Man, I love Apfelwein

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BowAholic said:
thanks! It's still sitting in the glass primary...but I do have a few 1 gallon glass jugs...maybe some cinnamon stick in one..? I'm sure it's strong as far as ABV since I followed the original recipe, but it tasted watered down, which may have just been the lack of apple flavor that I expected.
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I have 5 1 gallon fermenters, and I try to keep them full if I can. I have had a couple of batches of Apfelwein come out a little flat, only to really wake up after carbonation and aging. I think a lot depends on the quality of juice, as well as the yeast, and the temps they ferment under. I find using Montrachet, a little on the cold side, and additive nutrients seem to produce better results, with temperature being the key. If yeast ferment too hot, es no bueno!

I use a space under the stairs in my basement, and most of the year, it's in the perfect range for most wine yeast (~68 F) but in the summer, it can climb up as high as 74 to 76, and that is normally when I notice odd results. I may try a cheap wine cooler, or adapt a freezer as anyone who brews lagers must do, just so I can really control the fermentation temps. I make beer with a club, and we always have superior results using cooling to maintain temps even for ales. I just made a California Common that turned out very nice. :mug:
 
NateX said:
In my experimentation, around 2 or 3 teaspoons per 8 oz seems to be a good, not-too-sweet mixture. Scaled up to 5 gallons, that would be 3/4 to 1 cup of splenda per 5 gallons, if my math is not faulty. :drunk:

I have only tried small amounts at a time, but I am about to put in another 3 gallon batch, plus a smaller 1 gallon batch. I may back sweeten the 1 gallon batch and see how that goes. Whatever you do, know that adding sucralose to carbonated beverages creates a reaction similar to the Mentos trick. Add in small amounts, and be ready to lose a lot of CO2 from suspension.

After back sweetening, If you are force carbonating, you would just keg it, hook up your CO2 at the desired pressure, and wait. If you are bottle carbonating, you would need to add the right amount of dextrose (or other fermentable sugar) and wait 2 weeks or so.

Not sure if sucralose has a negative effect on viable yeast, as I have never bottle carbonated after adding sucralose. It shouldn't, as it is supposed to be chemically inert, but who knows?

Let us know how it turns out, and what you decide to do. :mug:
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I came up with some different numbers:
128oz/gal=16 8oz. servings
@2tsp; 32 tsp/gal = 2/3 cup/gal = 3 1/3 cup per 5 gallons
@3tsp; 48tsp/gal = 1 cup/gal = 5 cups per 5 gallons

I'll try it in a couple glasses before I scale up to a whole batch. I figure if I dissolve it in a little apple juice before adding it to the glass, it will prevent the foaming and loss of carbonation. Thanks for pointing that out, I probably would have made a mess the first time I tried it.

I keg all mine so I won't be any help on how it might effect bottle conditioning.
 
NateX said:
I have 5 1 gallon fermenters, and I try to keep them full if I can. I have had a couple of batches of Apfelwein come out a little flat, only to really wake up after carbonation and aging. I think a lot depends on the quality of juice, as well as the yeast, and the temps they ferment under. I find using Montrachet, a little on the cold side, and additive nutrients seem to produce better results, with temperature being the key. If yeast ferment too hot, es no bueno!

I use a space under the stairs in my basement, and most of the year, it's in the perfect range for most wine yeast (~68 F) but in the summer, it can climb up as high as 74 to 76, and that is normally when I notice odd results. I may try a cheap wine cooler, or adapt a freezer as anyone who brews lagers must do, just so I can really control the fermentation temps. I make beer with a club, and we always have superior results using cooling to maintain temps even for ales. I just made a California Common that turned out very nice. :mug:
Click to expand...

Mine is still in the carboy but I heard that it will improve with time...and I have lots of beer and lots of time... :) I will likely pull a gallon and add some priming sugar just to see how it tastes carbed.

Thanks!
 
withoutink said:
Ok I'm bottling my first batch. Call me crazy, but I waited a year to bottle. I made the batch back on 9/26/2014. So we are just a couple weeks shy of a year.

Since its waited so long, I suspect I don't have to let it sit in bottles too long?

I am not going to prime, I'm ok with still Apfelwein.

Wish me luck. :)
Click to expand...

You waited a year? Well played Sir well played! Now did you follow the rest of the directions and make another batch a few weeks later? If not you are going to have a long wait for more lol.
 
indolent said:
I came up with some different numbers:
128oz/gal=16 8oz. servings
@2tsp; 32 tsp/gal = 2/3 cup/gal = 3 1/3 cup per 5 gallons
@3tsp; 48tsp/gal = 1 cup/gal = 5 cups per 5 gallons

I'll try it in a couple glasses before I scale up to a whole batch. I figure if I dissolve it in a little apple juice before adding it to the glass, it will prevent the foaming and loss of carbonation. Thanks for pointing that out, I probably would have made a mess the first time I tried it.

