Apfelwein question

i have a 5 gallon batch of apfelwein going on 3 months. I have tried it and it has hardly any flavor or body to it. It smells good but the taste is blah. I was wondering if there is anything i can add to it or should i just let it bulk age? Thanks for the help.

 

I'm with you here. Mine had been in the primary for 3 months, so I figured it was time. Tasted it, and all I can describe it as is a very watery white wine flavor. Has no body either. Drank a couple glasses and it's got a kick, but just boring in taste. Bottled it in hopes that it'll taste better down the road.

 

It tastes better sweetened, brings back some of the natural flavors. I've got a bunch that I didn't do anything with besides bottle and as a wine it was pretty unimpressive. I started putting it over ice in a regular glass with a teaspoon or two of sugar and my didn't those bottles go fast :laugh:

I've got a 5g batch that I let sit in the carboy for a couple months before I stabilized and then sweetened and it began fermenting like crazy. I let it finish and has been sitting for a few more months, just stabilized tonight and will sweeten again in a couple days. Alc is going to be high, but assuming it tastes good, hell I don't plan on driving anyway

 

I did not really care for it when fermented with Champagne yeast. Try it next time with Nottingham, it yields a little more body and apple flavor. I just started one with t-58. We'll see how that turns out...

 

I have the exact same outcome with my apfelwein. Some people have said that bottle ageing will improve the flavor. We will see.

 

so last week i racked mine over a 48oz. bottle of Pom Wonderful Blueberry Pomegranate juice.....Holy cow this stuff turned from bad to amazing. I will bottle soon and let it age awhile. Cant wait for this cause the sample i had was amazing.

 

To add mouthfeel you can add glycerin... but I think it has to be stabilized. I'm not sure. To add body you can add some raisins (golden raisins won't change the color too much), but that will restart fermentation temporarily. Backsweetening with apple juice will bring all the delicious apple flavor right back, but you have to be sure it's really stabilized.

 

I had a box of bottles that wasin the back of my fermentation room that sat for a bit more than a year. The flavor of the Apfle wine with a year was amazing. I had another batch that had been bulk aging for a year and I mixed it half anf half with a straight mead that I had bulk aging for a while. The intial taste was really good-I can hardly wait to get six months on it to see how the flavors develope.