Man, I love Apfelwein

[blacklab]

Cool. I marked my calendar for July 17th to crack my first bottle. How long did you let it ferment before bottling?

it's variable w/ the a-wine. Four weeks is the absolute minimum, w/ high ferm temps. Depend on your hydrometer and bottle when you are very close to 1.000 as Ed mentions in the OP. Mine was carbed with 1 cup of corn sugar.

It's tuff to wait, but I've found that making(several) EdWort's Pale Ale helps.

 

[Schlenkerla]

WOW - This thread broke the 3k barrier!!!! :rockin:

 

[BigKahuna]

and only fitting that Ed posted #3000
It kinda gives me a warm tingly feeling inside to be part of something this big...Kinda like how it feels after a glass or 2

I know it's been said before, but for over 5000 gallons made to date, 3,000 posts on this thread, over 1000 on the "How Many" and lots of independent threads on the subject, I think it's fitting to say again:

THANKS ED!

We should have T-Shirts!
"Official Apfelwein Brewers Society"

 

[EdWort]

and only fitting that Ed posted #3000
It kinda gives me a warm tingly feeling inside to be part of something this big...Kinda like how it feels after a glass or 2

I know it's been said before, but for over 5000 gallons made to date, 3,000 posts on this thread, over 1000 on the "How Many" and lots of independent threads on the subject, I think it's fitting to say again:

THANKS ED!

We should have T-Shirts!
"Official Apfelwein Brewers Society"

Thanks guys. I feel honored. Over 3,000 replies. Amazing. It's great that so many folks enjoy it and realize how simple it is to make.

I'm going to have to start another 10 gallons myself.

 

[BigKahuna]

Seriously, You need to have Apfelwein stuff on your CaffePress site. I'd buy!

 

[g_rath]

+1 on that. From this site alone you would get a lot of sales.

 

[skou]

I've done it once and it turned out fine. I probably won't do it again though. I think I prefer to clean out the carboy, freshly sanitize it, and use fresh yeast with each batch.

I'm going to concur with this.

Unless you are practicing GREAT sanitization rules, you want to clean out your fermenter every other batch. Otherwise, you risk infection.)

Guys, (and gals) I used to do this professionally. (Making beer, that is.) We had bad batches, and itwas re-using the yeast too often.

steve

 

[IrregularPulse]

I plan on pitching another 5 gallons of Juice on my yeast cake when this batch is done fermenting. and just adding the sugar.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

IrregularPulse I dont think that will work well. Something about ciders and meads being not real good for reusing the yeast.

 

[Tonedef131]

I plan on pitching another 5 gallons of Juice on my yeast cake when this batch is done fermenting. and just adding the sugar.

What do you gain by doing this? Yeast is fifty cents, why even chance it?

I started my first batch of this following the original recipe yesterday, I hope it lives up to the hype.

 

[web250]

So I'd like to make some of this as my next batch (after my sweet choc. stout is done fermenting). But I know the OP says it comes out pretty dry. I'd love to read all 3000+ posts, but I don't have the time. What's the easiest way to get a sweeter product?

 

[Surfman]

anyone ever oak age this stuff??

 

[blacklab]

So I'd like to make some of this as my next batch (after my sweet choc. stout is done fermenting). But I know the OP says it comes out pretty dry. I'd love to read all 3000+ posts, but I don't have the time. What's the easiest way to get a sweeter product?

I believe there is some discussion early in the thread about backsweetening with Splenda and other non fermentables. You can probably actually search the thread for that term as that's what I recall them calling it...

 

[BigKahuna]

So I'd like to make some of this as my next batch (after my sweet choc. stout is done fermenting). But I know the OP says it comes out pretty dry. I'd love to read all 3000+ posts, but I don't have the time. What's the easiest way to get a sweeter product?

Kitty Litter Brewing has a good bunch of posts about it..
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=51032

 

[Big "A"]

Hmmmmm I think I'll start another batch of apfelwein!!!!
Hell yeah!!!

LOL, I have 6L I am saving for My B-day! I will have aged 5months by then

 

[MULE]

SWMBO says I am not allowed to make this anymore. My basement smells like fart. :cross:

I trust that the smell will go away soon?

 

[EdWort]

SWMBO says I am not allowed to make this anymore. My basement smells like fart. :cross:

I trust that the smell will go away soon?

Blame it on the dog. Actually, just open up a window and turn on a fan. It lasts only a couple of days.

To me it's the aroma of sweet fermentation.

 

[Crazytwoknobs]

anyone ever oak age this stuff??

I have no experience with oak, but I don't think it'd turn out too well... I could be completely wrong.

 

[EdWort]

I have no experience with oak, but I don't think it'd turn out too well... I could be completely wrong.

I agree. After aging 8 or more months, the apple flavor & aroma return stronger. It's too subtle to mess with by adding Oak to it.

Then again, I get all sorts of emails asking if I've done it this way or added this extra ingredient. I don't do anything different than what I listed in my recipe. It's the way I like it, and I keep it consistent.

 

[Tonedef131]

I keep hearing about all these flatulent smells you guys get out of your fermenting apple wine. Well I am on day four and haven't had anything like that. The only smell I get is a small bit of apple juice, quite pleasant actually.

 

[Chaos_Being]

I finally tried the "3 glass rule" with my Apfelwein last night...the result was me getting pretty darn , and falling asleep early! It certainly did start going down smoother mid-way through the 2nd glass...hehe.

Regardless though, I'm still going to experiment a bit with my next batch to get a somewhat less dry end product. The fun of brewing

 

[g_rath]

just started a batch with wheat yeast so i will see how that changes the taste.

 

[Redweasel]

Just cracked my first apfelwein last night. This stuff is very potent. I am a large man who can usually put down a lot of beer and vodka with little consequence. Two 22oz bottles and I was weaving around the house. Not going to go for three or I may end up on the floor! Stuff is mighty tasty even flat!

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Just cracked my first apfelwein last night. This stuff is very potent. I am a large man who can usually put down a lot of beer and vodka with little consequence. Two 22oz bottles and I was weaving around the house.

Hope you remembered your quart of water and three aspirin before retiring!

At least yours is in bottles...when you've got the stuff on tap, it's so easy to just keep "topping off" your glass, and lose track of consumption.

 

[Redweasel]

Hope you remembered your quart of water and three aspirin before retiring!

At least yours is in bottles...when you've got the stuff on tap, it's so easy to just keep "topping off" your glass, and lose track of consumption.

I always remember my water and ibroprophin. A buddy is going to put some on tap tomorrow, I'll be sure to warn him.:cross:

 

[Thor the Mighty]

i might have a stuck fermentation....pitched the yeast a day after all of the main ingredients and no activity at all. wtf./

 

[Tusch]

How long's it been since you pitched thor? It can take a couple or more days before it starts rolling.

 

[Thwizzit]

Has anyone used Tannin or Acid Blend in their Apfelwein? If so, when would you add them and what do they do?

 

[MULE]

i might have a stuck fermentation....pitched the yeast a day after all of the main ingredients and no activity at all. wtf./

Mine took about three days to get started. No worries.

 

[Thwizzit]

Speaking of Fermentation. What constitutes rapid fermentation as opposed to slow fermentation as far as amount of time between bubbles?

When I started my Apfelwein it was bubbling once every two seconds, now it's bubbling once every six seconds. I would think that every two seconds would be considered rapid (although maybe a constant stream of bubbles is considered rapid) but I'm curious as to how many seconds between bubbles would be considered rapid, medium, slow etc.