Man, I love Apfelwein
- Thread starter EdWort
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Tactical-Brewer
Well-Known Member
My girlfriend has a gallon of this going now! I can't wait to try it now!
Tsuyako
Well-Known Member
So mine has been sitting for 2'ish months in the carboy and hasn't cleared; of course re-reading this I realized I used cider not juice. Is there anyway to get the wine to clear or should I just bottle and deal with it?
Thanks,
Thanks,
andrewmaixner
Well-Known Member
Lots of ways, including:
super-kleer ($3, easy)
cold+gelatin ($0.05 + a way to get it cold)
mechanical filter (not cheep)
brew703
Well-Known Member
1293 frickin' pages. Well, guess I will have to give this a try, but 1 or two gallons to start.
Mismost
Well-Known Member
This was one the first wines I tried to make and it came out really tart, and mouth puckering dry...did not care for it at bottling and wife just hated it.
Bottled back in March. Had neighbors over last night and they walked in kinda buzzed! We drank a bottle of their some kinda white wine. I thought it kinda nasty, so I would out nasty them with a bottle of my Apfelwein and pulled the cork on a bottle.
MAN! IT HAD CHANGED! Not nasty, still dry, but so much smoother...a very pleasant surprise and a nice white wine...noticeably better than their store bought stuff. Sitting 8 months made a huge difference...my wife loved it too! Let some sit if you can.
Bottled back in March. Had neighbors over last night and they walked in kinda buzzed! We drank a bottle of their some kinda white wine. I thought it kinda nasty, so I would out nasty them with a bottle of my Apfelwein and pulled the cork on a bottle.
MAN! IT HAD CHANGED! Not nasty, still dry, but so much smoother...a very pleasant surprise and a nice white wine...noticeably better than their store bought stuff. Sitting 8 months made a huge difference...my wife loved it too! Let some sit if you can.
If you want apple champagne, don't use even close to that much sugar. You will get rocket fuel with no flavor. Don't use champagne yeast. Use a cider yeast or a white wine yeast. If you must add sugar, simmer the oak in a sugar solution which you can add to the primary. Don't keep the chips. And whatever you do, don't ferment above 60f
monkeyman1000
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I am trying to figure out what to do with the 2 1 gallon batches I made of this about 5 weeks ago. I racked the first gallon (ended up with about 3/4 gallon) to a clean 1 gallon container (one gallon glass jug). Before I do the same with the second gallon I want to know if this is a good idea. There is a good bit of headspace and I know with beer that isn't a good idea. I am not carbonating the apelwein. Thanks for the help
stella_tigre
Queen of the Upper Mississippi
Rack part of the second gallon to top off the first one. Rack the rest of the second one into a smaller jug - plastic juice bottle, for instance, and pop an airlock on that one too. Plastic won't hurt for a few more weeks, until it clears and you can bottle. Head space is bad here too.
monkeyman1000
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Thanks for that.
Well after acquiring my father's wine making equipment I thought that this might be a very good point to start.
So, I have put on my first batch today. Now, how well it will end up I'm not sure as I had some issues, the first being a very limited lack of yeast options - my LHBS doesn't stock much in the way of wine stuff - I ended up using AW4 (it said it was good for Germanic wines), which only came in an 8 gram packet. Oh and I wasn't able to get dextrose, so used standard white sugar.
The amount of yeast was further complicated by my possession of only 1 gallon carboys. So having to measure down to 1 gram with standard kitchen scales was only a close approximation.
Anyway, ultimately 1 gallon of apple juice, 0.4 grams of sugar and about 1.5 grams of AW4 yeast gave me a SG of 1.064
Lets see what happens in a few weeks.
Well after acquiring my father's wine making equipment I thought that this might be a very good point to start.
I'm not sure how well this will work after a number of slight issues, namely the inability to acquire any of the standard yeasts (ended up using AW4) and scales that can't weigh decimal points, but hey you can't have everything.
