Man, I love Apfelwein

[HopHeaven]

I couldnt resist today and i bottled 15 ltrs of this after two weeks on the primary. I've been scouring this thread and this question does not seem to have been asked before. instead, everyone is more concerned about leaving it on the primary for more than 6 mths!

i am so totally regretting bottling it this morning (FG was at 1.002)

has anyone had experience with this? please share!

What's the question?

 

[Leadgolem]

I couldnt resist today and i bottled 15 ltrs of this after two weeks on the primary. I've been scouring this thread and this question does not seem to have been asked before. instead, everyone is more concerned about leaving it on the primary for more than 6 mths!

i am so totally regretting bottling it this morning (FG was at 1.002)

has anyone had experience with this? please share!

It will be fine. You get slightly more consistent results bulk aging is all. After two weeks, you should be well past post fermentation cleanup.

 

[Ridenour64]

My 1 gal batch still has tiny bubbles rising frequently. No airlock activity tho. Is this normal after 5 weeks?

 

[PBCrunch]

Is there any good reason I can't put this in a plastic bucket with an airlock and forget about it in my basement for a couple of months then check the gravity and bottle it? I don't have a glass carboy but I do have an extra ferenting bucket.

It seems like it takes a pretty long time for this stuff to mellow out. Would it be better for it to spend a month in the fermenter and five months in bottles or five months in the fermenter and one month in bottles?

Thanks

 

[HopHeaven]

My 1 gal batch still has tiny bubbles rising frequently. No airlock activity tho. Is this normal after 5 weeks?

Take a hydro readings to know for sure but those little bubbles are probably just dissolved c02

 

[Leadgolem]

My 1 gal batch still has tiny bubbles rising frequently. No airlock activity tho. Is this normal after 5 weeks?

Take a hydro readings to know for sure but those little bubbles are probably just dissolved c02

+1

Is there any good reason I can't put this in a plastic bucket with an airlock and forget about it in my basement for a couple of months then check the gravity and bottle it? I don't have a glass carboy but I do have an extra ferenting bucket.

It seems like it takes a pretty long time for this stuff to mellow out. Would it be better for it to spend a month in the fermenter and five months in bottles or five months in the fermenter and one month in bottles?

Thanks

No, and whichever. A fermenting bucket works fine, IMO it's preferable if you are planning on adding fruit. It's much easier to get stuff out of a bucket then a carboy.

Generally speaking, bulk aging is preferable as it produces slightly more consistent results between bottles. Really though, it isn't going to make much of a difference. The time is much more important then if it was aged in bulk, or in the bottle.

 

[kwakws]

It will be fine. You get slightly more consistent results bulk aging is all. After two weeks, you should be well past post fermentation cleanup.

Thank goodness. Had me worried there. I guess I'll find out in couple of months time how it truly turns out. Cheers!

 

[stilly]

What do you bottle this stuff in? Beer bottles, wine bottles with a cork, soda pet bottles?

 

[bleme]

What do you bottle this stuff in? Beer bottles, wine bottles with a cork, soda pet bottles?

Yup!

 

[ChefRex]

Ed, Had my first taste today after a little more than a month, quite tasty, dry with a little residual sweetness. I didn't follow you exactly but close, it's going in the next empty keg.
I have a second i started a week after that i used some agave in it and it's still bubbling.
I haven't called you a mother%&@$er yet, but i can tell it is going to have a kick, thanks

 

[HessenHelles]

I've been lurking this thread for some time, and I wanted to try this, but didn't want to take a carboy out of action for 6 months. So, I couldn't take it anymore and started a 1 gallon batch 2 days ago, she's bubbling away! SG was 1.060

 

[Leadgolem]

I've been lurking this thread for some time, and I wanted to try this, but didn't want to take a carboy out of action for 6 months. So, I couldn't take it anymore and started a 1 gallon batch 2 days ago, she's bubbling away! SG was 1.060

View attachment 103902

Alternately, you could leave it in primary for 3 weeks or so. Then bottle, and age in the bottle.

