Man, I love Apfelwein

Yakima 728
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I made a batch a couple of months ago.

After about a month in primary/secondary. It was bottled. A week later, I tried a bottle. Not very good. I've been grabbing about one a month to see what they are turning into, and they've been pretty poor...very "alchoholy".

And then I opened one last night. And everything was gone. Nice and carbonated, slighty beery and slighty apple taste, wonderful. I had two, and was pretty wasted. I'm amazed how quickly it went from pretty much undrinkable for months to very good so quickly.


Recipe was:

5g Apple Juice from Jewel/Osco
2.5-3lbs dark brown sugar.
some cinnamon

poured on the cake from a Nut Brown Ale kit from Midwest, who had no idea what the yeast was, but guessed it was Munton's Ale yeast. I didn't keep my notes, so I have no idea what the OG/FG are, but theres a ton of alcohol in this thing. Tasty
 
I just made this in a Mr. Beer (2 gallon) keg. It's better than I expected.
2 gallons 100% apple juice
1 cup white; 1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. yeast (ordinary bread yeast).

After 3 weeks it was still sweet but a bit potent, after 5 (now) it's dry & very, very strong. Absolutely delicious. I will be bottling it this weekend, will try to carbonate about half of it, leave the other half flat as it's so good now I can't imagine bubbles will improve it, but will try. WOW. I'm very impressed.
 
I dig it, but now i still got 3 gallons left...gotta get swilling to make room for BEER!
Im still a beer man at gut ...uh i mean heart
 
My 1st batch was ready to go several days ago. I used the standard recipe (5 gal treetop, 2lbs dextrose, montrachet), but primed in a keg w/ 1 can apple juice concentrate. It aged for several weeks at room temp, then I hooked it up to my co2 tank, and by all accounts it's great, except I can't try it. Can't drink anything at all for at least 3 months, doctor's orders. :(
 
mousetress said:
I just made this in a Mr. Beer (2 gallon) keg. It's better than I expected.
2 gallons 100% apple juice
1 cup white; 1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. yeast (ordinary bread yeast).

After 3 weeks it was still sweet but a bit potent, after 5 (now) it's dry & very, very strong. Absolutely delicious. I will be bottling it this weekend, will try to carbonate about half of it, leave the other half flat as it's so good now I can't imagine bubbles will improve it, but will try. WOW. I'm very impressed.
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Well DUH it's strong, you used more than 2x the standard amount of sugar :drunk: Sounds awesome, though :D

I'm forcing myself to wait 6+ months before opening a bottle of an oaked version that I made a couple months ago. Was planning to wait a year, but I'm not sure I can hold out that long...
 
Hegh said:
Well DUH it's strong, you used more than 2x the standard amount of sugar :drunk: Sounds awesome, though :D
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Okay, I guess my knowledge of measurements is off. How many cups are there in 2 lbs. of sugar? I know it's not the same as liquid measure, which is 16 oz to a pound.

Has anyone tried another type of juice beside apple? I'm wondering if grape would work (that's sort of obvious) but what about cherry? Anyone try anything else?
 
I had a question about this as my 10 gal batch finishes up.

Does this contain sulfates(sulfides?) like wine does? SWMBO's dad is allergic to sulfates(sulfides?) and can't drink wine as a result. Does this contain any?
 
tspilker said:
I had a question about this as my 10 gal batch finishes up.

Does this contain sulfates(sulfides?) like wine does? SWMBO's dad is allergic to sulfates(sulfides?) and can't drink wine as a result. Does this contain any?
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Unless you put something into it that has sulfides you shouldn't have an issue. (like campdens tablets) Check your apple juice to make sure your good.
 
JarrodH said:
Unless you put something into it that has sulfides you shouldn't have an issue. (like campdens tablets) Check your apple juice to make sure your good.
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And by the way, everything fermented has a small amount of sulfites in it, because yeast produce sulfite as a metabolic by-product. Some wine yeast produce more than others. But every wine -- even "organic" wines labeled with "no sulfites" -- have some sulfites in them. So other fermented foods (bread, yogurt, kimchee, etc.) should give you a headache as well.


This is a good link for people who drink wine and get a headache and chalk it up to being allergic to sulfites.

Notes From The Winemaker: Sulfites, Or Why Do I Have A Headache?

If you are allergic to sulfites and are exposed to them, you are gonna be in the hospital.
 
Brandon O said:
And by the way, everything fermented has a small amount of sulfites in it, because yeast produce sulfite as a metabolic by-product. Some wine yeast produce more than others. But every wine -- even "organic" wines labeled with "no sulfites" -- have some sulfites in them. So other fermented foods (bread, yogurt, kimchee, etc.) should give you a headache as well.


This is a good link for people who drink wine and get a headache and chalk it up to being allergic to sulfites.

Notes From The Winemaker: Sulfites, Or Why Do I Have A Headache?

If you are allergic to sulfites and are exposed to them, you are gonna be in the hospital.
Click to expand...