I keg all mine so I won't be any help on how it might effect bottle conditioning.
Click to expand...

Math! Hah! I converted tsp to tbsp and then to cups in my head and somewhere I didn't carry a 1 or something. Your #s look better.

I learned from experience not to add powdered substances to fermented wine prior to degassing, so I am happy to share! :mug:
 
BowAholic said:
Mine is still in the carboy but I heard that it will improve with time...and I have lots of beer and lots of time... :) I will likely pull a gallon and add some priming sugar just to see how it tastes carbed.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The longer the wait, the better. But like Tom Petty said...
 
Tasted my first batch last night. I drew off a half a cup to try because I was sure I would need to sweeten it or add something. It tasted great and I was really surprised and just how good it was!! Yeaaa for me!!! :)

Unfortunately I did not follow his directions and make another batch two weeks later... Booo for me!!! :(

Mine turned out really mellow with a very mild flavor uncarbed.
 
Brian77095 said:
Tasted my first batch last night. I drew off a half a cup to try because I was sure I would need to sweeten it or add something. It tasted great and I was really surprised and just how good it was!! Yeaaa for me!!! :)

Unfortunately I did not follow his directions and make another batch two weeks later... Booo for me!!! :(

Mine turned out really mellow with a very mild flavor uncarbed.
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Just hit the 3 week mark on a 4 gallon (3 for kegging +1 for bottling) batch. I am about to start another 3+1, probably next week. I only have two 3 gallon fermentors, my 6 gallon is for beer.

I like the flavor when it is still, especially with some age. It reminds me of a Chardonnay, but from apples. It's got a lot going on. I tried some Pasteur Champagne in my last batch to see if it makes a difference over Montrachet. Hoping for good results. :mug:
 
I made a peach version of this. I added a pound of frozen peaches to the primary and then topped off with a quart of Knudsen organic peach nectar. It started fermenting again after adding the peach nectar and dropped alot of lees. Once it cleared I backsweetened with a little honey, which really brought out the peach flavor. Its very good.
 
You added the peaches on top of the apple and then went through fermentation? Or added it after initial fermentation and it started again?
 
bwdilli said:
You added the peaches on top of the apple and then went through fermentation? Or added it after initial fermentation and it started again?
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I add peaches to my primary bucket for the first two weeks of fermentation. Then rack the liquid into a carboy leaving the lees and peaches behind. Yum!
 
bwdilli said:
You added the peaches on top of the apple and then went through fermentation? Or added it after initial fermentation and it started again?
Click to expand...

I added the frozen peaches on top of the apple juice, then racked to secondary after it slowed down and dropped lees, then topped it off with the peach nectar.
 
With 12000+ comments I knew I had to give this a try. Been a beer and wine maker for a bit over ten years so decided to deviate a bit. Used 5 gallons of apple juice, 3 lbs dextrose and 1 lb granulated sugar. Been wanting to give distillers yeast a try so gave that a go as well. The basement has been a bit cool so I brought out my Igloo cooler that I used to use when I made lagers a few years ago. I had cut a hole in the lid for the airlock to poke through and it fits my 6 gallon bucket and 5 and 6 gallon carboys perfectly. Decided to put the carboy in the cooler with my reptile warmer set to 72 degrees. Worked like a champ! No sulfur smell when it got going, just smelled like fermenting apples. Took just over a week to ferment to dry. Very steady fermentation with the distillers yeast and virtually no foaming. Took off the airlock and smelled great. Took it out to let sit for the next month or so in the cool basement then will keg and carb. Looking forward to trying this in a few months! Thanks to all for all the great reading on this thread. Love to see all the great ideas and tweaks everyone has done to make this their own! To me, that's what this hobbys all about.

11-5-15 - So it has been in the keg carbing for two weeks now. Since it was my first batch I had to give it a go. Dry, carbonated, and was pleased it has a nice apple finish. Especially for being so young, dry, and a bit over 10% alc. My wife is very critical and she even liked it so I'm really looking forward to aging this for a bit. Still amazed it had such a strong apple finish for being so early and dry. Wondering if the distillers yeast had something to do with it retaining the flavor. Have a couple batches of higher gravity concentrate wine going right now with distillers yeast so I am very curious to see how they turn out as well.
 