 

[mpride1911]

Alternately, you could leave it in primary for 3 weeks or so. Then bottle, and age in the bottle.

I might try that too. I saved the original bottles from the juice plus have a ton of corked whiskey bottles.

 

[Pitman]

I made a 6 gallon batch back in may, bottled 3 months later (carbonated). Only substitution used 2# brown sugar. Was not very pleased with it at bottling. Tried again at 5 months and still had a nasty aftertaste. Was certain would wind up getting rid of it. Tried it this past weekend and Wow!! what a difference. It is really fantastic now. Will be getting another batch going tomorrow.

 

[Leadgolem]

I might try that too. I saved the original bottles from the juice plus have a ton of corked whiskey bottles.

That would work. No other flavors absorbed in the plastic but the apple cider. You can also bottle in beer bottles. That works very well if you want to naturally carbonate some.

 

[mike_in_ak]

Alternately, you could leave it in primary for 3 weeks or so. Then bottle, and age in the bottle.

There's a lot in this thread about the benefits of bulk aging.

 

[Leadgolem]

There's a lot in this thread about the benefits of bulk aging.

If you need the space though.

 

[rideincircles]

Just bottled my cherry cinnamon apfelwein after 5 months. It finished at 1.001. The cherry is very subtle but noticable at this point. I plan to let as much sit as possible.

The recipe was 1 gallon trader joes cherry juice cocktail, 4 gallons of apple juice, 2 lbs of sugar, montrachet, and two cinnamon sticks. Next time I will go ahead and bump up the cherry juice to 2 gallons.

It should be ready to drink by sxsw.

 

[Leadgolem]

Just bottled my cherry cinnamon apfelwein after 5 months. It finished at 1.001. The cherry is very subtle but noticable at this point. I plan to let as much sit as possible.

The recipe was 1 gallon trader joes cherry juice cocktail, 4 gallons of apple juice, 2 lbs of sugar, montrachet, and two cinnamon sticks. Next time I will go ahead and bump up the cherry juice to 2 gallons.

It should be ready to drink by sxsw.

You might want to try RW Knudsen Black Cherry Juice instead. It maintains its color and cherry flavor extremely well post fermentation.

 

[Texastrooper]

Being from Germany from the Apfelwein region I was never able to find a real dry cider here in the US. And I can only get Possmann Apfelwein at Worldmarket around Christmas time. Plus the Possmann is really expensive too.
Thanks for this recipe. I started mine last week and I can hardly wait for another 5 weeks.

 

[HessenHelles]

1 gallon batch after 5 days, and fermenting Strong!!!

 

[Oklahomamike]

I got a batch of this going last week. I went cheap and did it this way (Click Here)just up scaled it to 4 gallons using 10 cups of sugar and two packs of the three pack strip of yeast.

We'll see how it goes, but it was bubbling like crazy about 8hrs in and is still going strong.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

This weekend I started my first 3 gallon batch in a better bottle. The airlock is making mouse noises

 

[mastamind]

Hey guys it's currently 1:07pm here in Ohio and I'm buzzing off EdWort's Apfelwein! My second batch I decided to jugg it up today. I decided since I am still newish to homebrewing that I would just let it go for how ever long i felt. Well I started this batch in april of 2012. I just now jugged it up so it has been in the primary fermenter for 11 months or so on the yeast cake. It tastes amazing! I was a bit worried aboit it sitting on the cake but said wtf let's give it a go. It's in bottles and juggs now to age untill the summer or long but just wanted to say 11 months on the yeast cake was fine for me. I seen ppl say 6 months or longer so yeah.
Cheers

 

[mdpickle]

Hi All, Im posting from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
I am pretty much brand new to brewing. Just a few baisc beer and wine kits but looking to experiment now that i'm into it. I have stumbled across this recipe and it looks fantastic. What I would like to do is to make something that is a medium-dry finish, and I plan on carbonating it to make it more of a cider. I have read many pages and there seems to be a wide variety of ways to do this so I have some questions for those who are the veterans of brewing this product.

