Man, I love Apfelwein

[beerfactory]

kicked a 4 year old keg of Apfelwein today. it deserved a moment of silence, but I am definitely ready for the MLB Royals opener!

 

[crusader1612]

without Trawling throuigh 1300 odd pages of information, has anyone made this, then Ice concentrated it into something similarto an "Applejack"?
Interested to hear results?

 

[GrogNerd]

I've jacked it before.

boozy, but tasty. needs time to smooth out.

wasn't happy with my last batch. have not used corn sugar, have been using brown sugar, but now I'm not sure I like it that way. next batch, still fermenting, has corn sugar. that has a ways to go before I jack it

haven't sampled my last one in 6 months. will do that, get back to you

 

[andrewmaixner]

wasn't happy with my last batch. have not used corn sugar, have been using brown sugar, but now I'm not sure I like it that way. next batch, still fermenting, has corn sugar.

I agree, had the same experience with molasses (the thing that makes sugar brown).

 

[GrogNerd]

not an apfelwein, but my latest batch is a Basque cider

my first infection. kinda scary, even if it was deliberate

 

[pukexxr]

not an apfelwein, but my latest batch is a Basque cider

my first infection. kinda scary, even if it was deliberate

View attachment 348793

That is indeed both beautiful and terrifying. I've never seen such a pellicle. What differentiates yours as a basque cider? Yeast culture?

 

[GrogNerd]

That is indeed both beautiful and terrifying. I've never seen such a pellicle. What differentiates yours as a basque cider? Yeast culture?

yes

local yeast guy cultured it from a bottle, gave me a sample to test

 

[schatzke]

So I made a batch of this about 9 weeks ago. It looks great, super clear. Hydrometer reading 1.004. I'd like to carbonate(corn sugar)and bottle. I read it's supposed to finish @ .99x
I'm thinking it's good to bottle but just asking all you super experienced folks

 

[Jiffster]

Does it matter if the juice is filtered or unfiltered? Thinking about using this juice.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1459861787.736129.jpg

 

[GrogNerd]

doesn't matter at all.

my latest batch of Apfelwein, currently still fermenting, is made from similar stuff. just LOVE honey crisp and the juice I got was delicious

 

[HopWolf]

Going to score some of that Honeycrisp cider at Whole Foods to make my second batch. I'll use 1 1/2 pounds of organic turbinado sugar and a pound of organic honey, a packet of Nottingham and wait longer for the bottling this time.
First batch hit .990 in about 10 days before bottling, I let it carb up and then pasteurized on the stovetop. Wanted a bit more carbonation as I believe the bottles were a little too cold to get where I wanted it but I was a bit afraid of bottle bombs so I might have jumped the gun

Looking forward to letting it sit for a while to see how it ages

 

[jimmerz]

Can this be made using a peach mango juice, all natural of course?

 

[Jiffster]

What brand of apple juice are folks using these days? I was going to pick up some organic Honeycrisp juice from Whole Foods but it's almost $4 for 32oz. You're talking ~$60 for a 5 gallon batch!

 

[CrownedBee]

What brand of apple juice are folks using these days? I was going to pick up some organic Honeycrisp juice from Whole Foods but it's almost $4 for 32oz. You're talking ~$60 for a 5 gallon batch!

Geez, I knew Whole Foods was pricey, but that's just ridiculous. I bought store brand (Wegman's, to be specific - it's a local store here in the Northeast) for $5 per gallon. Nothing fancy about it - just apple juice and vitamin C.

 

[Jiffster]

I can get "Indian Summer" apple juice at Meijer for $3.99 gal. says 100% juice made from fresh pressed apples and concentrate.

 

[GrogNerd]

I get Motts from WalMart.

they're $4.60 a gallon currently

 

[CrownedBee]

Omg, I love Meijer! (Or Meijers, because I'm a MI native and add an extra 's' to everything.)

Anyway, that juice you found should work. I just started my apfelwein last night, and the yeast had already started working by this morning.

Edit: Here's a pic.

