Man, I love Apfelwein
- Thread starter EdWort
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Made my first batch of this today. Just out of curiosity, If i don't have bottles (which I won't) by say 6 weeks out, can I put it back in the Tree Top bottles? and if I do, will that be with or without carbonation?
Chuckabrewski
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mendozer said:
Yes I have heard of people doing this but not for long term storage. Make sure you sanitize.
nukinfuts29
Well-Known Member
mendozer said:
You sure can, and those bottles can handle carbonation.
great. I washed and sanitized them right after emptying them so they're good to go whenever I bottle. I also noticed Martinelli's apple cider bottles use a typical beer cap so that's a good 25 oz bottle if anyone finds those bottles.
I was expecting nectar of the gods for letting it set 4 years. Either it didn't age well or, more likely, I had a bad o-ring in the lid or one of the ports of the corny.
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
Started on 1/4/12 - tested/tasted on 1/23/12 and it was already tasting pretty good and was at 1.0000
The difference from that day until now (Just exactly a month) has resulted in a MUCH clearer apfelwein. I suggest you let this age.
Just bottled a 1gal batch I made on February 9 of last year. Almost exactly a year old.
One champagne bottle will remain still, and 4 bottles will be sparkling (about 4.5 volumes of CO2.
And a glass of room temp right out of the primary, of course. Very much like white wine, though it seemed a bit watery AT FIRST. Definitely gets better as you continue sipping though... MUCH better. And at a year old it's very smooth. Damn, I'm pissed I only made a gallon - I'm going to have to wait another year to replenish this stock which I know will be gone in no time!
I have a question for the more experienced of the group though... this one stayed a year in the primary before bottling, and although I added sugar to carbonate 4 of the bottles, I didn't add fresh yeast - think a fairly low-concentration bit of year-old yeast will do the job anyways??
One champagne bottle will remain still, and 4 bottles will be sparkling (about 4.5 volumes of CO2.
And a glass of room temp right out of the primary, of course. Very much like white wine, though it seemed a bit watery AT FIRST. Definitely gets better as you continue sipping though... MUCH better. And at a year old it's very smooth. Damn, I'm pissed I only made a gallon - I'm going to have to wait another year to replenish this stock which I know will be gone in no time!
I have a question for the more experienced of the group though... this one stayed a year in the primary before bottling, and although I added sugar to carbonate 4 of the bottles, I didn't add fresh yeast - think a fairly low-concentration bit of year-old yeast will do the job anyways??
I had a half bottle left at the end when I bottled my first gallon. When I bottled I sweetened the gallon with about a third of a cup of splenda and primed each bottle with about a tsp of cane sugar. I decided since it was only a half bottle I would open it up to make sure I was not making bottle bombs and to test it out. IT WAS AWESOME! Ahhhh, time to bottle my second gallon and get another batch going!
wookiemofo
Well-Known Member
I was able to fit it in my fermentation fridge. I couldn't decide what cider to brew so I did 5 gallons of this, 5 of graff and 5 of the five day country cider
tennesseean_87
Well-Known Member
You will have to sanitize the bottles again right before you bottle. I have used one of those cider bottles, and they're great, except the last glass is cloudy from the yeast.
Had a nice 750ml bottle of this yesterday enjoying the superbowl. Had it chilled in the fridge for a few weeks. When I poured it I got some fizz? It had a little carb bite to it too which was a nice surprise. Oh yes this stuff is very good. I made my batch in October and this was my first time really trying it. I brought a bottle to new years party for people to try and I had a few sips mixed with sprite but wasnt focused on it. So now I'm going to mix up another batch and have it sit until summer time. This will make a nice summer refreshing drink.
nukinfuts29
Well-Known Member
I had some during the SB too. I needed it to get through betty white i mean madonna at half time.
tennesseean_87
Well-Known Member
That carbonation is from the initial fermentation. More or less CO2 will remain disolved in the beer/wine depending on what temperature it's fermenting at (hence priming calculators ask fro temperature). I had some in my first batch that finished fermenting in the basement, that I siphoned off into a wine bottle to take to a party. When we got there we stuck it next to the other drinks which happened to be by a sunny window, and the cork shot out because the temperature went up and it off-gassed.
So I attempted to make my 1st batch of Apfelwein last night. I accidentally used TWICE the amount of corn sugar! (Long story, but drinking during the Superbowl, then drinking whilst bottling a batch of beer, then deciding to make this probably didn't help!) But, I did use a whole packet of yeast for a 1 gallon batch. Is it ok? I plan on leaving this for at least 4 months, but don't know if I'm wasting my time, if it's ruined already...
Grumpybumpy
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Evillive said:
Freeze it and make apple jack if it sucks
crazyseany
Well-Known Member
I bottled mine a few months ago and have white sediment (yeast) on the bottom of my bottles....what's the best way to avoid this for next time?
Give it time and rack it off the lees a couple more time. Or you could use a fining agent, or filter it. In the mean time, to deal with the bottles you have, you can put them upright in your fridge (not the door) and be careful to leave the yeast behind when you pour.
