Thank you, I plan on leaving it plain, not sparkling. I'm most concerned with oxidation or anything like that.
Man, I love Apfelwein
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Thank you, I plan on leaving it plain, not sparkling. I'm most concerned with oxidation or anything like that.
MidTNJasonF
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If you have the ability to flush those bottles with CO2 that would help as well.
I did get some oxidation in my mead but it was 4 years old and had been transferred 3 or 4 times to smaller and smaller containers. I doubt you will have much issue if you make careful transfers as you would with a finished beer.
Cool, I made sure to include an open ended hose when I assembled my CO2 manifold just for such purges.
Took about 3 days it seemed for mine to really get going. Never did make anything like what I'd call krausen (I used Montrachet) but it made lots of little bubbles with very healthy airlock activity.
truvr
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I started a 5 gallon batch this morning using EdWort's original recipe. I really did want to read all of the variations in the 1100 or so pages of this thread. But I couldn't do it. The plan is to bottle half still and prime the other half. I've never been so excited to wait a few months!
natedoggaz
Active Member
Has anyone who has carbonated their Apfelwein had any bottle bombs lately?
If yes how long until the first one went? I filled one Sprite bottle from my first batch, and it is getting pretty tight. I tried one the other day and it was carbonated - kinda like a soda would be. I'm not sure how much pressure a glass bottle (or the cap) could take...
Also, I have noticed a little sediment on the bottom of my bottles. Was this to be expected?
ND
If yes how long until the first one went? I filled one Sprite bottle from my first batch, and it is getting pretty tight. I tried one the other day and it was carbonated - kinda like a soda would be. I'm not sure how much pressure a glass bottle (or the cap) could take...
Also, I have noticed a little sediment on the bottom of my bottles. Was this to be expected?
ND
If you gave it plenty of time to ferment completely and then added an ounce of sugar per gallon or less, you should be fine.
Also, the live yeast still in solution with eat that sugar and produce alcohol, CO2 and sediment. There is no way around that.
Also, the live yeast still in solution with eat that sugar and produce alcohol, CO2 and sediment. There is no way around that.
natedoggaz
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One ounce per gallon...is that by weight or volume?
I added 3 tablespoons of corn sugar to my batch..
I added 3 tablespoons of corn sugar to my batch..
By weight. With 3 tablespoons in, I assume, 5 gallons you will be very lightly carbed. Sparkling perhaps?
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So, anyone who experience the rhino farts still notice a slight funk from the cider? My airlock activity has came to a halt and the cider is clearing, so I decided to take a sample for a reading. Afterwards, I sampled and won't pass judgement on taste other than alcohol due to being so young, but the smell is about as close as I want to get to sticking my head up a rhino's ass as I would like to think of. Does this go away or is there some type of infection?
integra93ls
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can you use the same recipe with something other then apple juice? grape juice,pomagrate,or anything else that's 100% juice?
You can ferment a batch like this with most juices.
Aging time is a matter of taste. If you aren't thrilled with the results from what you have, take a small sample out and simmer it with some spices. Cinnamon and a little nutmeg are the ones I like, then add it back to a larger volume of brew. IE: A glass worth or so. If you enjoy the result more, then you might consider doing something similar on a larger scale with the batch.
If it's to dry, then I'd back sweeten with frozen apple juice concentrate. Then immediately bottle pasteurize.
If it's really excessive try stirring the batch vigorously with something copper. A piece of sanitized copper pipe, or even some pre 1981 pennies and shake. The copper oxide should bond to the h2s and cause it to drop out of solution.
Sure. That's one way of making wine. I would just stay away from anything saying it's a "juice cocktail". The results are generally not very good. I've had good results from regular concord grape juice, blueberry juice, and cranberry juice.
I'm sure someone has, a huge number of people have followed this recipe. If I remember correctly though, that particular yeast strain has a reputation for being touchy. IE: It has a tendency to stall out far short of it's listed alcohol tolerance, or start exceptionally slow. Slowly enough that you can start sweating about infection. Lots of people pass it up when making sweet mead for those exact reasons.
natedoggaz
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Oh no, it was 3 tablespoons for 1 gallon. What's the difference between carbed and sparkling - or is that just semantics?
detlion1643
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I have a 5g batch that's been in primary for almost 4 1/2 months. I'm planning on aging this for this Christmas (if I hide it from myself). I wanted to add some cinnamon to some of it. Is powder a big no-no? I don't have anymore sticks at home but can get some. Also, can it be bottled with cinnamon or is it better to bulk age with cinnamon. I don't have any 1g or 3g jugs yet but could get them (prefer to age in bottle though). If powder or sticks are ok in bottles, any advice on how much per bottle?
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I was aware of the fermenting process, however, I wasn't sure on the final product still suffering from the effects.
Leadgolem thats pretty cool to know. I wasn't aware of that.
I prefer cinnamon sticks, because they are usually more complex in flavor and look cool.
If you are going to use ground cinnamon I would recommend putting the spice in a tea bag, or a large coffee filter tied at the top to keep it shut. Then bulk aging. Remove the spice bag before bottling. I would say 1/4 cup of ground cinnamon, and maybe 1 tsp of ground nutmeg in 5 gallons. Taste after a couple months and remove the spice bag if the cinnamon flavor is where you want it. This is the safer way to spice the batch. The cinnamon flavor will continue to intensify for 9 months to a year from the same spice bag.
