Man, I love Apfelwein

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Well, I just jumped on the train for brewing up this recipe too!! Followed the original recipe to the letter but made a 2.5 gallon batch instead of a 5. Hoping this will be done by New Years, at least enough to get an idea of it. Then I will brew up another batch for Easter or whatever holiday comes next. Right now sitting at a SG of 1.068 so it looks to be right on target!!
 
Whats the easiest way to kill the yeast in a carboy?

Out of convenience I am just gonna sweeten mine in the carboy with concentrate or cider or something and don't want it to keep fermenting when I add to it.
 
I found glass gallon jugs of organic unfiltered apple juice at whole foods (365 brand). I bought a case, mostly for the gallon jugs. I went ahead and used the juice for Edwort's recipe. I "brewed" it on the Nov. 29th and fermentation seems to be coming to a close.

Has anybody had trouble clearing unfiltered juice?

If so, how did you solve it?
 
tkirkm176 said:
I found glass gallon jugs of organic unfiltered apple juice at whole foods (365 brand). I bought a case, mostly for the gallon jugs. I went ahead and used the juice for Edwort's recipe. I "brewed" it on the Nov. 29th and fermentation seems to be coming to a close.

Has anybody had trouble clearing unfiltered juice?

If so, how did you solve it?
Click to expand...

I assume it would be the same for apfelwein as it is for beer. Gelatin, filter ir cold crashing would all probably work.
 
I'm not entirely sure but I think that a lot of the haze is due to pectins. I am going to make a one gallon batch with Simply Apple and add a dose of Pectic Enzyme and see if that helps at all. The last batch that I used simply apple in is still throwing sediment and it was in the carboy for three months and has been in the bottle over six months.
 
Yes, unfiltered juice clears up for me just fine with the pectic enzyme. I add it routinely to every batch even regular juice. It works better when added at the beginning of fermentation but can be added later if needed.
 
billcom6 said:
Whats the easiest way to kill the yeast in a carboy?

Out of convenience I am just gonna sweeten mine in the carboy with concentrate or cider or something and don't want it to keep fermenting when I add to it.
Click to expand...

You might be able to do it with some campden tablets, although I've never tried that myself. Of course, heating it up to yeast-killing levels would do it as well, but I don't think I'd do that. Are you kegging? If so, you should be able to sweeten it so long as you keep it in the kegerator where it's cold enough that the yeast shouldn't be active.
 
smagee said:
You might be able to do it with some campden tablets, although I've never tried that myself. Of course, heating it up to yeast-killing levels would do it as well, but I don't think I'd do that. Are you kegging? If so, you should be able to sweeten it so long as you keep it in the kegerator where it's cold enough that the yeast shouldn't be active.
Click to expand...

I read somewhere that Splenda can be used...
 
Splenda does work, but I assumed he meant standard sugars. Regardless, I wouldn't use a heavy hand with it; a little seems to go a long way.
 
I just bottled my 4 week old first batch to growlers. I poured more juice/sugar on the old yeast cake and rocked that baby to sleep.
This will be my third batch.
Batch 1 is to be dry and still
Batch 2 (with 1/2 gal pomegranate) will be half dry/still, half sweetened with wine conditioner and carbed.
Batch 3 (today) will be carb-ed and sweetened.

BTW-I couldn't help but taste it. It's already apple-y and dry, can't wait for it to season an refine a bit in the growlers. I'll probably open the first one on Jan 9th, just to make sure it's still progressing for the SWMBO's birthday.
 
I just did a little experimenting with splenda. I bought the individual packets rather than the baking variety. Half a packet in a 12 oz. bottle had a bad aftertaste, but a quarter packet seemed fine, but a little sweeter. I bottled some beer bottles sweetened with about 1/4 packet, and some wine bottles with about 1/2 packet. We'll see how they turn out. At these levels it will be just a little sweeter. If you're going for Woodchuck sweet, the aftertaste from splenda is going to kill the flavor (unless you're used to it).

