Man, I love Apfelwein

[caughtablaze]

guys, been thinking about this for a minute and i just need a little nudge in either direction from you all about whether or not to do it.

I've got 5 gals that has been aging for 2 years.... yes. two years. kegging it here in the next three days to be served at an xmas party on dec 20.

Thinking about soaking 2 vanilla beans, 2 cinn sticks, 2 cloves in rum and adding that mixture as well as a can of apple concentrate at kegging.

Does that sound good? Any other/better ideas?

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

guys, been thinking about this for a minute and i just need a little nudge in either direction from you all about whether or not to do it.

I've got 5 gals that has been aging for 2 years.... yes. two years. kegging it here in the next three days to be served at an xmas party on dec 20.

Thinking about soaking 2 vanilla beans, 2 cinn sticks, 2 cloves in rum and adding that mixture as well as a can of apple concentrate at kegging.

Does that sound good? Any other/better ideas?

Can you split the batch? Plain old 2-year apfelwein should be rockin all by itself, especially carbed. Not knocking the spice idea, but it would be terrible to add a lot of stuff now that might need even more aging to mellow.

Maybe you could steep some sort of spiced syrup that can be added to the glass, per the drinker's fancy?

 

[caughtablaze]

Can you split the batch? Plain old 2-year apfelwein should be rockin all by itself, especially carbed. Not knocking the spice idea, but it would be terrible to add a lot of stuff now that might need even more aging to mellow.

Maybe you could steep some sort of spiced syrup that can be added to the glass, per the drinker's fancy?

thats a good thought. i tasted a sample of just rum mixed with the uncarbed apfelwein and liked it. gonna have to think about this more tomorrow when i'm sober haha

 

[podz]

Just the nature of the yeast. Slow and steady.

Yeast doesn't ferment the juice slowly unless the juice is missing nutrients. Plain old apple juice is missing nutrients - add some DAP and it will ferment dry in a week. Of course, DAP isn't part of EdWort's recipe.

Beer wort itself usually provides a very high level of nutrients. My 7% ABV stout, for example, finished at 1.015 and tightly flocculated in less than 4 days in an 18 celcius room. It never ceases to amaze me how fast it goes, literally like a machine gun out through the airlock.

 

[CooperBrew]

Just sampled some that I started back in March. Outstanding! It will make a great wine for the Thanksgiving meal.

 

[SFGiantsFan925]

Just sampled some that I started back in March. Outstanding! It will make a great wine for the Thanksgiving meal.

Same here. I tried some that I made in the first week of April, and cant wait to have it with a turkey dinner. Carbed half of it and bottled still the other half. Both are great, but people seem to like the carbed version a little more.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Same here. I tried some that I made in the first week of April, and cant wait to have it with a turkey dinner. Carbed half of it and bottled still the other half. Both are great, but people seem to like the carbed version a little more.

I have some 7 month old still apfelwein that I often drink mixed with seltzer. It's kind of nice to be able to have it still or sparkling as desired. I have another batch conditioning in the carboy now and I am on the fence as to whether I want to carbonate it or just bottle it still. It's a pretty flexible beverage.

 

[jstampler]

Anyone know the recipe for making hot toddy type drinks with Apfelwein?

 

[DRonco]

Anyone know the recipe for making hot toddy type drinks with Apfelwein?

Not sure if this qualifies but this was Ed's recommendation:

" Oh yeah, this makes a great Grog in the winter time.

Take a quart in a sauce pan, add some rum, turbinado sugar, and float a cinnamon stick in it and simmer for a while. Serve hot in mugs. It'll warm you right up."

 

[DaveNay]

guys, been thinking about this for a minute and i just need a little nudge in either direction from you all about whether or not to do it.

I've got 5 gals that has been aging for 2 years.... yes. two years. kegging it here in the next three days to be served at an xmas party on dec 20.

Thinking about soaking 2 vanilla beans, 2 cinn sticks, 2 cloves in rum and adding that mixture as well as a can of apple concentrate at kegging.

Does that sound good? Any other/better ideas?

I've got you beat. Mine has been sitting for 3 1/2 years!

 

[DRonco]

I've got you beat. Mine has been sitting for 3 1/2 years!

Daaammnn!

 

[DanVSTL]

Let mine sit for 4+ years. Tasted fantastic carbed. Dry enough where it almost was a sour apple taste to it.

 

[DaveNay]

Let mine sit for 4+ years. Tasted fantastic carbed. Dry enough where it almost was a sour apple taste to it.

