Man, I love Apfelwein

Yakima 728
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Yeah, good point.....it is now at 1002 and tastes fantastic. Looks like it may need another week to get below 1000.

Thanks!
 
Okay... I just came up with something weird...

We get a lot of catering for breakfast meetings done by AU BON PAN, they usually drop of several of these 3 gallon cardboard coffee dispensers, full of some mighty fine beanjuice.

7150cbotm.jpg


At the top rear, which you can't see, is a plastic cap that you unscrew. It is the same one that is used as the pourer at the front of this 1 gallon one;

67108.gif


Inside the box is a mylar plastic bag that holds the 3 gallons of hot coffee.

And it has a nice easy pour spigot on the front.

My co worker who is also a homebrewer, and I were looking at these things this morning, and I got to wondering if new ones would work as an easy 3 gallon apfelwein fermenter AND dispenser?

You could easily fill the bag with Apfelwein must through the top, then instead of screwing on the top, you could stick a stopper/airlock on it, then let it ferment.

When fermentation is complete remove airlock, and recap. then stick it in the fridge for a couple of days...then you can serve up the apfelwine for parties.

It kind of reminds me of those "beer in a bag" kits (I don't know if they still make them).

I wonder if this is doable? If the mylar bag can hold hot beverages, then is it strong enough for 2-3 months of fermentaion if you stuck an airlock on it to relieve the built up pressure....

hmmm......

I wonder if Au Bon Pan would sell me one of these unused? Or if I can get them direct from the manufacturer?

http://www.lbpmfg.com/products/cbotm.shtml

Am I the first person to consider something like this?

The only drawback I can see is sediment...If the sediment falls at the level of the spigot, then you'd have to pour out the cloudy until it poured clear...
 
If you were serving it without carbonation...GREAT IDEA! How much are they? I don't think it would be a good idea to ferment and serve from the same container...but I'll sure pour some into that box and store and serve from it.
 
Yeah what about racking it to secondary in that. That way you get most of the lees out of there and you could than chill and serve it through that.
 
Cutting flat Apfelwein with...

Since I have been making continuous batches of apfelwein, I realized 12oz bottles that will be aged for 3+ months are hard to accumulate(along with the beers I do). I have been bottling every other batch in 1.5 liter wine bottles for a while now. Quick bottling time, easier to store, and great for gatherings. I don't really drink these, as they are for everyone else to enjoy(tends to be the girls downing it). Everyone loves the stuff, but the critiques are consistent, "It's good, but......I like a sweeter cider" or "I like carbonation" or "No thanks, it got me too drunk last time." or "Too much apple juice goes right through me." I started experimenting with different juices, sodas, and seltzers to meet these tastes.

Anyways, Canada Dry Diet Cranberry Ginger Ale(CDDCGA...f'n long name!haha) is incredible with Apfelwein. Everyone has different tastes, and Pomm juice is very good too. But 1/2-1/2 CDDCGA makes a bubbly, ~4.3%, pink colored, sweet beverage. Girls love it.

Eb
 
After reading about 2/3 of this thread (might need glasses after that) I finally decided to bite the bullet and make some of my own, almost giddy with excitement. I used Mott's which I understand some people have success with. I might switch to the meijer brand since it is not made from concentrate, but if this turns out great I wont mess with a good thing.

Question: I could have added a sixth gallon to my carboy, but decided to leave it at 5 since the yeast says it is good for up to 5 gallon batches. Would I have been ok doing six with just one packed of yeast (Montrachet) or was I smart to leave it at 5.
 
Need some advice from the Apfelwein experts.

I prepared my first batch of Apfelwein on Super Bowl Sunday and thought that I had used 5 gallons of Members Mark(Sams Club) Apple Juice in a 6 gallon better bottle. The better bottle looked a lit bit on the low side but I attributed that to typically seeing batches in a 5 gallon bb or carboy. I kept my juice bottles around for other uses and I just now noticed that they were not gallon jugs, but only 3 qts, giving me a total of just under 4 gallons instead of 5.

I imagine that the process would still work this way but that it would have even higher alcohol content. Can I add more juice to get closer to 5 gallons at this point without any issues?

Thanks in advance
 
I have a SG of 1.055... is that enough? Should I add more sugar? I can live with a slightly less alcoholic beverage if thats all the difference.

Thanks for the info in advance.
 
