Tenthousandfeet
Member
After a very disappointing tasting of my first bottle yesterday, I've discovered that I have sixty four bottles of terrible apfelwein.
It's my second attempt at brewing. My first was a kit that turned out reasonably well, but this batch turned out not so well.
I followed the recipe posted here, although I couldn't get the Montrachet yeast locally and had to substitute a different packet of wine yeast ("for wine or cider" according to the label, though I can't remember the brand.) I used pure apple juice (from concentrate), with added ascorbic acid. I did a thorough job of sanitizing, or so I thought. I let it sit for one and a half weeks in the primary, two in the secondary, and it's been carbonating in bottles for almost two weeks now. The bottles are quite clear, though there is a good amount of sediment in the bottom.
The cider has a very musty taste and is totally undrinkable. I remember the same taste from a bottle of homemade wine a friend gave to me - wine he made himself from fruit. I sampled a taste while racking and bottling, and it had the same musty taste but to a much lesser extent.
Does anyone know where I went wrong?
It's my second attempt at brewing. My first was a kit that turned out reasonably well, but this batch turned out not so well.
I followed the recipe posted here, although I couldn't get the Montrachet yeast locally and had to substitute a different packet of wine yeast ("for wine or cider" according to the label, though I can't remember the brand.) I used pure apple juice (from concentrate), with added ascorbic acid. I did a thorough job of sanitizing, or so I thought. I let it sit for one and a half weeks in the primary, two in the secondary, and it's been carbonating in bottles for almost two weeks now. The bottles are quite clear, though there is a good amount of sediment in the bottom.
The cider has a very musty taste and is totally undrinkable. I remember the same taste from a bottle of homemade wine a friend gave to me - wine he made himself from fruit. I sampled a taste while racking and bottling, and it had the same musty taste but to a much lesser extent.
Does anyone know where I went wrong?