Man, I love Apfelwein

[Schlenkerla]

Nope. No hops in it.

I think hoppy cider would be gross. My caramel apple is 50% hopped wheat extract and cider and its aweful. The tastes really clash. Think of an apple schnopps and a beer chaser.... however after swallowing it a second time.

Made it for SWMBO. Bad decision!!!! I'm thinking this will be a homer.

 

[EdWort]

I think hoppy cider would be gross. My caramel apple is 50% hopped wheat extract and cider and its aweful. The tastes really clash. Think of an apple schnopps and a beer chaser.... however after swallowing it a second time. Made it for SWMBO. Bad decision!!!! I'm thinking this will be a homer.

Man, after that stuff, Apfelwein is surely going to be a panty remover. Just ask Biermann!

 

[RichBrewer]

OK. Now I'm in.
I was walking down the isle at Safeway and saw apple juice on sale. I'm thinking I've got 3 empty fermenters so next thing I know there is 5 gallons of must in my fermenter that will be Apfelwein soon!

Only things I did different was to use regular granulated sugar and I pitched 2 packages of Montrachet.
I'm thinking about stabilizing, clarification and back sweetening when it is done fermenting.

 

[EdWort]

how did the cane sugar dissolve? Did it take long? A pound of corn sugar dissolves in about 10 shake in a half gallon of apple juice. 1 packed of yeast always worked for me.

 

[RichBrewer]

how did the cane sugar dissolve? Did it take long? A pound of corn sugar dissolves in about 10 shake in a half gallon of apple juice. 1 packed of yeast always worked for me.

I actually had 10 half gallon jugs. I drained about 3 of them half way and split the sugar between them. I shook them up good for about 20 seconds and the sugar was dissolved. I checked in the carboy after all 5 gallons was added and it looked like it all dissolved. I shook the carboy quite a bit as well to oxygenate the must and to be sure the sugars were mixed.
I used 2 packs of yeast because they are cheep.

 

[Jester]

I made this earlier tonight... couldnt pass it up since there's so many posts on this thread... hopefully it'll be good... also gave me a chance to use all the old priming sugar bags I had sitting around, since I keg... my LHBS didnt have that exact yeast, so I had to go with a different type.. similar yeast, just different brand, I think...

Jester

 

[Schlenkerla]

My batch is on day 14 and its still blowing out CO2 full blast!!!!

I use a "S" Style Air lock. It doesn't have bubbles passing thru like normal. The 2nd half of the lock is completely suspended by back pressure. Bubbles are only coming out at the very top.

Its like a steady stream of CO2. Normal is having an air bubble push through the small part of the lock at the bottom where you can count bubbles per minute. At the bottom its like a constant bubble is there.

Its awesome to watch... Call me crazy, SWMBO hasn't caugh me sniffing the air lock yet. :cross:

 

[Orpheus]

My batch is on day 14 and its still blowing out CO2 full blast!!!!

I use a "S" Style Air lock. It doesn't have bubbles passing thru like normal. The 2nd half of the lock is completely suspended by back pressure. Bubbles are only coming out at the very top.

Its like a steady stream of CO2. Normal is having an air bubble push through the small part of the lock at the bottom where you can count bubbles per minute. At the bottom its like a constant bubble is there.

Its awesome to watch... Call me crazy, SWMBO hasn't caugh me sniffing the air lock yet. :cross:

I pitched my yeast in mine Friday night and it's just getting going good now. It's neat to see after being so used to beer fermentations. There's not much going on in the carboy itself, but there's definitely gas bubbles rising up and blowing out.

 

[RichBrewer]

I pitched my yeast in mine Friday night and it's just getting going good now. It's neat to see after being so used to beer fermentations. There's not much going on in the carboy itself, but there's definitely gas bubbles rising up and blowing out.

Same here. Lot's of CO2 but no foam on the surface at all. Air lock smells like apple so far.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

After a week and a half of bottle conditioning, I can say this...

Flavor-wise, the brown sugar is preferable to the honey. The brown sugar has a bit more sweetness that stands out, whereas in the honey-carbed version the honey flavors intermix with the apple flavors and it just comes out, well, a little bit weird, sort of two-dimensional. FWIW, I used wildflower honey... I think it was 1/3 of a cup to 2 gals of apfelwein. And 1/4 cup of brownsugar to 2 gals of apfelwein (and left 1 gallon uncarbed).

The guy above who wanted caramel apple? He would've been much happier using some brown sugar (or maybe molasses?) in place of corn sugar.

As for the quality of carbonation, it's too early to compare the two. But comparing carbed to uncarbed, I must say I prefer the carbonation. I think the carbonation gives it a little bit more airiness which is what most people expect in a drink like this. It's less heavy.. and therefore, should be more quaffable on a hot summer day. I think what I'm saying is that the carbonation contributes to a lighter mouthfeel.

I think I will try an ale-yeast next time. Though I must confess I like the dry-ness as a quality of the drink, I'm wondering if a little more residual sweetness could result in more recognizably-apple flavors.