I'm at 4 weeks on my batch...Hit gravity mark at
.098, so I racked onto campden and sorbate in
the secondary.
My question is this.......
Can I add blueberrys now for flavoring and sweetness?
If so, do I have to campden again.
The batch has been in the secondary for 2 days now, and
airlock is dead, so ferm. has successfully been wacked.

Thanks for any suggestions

Karb
 
I'd cold crash it and transfer it again to another carboy onto the fruit just to be sure ALL the yeast is out. The last thing you want is to get fermentation going again.
 
just a quick question. i started my second batch 10 days ago. i know it is supposed to take at least a month to ferment out and clear but i am already at 1.003 is this uncommon? the only thing i did not follow on the original recipe is i added yeast nutrients.
 
sflcowboy78 said:
just a quick question. i started my second batch 10 days ago. i know it is supposed to take at least a month to ferment out and clear but i am already at 1.003 is this uncommon? the only thing i did not follow on the original recipe is i added yeast nutrients.
Click to expand...

Wow, yes, I'd say that's a bit abnormal. It may still take a little while to get down under 1.000, but you're well on your way. What temp, which yeast?
 
Did you pitch the same count of yeast for both batches?

My second batch (the only one I did gravity readings on) dropped real fast to 1.01 and then took forever to get to 1.000 . I don't know the timeframe.
 
Just found a use for my MR BEER kit...making 2 gallons tonight.

I have a ton of Priming Sugar that came in my beer kits that I never use since I keg...sooo

2 gallons Mott's Apple Juice ($7 at BJs)
15 oz Dextrose (free from kits)
1 packet Montrachet Wine Yeast (used the entire packet)

Gravity before yeast 1.066

Now to forget about it for 8 weeks...

-Will
 
shafferpilot said:
Wow, yes, I'd say that's a bit abnormal. It may still take a little while to get down under 1.000, but you're well on your way. What temp, which yeast?
Click to expand...
i have stayed between 68 and 72 degrees the whole time pitched a 5g pack of redstar montrachet yeast 10 days ago.
 
sflcowboy78 said:
i have stayed between 68 and 72 degrees the whole time pitched a 5g pack of redstar montrachet yeast 10 days ago.
Click to expand...

Both batches I've done slowly marched down the SG ladder throughout the month, but i have used nottingham both times, so maybe that's the difference.
 
Went to a local German restraunt for my father-in-law's 60 bday.. the Bavarian Grill in Plano, TX. I had never been there, was good. Saw this poster on the way out..

1564318861110albds7.jpg


After seeing this sign, my wife and I became overjoyed and wanted pictures with it.. heh
 
blacklab said:
4.50! Is that price per gallon?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing no, prolly for a big ol' glass though. They had the apfelwein pitchers there as well (I think they were the same) - the ones that Ed linked to awhile back.
 
I threw together a gallon of this stuff, and it fermented like crazy. It's been about a week now, I think (yeah, I keep good records!), but there has been no sulphur smell. No bad smells of any kind that I can detect.

I used 2 parts Apple Cider, and 3 Parts Appel Juice. And, some Dry Ale Yeast that I had on hand. How long should I wait until I try it?? It is still bubbling once every few seconds. (Still throwing bubbles up the side of the jug).

Now that I have a couple of "Better Bottles" (Or the cheap equivalent from our water dispenser at work), I plan on making a bigger batch! (or two).
 
Homercidal said:
I threw together a gallon of this stuff, and it fermented like crazy. It's been about a week now, I think (yeah, I keep good records!), but there has been no sulphur smell. No bad smells of any kind that I can detect.

I used 2 parts Apple Cider, and 3 Parts Appel Juice. And, some Dry Ale Yeast that I had on hand. How long should I wait until I try it?? It is still bubbling once every few seconds. (Still throwing bubbles up the side of the jug).

Now that I have a couple of "Better Bottles" (Or the cheap equivalent from our water dispenser at work), I plan on making a bigger batch! (or two).
Click to expand...

3 more weeks minimum
 
TexLaw said:
I like it better carbonated, and I used 8.5 oz. of dextrose in a five gallon batch to produce four volumes of CO2 and approximating champagne. That is excellent, as it really came out like champagne. The CO2 also adds some very pleasant complexity to the nose.
Click to expand...
This discussion was a few pages back, but I just wanted to say I just opened a bottle with 7.5oz of dextrose that's been carbing for 1.5 weeks and it's already incredibly fizzy. It's leaps and bounds better than the batch I carbed with 5oz! I'm definitely going with 8.5oz of priming sugar for my next batch!
 