This opened my eyes to what one could do with just plain juice. Sure, you may not get all of the character you do with raw ingredients, but my perceptions of what defines "hooch" were certainly shifted by this recipe. My favorite and most surprising variation to date was an "accidentally" sparkling Cranberry Pomegranate Apfelwein I made. Good luck with the batch!
 
i've never personally brewed anything but most of my friends are brewers and i bugged my wife 'till she started brewing kombucha. i just got back from shopping at sam's & the LHBS with 6 gallons of member's mark apple juice, a carboy, no-rinse, a 4 lb. bag of dextrose, redstar montrachet yeast, and a hydrometer. 45 minutes later we're off and running. my label reads: "EdWort's Post #1."

if i have managed not to infect the batch (my biggest concern before jumping into brewing), i can't wait to test this around thanksgiving. thanks to all who shared their experiences with this recipe.
 
Anyone have any experience in bottling this, and preservation? Should I add in some sulfites or campden tablets for it to keep a year in the bottle?
 
I had 5 gallons fermenting for 2 1/2 months @ 68 degrees and then just put the carboy in the fridge for another 3 1/2 months. This stuff is potent and tastes very close to a Chardonnay. I just transferred to growlers. 1 gallon of it I added a small bottle (50 ml I think) of peach schnapps. Perfect flavor! Thanks to all those whom commented prior to me. Toast!
 
gitmo234 said:
I think I've gone with mostly bags (in a box), some growlers, then a few bottles.
Still and straight to bottling/bagging
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As I don't have any direct experience, I'd say that if you can't find any good information, you should hit part of it with kmeta and see how it compares to the un-sulfited stuff 6 months down the road, and then post about it. do a portion of each in each of the container types.
 
Got it going!

Tweaked it with 4 lbs dextrose (because I wasn't satisfied with hydrometer readings @ 2 lbs), and Pasteur Champagne yeast (had a good experience with this in another cider project). Also added some yeast nutrient, and bought a bag of oak chips.

I'm sure folks have used oak before, but rather than reading through the 430 pages of comments on this thread, I'll just ask, any opinions about adding oak to this? Also, when should they be added and how long should they remain in the cider?

Really wanting to go for a dry, bubbly, almost appley, champagne-y product here. More on the wine spectrum than cider spectrum. Anyone else have any pointers on achieving this type of product? With 5 gal of juice and 4 lb dextrose, SG 1.074, so I'm thinking it will ferment out to around 10%, I was concerned about pushing too much more dextrose because the stated yeast alc tolerance was 12-15, and I didn't want to kill all my yeast off before using them to carbonate with bottle priming. Cheers!

Any pointers or opinions help!

Thanks!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1446782225.541065.jpg
 
I've made this recipe several times...it's amazing. Thanks for sharing. I was running short on carboys so I moved 5 gallons into 1 gallon apple juice bottles . Now two of the bottles have something white forming on the surface of the liquid. How should I proceed? it's ready to be kegged and carbed.

1. remove the sediment?
2. should I heat it?

What do you suggest? I don't want it to go to waste.

Thanks
 
I couldn't wait until January. I started this the last week in September and drained the carboy this weekend. It was nice and dry but I thought that it might be good chilled and carbonated so I bottled it up and threw 4oz of dissolved corn sugar into it. We'll see how it is on Thanksgiving and then I'll contemplate giving it away as Christmas gifts.
 
OK seriously, 1291 pages? I spent a whole night reading (which is to say, not 1291 pages), then 6 months brewing...

so, tips for hot weather Aussies...

Aldi's apple juice ($1 per litre). The cheap clear stuff, I checked the preservatives and it contains ascorbic acid and citric acid. The yeast, it dont care....

Aldi's brown suger... it's about $2 a kg. I use 2kg of suger for 30L of juice... for family (around 9%). 3kg of suger for 30L of juice for me, because I dont like my liver (+14%). The yeast, it dont care...

I've tried dextrose a few times. You get a cleaner result, but i prefer the brown sugar taste, and I cold crash, so it comes out pretty clean anyway. Also, you can buy the brown sugar with the apple juice.

Yeast. I'm using brewer's choice CL23. From the website, "Vintners Harvest Wine Yeast CL23 (Saccharomyces Bayanus) – A wine yeast ideal for crisp, fresh dry white/blush and all sparkling wines. Also the best strain for high alcohol tolerance." Pretty much says it all...

Keep it under 20c. In winter, throw it in the garage with a towel around it. In summer you need a temperature controlled fridge, else it smells like ****. Specifically high in sulphur byproducts.

It needs a week to ferment - brew it until its flat. You can drink it straight away, but it improves with age.

I do 30L batches... and we drink it as fast as I brew it (extended family etc). When a batch is finished I decant into a secondary and throw fresh juice and suger onto the sediment. Every couple of batches you need to dump half the sediment. But I have only sterilised the bucket twice in 6 months. CL23 is aggressive, and the apv is pretty high, so not much can compete.

