Man, I love Apfelwein

[Torchiest]

I've seen Apfelwein in lots of sigs, but I just saw this thread today. I'd thought making it would be a lot more complicated that it actually is. I think I'll throw a recipe of it together soon. It sounds delicious!

 

[lord byron]

i think i might carb my batch i made with montrachet yeast like champagne, i have a bunch of champagne bottles to use for it so i think i am going to prime it with 10 oz of corn sugar should bring to to around 4 vol and should be nice i know the bottles will not burst as i have done a bire brut in champagne bottles bottled to nearly 5 vols and had no probs with it.

 

[EdWort]

I'll be following Ed's recipe to the letter. I've never used wine yeast or made wine before. Any worries about blow off or vigorous fermentation with the Montrachet?

Look at the pic in post #624 and there's the amount of foam generated. I can fit all but 3 ounces in a carboy and not worry about foaming out.

 

[Schlenkerla]

So far this is what I have seen in response to carbing naturally.

JimiGibbs

Montrachet
1/2 Cup - Corn Sugar
5 Gallon Batch
Bottled @ 5 weeks
Carbed for 3 weeks

Opinion: Good Sparkling Carb​

Desert Brew

Montrachet
5 oz - Corn Sugar ~ 3/4 of a cup
5 Gallon Batch

Opinion: Poor Carb or light.​

the Bird

Nottingham
1/2 cup
2.5 gallon

If 5gals then 1 cup

Opinion: Good Carb​

There seems to be a disconnect on Jimi's & Deserts results. I wonder if time is temp is the difference.

Desert have you tried removing yours from refrigeration or putting them in a warm place?

 

[user 574]

There all at 66-68 since I bottled them on 11/15/06. None are in the fridge 'cept the one I toss in there in the Apfelwein spot allocated. My fridge is packed with other goodies (kegs & other bottled brew). Oh, my ferment was exactly 30 days if that helps...

 

[Drunk Monkey]

Sorry, I don't have time to look through 64 pages. I just wanted to know which is the preferred yeast to use, Montrachet or Nottingham. Has anyone used both of them so that there is a side by side comparison?

 

[Schlenkerla]

Drunk Monkey,
For most part two yeasts were used. Montrachet & Nottingham. I believe the overwhelming majority was using Montrachet with very favorable results.

I think others, for the sake of being different, have used Cotes De Blanc, Lavlin 1118, Cuvee Premier, and maybe a Pasteur.


Desert Brew,
I'm puzzled, thinking that results or opnions should be the complete opposite.
It makes me think I should use 1 full cup.

I hope to hear more opinions prior to my bottling deadline!!

 

[user 574]

Desert Brew,
I'm puzzled, thinking that results or opnions should be the complete opposite.
It makes me think I should use 1 full cup.

I say go for it personally. Didn't someone here mention going for 10oz because of champagne whatever? Crack one open at 1 week, 2 weeks etc. while in the 60's range of carbonation. If all of a sudden you get your hair blown back; get em all in the fridge quickly!

 

[EdWort]

Apfelwein

Ingredients

5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives) I use Tree Top Apple Juice
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags (it dissolves the easiest)
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast

Equipment

5 Gallon Carboy (I use a Better Bottle)
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel

1. First sanitize the carboy, airlock, funnel, stopper or carboy cap.
2. Open one gallon bottle of apple juice and pour half of it into the carboy using the funnel.
3. Open one bag of Dextrose and carefully add it to the now half full bottle of apple juice. Shake well.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.
5. Pour in the mixture of Apple Juice and Dextrose from both bottles into the carboy.
6. Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.
7. Open the packet of Montrachet Yeast and pour it into the neck of the funnel.
8. Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks. I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle. You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.
9. Put your stopper or carboy cap on with an airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka.

There’s no need to worry about filling up a carboy so full when you use Montrachet wine yeast. There is no Kreuzen, just a thin layer of bubbles. Ferment at room temperature.

It will become cloudy in a couple of days and remain so for a few weeks. In the 4th week, the yeast will begin to drop out and it will become clear. After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so. Racking to a secondary is not necessary.

Remember to reserve judgment till after 3 glasses. It grows on you.

 

[Drunk Monkey]

Thanks for the info. I will follow the original reciepe.

 

[Biermann]

Keep track of how many panties it removes will ya.

So far, its 1 for 1. :rockin:

 

[Orpheus]

So far, its 1 for 1. :rockin:

Damn Biermann, you trying to make us all sick?

Put those panties back on!

 

[giant016]

Any ideas how to add a sour kick to this stuff? I was thinking lemon juice, but I figured it would either kill the yeast with it's acidity or just ferment out leaving no taste. If I did sour it up I'd want to carb it naturally, and therefore would need the yeast to be alive.

 

[EdWort]

So far, its 1 for 1. :rockin:

Waydago! Beerman! Batting 1000!

Apfelwein! Apfwein!

 

[Rodanrodanadana]

This thread is nuts. I think it took me two hours to read it. But it was like a light bulb went off in my head. A buddy brought a can of perry over for me to try the other day. I thought it was OK tasting, but too sweet. It made me think I would really like a dry cider. Now, I found this thread and I have this carboy just sitting there.

So, I think I will try a cider, but I think I want something lighter and fizzier than the Apfelwein, so I probably won't add as much extra fermentables and perhaps stick with cane sugar. If I use EC-1118, I know it will end up super dry, as EC-1118 loves to use up all the sugars and get down around .99x. I can bottle carbonate with cane sugar and the EC-1118 should create tiny bubbles too.

I'd like to know what brewman or rod's final gravity reading was/is using this yeast. I have a feeling I might not want to add any sugar at all.