Now for a question: Is there a consensus on bulk vs. bottle aging? What about the use of buckets for long aging? I have a batch in a bucket and I have read that they are slightly oxygen permeable, so I was planning to bottle at 4 weeks or so and age further. Can I just leave it in the bucket? If bottling at that stage won't hurt, I'll just get another batch going a little sooner!
 
tennesseean_87 said:
I just did a little experimenting with splenda. I bought the individual packets rather than the baking variety. Half a packet in a 12 oz. bottle had a bad aftertaste, but a quarter packet seemed fine, but a little sweeter. I bottled some beer bottles sweetened with about 1/4 packet, and some wine bottles with about 1/2 packet. We'll see how they turn out. At these levels it will be just a little sweeter. If you're going for Woodchuck sweet, the aftertaste from splenda is going to kill the flavor (unless you're used to it).

Now for a question: Is there a consensus on bulk vs. bottle aging? What about the use of buckets for long aging? I have a batch in a bucket and I have read that they are slightly oxygen permeable, so I was planning to bottle at 4 weeks or so and age further. Can I just leave it in the bucket? If bottling at that stage won't hurt, I'll just get another batch going a little sooner!
Click to expand...

So- Splenda is supposed to be volume for volume the same as sugar. It's obviously not comparable as to weight. So for for 5 gal? (0.25 x 54 = 13.5 tsp / 3 / 4.5 tablespoons = 1/4 c. + 2 tsp) That seems reasonable, thinking about doing this for my batch....
 
In the batch I just started in a translucent bucket with hefe yeast (3056) there is a krausen ring after 2 days!

Anyone have thoughts on the limits of bulk aging in a bucket?
 
I've left batches in bucket for several months with no issues, and in plastic carboy for up to 5-6 months at a time. The gaseous permeability of the substance is largely overrated; there are plenty of reasons to age in glass, but oxidation is absolutely not one of them.
 
smagee said:
I've left batches in bucket for several months with no issues, and in plastic carboy for up to 5-6 months at a time. The gaseous permeability of the substance is largely overrated; there are plenty of reasons to age in glass, but oxidation is absolutely not one of them.
Click to expand...

Is the issue the wide headspace in a bucket as opposed to the narrow neck of a carboy? If so, could I rack back into the apple juice bottles once fermentation is complete for some more semi-bulk aging before finally bottling?
 
Well, that statement was meant to be an offhand remark more than anything else, and would've been better phrased as "I can think of several reasons one might prefer aging on glass", but I can list a couple that would come to mind.
  • Glass doesn't absorb flavor the way that plastic does, so letting a (particularly strong) brew sit on it for extended periods won't impact future batches.
  • Glass is easier to sanitize completely
  • Better Bottles (and their kin) can be prone to cracking, especially as they age. While glass is (obviously) breakable as well, it's usually a result of dropping it.
  • Glass ... um... feels classier?

For what it's worth, I don't even own any glass carboys; any aging I do is usually in the bottle or keg, and that's largely due to the fact that I have more empty bottles than I do empty buckets, more often than not. My post was intended to point out that oxygen permeability shouldn't be a concern when selecting between the two, and not so much to state that glass is still my preference (as it certainly isn't) :mug:.
 
tennesseean_87 said:
Is the issue the wide headspace in a bucket as opposed to the narrow neck of a carboy? If so, could I rack back into the apple juice bottles once fermentation is complete for some more semi-bulk aging before finally bottling?
Click to expand...

That is a concern many folks have, although if you're not agitating the bucket at all, a nice blanket of CO2 should be on top of the liquid protecting it from oxygen anyway. I don't see any reason you couldn't rack into the original juice bottles, provided you sanitize them properly. You might want to check them periodically to ensure that they're not still building up pressure from extended lingering fermentation, though.
 
My impressions after my first few glasses:

Love it. Definitely drink it cold. everyone asks for a description of taste, so I will attempt to describe it.

The initial taste is of bitterness, but it is quickly replaced by a slightly appley white wine taste, followed by the carbonation and leaving you with a final taste that is much like a fine tart wine. It almost drinks like a crisp, slightly bitter beer.
 
I love glass personally and knock on wood have never broken one. That said, I've historically used a rubbermaid carrier setup with cut funnoodles for padding (turns out it's easy to do water baths too). After catching up on a backlog of "Brewing TV" I swiped the idea of using milk crates from one of the episodes but I may still go with a square of foam rubber underneath for insurance (and maybe around it too if it fits). Looks like it would be SO MUCH EASIER to move around. Possibly even moreso than the brew hauler straps I've been debating on getting for a while now at a fraction of the price.

