Man, I love Apfelwein

I started 2, 1 gallon batches this morning. It looks like I filled one of the carboys a little high. It's starting to foam into the airlock. Should I just let be or extract some of the liquid from the carboy?

Thanks!

 

I would remove some of the liquid so it does not get explosive on you. Play it safe

 

Totally agree. I filled mine to full when I started and the same thing happened. Thank god my wife was home. She took some out and all was well.

 

Hahahaha......don't sweat it. The nutrient should cut the smell of the gas output (farts) and help you finish drier, without it, you'll still ferment out just fine.

 

My 5 gallon batch fermented very strongly for 5 days and then it quickly slowed down. Just for good measure, I decided to toss 1/2 teaspoon extra of Montrachet dry yeast into my 5 gallon carboy of apfelwein and... Whoa! ...within about 60 seconds it started to boil very rapidly. I pulled off the air lock to let it breathe for a minute and then it boiled over some foam and then finally calmed down after about 10 minutes of going absolutely nuts! Does anyone have any idea why this happened? It seemed like the existing yeast culture in the wine went into a cannibalistic frenzy (or something) eating the newly added powdered yeast before it even had a chance to hydrate. Also, does anyone know if it's OK to do a late addition of yeast such as this to jumpstart a stuck fermentation?

 

By adding the dry yeast to an already active fermentation you provided nucleation sites for the CO2 that was dissolved in the mixture. This instantly enabled the CO2 to form bubbles which led to what you experienced. Isn't science fun?

 

Yup...like Mentos to Diet Coke....

 

My lovely young wife just decided she likes the 1118 over the montrachet. Unfortunately I just put 4 gallons w/montrachet inthe 65deg basement. W/1# dark brown sugar. As soon as I get a new fermenter, the lavin hits the basement too.

 

Sounds like a good answer. Yep, science is fun Thanks!

 

Just kegged mine after almost 6 months in the basement. I'm a little worried that I shouldn't have left it on the yeast that long, but I suppose I will find out. It's now in the kegerator carbing up. I took a sample, but that was a "bottom-of-the-carboy" sample with a lot of suspended yeast in it. Dry, drinkable, a bit yeasty, but not exceptional. When it cools, carbs, and clarifies I hope that the flavor will be a bit better. I'll bet that SWMBO will like mixing it with Sprite; she's a big Woodchuck fan.

 

An update on the failed 3056 batch: It's been bottled for a week backsweetened with cane sugar and flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg. The bottles I have tested seem to have just slightly started to carbonate. I'm keeping them in the basement which is still about 60 degrees, and they are ~10% ABV, so that probably explains the slow carbing. That's also pushing the yeast's alcohol tolerance, so I may not have to do the stove-top pasteurization. I hope it carbs up substantially, though. The taste is pretty good, though!

 

no need for sulfites right????

 

Nope. It'll keep just fine on its own.

 

Just checked on thursdays batch, and its bubbling nicely. 4 gallons local apple juice, 1 # dark brown sugar, 4 tsp yeast nutrient, and one packet montrachet. My (amateurish) measurement was 1.064. We shall see.

 

5 gallons TreeTop apple juice, 5 tsp yeast nutrient, one packet montrachet, 2 lbs dextrose.



Now the wait!

 

Sorry if this has been asked before, I haven't had time to read through all 9000 posts yet. Is this sensitive to oxygen like beer is? I ask because I have been offered a couple of 5 gallon water bottles and I am thinking of using them for this so I won’t have to tie up my carboys for months at a time.

Thanks.

 

What is the number on the bottom? If its number 7(likely) they are no good. Number 1 or 2 is essentially the same as a better bottle.

 

I just went and picked the bottles up, and they are #7. Looks like I will have to find something else to do with them.

 

I have 2 #7s that I measure brew water with.

 

i am using a 100 year old recipie of elderberry wine. wich i have some 1988 left. kick __s... as you can see by my typing. trying to duplicate and make others. thanks for a sight to talk!!!!!!

 

A moist towel over your airlock will trap the fart smell in the towel. It only lasts for a few days.

How much do you fin yourselves thieving? I can't keep myself for going back for one thief at a time on a daily basis.

 

Go to Lowes and pick up one of their Lowes white 5 gallon buckets. They are $4.97 for the bucket and $1.47 for the air tight lid. They are food grade. I have one that I drilled out the top for an airlock, and added a spigot and use it just for the cider.

