Man, I love Apfelwein

[timcadieux]

As much as I tried to, I can't read all 1000+ replies, so I figured I'd ask a few questions here.

After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so. Racking to a secondary is not necessary.

Apfelwein really improves with age, so if you can please let it sit in a carboy for up to 3 months before bottling or kegging, then let it sit even longer. Here's what some folks think.

The above states that its not necessary to rack to secondary but it also says that you could leave it up to 3 months before bottling. I've always understood that too many weeks on the yeast cake can be bad...so does this mean I should rack to secondary?

Essentially, this is what I was thinking of doing..i'd pitch a batch in my carboy, then in 4 weeks, I'd rack to secondary, and pitch a second batch immediately on the original yeast cake.

Then both could age in their carboys until both May and June receptively, where I could then bottle and serve in June and July?

Does this sound reasonable...i just don;t want to tie up bottles for 6months if I can avoid it.

 

[mike_in_ak]

Sound like a fine idea!

 

[timcadieux]

So there's no issue with aging in the Carboy and repitching onto existing yeast? I understood there were potentially two trains of thought to both possibility?

 

[mike_in_ak]

People in this thread are doing it after longer aging than the month you proposed.

 

[RLPK]

Is there any difference between aging for 6 months in the carboy and bottling after 1 month and aging in bottles for 6 months? This is assuming that the apfelwein is already clear.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Vox]

I understand that time in the bottle is hugely beneficial to cider/apfelwein. I'm just curious if it needs to be kept refrigerated after a few weeks, and then kept for say 6 months or more? Or is it ok to keep it in (glass) bottles in the cupboard for 6 months (at say between 60-80 degrees F)?

I keep mine in cases at 72 while it ages.

 

[emjay]

So there's no issue with aging in the Carboy and repitching onto existing yeast? I understood there were potentially two trains of thought to both possibility?

You planning on keeping the 2nd batch on all that yeast for 6+ months? I've definitely had autolysis problems from keeping it on too long, and I know somebody else who has as well.

 

[opus345]

I have kept it in primary for 2 months without any issues, but I'm leary of going past 3 months on the yeast cake.

You can use the same yeast cake, but we are talking <$1.00 for the packet of yeast, splurge a little and buy two packets.

Start two simultaneous batches and bottle at 2 months or do 2 sequential batches and bottle at the 2 month period for each batch. From your sig, it looks like you have number of primary and secondary containers available. If you run out, then it is a perfect excuse to buy more.

 

[springmom]

Ho. Ly. Moses. That stuff is gonna be good!!!

I started my batch on 10/22 and bottled it tonight. Left to my own devices and without referring to the calendar I'd have left it until the end of the week but no need to be picky when the family Christmas is on the horizon. My only glitch was that I had no corn sugar but used table sugar instead and bottled 36 16 oz bottles and two 12 oz beer bottles. And put the rest of it on ice and tasted.

That stuff is gonna be really good once carbonated. It's good now. It's going to be a very merry Christmas for the Pedersens.

 

[pood]

I ran across this thread when I was looking up Spike Your Juice, I thought that thing was a good deal, but man was I wrong! I'm picking up some better bottles tomorrow and going to try to make 5 gallons this week. This is going to be my first time brewing anything, besides Spike your Juice, if you can even call that brew :X

I think I'd be too impatient to wait 6 month, how dry, or typical ABV would it be at the 4 week mark? I intend to make another 5 gallons or 2 at the 2 week mark.

 

[emjay]

I ran across this thread when I was looking up Spike Your Juice, I thought that thing was a good deal, but man was I wrong! I'm picking up some better bottles tomorrow and going to try to make 5 gallons this week. This is going to be my first time brewing anything, besides Spike your Juice, if you can even call that brew :X

I think I'd be too impatient to wait 6 month, how dry, or typical ABV would it be at the 4 week mark? I intend to make another 5 gallons or 2 at the 2 week mark.

It would almost definitely be fully fermented at 4 weeks - so as dry and as high ABV as it's going to get - but it would still be pretty harsh. Maybe you should do two batches immediately on the same day, if you don't want to wait that long for your first batch. That would allow you to really get a pipeline started.

 

[Vigo_Carpathian]

I have been wanting to start a batch of Afpelwein for a while now. So a couple days ago I pitched my first batch of Apfelwein. This morning I woke up to the overwhelming smell of rhino farts filling up the room.....it was awesome! I'm really looking forward to trying this stuff.