Only major gotcha is the temp. It needs to be under 20c. I got one of those temperature regulators from ebay china for $20 which keeps the beer fridge at 15c.
 
gitmo234 said:
Anyone have any experience in bottling this, and preservation? Should I add in some sulfites or campden tablets for it to keep a year in the bottle?
Click to expand...

I bottle carbed my first batch. Didn't add anything extra as far as preservatives go. Found a couple of the bottles 3 or 4 years later and they tasted excellent.

Everything after that has been kegged, so I can't say for sure if it will be good every time or not.
 
TRueff said:
Got it going!

Really wanting to go for a dry, bubbly, almost appley, champagne-y product here. More on the wine spectrum than cider spectrum. Anyone else have any pointers on achieving this type of product?

View attachment 314170
Click to expand...

I use Saccharomyces Bayanus. It's a wine yeast which will handle up to 18% apv. If you use a clear apple juice and dextrose you get a product which is very clear, and tastes like a light champagne with an a faint after taste of apple. The missus and the mother in law love it. They use soda water for bubbles.
 
To wine/cider makers in the uk, what store bought apple juice is best to use. I have used princes apple juice several times but would be keen to hear if there is better on the market for fermenting?
 
Does anyone know what happens if you pitched Wyeast Roselare in the beginning? I don't know if the juice has the precursors to make the finished product more sour.
Any info is appreciated.... Thanks
 
thaefathan said:
Does anyone know what happens if you pitched Wyeast Roselare in the beginning? I don't know if the juice has the precursors to make the finished product more sour.
Any info is appreciated.... Thanks
Click to expand...


Were you planning on letting this sit for a year? Roselare works best when it is given a year+ to work. If you are planning on aging it then I'm sure there's more than enough sugar there to make an interesting sour. If you were hoping to drink this in a month then it's gonna be funky and weird as hell...
 
Really love the sparkling apfelwein I made as well. Just used store bought juice with no added sugar. Fermented with Notty at room temp. Bottle carbed at 3 volumes and it comes out like apple champagne. Very bubbly and plenty of apple notes and some residual sweetness. Easiest thing I have made yet.
 
we bottled our 1st 5-gal batch yesterday. Since my last post, we have started 3 additional 6-gallon batches.

Notes:

1. the 1st 5-gallon batch (pitched without nutrient) did smell slightly sulfur-y for the 1st week, while the next 3 batches (pitched with nutrient) never had that smell.

2. 1st batch seemed to 'stall' at 1.000 but we went out of town & left it for a week and found it clear and with a final SG of .998 on returning. lesson learned!

3. the 2nd batch (pitched 4 days later w/nutrient) started with higher SG and overtook the 1st batch (had lower SG on sampling day).

4. with an average temp (i'd guess) around 72*F, the 1st three batches all finished fermenting (final SG .998 or lower) within 3 weeks. batches 2 - 4 are in different stages of the yeast falling out / clarifying; batch #4 is only 15 days old but measures .996

bottling the 1st batch, we filled one 5L wine-in-a-bag bag and filled 1 doz. flip-top 1L bottles. half of the bottles we added carb tabs to; all are in the basement to age. i have kegs on order for the next batches which we will hopefully fill & age.

the 1st batch was pitched 10/23, and i am thrilled to have it bottled on my Thanksgiving table! it tastes very similar to the apfelwein i had last year in my trip to frankfurt.

my wife had a cookie swap party last night and about 20 party goers each had at least one 8 oz. serving and all thought it was good. this morning we have ~1/2 of our 5L bag remaining in the fridge. i'd say it's a hit. can't wait to try some of the stuff we'll be aging!

thanks again to Ed Wort and everyone who's shared their experience in the thread. Happy Thanksgiving!
 
I'm bottling my first batch and thought I'd provide what feedback I can. I brewed 3x1 gallon batches all slightly different so I could get an idea of what the yeasts and sugars would do.

They all fermented the same amount of time, 2.75months, and used the same base a local apple cider to Northern California (Gowan's).
Here is how they differed:
First batch is 6.4oz dextrose & Scott Labs D254 yeast
Second batch 6.4oz dextrose & EC-1118 yeast
Third batch 5.12oz dextrose 1.28oz brown sugar & EC-1118 yeast

First is very dry, too much for me but my wife liked it
Second is a slightly better version of the first (in my opinion) the EC-1118 yeast definitely creates a sweeter cider, all things being equal. It is also a little fruitier.
Third is the best in my opinion. It is the sweetest & fruitiest, but still a long way from even a Crispin cider from a sweetness standpoint.

Here's a Google doc with all the details of my batches: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19hkOlrY1hhRPWWApBP0Zn9Kfjb44ubC0IhYKdGnBjtQ/edit?usp=sharing

I will update again when I taste the carbonated cider
 

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