 

[stever1000]

I just realized I followed the champagne yeast instructions for temperature of 70-74F

How will this effect the apfelwein vs fermenting at room temperature (68F)?

 

[mgr_stl]

I've had a batch in the carboy since late November, and will be bottling it tomorrow. Would you guys add some yeast to the bottling bucket to help it carb up, or just add the corn sugar and expect the residual yeast to do the job?

 

[jimmerz]

OK tonight is the night. I'm using my Mr beer and going to make 2 gallons of this. I have Nottingham's ale yeast. 1lb of dark brown sugar, about 8oz of honey. I was thinking of throwing in a few cinnamon sticks, does this sounds OK?


Any thoughts on using agave nectar?

 

[andrewmaixner]

OK tonight is the night. I'm using my Mr beer and going to make 2 gallons of this. I have Nottingham's ale yeast. 1lb of dark brown sugar, about 8oz of honey. I was thinking of throwing in a few cinnamon sticks, does this sounds OK?

I'd recommend making it regular (juice and white sugar) first, and later experimenting with if you like the molasses sugar, or honey, or cinnamon. You can add cinnamon after fermentation is done and you have tasted it also.

 

[jimmerz]

Well, I did it. I made a 2.5gallon batch in my Mr. Beer fermenter. Using all natural apple juice, 6oz honey, 1lb of brown sugar and 1 frozen apple juice concentrate. I used an ale yeast and I put 3 cinnamon sticks in the fermenter. I guess we'll go 4 weeks then bottle. I'll report back! Thanks all...

 

[pukexxr]

UPDATE: Afro-brett culture in my hard cider seems to have worked out okay. It is a little more tart and less dry than I am used to from this recipe and I am curious to see how it ages out in bottles.

I also started another batch of this (maybe #8 or 9 now...), this time using the standard montrachet + juice, with my own additions of 2# turbinado sugar and 4 cans of apple juice concentrate. Will check back on boosting abv with concentrate.

 

[stever1000]

I'm 10 days away from 3months in the carboy and today I noticed some things floating on the surface. I rocked the carboy out of the back of the closet closer to the light, but as I rocked it the floaties sunk.

They looked grey-ish but its hard to see with the lighting, and there was condensation inside the top of the carboy

What could the floaties be? Yeast? Mold?
Yikes

 

[GeorgeHenry]

I too Love Apple Wine!
My first batch was a gallon:
Nature's Nectar 100% Apple Juice from concentrate from ALDI's
1 1/2 cups of sugar
Brewcraft Yeast Energizer
Lalvin D-47 yeast
It fermented like a champ! It came out very dry and I loved it so much I drank it all without bottling & aging any.

Presently fermenting another gallon batch:
Simply Nature Organic 100% Apple Juice from ALDI's
2 cups of pure cane sugar
2 Jonagold Apples from NY State
Brewcraft Yeast Energizer
Red Star Cuvee yeast
It is also fermenting very nicely!
I have it pictured below

 

[jimmerz]

Anyone ever add any hops for a few days?

 

[indolent]

Anyone ever add any hops for a few days?

I haven't, but it is in my plans. I think it's been mentioned in this thread a few times. Here's one.

I recall reading 1/2 oz per gallon for 5-7 days is a good starting point.

 

[jimmerz]

Thanks indolent.

 

[pukexxr]

Anyone ever add any hops for a few days?

Hey jimmerz I add hops on a regular basis and have done it for varying amounts of time. I usually add 4+ oz in a 5 gal batch, but you may wish to add even more.

It seems like they add a slight hop flavor and also accentuate some of the fruitier notes of the cider (I particularly noticed this when using Galaxy, which are themselves pretty fruity, but have also noticed it using Liberty and EKG)

Gluten-free people I know swear it's like an ipa (it's not, but happy to give them something they have been missing out on).

 

[phug]

it hasn't grown on me yet, but it did take silver in the Specialty Cider category of the GTA Brews 2016 Spring Showdown BJCP(9 entries)