Man, I love Apfelwein

[wineANDbrine]

I started a batch of something similar to this about a week ago. I had an OG of 1.09 or so. Is that too high for it to turn out okay?

 

[jstampler]

I started a batch of something similar to this about a week ago. I had an OG of 1.09 or so. Is that too high for it to turn out okay?

My current batch i made with extra sugar to boost the ABV and started at 1.08. I just racked it to age it and smooth it out but it tasted great at 2 months. Yours will be around 12% but should taste fine. I find the regular recipe a little too light anyway

 

[wineANDbrine]

My current batch i made with extra sugar to boost the ABV and started at 1.08. I just racked it to age it and smooth it out but it tasted great at 2 months. Yours will be around 12% but should taste fine. I find the regular recipe a little too light anyway

Alright cool. I just noticed that EdWorts recipe ended up being 8.5% ABV and that mine is a bit higher. I'll go with it and see how it comes out.

 

[keahunter]

I just tasted mine after sitting for about a month. Can't say I enjoyed it all that much...i tasted potential but it also had a taste that can only be described as "pukey". Gross, right? I'm hoping it's just because it's so young.

 

[iluvmysh]

I just tasted mine after sitting for about a month. Can't say I enjoyed it all that much...i tasted potential but it also had a taste that can only be described as "pukey". Gross, right? I'm hoping it's just because it's so young.

it calls for at least 6 months.
what temp are you fermenting at?

 

[dave8274]

I've got 2 kegs full of this stuff now and 2 batches bottled, so I am going to start to bulk age future batches for kegging in a secondary. Should I use campden tablets when I rack it if it will be sitting in a carboy for several months?

 

[keahunter]

it calls for at least 6 months.
what temp are you fermenting at?

I'm at a fairly consistent 72. I do plan on letting it age longer, but I wanted to get a gravity and then taste the sample.

 

[BrewerBear]

Dave you can use campden if you want,but it is not required.

I've got 2 kegs full of this stuff now and 2 batches bottled, so I am going to start to bulk age future batches for kegging in a secondary. Should I use campden tablets when I rack it if it will be sitting in a carboy for several months?

 

[jstampler]

I racked my 2 month old batch Sunday and topped up to 6 gallons with about 1/4 gallon more apple juice. Should I see any fermentation starting back up? Bubbles, airlock activity, anything? I haven't seen a thing and I just hope I don't bottle it in a month or two and have bottle bombs.

 

[iluvmysh]

I've got 2 kegs full of this stuff now and 2 batches bottled, so I am going to start to bulk age future batches for kegging in a secondary. Should I use campden tablets when I rack it if it will be sitting in a carboy for several months?

did your batch(es) ever clear up - the one(s) you made using motts?

 

[iluvmysh]

Ok, so I tasted my 4lbs of sugar apfelwein and it was dry with ec1118. Not sweet at all.

It certainly got me and the gf drunk as heck though but no hangover at all. I am going to make another batch with 6 or 8 pounds of sugar and see what happens. I want to push the ec1118 to it's 18abv limit. Starting gravity be damned. The experiment continues.

did you ever go through with your "experiment"?

 

[dave8274]

did your batch(es) ever clear up - the one(s) you made using motts?

It was Tree Top, but no, not really. It's got a slight haze in the glass, but it tastes fine.

4 weeks ago I started 2 batches side by side, both with Member's Mark Apple Juice, and 1 with Montrachet, the other with EC-1118. They both seem to be clearing about equally, so I'm convinced the apple juice was the issue.

 

[thefojizzle]

Bottled today!! Super excited to try my first batch! Tasted a little during bottling. Pretty good. Dry tasting but strong apple flavors. Hope it carbonated well. Now how long did you guys say after bottling its good to drink?

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Bottled today!! Super excited to try my first batch! Tasted a little during bottling. Pretty good. Dry tasting but strong apple flavors. Hope it carbonated well. Now how long did you guys say after bottling its good to drink?

Give it a few months for the alcohol heat to dissipate. The apple flavor will become more intense and you'll drink aplfelwein like it was as smooth as the original apple juice...until the town police find you drunk out of your mind up the tree in your neighbor's yard with your pants around your ankles. Mind EdWort's warning...he's not bull****ting.

Try to get your significant other to sample before you...it will make for an interesting evening.

 

[finsfan]

Bottled today!! Super excited to try my first batch! Tasted a little during bottling. Pretty good. Dry tasting but strong apple flavors. Hope it carbonated well. Now how long did you guys say after bottling its good to drink?

I bottled mine a few weeks ago and have already had 20 bottles already probably haha Its not carbed up yet but its still damn good

 

[Recluse]

Bottled today!! Super excited to try my first batch! Tasted a little during bottling. Pretty good. Dry tasting but strong apple flavors. Hope it carbonated well. Now how long did you guys say after bottling its good to drink?

I actually like the carbed stuff young.

"As soon as there's bubbles, you can get into trouble!!"


but find that if you bottle it still, it gets better and better with age.

 

[gcdowd]

I actually like the carbed stuff young.

"As soon as there's bubbles, you can get into trouble!!"

but find that if you bottle it still, it gets better and better with age.

I agree with you there. When carbonated, it seems great even when young.

 

[jstampler]

I bottled mine almost 2 weeks ago and the plastic soda bottle I'm using as a test still isn't hard. It actually doesn't feel any harder than when I first bottled. How long do I have to wait for it to carb?!? I've always drank it still and this time I carbed it and I'm itching to drink it.

