Another German Delicacy - Federweisser

[Oakwoodforge]

Quick Question, What is the best temp to ferment Federweißer at ?


Jens

 

[EdWort]

Well, the German Mother-in-Law is in town for the holidays, so she said she would make some of her famous Zwiebelkuchen if I would make a batch of Federweisser. I had picked up a few cans of Alexander's Johannisburg Riesling concentrate, so I made a 2.5 gallon batch. Brain dead simple. Clean bucket, 2.2 gallons of water, 1 can of concentrate, 2.5 cups white sugar, some acid blend, yeast nutrient, and yeast. Stir well and wait a few days. I put it in a 3 gallon corny and now it is on tap. SWMBO is in heaven.

Here it is. The Federweisser is still fermenting in the glass. You can see very tiny bubbles rising to the surface.

The Onion cake is awesome! I expect fireworks tonight!

 

[Silviakitty]

That is _gorgeous_.

 

[CBBaron]

Ed,
You've not mentioned Eiswein (Ice Wine) yet. Had some in Toronto once but know the history of it came from Germany. Cool how it's made. Outrageously expensive. How much for a quality bottle over there?

FYI - Not homebrewer achievable...

http://www.winesofcanada.com/icewine.html

EDIT - After an internet search the price was a lot more in the 80's. I was out to dinner with a president of a canadian corporation where he bought two bottles for dinner @ $300 a pop.

The Niagara region of Canada has become the capital of ice wine due to the climate that favors growing but with fairly early and cold winters. I think the majority of the worlds icewine is made in this region and the prices are probably better in Toronto than in most of the world.
It is something you can do at home http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/2,1112.html
There are several ice wine kits available. The key is that the juice is concentrated on the vine by allowing the grapes to freeze before harvesting. The price is high because there is less juice harvested and there is a good chance of the grapes spoiling before harvest if weather is not right.
I'm not sure if the kits use juice harvested in the tradition way or if it is concentrated with mechanical means.

Back on topic: That onion pie(cake) looks awesome. I may have to try the federweisser. Any other wines you would recommend? I don't see that my HBS has the Riesling, however they do have GEWURTZTRAMINER and LIEBFRAUMILCH.

Craig

 

[EdWort]

Update on kegging Federweiser. After 3 days of fermenting at 68-73 degrees (the swing between night & day), I had SWMBO taste it. She said it was good, but not sweet enough. Wow, after 3 days, too much of the sweetness had fermented out. So, I stirred in about 18 ounces of simple sugar syrup and had her taste it again. This time it is spot on. Super!

So I sansitized a 3 gallon corny, purged with CO2, and poured the 2.5 gallon batch into the corny with my sanitized big funnel. Easiest kegging I have ever done.

I put it in my keggerator to chill. Now, since this is still fermenting, albeit much slower, I don't have to connect any gas to the keg to dispense it. It self dispenses from the CO2 given off while fermenting. Pretty cool. I do have to vent the keg once a day, otherwise I get too much foam, but otherwise, SWMBO & her German Mom think this is just like the stuff in Germany during the grape harvest.

 

[bkvail]

Your onion cake looks FANTASTIC! Is it made from the same recipe that you posted?

I wonder if you can make the Federweisser similar from white grape juice concentrate? If not, I'll have to make yet *another* trip to my wine store (darnit! LOL!)

 

[EdWort]

Your onion cake looks FANTASTIC! Is it made from the same recipe that you posted?

Yep, but the German Mother-in-Law used the wrong cake pan. Normally it is done as a sheet cake.

 

[EdWort]

Here's a great video on Federweisse and Zwiebelkuchen.

Video: Federweißer und Zwiebelkuchen | Abendschau | Bayerisches Fernsehen | BR

 

[david_42]

Great stuff! I love the way the flavor changes from day to day.

 

[kdall070]

My husband is from Germany...his parents still live in the Pfalz, and we have been longing for Federweißer. I found this thread through Google. I have followed your recipe and have my fingers crossed...I'm hoping nothing explodes in my basement from this little experiment.

I'm a total and complete noob at this brewing thing (which I've found to be quite fun!), and have learned more through the process...but I have 2 questions.