Noone here has mentioned any bottle shock phenomenon with ciders. Does that happen? I guess if I am carbonating, I will be forced to leave it alone for long enough anyway, although that didn't stop me from testing some beers before their time.

 

[JohnnyK68]

OK I totally cheated. I cleared it fast, real fast! after 8 days in the carboy its clear with the use of isinglass. Its tasting awesome. The reason I did this is that I want to bottle carb it for a big SuperBowl Party Im going to. I will leave it another 5 days and then rack it and bottle 1 case of 12oz bottles carbed with corn sugar. Im thinking doing it early I should get good carbonation. I will place them in a cooler while they carbonate incase I get too good of carbonation and blow them up. The rest I will just bottle as is in 1 gal jugs and refridgerate it. Then I will start a new batch immediatley and let it go the actual amount of time without touching it.

 

[anthrobe]

I have my first batch of this stuff going and it is crazy. The first day it started fermenting a little. Then a few hours later it just stopped. The next day it was going crazy. The day after it stopped. I am on week 2 of the fermentation and the little bugger is still going. I am pretty stoked about this stuff. I cannot wait to get it on tap

 

[Schlenkerla]

I was thinking about issues people have had about getting good carbination from priming with sugar as is SOP with beer.

Ed suggests to wait until the beer clears before kegging. This is good if you are going draft, however, not so good if you want to natural carb. I read that this yeast leaves a dense bed on the bottom of the carboy (using Montrachet). So it must clear quite well.

The way I see it, there are two ways to go to get good carbonation naturally.

1) Check the FG and bottle at less than or equal to 1.000. Even if its not clear. This way there is enough yeast in suspension left to do the job. Since it leaves a dense yeast bed. Pouring out should not be an issue at consumption.

2) Wait until it clears and reaches the FG. Then prep a montrachet starter and priming solution. When the slurry is room temp pitch it and the priming solution into the bottling bucket then rack to the bucket and bottle.

I'm still on the fence with regard to the 3/4 cup vs 1 cup amount for priming. Either way I don't think there is much risk. It should be good to very efforvescent.

I checked John Palmers site about how to do this with lagers. Apparently its fairly common on clear beers to have to repitch. This is the same method. See the link below!!

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-7.html

FYI - I'm at 11 days and the "S" air lock is not bubbling, it a steady stream of CO2!! Its been like this for 7 days too. Mind you my temp is 55-57'F

 

[Biermann]

Damn Biermann, you trying to make us all sick?

Put those panties back on!

Ok, you caught me. . .

 

[Biermann]

Waydago! Beerman! Batting 1000!

Apfelwein! Apfwein!

yep, that's what I'm talking about. . .

I tried getting SWMBO to partake tonight. . . couldn't lure her into it though. . . .

 

[user 4295]

My first batch has been fermenting for just over two weeks. Airlock activity is down to a bubble about every 1.5 minutes now. Today I decided to take a gravity reading and a little taste. OG was 1.062. It is down to 1.002 now and is really starting to clear.

I have to tell you that I was totally surprised by the flavor! It tastes like champaign! My wife could not believe how good it was, and this is at two weeks! I know that it will probably dry out a little bit more, but daaamn it's good! What surprised me the most was the lack of any alcohol "burn". I can see now how one could get totally stupid on this stuff if one was not careful.

Thank you Ed, and my wife thanks you as well!

John

 

[chillHayze]

I'm finally drinking mine! It was in the primary about 40 days, now straight to keg! This is exactly perfect in my book.
Recipe was:

SafAle s-04
3 gal apple juice (pasteurized - no asorbic acid)
1 gal water
1 lb brown sugar
2 lb dextrose

(4 gal recipe)


Went from 1.069 to .998 which is impressive for a $1.12 dry yeast. That's 9.3ABV. I've had 2 glasses and am now listening to Snoop Dog. Life is good.
Thanks, Ed!

 

[Orpheus]

Again I searched for this with no success. There's no need to boil up the dextrose before dumping it in?

 

[EdWort]

Again I searched for this with no success. There's no need to boil up the dextrose before dumping it in?

Nope. I buy it in one pound bags at Morebeer.com. It makes it easy to pour in the half full jug of Apple Juice.

I've never had a problem in not boiling. Dextrose dissolves very easily.

 

[Orpheus]

Nope. I buy it in one pound bags at Morebeer.com. It makes it easy to pour in the half full jug of Apple Juice.

I've never had a problem in not boiling. Dextrose dissolves very easily.

Thanks man!

I have my 5 gallons of juice, my Montrachet yeast came today, I have 2 pounds of dextrose, and I've been soaking my gear in Starsan for a couple hours now. I'm off to make some Apfelwein!

 

[EdWort]

And here's a pic taken 1/19/07. You can see the carboy on the right is starting to clear and the other two are cranking right along.

 

[Orpheus]

Man that stuff is quick to make. I made up a batch, cleaned up, drank a few homebrews, and programmed my television all in this time.

 

[EdWort]

Man that stuff is quick to make. I made up a batch, cleaned up, drank a few homebrews, and programmed my television all in this time.

yeah baby! That's what I've been talking about! Then again, that's why I have 3 carboys sitting on the brew bench. If I had more room, I would have a couple more.:cross:

 

[Drunk Monkey]

Is this like beer and have to keep it protected from the light? This is the first thing that I am going to put directly in my carboy. I have never seen an active fermentation, and just wanted to know if I should keep it covered with a towel to protect it from the light.

 

[EdWort]

Is this like beer and have to keep it protected from the light? This is the first thing that I am going to put directly in my carboy. I have never seen an active fermentation, and just wanted to know if I should keep it covered with a towel to protect it from the light.

Nope. No hops in it.