 

[Vox]

I ran across this thread when I was looking up Spike Your Juice, I thought that thing was a good deal, but man was I wrong! I'm picking up some better bottles tomorrow and going to try to make 5 gallons this week. This is going to be my first time brewing anything, besides Spike your Juice, if you can even call that brew :X

I think I'd be too impatient to wait 6 month, how dry, or typical ABV would it be at the 4 week mark? I intend to make another 5 gallons or 2 at the 2 week mark.

Have a gallon of Sprite available if you're going to try to drink it that early. Or just have a few shots first to kill your tastebuds before drinking your Apple rocket fuel. You'll taste the alcohol and not much Apple. My buddies and I drank some when we bottled it after about four weeks and it resulted in frequent cringes and headaches the morning after. Several months later, it's developing nicely. It starts getting good around 4 to 6 months.

 

[pood]

That's too bad, anyone in Seattle want to sell me a gallon of well aged Apfelwein?

 

[pood]

It would almost definitely be fully fermented at 4 weeks - so as dry and as high ABV as it's going to get - but it would still be pretty harsh. Maybe you should do two batches immediately on the same day, if you don't want to wait that long for your first batch. That would allow you to really get a pipeline started.

Maybe I well, why is the original thread suggesting 2 weeks afterwards?

 

[Vox]

Just to stagger the flow. I know I don't want to spend half a day bottling ten gallons or more lol

 

[good11s]

next one

 

[Leadgolem]

That's too bad, anyone in Seattle want to sell me a gallon of well aged Apfelwein?

I think you are kidding, but selling homebrew is not legal and talking about illegal subjects tends to get threads locked.

I've done a few batches of apfelwein now. Not this exact recipe, but the same general idea. I've noticed that if I add 1 normal dose of yeast nutrient and yeast energizer for every 5% of target abv over about 7 I get something that doesn't require as much aging to be drinkable.

For instance, I've got some 16% abv apfelwein. It spent 2 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in secondary with some bentonite to clear. It was just barely drinkable when it came out of secondary. It was ok after about 2 more weeks. After about 2 months it's actually quite nice.

I've had basically the same experience with other high abv brews. That makes me think that a fair number of the high abv brews are producing off flavors because they are nutrient deficient.

No hard science, but I'm going to keep using nutrient in everything with a highish abv target.

EDIT: At the target abv of this brew, I'd personally add 1 normal dose of yeast nutrient and yeast energizer. The directions are on the packages, but usually 1 tsp nutrient/ gallon and 1/2 tsp energizer/ gallon.

 

[emjay]

Just to stagger the flow. I know I don't want to spend half a day bottling ten gallons or more lol

Right, but since he doesn't want to be patient, he can get them started at the same time and still stagger the bottling so that he gets his first batch quickly and a head start on the second batch.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Kegged my first ever (5 month old) batch or apfelwein tonight! Looking forward to it...

 

[timcadieux]

You planning on keeping the 2nd batch on all that yeast for 6+ months? I've definitely had autolysis problems from keeping it on too long, and I know somebody else who has as well.

No, the reason I asked was a friend has already started this recipe. He has limited bottles but a free free carboys. I suggested to him that rather than age in bottles, why not rack off the yeast after say what, 4weeks, then age 6months in a carboy, thus freeing up his bottles.

I was also wondering about reusing the yeast cake but as mentioned, for the $1.50 yeast packet, its not worth it.

My initial thread has gone a little off the rails.

 

[pood]

I think you are kidding, but selling homebrew is not legal and talking about illegal subjects tends to get threads locked.

I've done a few batches of apfelwein now. Not this exact recipe, but the same general idea. I've noticed that if I add 1 normal dose of yeast nutrient and yeast energizer for every 5% of target abv over about 7 I get something that doesn't require as much aging to be drinkable.

For instance, I've got some 16% abv apfelwein. It spent 2 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in secondary with some bentonite to clear. It was just barely drinkable when it came out of secondary. It was ok after about 2 more weeks. After about 2 months it's actually quite nice.

I've had basically the same experience with other high abv brews. That makes me think that a fair number of the high abv brews are producing off flavors because they are nutrient deficient.

No hard science, but I'm going to keep using nutrient in everything with a highish abv target.

EDIT: At the target abv of this brew, I'd personally add 1 normal dose of yeast nutrient and yeast energizer. The directions are on the packages, but usually 1 tsp nutrient/ gallon and 1/2 tsp energizer/ gallon.

