Man, I love Apfelwein
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Oh man!
Started my batch on 1/4/12 - drew a sample off last night and shared with the wife, it's already down to 1.000 and tastes great! Tempted to bottle this at a month, and then start another 5 gallon batch.
Any encouragement to keep this aging longer? So tempting to bottle as it tasted so good already.
Started my batch on 1/4/12 - drew a sample off last night and shared with the wife, it's already down to 1.000 and tastes great! Tempted to bottle this at a month, and then start another 5 gallon batch.
Any encouragement to keep this aging longer? So tempting to bottle as it tasted so good already.
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I have my first batch (only a gallon) in primary. I made it on 12-27-11, and it's been nice and clear for about a week now. I haven't drawn off a sample since it's just a gallon. I'm thinking I'm going to bottle it after a month so I can drink it and get the curiosity out of the way. I plan on carbing half of them to see which way I like best.. If I really like it I might then make a 5gal batch and let it age much longer.. I'm not a big wine drinker, and nor is my family. 5 gallons will last a long time!
tulsabrewdaddy
Well-Known Member
The SWMBO just made this using Mott's natural apple juice. it was about twice the cost of 100% juice, but it's the only one I could find that said no preservatives. What does everyone else use?
rico567
Well-Known Member
From what I can tell in this thread, all sorts of liquid expressed from apples. Some use juice.....I made my first batch in December, and I got 5 gal of late-season cider from the local orchard. They said it's a blend of 13 different apples, only flash-pasteurized, no preservatives. Actually made a light ring of krausen above the liquid level in the Better Bottle. Done now (FG: .998), but pretty cloudy, so I racked it to another BB and put in 6 drops of pectic enzyme in hopes it will clarify over the next 6 weeks. Whether it does or not, I'll bottle it in March, then sample a bottle a month to get some idea of when it peaks.
These are about three weeks old. The one gallon batch has one cup of dried Persian pomegranates. The pomegranates lost all their red color and look ghost white. They've given the batch a nice redish hue.
nukinfuts29
Well-Known Member
tulsabrewdaddy said:
I use regular motts, the miniscule amount of sorbate does not hinder or interfere with fermentation.
Grumpybumpy
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1776 said:
What is your fg?
I know i'll get **** for this but I don't like using the hydrometer
I'm a patient man so it shouldn't be a problem... at least I hope so
If you didn't use the "right" yeast, what was the wrong one you went with? I'm sure it'll be good regardless, but if you happen to hit on a strain that hasn't been listed in the thread yet, I'm sure we'd love to hear the results 
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I don't use a hydrometer if it's been sitting long enough. Right now my current batch has been sitting for a hair over 3 months so I'm not overly worried about the fg if it comes out tasting dry. I honestly don't remember if I even took a reading when I started it this time tbh
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I have a question that might have already been answered in this thread, but for obvious reasons I'm not going to read 902 pages to see. Here goes;
When I make this apfelwein can I just leave it on the yeast in the primary for extended aging (say 6 months or so), or would it be best to rack to secondary after 4-6 weeks?
When I make this apfelwein can I just leave it on the yeast in the primary for extended aging (say 6 months or so), or would it be best to rack to secondary after 4-6 weeks?
OpenContainer
Well-Known Member
Many folks bulk age in the primary for 6 months, but the recommended average seems to be three months and then bottle/keg age beyond age beyond that. There is no need to secondary it.
KWKSLVR
Well-Known Member
Tasting this stuff after 4 or 5 weeks doesn't really do you any good. I mean, I do it too, but the finished product is NOT sweet at all. For the record, it took mine over 5 weeks to clear. It ended up clearing on out around the 6 week mark, right on time.
If it's still cloudy and tastes sweet, fermentation isn't done, or your yeast stalled. Unless you dumped in a packet of expired yeast or you're trying to ferment in either an oven, or a freezer, fermentation just isn't done. If your fermenting this stuff at 65 degrees or something like that it WILL take longer than 6 weeks.
Buy a hydrometer people. They're like $8 and invaluable.
If it's still cloudy and tastes sweet, fermentation isn't done, or your yeast stalled. Unless you dumped in a packet of expired yeast or you're trying to ferment in either an oven, or a freezer, fermentation just isn't done. If your fermenting this stuff at 65 degrees or something like that it WILL take longer than 6 weeks.
Buy a hydrometer people. They're like $8 and invaluable
.BaddogBrewing
Active Member
Just opened a bottle I made thats 11 months old. I love this stuff after 6 months but this bottle was almost a year old. So much better! Good thing I have gallons of it! Time to tell the wife to stop giving it away.
Tasted at about 3 weeks into my batch, fermenting at around 67-68, and detected little to no sweetness, and had a gravity of right around 1.000 - the sample I drew off was pretty clear as well.Tasting this stuff after 4 or 5 weeks doesn't really do you any good. I mean, I do it too, but the finished product is NOT sweet at all. For the record, it took mine over 5 weeks to clear. It ended up clearing on out around the 6 week mark, right on time.
If it's still cloudy and tastes sweet, fermentation isn't done, or your yeast stalled. Unless you dumped in a packet of expired yeast or you're trying to ferment in either an oven, or a freezer, fermentation just isn't done. If your fermenting this stuff at 65 degrees or something like that it WILL take longer than 6 weeks.
