Man, I love Apfelwein

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Thanks. I'll look into BeerSmith. How do I read the number on the hydrometer? Is it .996?

Once again, sorry for the stupid questions for those more experienced...

MT2sum said:
from craftbeeracademy.com :) Click here!


Since you didn't do the OG, you might try putting the recipe into BeerSmith (OR [I think] BrewToad online if you don't have BeerSmith) which will give you their estimation of your ABV. There are a lot of online recipe calculators from what I've heard.

I'm a computer illiterate AND math-challenged, and not into all these fancy formulas, etc., so I would recommend BeerSmith for anyone - even computer illiterates like me - if your intent is to keep track of your brews and the recipes you may want to try out in the future!
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Sorry, for some reason I can't see the photo ..... hopefully, someone else will come by and help you out!
 
I really hope someone else tries to simcoe dry hop their apfelwein. It's been a big hit with everyone who's tried it. I need to make more!
 
thippe said:
i'll do it. probably wont be kegging mine for another month. you dry hopped 2 oz? how many days?
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Yes I used two oz of simcoe. I want to try citra next. I let the primary go for 4 weeks as suggested then added the hops in primary for a week then racked to the keg. Oh man it's good

Edit. I also cold crashed it for about 2 days before kegging. That also helped the hops to sink so they didn't go in the keg.
 
Schlenkerla said:
If its not pasteurized you might hit it with camden tablets. It will work. Every time I used canned juice I got an infection after few months, but it was not pasteurized.

I used the canned concentrate in place of corn sugar.
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I know this is from a long time ago. I'm up to about pg 550 and didn't see any other discussion of this. If you remember, can you describe more what your process was when you got infection with canned juice? Do you mean juice in a metal can, or frozen concentrated juice?

I'm about to do a small batch with pasteurized juice and a can of frozen concentrate to compare to the same juice with the equivalent amount of sugar. Other people mentioned doing it, but I hadn't read of any other problems.
 
domingo3 said:
I know this is from a long time ago. I'm up to about pg 550 and didn't see any other discussion of this. If you remember, can you describe more what your process was when you got infection with canned juice? Do you mean juice in a metal can, or frozen concentrated juice?

I'm about to do a small batch with pasteurized juice and a can of frozen concentrate to compare to the same juice with the equivalent amount of sugar. Other people mentioned doing it, but I hadn't read of any other problems.
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I was using frozen concentrate. The type in a cardboard can. Strawberry and Raspberry if I recall correctly. I think I made a batch of cider, let it ferment out, then split it into two 2.5 gallon batches and added thawed concentrate and let it go for another month. Every bottle was a gusher. Was rather disappointing.

If I was to do this again I'd use Oregon Canned Fruit Products
 
domingo3 said:
I know this is from a long time ago. I'm up to about pg 550 and didn't see any other discussion of this. If you remember, can you describe more what your process was when you got infection with canned juice? Do you mean juice in a metal can, or frozen concentrated juice?

I'm about to do a small batch with pasteurized juice and a can of frozen concentrate to compare to the same juice with the equivalent amount of sugar. Other people mentioned doing it, but I hadn't read of any other problems.
Click to expand...

I believe if you look at 'Pappers' thread "Pappers Easy Stove-Top Pasteurizing -with pics" IIRC, there was some discussion of first pasteurizing, and then (once the yeast has been 'put out of commission') you could back-sweeten with the concentrate ---- IMO, without pasteurizing, there might/would be enough yeast left in the must (just like that which is available for priming if you want your beer/wine/cider carbonated), that the amount of sugars in the concentrate would over-prime causing the gushers Schlenkerla experienced - (Personally, I think he lucked out just having gushers, I'd be thinking bottle bombs with that much sugar content). You've got to kill off the yeast before back-sweetening, I believe! Myself, I did not attempt to pasteurize, back-sweeten, or create a 'sparkling' cider. To do that you would have to put a specifically measured amount of priming sugars, rather than just dump a whole can of concentrate in. Depending on your wishes for the end-result, you might PM Pappers if you don't find your answer in any of the threads.

Now I may be wrong on all this, since I'm an old codger (SWMBO says 'old goat' since I used to be a goat farmer), and have memory lapses sometimes - as always, RTM - and that would be threads concerning pasteurizing and back-sweetening - the Search function can usually be your friend ;>) ...... it's JMHO!
 
Thanks, Schlenkerla, I put the concentrate in the same time I pitched the yeast. Hopefully that means the yeast will beat out any potential competitors.

May I ask why you waited for a month to add the concentrate, and if you think the timing was a factor in the infection?
 
Brewed another batch today just as the original recipe.
Kegging my batch today from March 2 - 7 weeks is enough for me this time...I can't wait any longer!!
 
I have a batch that I started on 2-2-17....I'm sure it's still fermenting, I know the room it's in is a little cold 60 - 70 F. I followed the recipe listed.... at what point should I bottle? It has cleared but there are still carb bubbles coming to the surface.