The buckets are also great for storing grain.

 

My first batch is coming up on one month in the fermenter. The airlocks smells fantastic. I used Aldi brand 100% apple juice that was very reasonable. The 5 gallons of juice cost me somewhere around $17.

 

Good for beer too? i.e. limited to no oxygen into it through the plastic?

 

^ yea. Same as you would get from the brew shop

 

Exactly. And since the Apfelwein doesn't foam up, you only need a 5 gallon bucket that has a little head space. Plus, two and a half of these hold a 50lb sack of 2 row.

 

I got some blowoff with rc212, but I hear montrachet is pretty calm.

 

After fermentation stops and it clears would it be fine to age it in 1 gallon apple juice bottles (plastic)? I think I can fill them up with very little head space to prevent oxidation.

 

A follow up to the questions I previously asked. I was hoping to bottle my batch of Apfelwein tonight but I'm not sure if it is still fermenting. FYI: I followed EdWort's directions 100% and the fermentor has been steady at 67F the entire time.

I made this batch on 2/20. I checked the gravity on 3/19 (28 days later) and it was only 1.006. That seemed a bit high considering some of the posts I've read in this thread. It tasted great! Little tart. Pale yellow and a little cloudy. Still some residual sweetness. A few helpful replies told me I should wait so I did. Then...

I checked the gravity today (37 days later) and it was 1.004. It was pale yellow and much clearer. Not really cloudy at all. It was much tarter and definitely drier. When I filled the cylinder it was noticeably carbonated. It went away after a few minutes and you couldn't taste the carbonation when sampling. It tasted great too. I put two ice cubes in it and splashed some apple juice on it and SWMBO loved it! However, as I said I was hoping to bottle it tonight.

So, the questions I'm posing to the experienced Apfelwein brewers out there are
1) Is it normal for my batch to be still fermenting this long after I pitched the yeast? 2) Is it normal to have the carbonation I observed while testing the gravity?
3) Do most people check their gravity on their Apfelwein? and finally
4) If my gravity is the same on Friday I plan on bottling, is 1.004 an uncommonly high gravity for this recipe?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

I have three batches underway and am answering based on brewing knowledge rather than specific knowledge. If your SG has held steady that long I'd say it's done. I don't think the carbonation issue is serious and a little agitation will remove it. I personally would go ahead and bottle it.

 

This is my 4th time making variations of this recipe and your little tip has helped me so much! I've always used nutrient to no prevail, and got pretty bad rhino farts. Im 3 days in and don't smell a thing thanks to you. My gf and I thank you!

 

Ed says not to bottle above 1.000 to avoid bottle bombs

 

I've made three batches, but only finished one.

My first batch was completely clear after 4 weeks. I took no gravity readings. I Just let it clear completely. I bottled some a couple bombers, then kegged the rest. I ferment in a closet and the temp is 70-72*. I would wait until it is crystal clear to bottle.

I did take readings on my current two batches,but only out of curiosity because I messed up. No scale, so when I was dividing my 4# bag up, the batches weren't completely even. Not a big difference or enough that I was worried, but enough to pique my curiosity...

 

How long after the "rhino farts" stop does it take for the sulpher smell and taste to condition out of the apfelwein?

 

No idea about the taste, these batches have quite a while to go before they are tasted. The smell was gone within a week, though.

 

Started getting the rhino farts. Came up with this idea. I remembered someone smoking pot in college and exhaling into a paper tube filled with cotton balls and dryer sheets to kill the smoke and smell. I thought the same should work for a stinky fermenter.

So this is a toilet paper tube with one dryer sheet and a few cotton balls. Immediate reduction in stink. The toilet paper tube is only slightly bigger than the airlock so I used a bit of tape to seal the bottom since CO2 is heavier than air and will try to sneak out.






EDIT: I'd go paper towel tube to prevent any possibility of contact from the dryer sheet with the airlock just in case you have any suck back. You could have an inch or two of space, then cotton, then an inch before the dryer sheet, this prevents any direct contact with your airlock lid. I would not use this if you have a strong fermentation going and are spraying out of the airlock.

 

Lol...and who said you'd never learn anything smoking your way through college ;-)

 

Sigh. This stuff just doesn't want to be bottled. Guess I'll just have to wine thief a glass here and there until it's down to 1.000.

 

How long has it been fermenting?

 

Since Feb 20.