Starting SG of 1.064 so expecting somewhere around 10%
It's now sitting in the coolest spot in the house and I'm now counting the days until I get some tasty wine
I'm not sure how well this will work after a number of slight issues, namely the inability to acquire any of the standard yeasts (ended up using AW4) and scales that can't weigh decimal points, but hey you can't have everything.
Starting SG of 1.064 so expecting somewhere around 10%
It's now sitting in the coolest spot in the house and I'm now counting the days until I get some tasty wine
GrogNerd
mean old man
that sounds like a good yeast to try with this
and this ain't rocket surgery... the margin of error for this is HUGE: decimal points not required. in fact, I've never measured anything for making this recipe.
The "rhino farts" you'll experience with apfelwein will dissipate in a few days.
Honestly, the time for any yeast nutrient is at the beginning. No sense in adding it after you've started. The yeast have already reproduced and made most of the sulfur, it's just going to keep leaking out of solution until it's gone, but unless wild yeast somehow got in, it WILL dissipate on its own.
Worst case scenario, splash it a little when you rack it for bottling, but I've never had a need for this recipe, only for cider which started fermenting on its own.
A couple of years ago I made 90 liters of this, bottled it with a with a large amount of priming sugar to carb it like champagne. Made excellent favors for my wedding. Still have a couple dozen bottles that my wife and I crack open on special occasions.
Not too difficult, but you might imagine the stink while that was all fermenting, even with a bit of nutrient thrown in.
hifidelity
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Just started my first batch a few minutes ago with 71B since that's all my LHBS had. I'm going to try wait it out six months but I tend to get impatient...
Hi all. I just got home from Frankfurt and had the Apfelwein with the carbonation. It was waterd down slightly but friggin delicious. I am going to try and make some, but my question is how to carbonate it. I am pretty sure in Germany they just add seltzer water to it before they serve it. Anyone?
Thanks
Thanks
I carbonated mine with priming sugar. It sat in the fermentor for 3 months and still had plenty of viable yeast to carbonate.
This is my first shot at this. Made this 1/9/2016. I followed the instructions in the original post closely. Airlock was blubbling quite well for the first few days, but gradually slowed. It's one every 15 seconds now. You can set your watch to it. Anyway, the reason I'm posting the pictures is to know two things.
1) Is there too much space in the carboy? It's 6.5 gallon.
2) Are those bubbles at the top OK?
Sorry if these are silly questions, I'm brand new.
1) Is there too much space in the carboy? It's 6.5 gallon.
2) Are those bubbles at the top OK?
Sorry if these are silly questions, I'm brand new.
Your pictures aren't loading for me but once the main fermentation phase passes, I always top of with fresh juice, all the way to the bottom of the neck. If you have more than 32oz of headroom, you probably ought to do most of it today, then the final pint tomorrow.
Yeah that's strange. They were there, and now they're gone, lol.
Bubbles look fine. That is a lot of headspace, but it should be ok as long as it is undisturbed. The safest bet would be to add 10oz of sugar to a gallon of juice and put that in today, then top off with pure juice tomorrow or Saturday though.
Going to keg after 3 months. Will this condition just as well in the keezer under pressure and at serving temp or should I leave it at room temp for as long as I can stand it?
Thanks
Thanks
The higher the temp, the faster it changes (that goes for all fermentables) but faster isn't always better. I always try to find a middle ground which is usually "as slowly as my patience will allow."
I haven't kegged mine but that seems like a great way to experience it all through the conditioning process if you can spare a keg for that long.
I haven't kegged mine but that seems like a great way to experience it all through the conditioning process if you can spare a keg for that long.
Should I carbonate it while "conditioning"?
Also, how much co2 psi do you guys recommend for this style?
Thanks
Also, how much co2 psi do you guys recommend for this style?
Thanks
andrewmaixner
Well-Known Member
1) your call. will work fine
2) at 38F I hit it with 10 to 15 PSI depending on how I feel -- that's pretty fizzy at the higher end.