IMG_1917.jpg
 
Drumhogg said:
I have a batch that I started on 2-2-17....I'm sure it's still fermenting, I know the room it's in is a little cold 60 - 70 F. I followed the recipe listed.... at what point should I bottle? It has cleared but there are still carb bubbles coming to the surface.
Click to expand...


How are you sure it's still fermenting? It's been in the fermenter nearly 3 months. The carb bubbles don't necessarily indicate fermentation is ongoing.

My suggestion is to take a gravity reading and bottle if it's finished. If you don't want to measure the gravity, then my suggestion is to bottle anyway. Let it age the next couple months in the bottles.
 
friskytriscuit said:
Hi all,

I recently purchased a 2.5 gallon glass barrel for making kombucha - it looks like this https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ce/2a/29/ce2a29aa7ca5a2e9d03c2c778e13a515.jpg

It came with a screw-on metal cap, but it doesn't fit on it very well. I am interested in using it to make a 2 gallon batch of cider. Any ideas of a cap or lid I could buy somewhere that might fit something like this?
Click to expand...

I bought that same exact jug for 1/2 gallon brews. We ended up going to Costco, bought a plastic jug of Animal Crackers, and used the plastic lid from that, which fits much better than the metal one that comes with the glass jug ..... we put the metal lid onto the animal crackers and gave them to the grandchildren (a 2-fer .... gift of cookies for the kids, and we switched the caps and they didn't even notice!) - this was a couple of years ago, so I don't know if Costco still sells them, but it might be worth your time to take a measuring tape along and see if you can find the animal crackers and then check out the size of the lid on them.
Other than that, it was suggested to me to wrap the top threads of the jug with tape to make that crummy metal lid fit better - I couldn't get a good seal even then (not counting the sticky mess on the jug) ..... but I was able to get a pretty good seal using saran wrap wound around a few times ..... too much hassle - just look for that plastic lid from the animal crackers in Costco, and if they sell them, Sam's club, Wally World, or some other big store. the cracker jug is about the size of a gallon or a gallon and a half, just to let you know what you're looking for. HTHs
 
Love Simcoe! Citra is great for dryhopping cider too - I have done 4 small (1 gallon) batches dryhopped with Citra. Delicious
 
Good to know. I thought it would be. I've dry hopped a gallon with some homegrown cascade and bottled it still but it was still pretty good. I also did a gallon with some leftover cluster from a stout my buddy brewed and it wasn't that great not bad but just not flavorful. Now that I have a keg I keg 5 gallon batches. I love it carbed. I did 2 oz simcoe last time and it was awesome but I tried 3 oz this time
 
2 months since I bottled this stuff. To be honest, the first few bottles were pretty funky. But week by week, it's getting better. And it's getting more appley. Almost ready to start offering it to other people.
 
I just put together another batch of this tonight. I can't take an initial gravity reading as it's already put together in the carboy and I have nothing that can pull a small portion out. I opted to take a venture down the apple pie direction as I really like an apple pie moonshine that is made locally (I just want it less strong/abv).

So, here is what I pitched tonight:
- 1 packet montrachet
- 2 lbs white sugar
- 5 tsp's apple pie spice
- enough apple juice to fill to the neck of carboy (it had 1.05 gravity)

The plan is to let it ferment until done (under 1.000) and then use sorbate and finally backsweeten. I'll probably just start simple and backsweeten with sugar alone on this batch. I'll test backsweetening with concentrate next batch. The initial smell though is very nice!

Edit: Be very careful when using the apple pie spice. I've never seen montrachet act like this before. Everything you see inside and outside of the airlock becomes a long sticky string like substance. Cleaned it up, pushed down the cap and mixed it up, and reattached the airlock. This happened before 24 hours.

Edit again: I have now cleaned the airlock 7 times within 12 hours and it finally appears to have slowed down (the overflow part at least).

IMG_20170524_133551.jpg
 
I was finally able to take a reading tonight. It's reading just over 1.03 so it's almost there. I've only taken the airlock off a few times to shake and aerate since pitching. It seems like it's taking longer than it really is. It tastes ok, like sweet apple currently. I can't really taste any apple pie flavoring...
 
So it's now been about two months. About three weeks ago, I noticed this batch sat at 1.03 for a while (about a week). So I pitched a little bit of nutrient and energizer and another packet of montrachet. Today it sits at 1.000. It's taken so long to get here I don't know what caused all my issues. Anyways, I'm planning to let it sit for another week or two, then I am going to stabalize and backsweeten. I'm hoping it doesn't take long to clear after that as it smells better than it tastes (can't taste the apple pie flavoring at all). Plus I want the headaches of this batch to be over lol...
 
A few weeks ago I asked if anyone knew if Apfelwein that has been kegged for two years and experienced temperature swings from summer temps to below freezing would still be good. I'm here to answer my own question as I offered it to the guy who normally drinks it when I have it and he reported that it tastes good, and then several people tried it and all liked it. It was still at ambient temp, so they all put ice in it to cool it down and it still was quite popular.
 
I might have just started the world's smallest batch of Apfelwein.

