EdWort's Apfelwein question

[Righlander]

so I want to make EdWort's Apfelwein. I got the juice and the yeast. two problems though.
1: i have a big bag of dextrose but nothing to weigh it in.
2: all my glass carboys are full

is there another way to weigh 2 lbs of dextrose... like i dunno 2 cups or something?
and is it ok if i use my 7 gallon plastic fermenter to ferment it?

 

[Nurmey]

This is not terribly accurate but table sugar is 2 cups to a pound. I've only ever weighed dextrose but you should come close with a measuring cup.

If you don't have anything else I say use your bucket.

 

[Kilgore_Trout]

Do as nurmey said and measure the dextrose, I've used the measuring cup before and it's pretty close... it doesn't need to be super exact.

Buckets work fine

 

[Whisler85]

i wouldn't worry too much about weighing the sugar- unless you are using the exact same brand that edwort uses, chances are the gravity of the apple juice before you add the sugar isn't exactly the same

as far the plastic fermenter, when i made edwort's apfelwein i decided to transfer it to a secondary after about two weeks- i have since learned that it is better to leave apfelwein on the yeast longer, since you get a lot of the aroma and flavor from the yeast (in fact, when i poured the sediment layer out of the carboy, i could smell all the good apple smells going down the drain)

buckets are fairly permeable to oxygen, so if you want to leave the apfelwein on the yeast for a while, id do primary in a glass carboy

can anyone back me up/disagree?

 

[Righlander]

This is not terribly accurate but table sugar is 2 cups to a pound. I've only ever weighed dextrose but you should come close with a measuring cup.

If you don't have anything else I say use your bucket.

so the recipe calls for 2 pounds of dextrose. how many cups is that roughly?

 

[Righlander]

also, I do have a glass carboy empty... BUT It's a 5 gal carboy. I usually use a 6 1/2 carboy for primary. kind of scared to use a 5 gal for primary seeing how it's a 5 gal batch... no room for activity. what do ya think?

 

[dontman]

also, I do have a glass carboy empty... BUT It's a 5 gal carboy. I usually use a 6 1/2 carboy for primary. kind of scared to use a 5 gal for primary seeing how it's a 5 gal batch... no room for activity. what do ya think?

Not a problem at all. There is no kraeusen per se. Assuming you are using a cider yeast or a wine yeast of course. I do my ciders in 5 G carboys and fill them to the neck.

 

[Righlander]

Not a problem at all. There is no kraeusen per se. Assuming you are using a cider yeast or a wine yeast of course. I do my ciders in 5 G carboys and fill them to the neck.

Ok then. Thanks! I will use the 5g

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Just to add my 2.5 cents.
Using a plastic bucket for a month long primary is fine as long as it seals well.
Even using a super active yeast, there is little build-up / blowoff when making ciders. If your worried about it, use a blowoff tube and if it is actually used take a picture of it and post it. It will be a first for me with a cider.
Longer is better with the primary, depending on the yeast, my need for the pale/carboy I shoot for 1.5 months, I want it clearing before I rack to secondary or the keg, once again depending on the recipe and yeast.
My last cider I used WLP300, in primary for 6 weeks, then secondary for a week, crash cooled and in the keg. Taste great but gives me a kick in the head the next morning if I drink more than 2 glasses. That should mellow in time.

 

[mmb]

If you followed Ed's directions to use the Montrachet yeast you'll be fine in a 5 gallon carboy. It doesn't krausen so much as just form a thin layer of bubbles.

 

[uncleozzy]

If you followed Ed's directions to use the Montrachet yeast you'll be fine in a 5 gallon carboy. It doesn't krausen so much as just form a thin layer of bubbles.

Yep. Don't tell anybody, but I fermented almost 2.5 gallons in a 2.5 gallon #2 water jug with a piece of tin foil instead of an airlock, and it seems to be fine after almost a month. This is one of those things that I'll probably have fermenting constantly in every nook and cranny from now on.

 

[GroovePuppy]

Currently have just shy of 5gallons in a 5g carboy with Pasteur yeast. Only slight krausen.

If you have a bag of sugar I assume it's a 4lb bag? You could just get two bowls and add one cup at a time to each to split it reasonably accurately.

 

[jldc]

I thought I would add a few of my noob questions here:

- You don't boil the bottled apple juice at all?

- Is Abfelwein ready to drink immediately after bottling if you aren't carbing it, or does it need several weeks in the bottle?

- I don't know if I want it carbonated or not. I'm thinking of carbonating half of a 5 gallon batch. Can I just siphon half of it directly from primary into bottles, then siphon the rest into a bottling bucket with half a dose of priming sugar?

Thanks

 

[mmb]

Apfelwein, to Ed's recipe, is a dry apple wine and as such gets better with age.

You don't boil the juice at all. Just like making wine. Dump and go.

You can drink it straight away, but it is generally accepted that it gets better with age. I have some that is 6 years old (juice, dextrose, nottingham) that is very good.

I'd siphon half into the bottling bucket and bottle without sugar, than mix your half dose of priming sugar and siphon the rest from the fermentor into the bottling bucket.

When I tried bottling off the fermentor I always picked up junk from the trub level.

 

[Righlander]

ok i used 4 cups of dextrose. filled the 5g carboy up close to the neck. so i'm going to leave it in the primary for 6 weeks then bottle. i want it to be carbonated so should prime with 3/4 cups dextrose? also, anyone ever make it non carbonated? if so how is it?

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Apfelwein, I have some that is 6 years old (juice, dextrose, nottingham) that is very good.

Six years? Wow, that has just expanded my time line on first batch.
When would you recommend drinking the first bottle. (Mine is still bulk conditioning in a keg after
three months).

 

[ifishsum]

I started drinking my Apfelwein 8 weeks after I made it (4 fermenting and 4 in the bottle) and it's good. I don't doubt it will get better with age, but it's good now. My friends are crazy over it and I've got 2 more batches fermenting right now in spare carboys.

I did drink a pint of it at bottling time (before carbonation) and it was good, but I do prefer it carbonated.

 

[jp1316]

would it be alright if I fermented it at around 66F? I know it says to ferment it at 70 something but the only place in my apt with constant temp control is where I have all of my other beers fermenting/aging.

 

[ifishsum]

Should be fine, I have one going at 66 and it's been bubbling like crazy all week.

 

[springer]

I make smaller batches as I have a butt load of 4 gallon #1 pete water bottles. I just pour in some corn sugar from a 5 pound bag dont really measure it or anything, been using notty yeast and there is little if any head room like maybe 2 inches never had a blow off as there is little foaming to begine with. I am going to add some Fragole strawberry liquor at the end after I kill off the yeast with some Potassium Sorbate.


my first batch is just about ready as I did it in early June.

 

[GroovePuppy]

Mine has started to clarify. Bubbled solidly at 66F for three weeks! :rockin:

Hopefully I can bottle this weekend or next and drink some uncarbed.

 

[camiller]

... i'm going to leave it in the primary for 6 weeks ...

If it hasn't cleared at 6 weeks wait a little longer. Ed's recpie says bottle when clear.

 

[Righlander]

whoa, update remember how i had it in a 5g carboy? well there was some foam that almost made it to the airlock. luckily it tamed down just before it did. now it bubbling very rapidly.seems to be going swell! i got it fermenting at 70f.

 

[Righlander]

If it hasn't cleared at 6 weeks wait a little longer. Ed's recpie says bottle when clear.

Oh yes good point. I won't bottle it till it's clear.