I made my Apfelwein ages ago (probably 1 1/2 or 2 years) for the wife, and I've still got one bottle left (the wife drinks verrrrrry slowly). As tasty as the Apfelwein is, I probably won't make it again, because I'd rather waste my energies on making beer!
If you're going to waste time, money and energy, homebrewing your own beer is the best possible use of those limited resources!
If you're going to waste time, money and energy, homebrewing your own beer is the best possible use of those limited resources!
This is my wife's favorite drink I keep on tap! She doesn't drink much but when she wants it she has it. I usually always have a batch going or planning one. I made a modified batch of this 9 months ago for a beer comp I've fixing to enter in, it's delicious.
Agree with BamaProud. You cant even count this as brewing. It takes probably 1/2 hour including sanitizing and finding all my stuff 
Yeah, it doesn't take a lot of time, but I only made a gallon, and after 2 1/2 years there's still a bottle left. I don't see the sense of making something if she isn't going to drink it! She likes the Mike's Lemonade, so maybe I'll see if'n I can find a good recipe for that and see if that goes any faster than the Apfelwein didAgree with BamaProud. You cant even count this as brewing. It takes a probably 1/2 hour including sanitizing and finding all my stuff
If I do make more Apfelwein, it will be for me and/or guests.
BTW, my 'brewhouse' is a (partly) remodeled front bathroom in a 60 foot mobile home. I yanked out the tub and sink, will put in a laundry sink and countertop, (this is a work in progress as we can afford it), left the stool (so I won't have to go to the other end of the house to relieve myself when brewing), and the only other thing I use is the stove in the kitchen for the mashing/boiling. The whole room is about 4 1/2 feet wide by 7 1/2 feet long, Not a lot of extra space for stuff not being used. I have to keep all my grains, hops, sugars/spices, bottles, empty fermenters etc. in our storage building outside (I don't brew outside) - good thing it's winter now, because when it warms up I don't know what I will do for sure!
andrewmaixner
Well-Known Member
You are looking for "skeeter pee". Ignore the requirement for a wine must, you can just boost a packet of wine yeast with a table sugar starter.
I'm going to taste the apfelwein I made on May this evening, the first one I tasted was just a month after the bottleing and was already quite good.
In the meanwhile I got some better stuff to make it again in these days, temps here are about 5 to 15 °C depending on days, in the basement I think there would be a stable 10°C
I would like to ask you 2 stuff:
1)Which yeast would you recomend for these temps?
2)I would like to make my apfelwein aromatized with something.. What kind of juice or stuff could I add to the moist to make it tastier and unique? I was thinking on raisin, cinnamom, and maybe some crushed berries (blueberries, raspberries, currant..) Something to add taste without adding more booze
In the meanwhile I got some better stuff to make it again in these days, temps here are about 5 to 15 °C depending on days, in the basement I think there would be a stable 10°C
I would like to ask you 2 stuff:
1)Which yeast would you recomend for these temps?
2)I would like to make my apfelwein aromatized with something.. What kind of juice or stuff could I add to the moist to make it tastier and unique? I was thinking on raisin, cinnamom, and maybe some crushed berries (blueberries, raspberries, currant..) Something to add taste without adding more booze
I brewed this and after 5 weeks, I needed the fermenter so I bottled it. When I checked the hydrometer the FG was 1.002 so I bottled it with less priming sugar than I planned (probably 2.5oz for a 5.5 gallon batch). The yeast I used was cote des blancs. Is this FG high and should I be worried about bottle bombs? The first time I made this my FG was less than 1 (but on that one I used nottingham). (I also used straight apple juice this time and didn't add any extra sugar, OG was 1.044).
I have a batch sitting here in my hallway for maybe 6 months aging out (bulk again in carboy). I never racked it off the yeast or anything like that. It's probably my 15th batch. This one now looks like there might be a slight pelicle forming on the top. Anyone ever seen this before? It is tan/light brown color with no bubbles except one pencil earsar sized little spot of bubbles. My thoughts are just rack off into new carboy and leave the top untouched. thoughts?
