Man, I love Apfelwein

[Subdivisions]

hi guys i started my first 5 gallon batch yesterday with dady distillers yeast it is bubbling like crazy now out of the airlock like turbo mode i put a extra pound of sugar in it still fermenting away will 3 weeks be fine or good anof just want too know thanks

I just kegged a batch today that was 3 weeks old. It cleared very nicely. It fermented in my cold basement in the low 60s though so that may have helped it flocculate better. It finished at 0.998 FG.

I have a half gallon of apple juice left from when I made it and I'm experimenting with mixing some still Apfelwein with it. I had an extra half gallon that wouldn't fit in the keg. It's pretty awesome cut by 1/3. Gives me a nice 6% alcohol apple drink.

EDIT: Just to clarify.. I used Montrachet wine yeast as per usual so your results may vary. The Montrachet usually takes at least 3-4 weeks though.

 

[slym2none]

So... I have all these little gold packets of 5g of yeast laying around... *whistles innocently* could I boil, say, a cup of water or even apple juice, and then throw them in there to kill the yeast & add that to the apfelwein as yeast nutrients? Would one 5g packet be enough for 2.5 gallons of apfelwein? I have an empty fermenter that I really want to make some of this in, and want to get it right from the get-go. I have used the MrB yeast in that fashion for brewing beer already, but IDK how this would work in this recipe.

TIA!

 

[Subdivisions]

Cheers and thanks for that. I ended up using Montrachet. I thought the 3711 killed all the apple flavor and didn't leave much behind. I liked it but it dodn't have that belgian "something" I love in beer.

A note on the Montrachet it will make your fermentation room/chamber smell like egg farts for a good couple days. :cross:

Belgian yeast isn't going to do the same thing on a fruit juice. These are all simple sugars and that yeast is meant for malt sugar. Keep going with the Montrachet and let it age out a little.

P.S. glad you found out about the DAP. You kind of need it to keep others in the building from getting pissed.

 

[Viper2k3sr]

I typically use 71B in most of my Apfelwine, really works well at stopping it around where i want it. Premier Cuvee works wonders too

 

[slym2none]

OK, I'll say it - is anyone else disturbed by jacy's spelling of the word "enough"? "Anof" is just... it's so wrong...

 

[bembel]

OK, I'll say it - is anyone else disturbed by jacy's spelling of the word "enough"? "Anof" is just... it's so wrong...

LULZ!!!!!!!

But seriously. 'Anof' already...Jacy is NOT a 13 year old learning prison hooch tricks here. But he spells like one [emoji12] In ebriety veritas!

 

[Mwhy71]

Black cherry apfelwein, been sitting on this almost a year. Fantastic

 

[Tinbelly]

Black cherry apfelwein, been sitting on this almost a year. Fantastic

This sounds awesome - have a recipe to share?

 

[slym2none]

this sounds awesome - have a recipe to share?

+1

 

[Milemarker]

Black cherry apfelwein, been sitting on this almost a year. Fantastic

Looks like it goes down real nice.

 

[mgr_stl]

That looks beautiful.

 

[Mwhy71]

This sounds awesome - have a recipe to share?

I did this as a 1 gallon batch, I'm sure it can be scaled up, which I plan to do on the next batch.

1qt black cherry juice
3qt apple juice
1cup sugar
1 gram champagne yeast.

Nice and easy just like the original recipe. I like it with a little carbonation too.

 

[slym2none]

It really looks delicious... and I am going to have to make it!

Thanks, Mwhy!

 

[Floored]

My first apfelwein. I carbonated this one to five volumes. It turned out very champagne-like, nice fine bubbles. It's still a little young but patience is a virtue I'm working on.

 

[NateX]

I did this as a 1 gallon batch, I'm sure it can be scaled up, which I plan to do on the next batch.

1qt black cherry juice
3qt apple juice
1cup sugar
1 gram champagne yeast.

Nice and easy just like the original recipe. I like it with a little carbonation too.

Picked up the stuff for a batch of this today. Thanks for the recipe!

Also picked up enough for a one gallon batch of cyser (apple mead).

 

[NateX]

My first apfelwein. I carbonated this one to five volumes. It turned out very champagne-like, nice fine bubbles. It's still a little young but patience is a virtue I'm working on.

I bottle carbonate some of mine like beer, and it's probably my favorite way to consume it. I have a 3 gallon batch going in a keg next weekend, and I am interested to see how that goes. It's not half bad degassed and bottled with a cork after it gets some aging time either, but as you say, patience is a virtue I have yet to master. I will have to hide some bottles so they get some time to age, as I don't think any have lasted past 3 months yet.

 

[Floored]

I bottle carbonate some of mine like beer, and it's probably my favorite way to consume it. I have a 3 gallon batch going in a keg next weekend, and I am interested to see how that goes. It's not half bad degassed and bottled with a cork after it gets some aging time either, but as you say, patience is a virtue I have yet to master. I will have to hide some bottles so they get some time to age, as I don't think any have lasted past 3 months yet.

I'll have to try lower carbonation and still on the next batch. I'm saving the rest of this one for a party at the end of July. It will be about 3 months in the bottle by then.

 

[bwdilli]

I did my first batch carbonated in the bottle. When I sampled it pre-carbonation, I really liked it.

I'm thinking my second batch, which is brewed up and in the carboy cleared now, I will keep still. Currently working on degassing it. Wonder how that will go?

The addition of cherry is interesting. I might have to make a 3rd batch with that recipe.