I'm familiar with Federweißer as I almost exploded a liter bottle the first time i drank it...capped it too tight and put it back in the fridge. I have made mine in an Ale Pail with saran wrap and holes poked through it...ok, stop laughing...but now I have read more about fermentation locks since I started this process...not exactly sure what those go on yet, but I know what they look like. Anyway, my husband's father spoke to their neighbor who is a vitner, and he said that the saran wrap method should be just fine. I fear I am going get a nice case of botulism. I'm worried about air/bacteria getting in and debating if I should toss this batch and redo. Next time I do this, what do you recommend I brew it in...or is my ale pail and saran wrap concoction ok? (I did the sterilization)

My second question is regarding the yeast and serving. I'm stirring it every day. When day 7 finally arrives, do you wait until the yeast settles? I have a spigot on the pail, but I'm assuming i should scoop from the top of the pail rather then getting all the yeast at the bottom with the spigot or stirring first.

 

[EdWort]

I don't wait till the yeast settles, I start drinking it around day 6 or 7. I rack right to a keg then chill and serve. I vent the keg each day, but there is still enough pressure to dispense.

 

[EdWort]

I'm making another 2.5 gallon batch of Federweisser tomorrow. I'll post some pics.

1 can of Alexanders Sun Country Riesling Concentrate
5.5 cans of cold water (filtered)
2.5 cups cane sugar
1.5 tsp yeast nutrient
2 Tbs acid blend
1 packet of Lalvin D47 wine yeast.

I going to mix all the ingredients together in a 3 gallon Better Bottle and stir every day to keep the yeast from settling.

We'll drink it on Friday. Midwest has the supplies. 1 can makes a 2.5 gallon batch. Perfect for a party.

Riesling (Alexander's Sun Country Concentrates) - Alexander's White - Canned Wine Concentrates - Wine Ingredients

 

[odh2507]

Gonna have to give this a shot after the apfelwein

 

[WIMARIPA]

Any thoughts on using wines other than Riesling for this?

 

[DarkBrood]

Any thoughts on using wines other than Riesling for this?

I was curious about this myself, so I did some digging around. First, I found a nice entry from Wikipedia that includes a bunch of other potential search terms:

Federweißer (from German Feder = feather + weiß = white, from the appearance of the suspended yeast), is an alcoholic beverage, typically 4 percent alcohol by volume, but it's not uncommon to see Federweißer in the region of 10 percent alcohol by volume. It is the product of fermented freshly pressed grape juice, known as must. The term in principle includes all stages of fermentation from must to finished wine.

It is known as Suser, Sauser, Neuer Süßer, or Junger Wein (young wine) in Southwest Germany, Switzerland and South Tyrol, Fiederwäissen in Luxembourg, Sturm (storm, from the cloudy appearance) in Austria and Bavaria, Neuer Wein (new wine) in the Palatinate, Bremser in Franconia, burčiak in Slovakia, burčák in Czech Republic, bourru or vernache in France, must in Romania, "მაჭარი" (machari) in Georgia.

Once yeast has been added, grapes begin to ferment rapidly. The fructose contained in the grapes is broken down into alcohol and carbon dioxide (glycolysis). As soon as an alcohol content of four percent has been reached, Federweißer may be sold. It continues to ferment until all the sugar has been broken down and an alcohol content of about ten percent has been reached.

Due to the carbonation, Federweißer tastes quite refreshing, not unlike a light grape soda or a sweet sparkling wine. As fermentation progresses, however, Federweißer may increasingly assume a darker, often amber-like or light brown hue. In general, Federweißer is made from white grapes; when made from red grapes, the drink is called Federroter, 'Roter Sauser, or Roter Rauscher. Federroter is less common than Federweißer. Because of rapid fermentation, Federweißer can not be stored for long and should be consumed within a few days of purchase. As carbonic acid is constantly produced, the bottles can not be sealed airtight and have a permeable lid (they would burst otherwise). They must be stored in an upright position to allow the gas to continuously escape from the bottle and to prevent spilling.

Progressing fermentation was also a challenge in transporting bottled Federweisser over long distances before the advent of modern-day commercial traffic and refrigerated vehicles, the latter of which are needed to slow down the yeast's metabolism during transport. Therefore, in the old days, Federweisser was almost exclusively available (and, for the most part, known) in and around wine-growing regions.