Buy a hydrometer people. They're like $8 and invaluable
Does the flavor change that drastically from week 3 to week 6?
KWKSLVR
Well-Known Member
If it's already at 1.000, then no, not at all. Well, other than a lack of a "yeasty" flavor. Once it's dry, it's dry. I read a lot of people tasting it halfway through fermentation and LOVING it commenting on how sweet it is. It's no where near the finished product. Mine at week 3 was still fermenting and still tasted sweet. After fermentation it was more like rubbing alcohol with a tinge of apple flavor, no real sweetness. Now that I've backsweetened and added some extract, it's like Granny Smith, cinnamon and rubbing alcohol.
It does need to age.
The next time I do this, I think I'll do it without adding dextrose and letting the sugars in the juice fuel the yeast, back sweeten and go from there. Of course, I'm making a hard "cider" out of this stuff, and not wine so my goals are a little different. Mine is going to be great with some age, but it's a little too easy to drink for the ABV for me.
I just bottled my second batch of this after four months of bulk aging. Ive never seen anything like this in any of my brews. The sample I had tasted fine. Anyone know what this is?
Sorry the colors in the picture are a bit weird, but its the best one I could get of the mystery...gunk/infection.
View attachment 2012-01-23 17.27.01.jpg
Sorry the colors in the picture are a bit weird, but its the best one I could get of the mystery...gunk/infection.
View attachment 2012-01-23 17.27.01.jpg
SwampassJ
Well-Known Member
3 gallons of Apple and Eve with 2lbs of Turbinado sugar.
MMBB
Well-Known Member
Has anyone put this in one gallon or half gallon jugs and conditioned it in there? I feel like every time I crack open Apfelwein I have a few people over who want some.
MMBB said:
My main concern with that would be clarity. There is no way you could pour it gently enough to not mix up the stuff on the bottom, unless you poured it all out into a pitcher or something like that... that being said, I don't see why it wouldn't work.
MMBB
Well-Known Member
Cool. I may go ahead and try it. Clarity isn't of huge concern when are drinking 1/2-1gal of apfelwein though. Everything gets hazy after a few glasses anyway
That did cross my mind when I first popped the lid.. Maybe I should have sat on it longer instead of bottling it. :cross:
KWKSLVR
Well-Known Member
Cool. I may go ahead and try it. Clarity isn't of huge concern when are drinking 1/2-1gal of apfelwein though. Everything gets hazy after a few glasses anyway
It's going to be similar to pouring from a growler. The first few glasses will be great, the last one will have a nice dose of yeast. Could you slap some cheese cloth over the opening and pour through it as a filter?
MMBB
Well-Known Member
I could but I'd be worried about losing carbonation and oxidation.
I would be racking it to the jugs after fermentation and bulk aging is complete.
Cheese cloth is an interesting idea but again, what would that do to my carbonation?
KWKSLVR
Well-Known Member
Sure, but if you've carbonated it then you'll probably lose some carb'd deliciousness by the time you get to the pour?
MMBB
Well-Known Member
With the way that that half gallon would disappear there wouldn't be much carbonation lost between the first and last glass.
I wonder how much priming sugar should be used given the small headspace in a 1/2 gallon or gallon jug. Given that the tops are twist off I could always bleed off pressure if needed.
MMBB
Well-Known Member
Ah, then racking off of the sedemet in a carboy into jugs should be just fine.
WineChief
Well-Known Member
I don't think it would be safe to carbonate in a half gallon or gallon glass jug. I use 2 liter soda bottles to carb mine in. I use 1 tablespoon sugar in each 2 liter bottle since I like it with lots of carbonation. I've done about 30 gallons this way and it turned out great every time.
MMBB
Well-Known Member
Yeah I just did a little reading and saw that carbing in jugs is a bad idea. Oh well! It was a nice thought! I'll have to get my roomies to drink a few bottles of soda over the next few months.
However, I am curious as to how Rogue gets it to work. They sell 1/2 gallon glass jugs of Dead Guy Ale with screw caps.
However, I am curious as to how Rogue gets it to work. They sell 1/2 gallon glass jugs of Dead Guy Ale with screw caps.
Just filled a 5 gallon farm n fleet bucket with 14 cans of frozen applejuice concentrate, 2 lbs light brown sugar, and 2 tsp yeast nutrient. I used premier cuvée. Its got a nice brown color to it compared to the yellow goodness of Ed's original recipe I am drinking out of my new keg setup.
Anyone tried using brown sugar before?
Anyone tried using brown sugar before?
kc9eci
Well-Known Member
Because fermentation has stopped by the time it goes in to the jug and it isn't going to continue to build pressure. Not knowing much about Dead Guy Ale or the company that makes it, I can't be certain, but I'd guess they force carbonate.
Rogue typically carbs naturally in the bottle, but this may not be the case for their growlers. That said, the bottles they use for either process are designed and tested to withstand carbonation pressures; your standard apple juice bottle is *not* designed to hold much pressure, and while it may very well turn out fine, it's probably best not to gamble on it.
I made a 3 gallon batch of this and will be bottling it soon. I added strawberries after a couple of weeks of fermentation, then racked to a secondary after a few weeks to get it off all the yeast and gross strawberries. I'm going to run it through a Buon Vino filter, which will remove the yeast. If I want to carbonate it can I add half a pack of the Lalvin yeast to the bottling bucket with some dextrose?
