epfelwein more of a wine ?

[illnastyimpreza]

so we just bottled our batch of Apfelwein. I poured a glass and stuck it in the freezer to get cold. and might I say its quite nice ! BUT... it tastes more like an apple wine than a "beer". I hope that once its carbonated and aged a bit it will taste better, but honestly I was expecting something a little thicker.

would using Cider and DME on the next batch create a thicker fuller boddied apple beer ?

 

[ChshreCat]

That'd be why it's apfelwein and not apfelbeir.

 

[Jester369]

Yep - wine, not beer, as the recipe is supposed to be

 

[BigKahuna]

HOWEVER...If you pour it all in on a nice fresh beer yeast cake where you left plenty of hops in the trub....and then add a 1/2 oz of EKG to the fermentor as a dry hop....you'll find that you're right in the neighborhood of an apple flavored BMC!

 

[illnastyimpreza]

hah I should have known

 

[fratermus]

I hope that once its carbonated and aged a bit it will taste better, but honestly I was expecting something a little thicker.

AW is quite thin; it is common for the FG to be under 1.000.

You might want to do a pale, lightly hopped beer and then through a few pounds of crushed apples in the secondary. There are probably threads/recipes like that. I think someone was talking about just the peels in the secondary a few days back.

 

[Throckmorton]

I was just thinking of this myself. My thought is to do an extract with 3 lbs light DME in two gallons of water with a mild bitter hop, boil and cool. Then, instead of topping off with water, top off with three gallons of apple juice and maybe some spices, then pitch an ale yeast. Hmmmmm....

 

[Kilgore_Trout]

I was just thinking of this myself. My thought is to do an extract with 3 lbs light DME in two gallons of water with a mild bitter hop, boil and cool. Then, instead of topping off with water, top off with three gallons of apple juice and maybe some spices, then pitch an ale yeast. Hmmmmm....

That's going to be pretty dry, not sure if I'd use that much juice but it's just me. 3 gallons is going to add a lot of fermentables.

 

[Throckmorton]

I just put together a batch of Ed Wort's apfelwein. I haven't tasted it yet obviously... won't happen until the end of next month. I may just start out by adding 2# of DME instead of the 2# of corn sugar called for in the recipe. Might also try an ale yeast. I guess I'd like to move in increments from extremely dry (Ed's) to progressively maltier with heavier mouthfeel.

 

[Kilgore_Trout]

I just put together a batch of Ed Wort's apfelwein. I haven't tasted it yet obviously... won't happen until the end of next month. I may just start out by adding 2# of DME instead of the 2# of corn sugar called for in the recipe. Might also try an ale yeast. I guess I'd like to move in increments from extremely dry (Ed's) to progressively maltier with heavier mouthfeel.

Both the DME and a multitude of yeasts have been tried, with mixed results. I can't find much using search at the moment but look around.

If you want an "apple beer" just make a beer and add apple, seems like the more logical way to go about it.

I've got a batch of apfelwein finishing up that I brewed with 3068 (weizen) yeast, so far it's tasty but it hasn't really conditioned long enough for me to say "better" definitely more fruit taste though.

 

[Throckmorton]

I've done some searching already. I did see a poster (name escapes me) that tried a whole bunch of different yeast strains, including the weizen. I think the weizen is a good idea because of the banana/clove notes. I look forward to experimenting in the future... especially because this stuff is so easy to make.

 

[illnastyimpreza]

so If I use cider, ale yeast and DME, do I need to add hops ???

 

[Throckmorton]

You don't HAVE to use hops. I suppose it would depend on how much to the beer side you want your "cider". I you are going the route of 5 gallons cider, 2 lbs DME, and ale yeast... I would hold off on the hops. On the other hand, you could make a wort from some mild hops, 5-6 lbs of DME, 1-2 gallons of apple juice. There isn't any right or wrong way... just what you like.

 

[illnastyimpreza]

ok cool. I guess I just gotta try it out !