm not sure I'm so concerned with that.
 
Has anyone tried a spiced apfelwein?
I have some about month old still going and thought about putting in some spice for Christmas.
 
tennesseean_87 said:
Here's a question whose answer I've not come across in this thread (though I haven't read it all!). I have a batch I'm splitting with a a buddy at the two month mark already, so we'll see how it tastes before trying anything crazy with the next batch.

Though I have been lurking a whole lot, I have only brewed one batch of beer, so I may have no idea what I'm talking about here, either. Since this is rather dry, what would be the effect of taking 2 qt or a gallon and boiling it down/reducing it as in a wee heavy? Would it concentrate the apple flavor more? Would it add unfermentables to sweeten up the taste or thicken the mouthfeel? I believe I did read that it will need some finings to clear if boiled, but I'm not sure I'm so concerned with that.
Click to expand...

Don't boil the final product after fermentation.
 
I think he means boiling a portion of the wort longer than the rest, a la a Wee Heavy style. It adds to caramelization and concentrates flavors; however, I've no idea how it would work on this.
 
I 'brewed' 5 gals of apfelwine a year ago on Nov 1, 2010. I let it sit for over a year in the carboy. I bottled it this evening using 5 ounces of turbinado sugar. I am now drinking 16 ounces of dregs from the bottling bucket. This stuff is amazing. I am very happy with the result and am VERY GLAD that I followed the advice in this thread and started another batch a month later in Dec 2010! I'll bottle that next month.

I will definetely be starting another 10 gallons before year's end. This shiznat is amazing!
 
Day 3 on my first apfelwein. Was worried about knowing when it'd start, judging by the smell in my room its workikng! I used red star(the blue packet) and a pinch of yeast energizer
 
So for the people using concentrate instead of corn sugar --

You used five to six 12oz cans in addition to 5 gallons of 100% apple juice and then pitched the Montrachet? I don't have any corn sugar local and I'm looking for alternatives. I heard the concentrate would produce a smoother taste.

I read something about sorbate in the concentrate as well, has this negatively effected anyone's batch?
 
I used only concentrate to save some dough, all the juice @ my store is from concentrate anyways so no reason to pay more than twice as much for them to add water for me. I used 6 cans in a 2.4 gal batch with 2/3 cups brown sugar n 12 oz honey.

Gravity might b a bit low but I'm not sure its my first batch, I think I added a little too much water.
 
Byrd said:
So for the people using concentrate instead of corn sugar --

You used five to six 12oz cans in addition to 5 gallons of 100% apple juice and then pitched the Montrachet? I don't have any corn sugar local and I'm looking for alternatives. I heard the concentrate would produce a smoother taste.

I read something about sorbate in the concentrate as well, has this negatively effected anyone's batch?
Click to expand...

Yes, use 6 cans of concentrate per 5 gallon batch, equals approxlmately 36 oz. of corn sugar. I've used Old Orchard brand in twelve batches without any problems. It does seem to be smoother at a younger age than either corn or cane sugar.
 
Does that mean I could make a half batch with 8 or 9 of the concentrates instead of 6 and honey n sugar?
 
I started mine Saturday night, 6 gallons Apple juice from Costco, .25 gallons of water to top off demijohn, 3 pounds brown sugar, Montrachet yeast, 3 tsp of nutrient, everything seems to be going great. Checked it this morning before work. When I got home, airlock was still on, but kreuzen was all over. Edwort said there is no worry of kreuzen with this yeast. Did I get an infection? Should I be concerned?
I just threw on a blow off tube, smells fine...
 
Pennachi said:
I started mine Saturday night, 6 gallons Apple juice from Costco, .25 gallons of water to top off demijohn, 3 pounds brown sugar, Montrachet yeast, 3 tsp of nutrient, everything seems to be going great. Checked it this morning before work. When I got home, airlock was still on, but kreuzen was all over. Edwort said there is no worry of kreuzen with this yeast. Did I get an infection? Should I be concerned?
I just threw on a blow off tube, smells fine...
Click to expand...

Mine foamed a bit right after the fermentation got into high gear. It only foamed for about 12 - 18 hours, then all the foam suddenly disappeared. I think it's just that at first, there is enough sugar in it that if the fermentation gets really fast, the bubbles are sticky enough to get to the airlock, but as soon as some of the sugars get fermented out, that problem goes away. At least, that's how it happened with me.