He can drink beer, but Ive been told he will have to go to the hospital if he has wine.

I just used standard Tree Top apple juice, didnt add anything. I just thought about the sulfury smell of the montrachet and wondered if it added sulfites. If he can drink beer you think he will be ok?
 
tspilker said:
He can drink beer, but Ive been told he will have to go to the hospital if he has wine.

I just used standard Tree Top apple juice, didnt add anything. I just thought about the sulfury smell of the montrachet and wondered if it added sulfites. If he can drink beer you think he will be ok?
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If he can drink beer but not wine, I wouldn't have him drink it using montrachet wine yeast.

Maybe nothing will happen, but why risk it when you can just use some nottingham or safale-05.

I prefer beer yeast for fermenting apple juice and sugar anyway, it's called cider.
 
mousetress said:
Okay, I guess my knowledge of measurements is off. How many cups are there in 2 lbs. of sugar? I know it's not the same as liquid measure, which is 16 oz to a pound.

Has anyone tried another type of juice beside apple? I'm wondering if grape would work (that's sort of obvious) but what about cherry? Anyone try anything else?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I misread. I thought you said 1 lb white, 1 lb brown.

You're right, you used approximately the right amount. "A pint's a pound the world around" -- 1 lb of sugar = 2 cups.

So you used 1/2 the sugar in 2/5 the volume, you've only got 10% more sugar than the normal concentration.
 
Okay, I'm sure someone in this monstrous thread has already asked this question but I couldn't find anything using the search function, but has anyone ever tried putting the Fermented wine into a secondary with fresh sliced apples to give it more of a apple taste? Also, and this question is slightly crazier, what would happen if instead of adding sugar during the bottling phase one put a small slice of apple into the bottle, added the wine, and then capped? Might not be enough sugar to give it a ton of carbonation but it seems to me that it would certainly be enough to impart the apple flavor. Thoughts?
 
If you make Apfelwein and don't add the 2 lbs of sugar what effect will it have on taste? Obviously the ABV will be lower. Will there be any other difference?
 
I am planning on carbonating a 3 gallon batch of Apfelwein. I plan on bulk aging until I just can't stand waiting any longer and then bottle carb. My question is: If bottles are carbed due they still age like bottles of wine do?
 
Hello...I'm a newb to wine making and this site, but am diving in head first. I've got a couple kits on the go right now, but really want to try Ed's apfelwein. It looks simple enough, but what I'm wondering about is carbonating it. Would someone kindly step me through it, or at least point me somewhere where I could learn this part? I did run a search through the thread, and was unable to find a step through for this. Thanks in advance.
 
NeonBrew said:
Hello...I'm a newb to wine making and this site, but am diving in head first. I've got a couple kits on the go right now, but really want to try Ed's apfelwein. It looks simple enough, but what I'm wondering about is carbonating it. Would someone kindly step me through it, or at least point me somewhere where I could learn this part? I did run a search through the thread, and was unable to find a step through for this. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

You bottle and carbonate it just like you would homebrew.

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Priming and Bottling
 
Ok, I see. Thanks. So you're bottling it in smaller bottles and capping when you do it. That's the part I wasn't getting. I thought somehow some of you were carbonating in regular wine bottles. I think for my first batch I'll just stick to adding some club soda in a glass for bubbles!

Thanks for sharing the recipe Ed. I'm starting some today.
 
NeonBrew said:
I think for my first batch I'll just stick to adding some club soda in a glass for bubbles!
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Skip the club soda...just prime with 1oz of corn sugar for every gallon of Apfelwein, and bottle! Couldn't be easier.

Personally, with each batch I fill a 3 gallon keg and bottle the remaining 2 gallons in 1 liter flip-top bottles. That way I've always got it on tap at home, and still have bottles to bring to others.
 
I was doing a batch in a couple days but really don't want to bottle. If I am not carbonating can I just reuse the apple juice bottles to put the Apfelwein in? Also, is the sugar you use just regular table sugar or do I have to get it at LHBS? Thanks.

-Lucas
 
Sampled a half-finished batch (1.5 weeks, 1.008, don't worry, I'll let the rest ferment for the rest of the summer) in the name of a gravity sampling. It tastes pretty dry already, but I'm tempted to add a touch more corn sugar (dropped a bit during brewing).
 
I've got 10 gallons sitting here ready to bottle. Picked up a bag of Muton's CarbTabs. They contain Dextrose, Spray-Dried Malt Extract, Heading Powder (PGA). Was planning on bottling with some plain (non-carbonated), some with 2 tablets (low carbonation), and some with 4 (high carbonation). Does anyone see any problems with that?
 
Cincy_Ron said:
I've got 10 gallons sitting here ready to bottle. Picked up a bag of Muton's CarbTabs. They contain Dextrose, Spray-Dried Malt Extract, Heading Powder (PGA). Was planning on bottling with some plain (non-carbonated), some with 2 tablets (low carbonation), and some with 4 (high carbonation). Does anyone see any problems with that?
Click to expand...