Depending on the date of the grape harvest, it is available from early September to late October, and is generally served together with hearty, savoury food. The classic combination is Federweißer and Zwiebelkuchen, although Federweißer and chestnuts is also popular. It also tastes good with many kinds of meat.[citation needed]

Federweißer contains yeast, lactic acid bacteria, and a large amount of vitamin B1 and B2.

I found this additional note, which helps to explain the role that federweisser plays in the traditional grape harvest:

In general, Federweißer is made from white grapes; red grapes are only rarely used. In general, it is made from grapes that lack the potential to produce a wine of high quality. .......It has a positive influence on digestion.

I also find this definition in the Glossary of Swiss Wine Terms at swisswine.chL

Federweisser - Name given in German Switzerland to the white wine issued from the Pinot Noir.

From laughinglemon.ch, we have some more descriotion and a as-yet-unmentioned variation, the Dôle Blanche:

If you come across a Federweisser or Weissherbst, then you have a young refreshing Pinot Noir which was bottled from red grapes that were so gently pressed they resemble white wine. For this style of wine, always choose the youngest vintage as they are best when consumed young.

The well-known Dôle from Wallis is always a blend of at least 85% Pinot Noir and Gamay. The remaining 15% can be a mix of any red variety. To make things a bit more confusing, from the 85% blend, at least 51% must be Pinot Noir. A Dôle Blanche is made like a Federweisser - only it uses the same Dôle grape varieties.

Only an indirect mention, but the 2006 Vintner Crop Report is interesting in the prevalence that federweisser plays in Germany:

The forecast is good for Germany's 2006 vintage, given the current condition of the vines. The relatively cool spring time damped initial expectations but vine growth accelerated in July's sunny spell. The German Wine Institute (DWI) has confirmed that the vines have reached a healthy level of development, in line with the average.

The grapes benefited from rainfall at the beginning of August after the very dry conditions of the previous month. At the moment the winemakers are looking forward to stable, sunny weather and a golden October which will allow the grapes to reach a high level of ripeness.

The early ripening varieties of white grape have already been picked for the production of Federweißer (lightly fermented grape juice). The main harvest for grape varieties such as Müller-Thurgau, Dornfelder or Weißburgunder, will start in mid-September. Germany's most important grape variety Riesling is normally left on the vine until October or November. This long ripening period allows development of the intense aromas characteristic of this variety.

All in all, the grapes in the German wine regions are healthy, leading to predictions of a good German vintage 2006.

As federweisser is described as being local to southwestern Germany, parts of Austria, and parts of Italy, I looked at the common grape varieties that these regions are known for. For southwest Germany, I looked at the grapes grown in the Baden, Palatinate/Rheinpfalz, and Wurttemburg regions. In Austria, I looked at Vorarlberg and Tyrol. In Italy, I considered the Piedont, Trentino-Sudtyrol, Aosta Valley, and Lombardy regions.

Germany: Dornfelder, Gutedel/Chasselas, Kerner, Lemberger/Blaufrankisch, Muller-Thurgau/Rivaner, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Portugesier, Riesling, Trollinger
Austria: Muller-Thurgau/Rivaner, Riesling Italico
Italy: Barbera, Blac de Morgex, Brachetto, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cortese, Croatina, Dolcetto, Gamay, Garganega, Gewurtztraminer, Gropello, Lagrein, Malvasia, Marzemino, Merlot, Molinara, Moscato, Muller-Thurgau/Rivaner, Nebbiolo, Petit Rouge, Pinot Blanco, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Riesling Italico, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Schiava, Sylvaner, Tocai Friuliano, Trebbiano, Uva Rara, Vespolina

Quite a list for Italy...most of that is in the Lombardy region (heavily influenced by its neighbors). Looking at the general area and considering common varietals that would be accessible as concentrates in the US, I see Pinots and Rieslings as the clear strong choices for highest authenticity (Gewurztraminer could work well too). Several of the areas also mentions a local prevalence for making white-colored wines with carefully handled pinot noir grapes...this may be a prime candidate for a federroter! For a more Italian (or less German) version, CabSauv, Chardonnay, Nebbiolo, and SauvBlanc could be good choices.

Please share the results of your experiments! :fro:

 

[anton2g]

Is there a way to stop the fermentation and bottle it to enjoy it later?