AUEnder
Well-Known Member
My first batch is half gone after a month. I have two 5 gallon carboys bubbling away in a spare bedroom. Needless to say, our house smells like rhino farts right now. One of the carboys is HIGHLY active right now.
RunnerDude
Well-Known Member
My first batch finished fermenting. (or so I think, I broke my hydrometer washing it to test my apfelwein). Took a sample anyway. Pretty tasty. Can't wait to see what it tastes like in 5 months or so. Mmm.
Wanted to say I pitched a batch a few weeks ago and its fermenting away in my basement, used Stop and Shop brand 100% apple juice. No rhino farts. Ambient temp in the basement is ~63-67 depending on how cold it is in NJ. Not sure if its the juice brand or the temp, but it smells normal.
After being a HBT member for about a year,I finally made my first apfelwine today.I only went with 2.5 gallons to see how it comes out.I used Indian Summer apple juice.Ingredients
state nothing more than apple juice,apple juice from concentrate and ascorbic acid.Bottle also sez pastuerized.I used EdWorts corn sugar method at 50%,with 1 pack of Montrachet yeast.Has anybody ever used Indian Summer juice?Will report back around St. Pattys day,
I`m hopin` it is done by then.
state nothing more than apple juice,apple juice from concentrate and ascorbic acid.Bottle also sez pastuerized.I used EdWorts corn sugar method at 50%,with 1 pack of Montrachet yeast.Has anybody ever used Indian Summer juice?Will report back around St. Pattys day,
I`m hopin` it is done by then.
finlayj
Well-Known Member
I just want to make sure before I get everything. juice from concentrate is ok? I've been to 5 different stores looking for nice big jugs of pure apple juice but only found ones from concentrate.
D_Ranged_Eskimo
Well-Known Member
If you or someone you know has a Costco card, they sell big jugs of 100% apple juice, and they are decently priced.
finlayj
Well-Known Member
D_Ranged_Eskimo said:
I put out a facebook request for anyone with a membership to take me. Thanks for the heads up
I believe from Concentrate is ok. My first batch I used walmart 96oz Not From Concentrate juice and it turned out awesome. I was at Kroger and they have gallon jugs of Juice from Concentrate for $4.95 or so. The ingredients listed seemed ok; the vita C thing so I think it will work fine
D_Ranged_Eskimo
Well-Known Member
Good luck! And just a heads up, they sell them in 2 packs, so you will have to get 6 gallons for a 5 gallon batch, or go the double up route and just buy 10 gallons. I think it was around 25 bucks or so, but that was back 3 or 4 months ago.
if you felt a bit spendy, get the fresh pressed cider from farmer's markets or Whole Foods. It's like $8 a gallon, but its so good. Make a smaller batch if you want to save. Or even better. If you have a juicer, buy a big box of apples for like $20 from a produce stand and juice it yourself. About 15 apples makes a half gallon (I believe).
I have a Jack Lalanne juicer and did this for cider once and it was fricken good
I have a Jack Lalanne juicer and did this for cider once and it was fricken good
solbes
Well-Known Member
Just had my 3rd Apfelwein last night to celebrate starting our first wine batch. The AW was brewed on 10/30 and bottled 12/1. All of the yeast character I was picking up from the Windsor yeast is now gone, which is a good thing. The apple flavor is starting to stand out a little too. Maybe another month or two it should be really good.
Time to start another one when a carboy opens up long term. I'll go with the standard Montrachet yeast this time.
Time to start another one when a carboy opens up long term. I'll go with the standard Montrachet yeast this time.
One thing to note with the 'store brands' of apple juice -- they skimp on the ratio of juice : water. Motts and Treehouse have 120 calories per 8oz and the store brands come in 100/110 calories per serving indicating more water and fewer sugars. My first batch was 110 cal Member's Mark from Sam's Club and my second batch was 120 cal Motts. While both were very good, but the young Motts batch was clearly superior vs the 6-month conditioned Member's Mark batch.
Just my $0.02
Just my $0.02
CreamyGoodness
Well-Known Member
This never would have even occured to me. Thanks for the heads up, glad I came across it (and glad that my local supermarket stocks Motts).
jeepinjeepin
Well-Known Member
Different caloric contents don't necessarily mean different dilution rates. It could just be different apple varieties which have different sugar contents. Also 100% apple juice might not mean what you think. It might only mean that there is no white grape or pear juice. The only way to compare apples (juice) to apples (juice) is between different brands of 100% apple juice "not from concentrate."
finlayj
Well-Known Member
D_Ranged_Eskimo said:
Worked perfectly. One of my clients has a membership. Going with him and his wife saturday.
I really want to get this started soon so I can have some at the end of.summer and fall.
Was it only $25 for 10g?
louie0202
Well-Known Member
Haven't said this in a while but I popped open a bottle that was 4 - 5 months months, have to say Damn you Edwort ;P