 

[finsfan]

I bottled mine almost 2 weeks ago and the plastic soda bottle I'm using as a test still isn't hard. It actually doesn't feel any harder than when I first bottled. How long do I have to wait for it to carb?!? I've always drank it still and this time I carbed it and I'm itching to drink it.

You can still drink it now, it will actually taste sweeter because it isnt carbed yet

 

[Recluse]

I bottled mine almost 2 weeks ago and the plastic soda bottle I'm using as a test still isn't hard. It actually doesn't feel any harder than when I first bottled. How long do I have to wait for it to carb?!? I've always drank it still and this time I carbed it and I'm itching to drink it.

Odd.. I don't think I have ever waited more than 10 days for carbing, and even after a week there was SOME effervescence.

 

[jstampler]

Odd.. I don't think I have ever waited more than 10 days for carbing, and even after a week there was SOME effervescence.

Maybe it's the temperature? It's starting to get cold outside and I had it all sitting up against a wall in my laundry room. It's probably 62 degrees or so in there. I moved them upstairs where it's usually around 66 or so. Will that help at all or will I need to find a way to get them all up to 70ish?

 

[Recluse]

Maybe it's the temperature? It's starting to get cold outside and I had it all sitting up against a wall in my laundry room. It's probably 62 degrees or so in there. I moved them upstairs where it's usually around 66 or so. Will that help at all or will I need to find a way to get them all up to 70ish?

That could be it!! Higher is usually better, but 66 should be OK. I used to move things out of the cold basement for carbing till I achieved enough of a back log that I could afford to let them sit and take their time. Some yeasts do better at lower temps (like Nottingham for ales) but I don't know exactly how the wine yeasts do. EC-1118 is rated from 50-80 deg Fahrenheit and should probably do just as well. Montrachet is rated 59-80 so might give a more sluggish carbonation at 62.

I'm about to bottle some cranberry wine made with Montrachet, so for the portion I am going to carb, I think you reminded me to take it upstairs!!

 

[jstampler]

That could be it!! Higher is usually better, but 66 should be OK. I used to move things out of the cold basement for carbing till I achieved enough of a back log that I could afford to let them sit and take their time. Some yeasts do better at lower temps (like Nottingham for ales) but I don't know exactly how the wine yeasts do. EC-1118 is rated from 50-80 deg Fahrenheit and should probably do just as well. Montrachet is rated 59-80 so might give a more sluggish carbonation at 62. I'm about to bottle some cranberry wine made with Montrachet, so for the portion I am going to carb, I think you reminded me to take it upstairs!!

I moved it upstairs where it's closer to 66 so hopefully it carbs up a little quicker. I just hope its carbed for thanksgiving!

If it's left at 62, it would carb but just take longer, right?

 

[Recluse]

I moved it upstairs where it's closer to 66 so hopefully it carbs up a little quicker. I just hope its carbed for thanksgiving!

If it's left at 62, it would carb but just take longer, right?

I think so. I've had stuff eventually carb in the cold basement at even lower temps.

You should be good for Thanskgiving! How much priming sugar did you use? I generally go with 1 oz per gallon. Roughly equal to 3/4-1 cup corn sugar per 5 gal but I always weigh it.

 

[jstampler]

I think so. I've had stuff eventually carb in the cold basement at even lower temps. You should be good for Thanskgiving! How much priming sugar did you use? I generally go with 1 oz per gallon. Roughly equal to 3/4-1 cup corn sugar per 5 gal but I always weigh it.

I used 5oz of corn sugar for a 6 gallon batch.

 

[Wulvaine]

Well, I tried to rack before adding my oak cubes today, but so much of the yeast came with it that I ended up just pointlessly transferring everything from one carboy to the other, haha. Maybe it'll chew through the last .01 of my gravity and ferment dry while I'm oaking it.

I used 2oz of medium-toast French oak cubes (sanitized by pouring a little boiling water over them, covering, and letting them steam for a few minutes), and I'm looking to bottle in January. Will they be good sitting in there a couple of months, or will they over-extract in that time?

 

[MarkKF]

I bottled mine almost 2 weeks ago and the plastic soda bottle I'm using as a test still isn't hard. It actually doesn't feel any harder than when I first bottled. How long do I have to wait for it to carb?!? I've always drank it still and this time I carbed it and I'm itching to drink it.

Me too. Thinking the yeast might be all dead after 9 months in the secondary. Gonna try warming it up a bit. Otherwise I have sweet still cider bottled!:rockin:

 

[jstampler]

I think I'm going to sweeten my next batch. Will I need to pasteurize if I use Splenda? I know it doesn't ferment but I just want to make sure that means I don't need to pasteurize. I don't want bottle bombs.

 

[littletommy]

I've siphoned a gallon or so outta both 5 gallon carboys (made 5 gal sticking to the original recipe, and 5 gal using half sugar half brown sugar with a few cinnamon sticks thrown in) I started them both at the end of july, and while I like them both, they seem to be a little bland tasting, not what I was expecting. I'm gonna try to bottle about half of what is left in the carboys this weekend, but have wondered the same thing in regards to still having enough yeast activity to carb in the bottle.

I've been drinking the stuff I siphoned off, adding a half pack of sugar to the glass to sweeten, and I really dig drinking it, just was expecting a more "wine like" flavor.

 

[GNBrews]

For those that would like a more "wine like" flavor, what would be the recommended amount of tannin or acid blend to use? Obviously this recipe is more of a "quick and dirty, but good tasting" recipe, but most of the specifically wine-making forums recommend acid blend/tanninf or apple wines (using real fruit). Since we're using mostly juice, the skins aren't contributing any tannins.