I wanted to try some Martinelli brand juice before I buy enough of it for a larger batch as the largest bottles I've found of this brand are 24 oz for $2.48 each, so a 3 gallon batch would end up costing quite a bit. Well, tonight I found a 4-pack of 10 oz bottles and wouldn't you know it, I tripped and spilled some yeast and sugar in one of the bottles!

And here it is, folks

20170709_045912.jpg
 
Nice, how much yeast and sugar did you use for a 10 oz bottle?

Thanks,
Greg

TinOK said:
I might have just started the world's smallest batch of Apfelwein.

I wanted to try some Martinelli brand juice before I buy enough of it for a larger batch as the largest bottles I've found of this brand are 24 oz for $2.48 each, so a 3 gallon batch would end up costing quite a bit. Well, tonight I found a 4-pack of 10 oz bottles and wouldn't you know it, I tripped and spilled some yeast and sugar in one of the bottles!

And here it is, folks
Click to expand...
 
I used a little under 2 tsp of raw sugar and about 1/2 tsp of Montrachet. I also added about 10 granules of HomeBrewOhio "Yeast Nutrient."
 
That juice is incredibly expensive. I would like to know what apples are in it for that price!
 
Finally had some time to check on my batch this morning. Finally under 1.000... Not sure how long it's been "finished" before, but it sure took its sweet ol' time.

Dropped in 4 campden tabs and 2 1/2 tsps of sorbate. Going to drop in about 5 or so cups of sugar tomorrow and another 5 tsps of apple pie spice and then it's time to wait again! Doesn't taste very apple piey (?), just like dry apple. I don't think the apple pie spice was useful during fermentation...
 
This morning I ended up racking onto 5 cups of sugar and 2 1/2 tsps of apple pie spice. I stirred/degassed for a few minutes, but there is still a thick layer of sugar laying at the bottom (it didn't all dissolve or get mixed in). Also, my hydrometer broke (I dropped it on accident) while doing a reading, so I'm not sure where my FG is. Great :(. I think this is the last time I will backsweeten with raw sugar, it always seems to cause problems. From now on I will backsweeten only from concentrates.
 
Just remember that Apfelwein benefits from age. I set aside my keg of cherry apfelwein for a while and it is now 4 years old still tastes amazing. I may brew another batch again to get some more to start aging.

It takes 6 months to be ready in my opinion.
 
Does anyone know how long this will last in a keg?

Long story short I brewed more different things then I could drink and I have about 3/4 of a keg of this that I kegged a year ago and I don't know if it is still safe to drink.
 
So, I started a batch of this back in May. OG was 1.067, which I think is about right, from the other postsI have read in this thread.

Today I pulled it out of the closet to throw some ginger in (I decided to make it a spicy cider) and took a gravity reading. It settled over a month ago (been in there two months now) and my reading was 1.023 - which I think puts it around 5.5%. Could that be right?

I used table sugar instead of dextrose - could that have affected the final gravity?
 
shadow160 said:
Does anyone know how long this will last in a keg?

Long story short I brewed more different things then I could drink and I have about 3/4 of a keg of this that I kegged a year ago and I don't know if it is still safe to drink.
Click to expand...

If it has been sealed and kept at a reasonable temperature it should be fine.

I've had it last more than a year. It was extremely hard work to finish it the last half keg.
 
shadow160 said:
Does anyone know how long this will last in a keg?

Long story short I brewed more different things then I could drink and I have about 3/4 of a keg of this that I kegged a year ago and I don't know if it is still safe to drink.
Click to expand...

I just found a keg of this that I brewed two years ago. It has gone through some wild temperature swings from below freezing to summer temps. Several people had a glass of it at a party here two weeks ago and no one got sick or complained of bad flavors, so I'd say it's still good even after all that time and neglect.
 
I just put down 2 gallons if Treetop simple hard cider. This is my first ever hard cider and likely just a fun adventure before I go back to brewing beer. I pitched Nottingham and that's all. I will bottle condition it. I am not sure if I want to put a trace amount of Stevia or just let it condition as is. I hardly ever eat sugar and the commercial ciders are sooooo sweet. I got an Angry Orchard that advertised itself as less sweet. OMG that stuff tasted like pure sugar. Had a really hard time choking down just a six pack.
 
AZCoolerBrewer said:
I just put down 2 gallons if Treetop simple hard cider. This is my first ever hard cider and likely just a fun adventure before I go back to brewing beer. I pitched Nottingham and that's all. I will bottle condition it. I am not sure if I want to put a trace amount of Stevia or just let it condition as is. I hardly ever eat sugar and the commercial ciders are sooooo sweet. I got an Angry Orchard that advertised itself as less sweet. OMG that stuff tasted like pure sugar. Had a really hard time choking down just a six pack.
Click to expand...

I feel you.

Hennys dry Cider will be your friend!
 
rideincircles said:
Just remember that Apfelwein benefits from age. I set aside my keg of cherry apfelwein for a while and it is now 4 years old still tastes amazing. I may brew another batch again to get some more to start aging.

It takes 6 months to be ready in my opinion.
Click to expand...

did you use real cherries or cherry flavoring? i have 1/2 a bottle of flavoring kicking around from a wheat beer, i may have to try it.
 

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