For sticks, cut one stick into 8 pieces. Snap it in half and cut each piece into 4 long slices. One to a 750ml bottle. If you just snap the sticks they will unroll in the bottles and be impossible to remove. This is the riskier, but IMO better tasting, way I spice my cider.
Of course I'm talking about cassia that is sold as cinnamon in the US. I don't like real cinnamon in cider at all.
Just be aware that you do need to do this before any aging. About 5 days after you hit fg it will be to late. The sulfur compounds will change composition and won't react with the copper oxide anymore.
Honestly though, you don't usually need to unless you are making rocket fuel and end up with tons of h2s. The vast majority of it will dissipate with time, or a good degassing.
underdog378
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I made this exactly as per the original recipe at the beginning of January. Mine has yet to clear much at all, sample tastes fine nothing off, just looks like a pale ale with chill haze. I moved it into the garage at around 42degrees a couple days ago and no change yet. Any ideas?
detlion1643
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Wow. Thanks for the info Lg! I think I'll just use a piece of a stick in bottles. If I'm reading it right, if they aren't cut "lengthwise" in half they'll unroll? Should be bottling with cin. sticks near end of month, can't wait!
Ridenour64
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Yeah my 1 gallon batch is at about 6 weeks and isn't very clear? Should It be clear by now? Will it clear on its own?
Yes, if it was going to and, no. It sounds like you both have pectin haze. Pectin is a water soluble carbohydrate that will suspend small particles in the brew. A little bit of pectin enzyme will break it down into sugar. You might get a small amount of refermentation, but it's usually negligible. Before you ask, yes pectin enzyme works post fermentation too. Not as quickly, but it does work.
Sometimes commercially available apple juice has been treated with pectin enzyme already so you don't need it, sometimes it's just had the particles removed. Seasonal apple cider from the grocery store is almost never treated with pectin enzyme before bottling.
Really though, the hazing is strictly an ascetic thing. As far as I can tell it doesn't have any impact whatever on the actual flavor.
Yup. The bottle in the picture is a wide mouth screw top with something experimental in it. The cinnamon stick in it has unrolled and is now about three times wider then it was when it went in coiled up and dry. That can be a problem with narrow neck wine bottles.
If you cut the sticks the long way, they can't unroll as far and shouldn't get stuck in the bottles.
citingzero
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This may have been covered earlier in the thread (but I'm not going to read 722 pages). Is the ratio of ingredients linear? I'd like to make a batch but I don't want to tie up my fermenters. Can I just divide the ingredients by 5 and roll with it?
mike_in_ak
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Everyone says yes to that though out the thread. Makes sense.
Ha, I found my cinnamon sticks. Here's a picture with the same bottle and a dry cinnamon stick next to it. This is from the same package as what is in the bottle, and it's about the same size as the wet one was before it went in the bottle. There is some distortion from the bottle and the liquid, but you get the idea.
I couldnt resist today and i bottled 15 ltrs of this after two weeks on the primary. I've been scouring this thread and this question does not seem to have been asked before. instead, everyone is more concerned about leaving it on the primary for more than 6 mths!
i am so totally regretting bottling it this morning (FG was at 1.002)
has anyone had experience with this? please share!
i am so totally regretting bottling it this morning (FG was at 1.002)
has anyone had experience with this? please share!
It will be fine. You get slightly more consistent results bulk aging is all. After two weeks, you should be well past post fermentation cleanup.
Ridenour64
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My 1 gal batch still has tiny bubbles rising frequently. No airlock activity tho. Is this normal after 5 weeks?
Is there any good reason I can't put this in a plastic bucket with an airlock and forget about it in my basement for a couple of months then check the gravity and bottle it? I don't have a glass carboy but I do have an extra ferenting bucket.
It seems like it takes a pretty long time for this stuff to mellow out. Would it be better for it to spend a month in the fermenter and five months in bottles or five months in the fermenter and one month in bottles?
Thanks
It seems like it takes a pretty long time for this stuff to mellow out. Would it be better for it to spend a month in the fermenter and five months in bottles or five months in the fermenter and one month in bottles?
Thanks
+1
No, and whichever. A fermenting bucket works fine, IMO it's preferable if you are planning on adding fruit. It's much easier to get stuff out of a bucket then a carboy.
Generally speaking, bulk aging is preferable as it produces slightly more consistent results between bottles. Really though, it isn't going to make much of a difference. The time is much more important then if it was aged in bulk, or in the bottle.
stilly said:
Yup!
Ed, Had my first taste today after a little more than a month, quite tasty, dry with a little residual sweetness. I didn't follow you exactly but close, it's going in the next empty keg.
I have a second i started a week after that i used some agave in it and it's still bubbling.
I haven't called you a mother%&@$er yet, but i can tell it is going to have a kick, thanks
I have a second i started a week after that i used some agave in it and it's still bubbling.
I haven't called you a mother%&@$er yet, but i can tell it is going to have a kick, thanks