1. Judging from the posts, the montrachet brews very dry. I am looking for a medium to dry finish that still packs the high ABV. Any suggestions?
2. I'm seeing that aging is key to a really great product. Would it be better to let it age in a carboy or in bottles?
3. Has anyone messed around with pressing their own juice from fresh apples? Ive seen in some posts that this might not give you as much ABV. Any way to boost this up?

Any help would be awesome. Thanks

 

[Justdrumin]

I'm so excited!! I've been reading this thread for quite some time and finally decided to go and get a gallon jug and give it a whirl. The guy at the LHBS recommended Windsor Dry Yeast. I used regular old Motts apple juice, added 1 1/8 cup of sugar per recipe (except I let it dissolve with some apple juice in a small pan), rehydrated the yeast and pitched!! I filled the airlock with some moonshine instead of vodka ; ) Which I bought legally!! OG was about 1.070 so I'm hopin to get around 8% or maybe even 9% out of it?? I plan to add some concentrate after it's all done with fermentation, then a bit more aging. Idk. It's my first time makin cider so I will def be experimenting a bit with the 1g batches till I come up with one the SWMBO and I like. She likes it VERY sweet!! Lol. So I'm not entirely sure she would like EdWort's original recipe.

 

[thiessenace]

You could always do a nottingham yeast packet. Attenuate down to 1.010 or so or use posttasium sorbate to stop at a certain gravity.

 

[Leadgolem]

Hi All, Im posting from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
I am pretty much brand new to brewing. Just a few baisc beer and wine kits but looking to experiment now that i'm into it. I have stumbled across this recipe and it looks fantastic. What I would like to do is to make something that is a medium-dry finish, and I plan on carbonating it to make it more of a cider. I have read many pages and there seems to be a wide variety of ways to do this so I have some questions for those who are the veterans of brewing this product.

1. Judging from the posts, the montrachet brews very dry. I am looking for a medium to dry finish that still packs the high ABV. Any suggestions?
2. I'm seeing that aging is key to a really great product. Would it be better to let it age in a carboy or in bottles?
3. Has anyone messed around with pressing their own juice from fresh apples? Ive seen in some posts that this might not give you as much ABV. Any way to boost this up?

Any help would be awesome. Thanks

1. Yes. Ferment it dry, then sweeten to taste just before bottling. Keep some in a plastic bottle of about the same volume as the glass bottles. When the plastic bottle is hard, pasteurize the glass bottles in a pot on your stove. The amount of sugar you lose to co2 is actually very small, so you don't need to compensate for the lost sugar in your sweetening.

The presence of potassium sorbate does not necessarily prevent fermentation, it's effectiveness depends on the PH of the liquid and a couple other things. It also does not kill yeast, it blocks yeast reproduction. Pasteurization will definitely halt the fermentation,as it kills the yeast outright.

2. Aging in bulk is preferable, but IMO frequently over emphasized.
3. No, but if you want to bump the finished ABV you can up the gravity with just regular table sugar. Remember though, the higher the gravity the longer you are going to want to age the final product. If you add a lot of sugar, you also can run into more serious nutrient shortfalls. So, a tsp or so of yeast nutrient per gallon would be a good idea. You could also up the gravity with apple juice concentrate.

If you are going to press your own apples and want a clear finished product, make sure you use pectin enzyme. Otherwise the pectin will suspend particles in the brew and make it cloudy. They also need to be cold pressed apples, hot pressing apples sometimes sets the pectin and will give you something vaguely resembling apple jelly.

 

[Vigo_Carpathian]

should I add bottling yeast to this? Usually I only do that for anything over 10%abv

 

[mike_in_ak]

Man I got the same q but wasn't gonna ask the whole Internet about it but sure gonna listen to answers to your q