My wife is having trouble drinking this as it gives her heartburn pretty bad. Thought I'd see if it was maybe a result of the yeast so instead of using the Montrachet like I did in the first batch, I switched to Premier Cuvee. Seemed to cut back on the rhino fart period dramatically. Hoping that the reduction of carbonic acid from it being still will help too.

Between this and the Skeeter Pee, it's going to be an interesting summer.

 

[Tinbelly]

I have two batches going right now... This one is next, for sure!

Thanks for sharing!

I did this as a 1 gallon batch, I'm sure it can be scaled up, which I plan to do on the next batch.

1qt black cherry juice
3qt apple juice
1cup sugar
1 gram champagne yeast.

Nice and easy just like the original recipe. I like it with a little carbonation too.

 

[noblex]

Just set on my first batch of this, 5l (1.33gal):
super easy, just put 5l of 100%apple juce (3l Rauch brand, 2l zuegg brand) with 250g of sugar and add the yeast.
I used a champagne yeast (Bayanus from Zymoferm) i had at home.
Oh, and I add also a pinch of raisins since i already had it. More nutrient for the yeasiies
OG: 1065

We'll see in a couple of week what will we get.

 

[bembel]

I entered my last batch in the Ocean State Home Brew competition last weekend as 'New England Cider' and won 2nd place using Costco apple juice!!!

Start to finish was no more than a month, I stopped fermentation with a cold crash at 1010 to keep a little residual sweetness and kegged it with a touch of sorbate and some campden tabs. Held in the bottles just fine with no further fermentation.

The KEY is to improve the juice to make it more 'cider-apple' like.

Cider apples have a lot more acid and tannin than the apples they make Motts or Tree Top with, so I test the acid of all store bought juices to see how much Malic acid and tannin I need to add back to them to make them taste better, I will publish a chart soon with results.

Recipe was simple


5 gallons Costco Apple juice, plus 5 teaspoons Malic Acid and 1.25 teaspoons tannin

1 cup of organic raisins,
2 pounds of Sugar in the Raw

I fermented it in a 6 gallon Better Bottle for extra headspace and used a Hefeweizen yeast with starter ( WY-3056) at 66F to bring out the banana, which worked You get a crazy brown foam which covers the surface of the juice after 2-3 days and stays there until fermentation is done, so you can also monitor the progress visually, when the foam starts to dissipate, the fermentation is nearly complete. Take a sample, and cold crash at 1015 or 1010 depending on how sweet you like it.

Photo of foam, USE a blow off tube for the first week of fermentation!!!!!

 

[andrewmaixner]

I entered my last batch in the Ocean State Home Brew competition last weekend as 'New England Cider' and won 2nd place using Costco apple juice!!!
....
Photo of foam, USE a blow off tube for the first week of fermentation!!!!!

How is your blowoff tube attached to the bung?

 

[bembel]

How is your blowoff tube attached to the bung?

I used a stainless steel hose barb mender that I picked up at my LHBS, I think 3/8 diameter, whatever fits, Home Depot has these in many sizes

Here is one in brass, ill measure the size and repost but until then.

http://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Hose-Mender-6AFH5?s_pp=false&picUrl=//static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/6AFH1_AS01?$smthumb$

 

[andrewmaixner]

I used a stainless steel hose barb mender that I picked up at my LHBS, I think 3/8 diameter, whatever fits, Home Depot has these in many sizes

Here is one in brass, ill measure the size and repost but until then.

http://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Hose-Mender-6AFH5?s_pp=false&picUrl=//static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/6AFH1_AS01?$smthumb$

Thanks! looks like the best search term for finding it is "hose mender"

 

[bembel]

Its actually a 3/8 inch hose barb splicer should cost about $2

 

[andrewmaixner]

Its actually a 3/8 inch hose barb splicer should cost about $2

Thanks! looks like I can also get an "barbed hose elbow" version fairly inexpensively (my temp chamber is a little lacking in height):
http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=375_19_220_287&products_id=1404

 

[bembel]

Thanks! looks like I can also get an "barbed hose elbow" version fairly inexpensively (my temp chamber is a little lacking in height):
http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=375_19_220_287&products_id=1404

Which is a fantastic idea!!!! I'm doing the same thing with my conical so I can fit it in the fermentation chamber. Low profile blow off tube

 

[indolent]

The KEY is to improve the juice to make it more 'cider-apple' like.

Cider apples have a lot more acid and tannin than the apples they make Motts or Tree Top with, so I test the acid of all store bought juices to see how much Malic acid and tannin I need to add back to them to make them taste better, I will publish a chart soon with results.

I'd be interested in this when you get around to posting it.

 

[Gonefishing2]

I made a batch of this stuff using EdWort's original recipe last night. It's the third batch of it I've ever made, but the first 5 gallon one. One of my sons-in-law turns 30 late in August and he loves the stuff, so it's for his b-day party.
I did make one deviation from the recipe...I used EC1118 yeast.
After less than a day the airlock is bubbling along nicely.

 

[Mountainjack1940]

I made a batch of this stuff using EdWort's original recipe last night. It's the third batch of it I've ever made, but the first 5 gallon one. One of my sons-in-law turns 30 late in August and he loves the stuff, so it's for his b-day party.
I did make one deviation from the recipe...I used EC1118 yeast.
After less than a day the airlock is bubbling along nicely.

I am not a fan of hard cider. Is this different enough that I should even consider making it?