Per brewman!'s suggestion, I also picked up some yeast nutrient for next time. I want to see whether, as he suggests, that will help keep the sulfur stench at bay. And, who knows? It might even speed up fermentation a bit.

 

[RichBrewer]

I think I will try an ale-yeast next time. Though I must confess I like the dry-ness as a quality of the drink, I'm wondering if a little more residual sweetness could result in more recognizably-apple flavors.

If I back sweeten this I'm going to use apple juice. Not a ton of it just enough to take the dryness off and to add apple flavor.

 

[Yooper]

If I back sweeten this I'm going to use apple juice. Not a ton of it just enough to take the dryness off and to add apple flavor.

Do you think you'll need to backsweeten it? I think it would be really good dry, like a wine.

Post a picture after it clears, ok?

Lorena

 

[RichBrewer]

Do you think you'll need to backsweeten it? I think it would be really good dry, like a wine.

Post a picture after it clears, ok?

Lorena

I'm going to wait and try a sample after it finishes. I might keep it dry if I like it. At 8 point something percent it might not be too dry anyway.

LOL

 

[Jester]

it took a day or so, but mine is bubbling like crazy... smells great too...

 

[butler1850]

After fermenting out the first batch, I went for a second...

Poured the new juice right onto the old yeast cake (WLP 775 English Cider Yeast) and propped it up on the dining room table while I brewed my new stout.

In less than an hour it was bubbling. Overnight, a hurricane has formed in the bottle, the likes of which haven't been seen since Katrina. Yeast clumps swirling, jumping up & down, and air blasting out of the airlock like a politician on election night.

Now... if I was the type to use some sort of herbal products, this would give a hell of a visual... It's still pretty darn entertaining! The wife has even spent 5 minutes or so watching it swirl.

The first batch went into bottles for carbonation, with some lactose to sweeten it up. This batch will go unsweetened.

 

[Orpheus]

Great idea! Was the activity enough to warrant a blow off tube? With the ease of making this stuff, doing what you've done would make brewing up a second batch even easier. I use a 5 gallon carboy filled all but a couple inches to the top, so would I be in trouble?

After fermenting out the first batch, I went for a second...

Poured the new juice right onto the old yeast cake (WLP 775 English Cider Yeast) and propped it up on the dining room table while I brewed my new stout.

In less than an hour it was bubbling. Overnight, a hurricane has formed in the bottle, the likes of which haven't been seen since Katrina. Yeast clumps swirling, jumping up & down, and air blasting out of the airlock like a politician on election night.

Now... if I was the type to use some sort of herbal products, this would give a hell of a visual... It's still pretty darn entertaining! The wife has even spent 5 minutes or so watching it swirl.

The first batch went into bottles for carbonation, with some lactose to sweeten it up. This batch will go unsweetened.

 

[butler1850]

Great idea! Was the activity enough to warrant a blow off tube? With the ease of making this stuff, doing what you've done would make brewing up a second batch even easier. I use a 5 gallon carboy filled all but a couple inches to the top, so would I be in trouble?

This doesn't Krausen the way that malt based beverages do.

At most, the foam has only ever been about 1/2" tall.

I'm using the same sort of setup, with only a few inches of room, and I'm not worried at all about blowout. (If it doesn't blow out with this WHOOSH of fermentation, it's not ever going to).

 

[Schlenkerla]

Toot,

I have some natural carb questions;

1.) How would you rate the carb level at 1.5 weeks?

2.) When did you carb or how many weeks from pitching the yeast?

3.) Did you wait for it to clear before bottling?

4.) How well does the yeast pack at the bottom, carboy or bottle?

​

Just curious - Thanks!!!!

 

[Preliator]

Yeah, you need to go 4 weeks. I really don't bother with a secondary, I just use a 5 gallon carboy.

It will ferment out dry, but you'll still note the apples and it can be sweetened with Splenda or Lactos, but everyone who has sampled mine tends to like it just the way it is. It shows by the speed of the empty kegs.

Ed,

On a note of curiousity with sweetening this project up a bit as the wife wants her share sweetened, i was playing around with 1 glassfull and some small single serve bags of splenda.....turned out to be just to her liking.....

my question is should this be an add and taste......a bit at a time or would you have a particular amount to use per gallon? we werent very accurate as we shook a bit out of the pkg. at a time and sampled.
secondly would i still use the same 3/4 cup of dextrose to carb in the bottle? or should i decrease that slightly.....

for me the recipe came out exactly as you described it would and was perfect with the exception of the stillness i would need carbanation for my pallet to be more fufilled. cant wait to make another batch!!!!
thanks for the help and this great thread
anthony

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

Toot,

I have some natural carb questions;

1.) How would you rate the carb level at 1.5 weeks?
At room temp, with a heavy-handed pour, the foam will rise 2 inches in a normal pint glass... and then reduce to nothing in a matter of maybe 5 seconds. After that, you're left with a couple bubbles hanging on, a distinct CO2 tingliness on your tongue (which you could almost perceive as bitterness... that is, it takes away from sweetness by lightening the drink). If you pour it out of a fridge, nearly all the CO2 will remain in suspension at this stage and the tingliness on the tongue is more pronounced and longer-lasting as it warms, but there is no head to speak of whatsoever.