I finally tasted mine...it was bad. Oh well, time to make more.

 

[Boins]

This recipe has rave reviews but is in the wine thread. Is it just like cider? or is it more like wine? can I back sweeten to bottle and add carbonation?

 

[Leadgolem]

This recipe has rave reviews but is in the wine thread. Is it just like cider? or is it more like wine? can I back sweeten to bottle and add carbonation?

Since it is an apple juice base, I would say it's a cider. With the bump to the ABV from the sugar, it blurs the line a bit. That, and the German name for it. IMO, it would be fine in either section.

You can bottle card this perfectly well.

 

[Boins]

Gonna do the standard recipe suggested for my first go around. But, should I add yeast nutrient to the mix?

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Since it is an apple juice base, I would say it's a cider. With the bump to the ABV from the sugar, it blurs the line a bit. That, and the German name for it. IMO, it would be fine in either section.

I believe that the German Apfelwein isn't normally fortified with extra sugar - it really is just straight cider. The boost of corn sugar in EdWort's recipe does push it in a more wine-like direction.

 

[Leadgolem]

Gonna do the standard recipe suggested for my first go around. But, should I add yeast nutrient to the mix?

If you are doing the recipe exactly as stated, it's not necessary. Bump the ABV up much more, and I would. Otherwise you can get some sulphury aroma that can't be removed.

 

[Boins]

If you are doing the recipe exactly as stated, it's not necessary. Bump the ABV up much more, and I would. Otherwise you can get some sulphury aroma that can't be removed.

Thanks. Ya, my 1st batch is exactly what the recipe calls for.

Well, actually my fist batch is in the making right now (letting the foam settle after shaking in the dextrose).

Ugh, so much info here I don't know which yeast to commit to! I have the the 5 star but I also have a Nottingham I kinda want to use. It sounds like the Nottingham will leave a bit more apple flavor and sweetness which I will prefer but I can also back sweeten the 5 star to my liking which would help for the carb I want when I bottle. decisions, decisions.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

My son in law drank a bottle of the stuff like it was apple juice. I believe he was saying something about a two day hang over and called Edwardt something nasty........

 

[aboutlastnite]

Hey, at about three weeks old, just popped my airlock on my 1st batch of apfelwein to see what it smelled like, it still has that SO2 smell to it. Is this normal for another few weeks?

 

[adiochiro3]

Hey, at about three weeks old, just popped my airlock on my 1st batch of apfelwein to see what it smelled like, it still has that SO2 smell to it. Is this normal for another few weeks?

Yes. I believe the HBT technical term is "Rhino Farts." They last awhile.

 

[aboutlastnite]

Rhino farts, duly noted.

 

[MaxStout]

Hey, at about three weeks old, just popped my airlock on my 1st batch of apfelwein to see what it smelled like, it still has that SO2 smell to it. Is this normal for another few weeks?

Rhino farts...it'll pass. :cross:

Seriously, 3 weeks is very young for Apfelwein. Let it set in the fermenter a couple months and you should have some apple goodness.

 

[Brewer_Jonathan]

Forgive me, I am sure that this has been addressed on 1 of the 1200 pages....

What is the difference in this and apple wine?

Thanks all

 

[finsfan]

Forgive me, I am sure that this has been addressed on 1 of the 1200 pages....

What is the difference in this and apple wine?

Thanks all

this is apple wine, no difference just in spelling

 

[Brewer_Jonathan]

Good deal. Thank you

 

[TexasWine]

Forgive me, I am sure that this has been addressed on 1 of the 1200 pages....

What is the difference in this and apple wine?

Thanks all

I think this concoction dances in the gray area between wine and hard cider. Personally I would consider it to be more of cider. If I wanted it to be more wine like I'd bump up the sugar, probably add some tannin and acid blend, and drink it still. Most folks, including myself, carbonate.

 

[Walter_Whites_Batch]

I think this concoction dances in the gray area between wine and hard cider. Personally I would consider it to be more of cider. If I wanted it to be more wine like I'd bump up the sugar, probably add some tannin and acid blend, and drink it still. Most folks, including myself, carbonate.

I just call it cider too, and I carb mine. Up here, people don't know what apfelwein is, or even apple wine. hey, is this thread post # 12,000?

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

hey, is this thread post # 12,000?

Yes, it is post 12,000! Congratulations! :rockin:

For being the 12,000th poster on the Apfelwein forum you get...nothing, absolutely nothing.

<crickets chirping>

Nope, not a thing.