Now that I have a couple of "Better Bottles" (Or the cheap equivalent from our water dispenser at work), I plan on making a bigger batch! (or two).
Click to expand...

Make sure those "bottles" are the right type of plastic. If it's #7 as a lot of them are, they're only meant for water and will leech chemicals (carcinogens?) into your brew. I think #1, #2 and maybe #5(?) are the only safe choices.
 
Just experienced the rhino farts and was pleasantly surprised that they aren't nearly as bad as I was expecting, and SWMBO doesn't mind it at all.

Also, I'm wondering if I can make a 6 gallon batch using just one packet of montrachet yeast, or if I should add two packets for 6 gallons, or of I should just leave well enough alone and stick with 5 gallons.
 
shafferpilot said:
3 more weeks minimum
Click to expand...

Groan...

Hopefully they will be selling brewing stuff at the Winter Beer Fest I'm going to tomorrow. I'm JONESING to make something! I'm half-tempted to put together a 5Gal of Apfelwein just for something to do!

Remind me to get thermometer for basement to see if I can ferment down there in winter....
 
Ok, I'll be honest. I started reading this thread on monday and read as much as I could with the time I had. I wanted to get this going asap! Thought I had what I needed but had to go half and half with the sugars. Corn/Cane. I am glad I picked up the cheap vodka becouse I had all kind of "boosting my ABV" and keeping my best friend George "my bulldawg" at bay issues. As I understand it no one has screwed this up yet! Ed I intend to hold up my glass to you as say "cheers" in a few (4) short weeks.
 
ThebrewdawG said:
Ok, I'll be honest. I started reading this thread on monday and read as much as I could with the time I had. I wanted to get this going asap! Thought I had what I needed but had to go half and half with the sugars. Corn/Cane. I am glad I picked up the cheap vodka becouse I had all kind of "boosting my ABV" and keeping my best friend George "my bulldawg" at bay issues. As I understand it no one has screwed this up yet! Ed I intend to hold up my glass to you as say "cheers" in a few (4) short weeks.
Click to expand...

Make it more like 12 weeks and you will be much happier
 
ok i just bottled my first batch of apfelwein last night. i did a few bottle still, a few bottle still lightly back sweetened with a half pack splenda, few still with a full pack of splenda. i also did the same with light carbonation, regular carbonation and heavy carbonation. i will let you know in a few more weeks how they turned out.
 
I've been trying to find Tree Top apple juice but I'm not a member of Costco or Sam's Club and I wanted to find out if any apple juice will do as long as it doesn't have any added preservatives? Should it also be 'No Sugar Added'? If it doesn't say 'No Sugar Added' should I assume there is sugar added?

I see Apple & Eve apple juice at the supermarket but they have two kinds, Regular (light color) and Natural (in a darker bottle) should I use one over the other or will they both work? The Natural says 'No Sugar Added' but I'm guessing since the bottle is darker it might be a little cloudier.

Also, is the priming/carbonation stage optional or is the Apfelwein supposed to be carbonated like a beer or smooth like apple juice?

AppleMontage.jpg
 
I am highly enjoying my accidental modded apfelwein and so does anyone else who has tried it. However I am still going to make it with dextrose and not malto-dextrine next time. I ended up using the apple juice i bought for this in an apple cider beer my friend wanted so it will be a little bit longer till I make another batch.. currently fermenting 2 beers tomorrow will make three and yet I still have enough Primary's and secondaries now to have 3 beers and 1 apfelwein going at the same time. :ban:

I used White House juice... was at Kroger or Publix... one of the two. Motts was used in the Cider Beer.
 
EdWort said:
Try to find juice that says 100% apple juice. Carbing is optional.
Click to expand...

OK, thanks. The Apple & Eve is 100%. Do you have a preference between the lighter Apple juice or the 'Natural' which I image is cloudier or not strained?

Thanks again :)
 
Thwizzit said:
OK, thanks. The Apple & Eve is 100%. Do you have a preference between the lighter Apple juice or the 'Natural' which I image is cloudier or not strained?

Thanks again :)
Click to expand...

I think any juice you like that doesn't have anything in their that will kill the yeast...
 

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