What I did when the foam reached the airlock was to use a rubber band to put a paper towel around the neck of the carboy, then empty the airlock and clean the stopper when the stopper got about half full of juice/foam. I only had to do that 2 or 3 times, though.

Glad to hear the note about the nutrient, and "smells fine."
 
jgerard said:
Does that mean I could make a half batch with 8 or 9 of the concentrates instead of 6 and honey n sugar?
Click to expand...

Yes you can use just concentrate and water, 9 cans at 27 gr. of carbohydrates per serving, 6 servings per can, would be approximately 8% alcohol, 10 cans around 8.5%. This is calculated for a 2.5 gallon batch.

Edit: Dextrose "corn sugar" is 28.4 gr. of carbohydrate per ounce.
 
For all those people that love the mentos in diet soda trick; don't pour two packets of splenda in a 22 oz bottle of carbed Apfelwein!!!!! I felt like a french whore trying to swallow as quickly as I could. I lost! Foaming apfelwein won! Note to self.... don't be lazy: get a glass and add splenda to the glass and then slowly pour in the apple goodness to sweeten it. Apfelwein exiting my nose was a first. :drunk:
 
VillageBrew said:
For all those people that love the mentos in diet soda trick; don't pour two packets of splenda in a 22 oz bottle of carbed Apfelwein!!!!! I felt like a french whore trying to swallow as quickly as I could. I lost! Foaming apfelwein won! Note to self.... don't be lazy: get a glass and add splenda to the glass and then slowly pour in the apple goodness to sweeten it. Apfelwein exiting my nose was a first. :drunk:
Click to expand...

If you're going to use Splenda, might as well just sweeten it BEFORE carbing... not like it's going to ferment. Personally, if I was going to bother with sweetening it right before drinking, I'd just use real sugar.
 
Started my first Apfelwein this weekend.

5 GALLON CARBOY
6 - 96oz Members Mark apple juice
2 - LBS corn Sugar
1 - 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen Smack pak
1.070 OG

$25 cost

I also did a couple testers in with 2 more of the 96 oz bottles (5 oz corn sugar each).
One with Montrachet, One with EC-1118. Both were at 1.070 OG
I think a whole packet of yeast was too much. These might take a while to clear.

$7 cost
 
I am going to start a batch myself but was wondering if fermentation temps are critical? I dont want that sulfur odor in the house so I was planning on keeping it in the garage until that portion is over but the temp swings in the garage a bit, is that ok? Also, do you guys just bottle with corn sugar as you would with beer? I dont have any room to keg it, I wish I did. Thanks for the answers.
 
Just give it a decent amount of yeast nutrient... many people, including myself, have found this to successfully prevent rhino farts.

But yeah, ferm temps do matter to some extent. Not as much as a typical beer, IMO, but not negligible either.
 
emjay said:
If you're going to use Splenda, might as well just sweeten it BEFORE carbing... not like it's going to ferment. Personally, if I was going to bother with sweetening it right before drinking, I'd just use real sugar.
Click to expand...

Sweetening before carbing is a plus :mug:, but I have friends that like it with varying levels of sweetness that it is easiest to throw a pack or two or three of sugar in there. Splenda was readily available and actually dissolves completely really quickly without stirring.
 
Huskysibe said:
So what's the best way to bottle, corn sugar and beer bottles, wine bottles, grolsch flip tops?
Click to expand...

Whatever floats your boat. Corn sugar, brown sugar, white sugar. Beer bottles are great, especially larger sizes. Wine bottles are a no go. The general consensus is that they will not hold up to the pressure. Champagne bottles are perfect. Grolsch and Fischer flip tops are great too.
 
tennesseean_87 said:
Since this is rather dry, what would be the effect of taking 2 qt or a gallon and boiling it down/reducing it as in a wee heavy? Would it concentrate the apple flavor more? Would it add unfermentables to sweeten up the taste or thicken the mouthfeel? I believe I did read that it will need some finings to clear if boiled, but I'm not sure I'm so concerned with that.
Click to expand...

any more thoughts on this?
 