2.) When did you carb or how many weeks from pitching the yeast?
Mine sat in the carboy for maybe 5-6 weeks before bottling.

3.) Did you wait for it to clear before bottling?
Yes. definitely. And there's still a bit too much yeast in the bottom of my bottles for my taste.

4.) How well does the yeast pack at the bottom, carboy or bottle?
I don't have a lot of experience here, but on a scale of 1-10, I'd say it's a 4 or 5. You definitely need to make a conscious effort not to disrupt the sediment, but it's not a frustrating thing to do.. it just takes a bit of care.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

If I back sweeten this I'm going to use apple juice. Not a ton of it just enough to take the dryness off and to add apple flavor.

try carbing with molasses and/or table sugar. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[EdWort]

Ed,

my question is should this be an add and taste......a bit at a time or would you have a particular amount to use per gallon? we werent very accurate as we shook a bit out of the pkg. at a time and sampled.
secondly would i still use the same 3/4 cup of dextrose to carb in the bottle? or should i decrease that slightly.....

I don't sweeten mine. We go throught our gallons just the way they are. SWMBO does want it carbonated though.

I mades some of my hot applewine grog on Sunday and it was great while outside in the cold at a neighborhood Chili Cookoff.

3/4 cup of Dextros should work out just fine for carbing a 5 gallon batch.

 

[ill.literate]

Ok, so we finally got around to bottling ours, and naturally we sampled it.

It's dry. I mean, REALLY dry.

I guess what I'm trying to find out from you guys is just how dry yours is? There's very little sweetness to ours (maybe I was expecting too much). That's not to say it tastes bad, because it doesn't. I've not tried it chilled yet (maybe tonight) but it's very clean tasting, along the lines of a bright white wine or even a champagne with a hint of apple to it.

Is that what it's supposed to be like?

My g/f didn't really like it much, and I'm going to experiment with sweetening it, etc. It did, however, get a little better after I'd had a couple three or four sips.

Just looking for some input... our recipe was Ed Wort's, with a slight modification of using 1.5 pounds of dextrose and .5 pounds of brown sugar and we used Wyeast's Champagne yeast, which is what I suspect most of all for making it so dry.

thanks!

 

[Schlenkerla]

Toot,

Thanks for the reply. It sounds like you need at least 1/8 of a cup of dextrose per gallon. So at least 5/8 for 5 gallons. 3/4 cup should be enough, 1 cup will be super bubbley.

The head retention should be low unless there is dextrinous stuff in the wine. Wheather that comes from pulp or skin I guess users of fresh juice are more likely to have head retention. No champagne I have drank keeps a head, however some ciders do but its nothing compared to beer.

OK thanks a bunch!!

 

[MidRex]

Anyone else use Lalvin K1-V1116 or any other wine yeast that hasn't had it clear yet? Mine has been in since 12/5/06 and is still not clear.

 

[Schlenkerla]

If you had fresh cider, did you boil? If you did it can do something to the pectins.

I read that fresh cider should never be boiled otherwise it will stay cloudy. I guess you are supposed to use camden tablets instead.

I would try emailing the mfg'r of the yeast. See if they have any suggestions.

 

[MidRex]

No cider here. I used 5 gallons of the Tree Top juice and 2lbs dextrose.

 

[Markusface]

I'm really sorry if this has been asked before, but 60 plus pages of thread is a lot to rifle through I am planning to make a couple of 1 gallon batches using different yeasts - a wine, a champagne and an ale yeast, just to see the difference and see what I prefer, but using ale yeast, won't I just end up with cider? How different will it be to cider?

 

[Rodanrodanadana]

I am planning to make a couple of 1 gallon batches using different yeasts - a wine, a champagne and an ale yeast, just to see the difference and see what I prefer, but using ale yeast, won't I just end up with cider? How different will it be to cider?

This sounds interesting. You will be able to tell us at the end. I would like to know which one ends up with the most residual apple flavour.

Good luck.

 

[Torchiest]

Ok, so we finally got around to bottling ours, and naturally we sampled it.

It's dry. I mean, REALLY dry.
...
Is that what it's supposed to be like?

My g/f didn't really like it much, and I'm going to experiment with sweetening it, etc. It did, however, get a little better after I'd had a couple three or four sips.

Just looking for some input... our recipe was Ed Wort's, with a slight modification of using 1.5 pounds of dextrose and .5 pounds of brown sugar and we used Wyeast's Champagne yeast, which is what I suspect most of all for making it so dry.

thanks!

Yeah, it's gotta be the yeast strain. Did you take SG readings and calculate your ABV? I would guess it's above 10%, which takes out just about all the remaining sugars. I'm planning on making this in the next month or so, and I'm going to follow EdWort's recipe exactly the first time. Then I'll tweak it on subsequent occasions.