That said, one of the batches I did that didn't turn out well was in a bucket, I wonder if that was part of the reason.
 
Just tried a batch after ~8 weeks in the primary- it still has the rhino farts smell when you pour it. Anyone have the same problem? Would degassing the apfelwein help with the smell a little?
 
h0rse27 said:
Just tried a batch after ~8 weeks in the primary- it still has the rhino farts smell when you pour it. Anyone have the same problem? Would degassing the apfelwein help with the smell a little?
Click to expand...

Don't know about after it's developed, but use 1 tsp of yeast nutrient/gallon to not have rhino farts. That's worked like a charm for me thus far. I've seen a few other people it's worked for throughout the thread - it's where I got the idea.
 
im sure it is in this thread somewhere, but even using search, 800+ pages turns up a lot of info to sort through.

i made a batch last night, going by the original instructions. i just realized i have some Wyeast Brewer's Choice Nutrient Blend sitting here, would this improve things at all if i added some to the carboy, or is this more for beer yeast? when adding, do you boil a small amount of water with the nutrient, then add, or just dump straight in?
 
Okay, my 5 gallons of apfelwein, faithful to the original recipe except for the cote des blancs yeast, is fermenting now.

Do I add these 5 gallons to the how many brewed thread now or when it's done? :mug:
 
Veedo said:
im sure it is in this thread somewhere, but even using search, 800+ pages turns up a lot of info to sort through.

i made a batch last night, going by the original instructions. i just realized i have some Wyeast Brewer's Choice Nutrient Blend sitting here, would this improve things at all if i added some to the carboy, or is this more for beer yeast? when adding, do you boil a small amount of water with the nutrient, then add, or just dump straight in?
Click to expand...

I just dump it in. Haven't had any infection issues... the alcohol gets pretty high pretty quickly anyways.

Not only can you use it, I strongly recommend using it. I've been saying all along that nutrient has eliminated the rhino farts, and that's the nutrient I've been using.
 
After asking around, the consensus seemed to be balanced nutrient or or energizer good, DAP bad. From personal experience the DAP will eliminate the rhino farts but can apparently strain the yeast leaving really off flavors. A balanced one should get around that problem.
 
I did mine per instruction, and my Rhino Farts weren't bad at all. Granted, my carboy is in a well ventilated room and I actually used some aplfelkorn I had on hand in the airlock. I literally had to sniff the airlock to catch a scent of sulfur. Looking back at my brew log (yes, I'm one of those), I started smelling sulfur on Day 2 about 51 hours after I pitched my yeast. It faded completely by Day 11, started dissipating on Day 8. It was never particularly bad, but it's not like I was closed in with it in a 500 sq ft apartment or something. I could walk through the room and not smell it.

I actually took a sample today, which is Day 39. It was 1.004, completely clear and lighter in color than Strongbow. I really don't know what everyone is talking about when they say that it's "SO" bitter fresh out of the carboy. :confused: Granted, I'm an IPA fan, but at this point mine tastes slightly bitter with a little bit of green apple, and a very small amount of residual sweetness. The alcohol "bite" is noticeable, but it's not bad at ALL. Now, when I tried a sample @ 1.015, it was like rubbing alcohol. ;) Seems like it's on par with where it should be.

I think I'll bottle next Monday or Tuesday with some Xylitol, Cider Extract and priming sugar. Hopefully it'll be carbed up by Christmas (not that it'll really be "drinkable" per say).
 
Well, I was doing some spring cleaning this afternoon in my brewing room and come across a 6 pack of 2 year old apfelwein. I have always loved it and usually make 10 or 15 gallons a year, but having it sit in a bottle carbonated for 2 years makes it absolutely amazing. I would suggest anyone who can bottle out of a keg to take a 6 pack or so out of a batch and hide it, I promise you that it will be worth it when you come across it again.

Chromados
 
What can I say about Apfelwein? After 5 weeks, its totally WOW!!! Using EC-1118 yeast, it turned out excellent. Its just like an alcoholic apple soda, damn tasty! I took Ed's advice and waited to reserve judgment till my 3rd glass, but all I could do was slur Ed you mother#%&*er, this stuff is freaking awesome!
 

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