I just started 2 bathes of the original recipe.
Here is a video of it fermenting 2 days later. I can't believe how much CO2 is being released.
[ame]http://youtu.be/USoK4KNrmg0[/ame]
 
tennesseean_87 said:
any more thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

Are you talking pre or post fermentation? Pre would result in a higher og and some of the aroma boiling out, but the unfermentables from caramelizing would be almost non existent. It would activate the pectins too, resulting in haze.
 
tennesseean_87 said:
any more thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

I suggest using frozen concentrate in stead of the sugar, this will improve the apple flavor slightly. As for improving mouth feel try adding some glycerin. My understanding of cooking the grains in brewing beer increases the fermentables in the grains not decrease them. I don't think there are any unfermentable sugars in apple juice, so nothing to concentrate by reduction.
 
TheNewGuy said:
Did it today, hope it turns out well for Christmas :)
Click to expand...
I started mine on 11/3/11... judging from what I've read in this thread, mine probably won't be ready to bottle by Christmas, even if it is, it certainly won't be carbonated! I think I'm going to backsweeten mine with lactose when I carbonate/bottle (going for light carbonation). Hopefully I can AT LEAST get it in bottles in time for Christmas with, "Do not open until at least 6/12" on the label. ;)
 
KWKSLVR said:
I started mine on 11/3/11... judging from what I've read in this thread, mine probably won't be ready to bottle by Christmas, even if it is, it certainly won't be carbonated! I think I'm going to backsweeten mine with lactose when I carbonate/bottle (going for light carbonation). Hopefully I can AT LEAST get it in bottles in time for Christmas with, "Do not open until at least 6/12" on the label. ;)
Click to expand...

Lactose will add body, but it's not nearly as sweet as most people think it is.
 
Indeed so. If you need to backsweeten it, you'd be far better served going the sprite method or, if worse comes to worst, splenda. I'd highly recommend going with a less attenuative yeast to see if that would help the flavor prior to hoping that lactose would do the job for you.
 
I'm gonna bottle mine flat in wine bottles after close to 2 months in the primary. I want 1 or 2 bottles to try for the holidays. The rest I will try to forget about for another few months.
 
emjay said:
Lactose will add body, but it's not nearly as sweet as most people think it is.
Click to expand...

smagee said:
Indeed so. If you need to backsweeten it, you'd be far better served going the sprite method or, if worse comes to worst, splenda. I'd highly recommend going with a less attenuative yeast to see if that would help the flavor prior to hoping that lactose would do the job for you.
Click to expand...

Not a fan of anything other than a "bottle ready" method. I'm definitely not thinking super sweet or anything like that. One thing I don't think I've seen mentioned in this thread is adding Xylitol to back sweeten. What I'm thinking I might try before bottling is:
1) 5 teaspoons of Green Apple Extract
2) 15-20 tablespoons of Xylitol for sweetness (I've heard 3 tablespoons per gallon will lightly sweeten)
3) 1/4-1/3 cup of Dextrose to the batch for light, champagne-like carbonation.

I'm essentially trying to mimic french cider for my dad which is dry, sweet, crisp and, well, apple.
:rockin:
 
What I was getting at is that lactose really isn't that sweet at all. Splenda and xylitol are both better choices.
 
KWKSLVR said:
Not a fan of anything other than a "bottle ready" method. I'm definitely not thinking super sweet or anything like that. One thing I don't think I've seen mentioned in this thread is adding Xylitol to back sweeten. What I'm thinking I might try before bottling is:
1) 5 teaspoons of Green Apple Extract
2) 15-20 tablespoons of Xylitol for sweetness (I've heard 3 tablespoons per gallon will lightly sweeten)
3) 1/4-1/3 cup of Dextrose to the batch for light, champagne-like carbonation.

I'm essentially trying to mimic french cider for my dad which is dry, sweet, crisp and, well, apple.
:rockin:
Click to expand...

MAy want to read this thread before using Xylitol https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/xylitol-backsweetening-warning-278534/
 

Similar threads

nxc3441
apple pie cider under 10 bucks a gallon
Replies
2
Views
930
nxc3441
nxc3441
C
what canna do with it?
Replies
5
Views
442
fluketamer
F
H
Apple cider stupid questions
Replies
3
Views
801
Graham H
G
A
New Fermenter
Replies
16
Views
768
Austin Willoughby
A
Chalkyt
Using Fuji juice to make sweet carbonated Cider
Replies
1
Views
457
Chalkyt
Chalkyt

Latest posts

Back
Top