Sorry, didn't know that it's illegal.

I just picked up all of my ingredients and gear today ($120 for 10 gallons + 2 better bottles + stoppers). The sales girl told me i could get some yeast nutrient, but since it wasn't listed on the main, I didn't. Is there any reason why it's not included?

 

[mike_in_ak]

Ha now you're effed! All the dude wanted was some spiked juice and now he's half way to having a temperature controlled home brew set up.

10 gallons of apfelwein is gonna be a lot cooler than a single jug.

If you read more in the thread I believe you'll see posts about rhino farts that will answer the question about nutrients. Yeast needs certain things to live well, and those things are found in beer malt, buy not so much in apple juice. And the more you ask the yeast to do in terms of alcohol percentage, the more nutrients the yeast wants. Without added nutrient, the yeast tends to struggle, and when it struggles it tends to produce sulphur-smelling by products. I believe these usually age out of the brew, so they won't leave it tasting bad, but they may make your brew area smell bad.

It's not a very expensive addition, but probably not absolutely necessary.

 

[mike_in_ak]

And if your yeast hits a wall and your fermentation gets stuck, you could always add some nutrient boiled in some water and cooled down to your brew after the fact.

 

[Leadgolem]

If you read more in the thread I believe you'll see posts about rhino farts that will answer the question about nutrients. Yeast needs certain things to live well, and those things are found in beer malt, buy not so much in apple juice. And the more you ask the yeast to do in terms of alcohol percentage, the more nutrients the yeast wants. Without added nutrient, the yeast tends to struggle, and when it struggles it tends to produce sulphur-smelling by products. I believe these usually age out of the brew, so they won't leave it tasting bad, but they may make your brew area smell bad.

It's not a very expensive addition, but probably not absolutely necessary.

With the listed recipe, not it's not absolutely essential. IMO, if your going over 10% abv then it pretty much is. A certain amount of h2s will age out, but if to much of it sits in solution for to long it turns into something that you can't ever get out of the brew. Plus, I'm usually way to impatient to let it age out. If you use yeast nutrient it's never produced in the first place

H2s production is usually the result of an enzyme produced by the yeast, in a nutrient poor environment, that breaks down dead yeast cells. That frees up the nutrients from the dead cells, but produces several rather unappetizing compounds. H2s is just the most noticeable one. Over time most of these compounds will break down into less offensive things.

And if your yeast hits a wall and your fermentation gets stuck, you could always add some nutrient boiled in some water and cooled down to your brew after the fact.

You don't even necessarily have to mix it with water. I haven't had a problem just pitching dry nutrient or energizer after fermentation has started and shaking the bottle.

 

[wmarkw]

Drinking a bottle of 11 month aged!! Good stuff!! Drinking it still but there is fizzzz to it. Love it

 

[Leadgolem]

Now if only the glass was actually bigger then the bottle...

 

[Rys06Tbss]

So I read up to page 130. I made my first batch on 12/20/12. When I was at my home brew store I told the guy I was making an apple wine and he said edworts? I just smiled and said yup. Mine made about half a circle within the first day. After that, all the bubbles on top disappeared and I have a ton of champaign bubbles. I never saw it foam up but when I checked it last night there looks to be some foam residue on my 6 gal BB. The upcoming weeks are going to be tough waiting. I don't have any legging equipment so ill have to bottle. I'm going to carb I think. It's my understanding that if you don't carb you have to move it to the fridge right away? Is that correct?

 

[opus345]

I don't have any legging equipment so ill have to bottle. I'm going to carb I think. It's my understanding that if you don't carb you have to move it to the fridge right away? Is that correct?

I have not heard that, curious why you think so.

I have not carbonated the last two 10gal batches batches and just bottled/corked in wine bottles which have gone into boxes in the basement storage area. It is cooler there (70 deg), but I'm not planning on storing the Apfelwein for years.

 

[Rys06Tbss]

I have not heard that, curious why you think so.

I have not carbonated the last two 10gal batches batches and just bottled/corked in wine bottles which have gone into boxes in the basement storage area. It is cooler there (70 deg), but I'm not planning on storing the Apfelwein for years.

I just wasn't sure if it would spoil. In the earlier posts Ed said that you could bottle in the one gallon juice bottle but just be sure to refrigerate then. I must have misunderstood and I bet he ment if you open them. Refrigerate afterwards.