The carb tabs work best if you riddle the bottles (invert them every day or two), otherwise they sit there on the bottom and won't dissolve completely. I like to use them to bottle what's left over I couldn't fit in the keg.
 
A little advice from the experts...

I've got two batches going right now, one was made on April 4th and the other May 30. Both are in 5 gal glass carboys and have been untouched since I made them. I'm not up against a timeline as I don't need to free up the carboys yet. When should I bottle? Obviously the May 30th batch is very cloudy, but the April 4th batch has cleared up very very nicely.

Thanks.
 
splifs said:
So uh, how long exactly does the rhino fart smell last?
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3-5 days in my case. I followed the original recipe. 1.070 OG, fermented at ~72 degrees, montrachet yeast. It wasn't horrible, just a little "farty". I could definitely tell it was fermentation related.

This was my first attempt at apfelwein. I had mentioned the possibility of "rhino farts" to SWMBO when I was asking permission to brew in our home office/sewing room (the woMan-cave), it took her a week to finally agree to let me brew in the house - but only in the furnace room behind closed doors. When the fartiness kicked in, she didn't flip out or anything. She thought our son had a dirty diaper once or twice, but she never associated the smell with something horrible going on in the furnace room. I'm pretty sure that the next batch I brew the smell won't really be an issue worth conversation.
 
I have done another one with a little pear juice and cherry juice added. To bring out the cherry flavor I was thinking of adding in some maraschino cherries. Has anyone done this during bottling?

I imagine I'd need to buy the more natural ones without preservatives.
 
I made my first batch of this on 5/25 (17 days ago). It's in a Better Bottle -- the kind with a spigot at the bottom. Would it be reasonable to open that spigot to take a sample?
If it matters, my airlock is the Better Bottle Dry Air Lock -- I don't even know if the spigot would drain without me removing the airlock, which sounds like a bad idea.
 
bigmauler said:
I have done another one with a little pear juice and cherry juice added. To bring out the cherry flavor I was thinking of adding in some maraschino cherries. Has anyone done this during bottling?

I imagine I'd need to buy the more natural ones without preservatives.
Click to expand...

You can add extract/flavoring at bottling. Fruit if you want to use whole fruit should be added for a secondary fermentation and the yeast allowed to re-settle which will take awhile.

I suppose if you can get juice from cherries you could use that to prime but that seems risky if you don't have really thick bottles, bottle grenades aren't cool...

One more thought, fruit alone won't be sweet at all, so you need some non-fermentable sugars like lactose if you want some sweetness but still want to bottle and carb.
 
I didnt read all 500 pages, but how long can I keep this in my carboy before I bottle it? I was planning on letting it age until christmas time and then prime/bottle
 
Shwagger said:
I didnt read all 500 pages, but how long can I keep this in my carboy before I bottle it? I was planning on letting it age until christmas time and then prime/bottle
Click to expand...

One of my batches was in the carboy for 10 months and tastes awesome, with this stuff the more time the better.
 
CnnmnSchnpps said:
I'm betting this might have been asked in the last 500 pages, but has anyone ever cared to verify if the "rhino fart" smell is really true to life? ;-)
Click to expand...

Mine sure smelled like a big ol' poot, even to the point of my wife complaining when she opened the guest room closet (where I have the carboy).

Now, 18 or so days into it, very little smell -- even though it's still bubbling.
 
In the two batch I made I used table sugar instead of corn sugar is this problem .for some reason I thought they were the same thing
 
Just tapped a keg of Strawberry-Kiwi Apfelwein for SWMBO. Must say that its pretty nice for a cider. Its no doubt apple cider with the very subtle fruity Strawberry-kiwi taste. It takes the dryness out and adds the fruit flavors quite nicely. Not a bit over done IMO.

The recipe is Edwort's basic with Premier Cuvee yeast and I added Strawberry-kiwi extract at the time of kegging. Add it to the keg and rack the AW to your keg.

Liquid Panty Remover.... :rockin:
 
Well... I'm drinking a year old glass with some sprite for sweetness, how I prefer it, and it is sublime... A buttery apple flavor with a nice sweetness from the sprite...
 
Well I mixed up a batch 7 days ago. All seems to be going well. The 5 gallons didnt even come close to the neck of the carboy though, matter of fact there's probably 6-8 inches of air between below the stopper. Will this be ok, or should I be topping it off with something if it's not too late already?
 
First I'd like to say I read 56 pages and another 453 just seems like a too much. Just made my first batch of Ed's apfelwein. My LHBS recommended me using Red Stars Pasteur Champagne yeast. Anyone else try this? I did everything else the same as Ed's recipe. 5 gallons Tree Top apple juice, 2lbs corn sugar and the RS yeast. Should I expect it to ferment down as low as everyone else? Also How much Priming sugar should I use? I want it pretty carbonated but I don't want any bottle bombs. I was thinking about 3/4 cup. Would that be enough or too much? Thanks in advanced. I cant wait to try this stuff.
 

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