Man, I love Apfelwein

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Ok well after much reading I decided I must try this. So yesterday I got a new 5 gallon carboy and put together the original recipe. Now the wait is on.
 
shadow160 said:
Ok well after much reading I decided I must try this. So yesterday I got a new 5 gallon carboy and put together the original recipe. Now the wait is on.
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You won't be disappointed my friend. If you can, let it age for as long as you can stand. The hardest part for me is trying to keep from taking one or two or three "samples" to see how it's coming along. A batch has never made it passed 3 or 4 months with me hovering around it.
 
macs said:
You won't be disappointed my friend. If you can, let it age for as long as you can stand. The hardest part for me is trying to keep from taking one or two or three "samples" to see how it's coming along. A batch has never made it passed 3 or 4 months with me hovering around it.
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I have two 32oz flip tops that will be 5 years old this November, think they're ready yet? [emoji482]
 
Rhaop said:
I have two 32oz flip tops that will be 5 years old this November, think they're ready yet? [emoji482]
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I think it would be better if you send them to me so I can sample them and I'll let you know if they're ready or not. mmmkay? :)
 
I have a friend flying in to visit in about 6 weeks and he wants to try some. I hope it is ok to sample by then.
 
shadow160 said:
I have a friend flying in to visit in about 6 weeks and he wants to try some. I hope it is ok to sample by then.
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It will be drinkable but it get's much better with age. 6 weeks isn't much time for it to mellow out.
If it turns out anything like the stuff I've been making...
after a few "samples"...you just won't care anymore.
:tank:
 
That looks like a lot of head space which could be part of it or temp, I've used Montrachet many times and it's never done that. I'm sure it's fine, what day did you make it?
 
Masterofgravity said:
So I just made my second batch yesterday and today I'm seeing a huge krausen, the first batch never had one. Did I introduce something bad into the batch? View attachment 366383
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It's quite possible that you may have a contaminated batch there. I've never had or have seen a batch go wild like that, using the original recipe. Did you properly clean and sanitize everything before getting started?
All of my batches have had very thin wispy krausen's.
 
It's a 6 1/2 gallon carboy with 6 gallons in it. Last time I used the same one with only 5 gallons of juice and it worked fine, almost no krausen. I cleaned and sanitized everything as I always do when brewing. Very strange.
 
I agree with Elkobrewer. Let it ride and see what it's like after a few months. Get another one going just in case...
 
I've had a batch of this going for a few weeks and am starting to think about how long to keep it in the carboy. The post said to let it go for 3 months, and that it starts tasting the best around 6 months. Should it be bottled around 3 months and stored until 6 months, or could I just leave it in the carboy until the 6 month mark?
 
My first batch was bottled after 5 weeks and it's good but definitely getting better with age. Waiting helps but the allure of Apfelwein makes that hard.
 
Had 10 gallons finish in March. I still have 4 gallons left, can't believe how carbonated it is.

I used 4 lbs sugar to 5 gallons juice and fermented for 4 weeks, bottled in 1 gallon jugs and let condition for two weeks. One of the jugs broke due to pressure build up. The 4 remaining gallons are very nicely carbonated.

Not sure what happened cause the other two batches I made didn't carb like that (same recipe each time). Kind of reminds me of the angry orchard brand of cider.
 
Masterofgravity said:
My first batch was bottled after 5 weeks and it's good but definitely getting better with age. Waiting helps but the allure of Apfelwein makes that hard.
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Does it make a difference as to whether it's aged in the bottle or in the carboy, though? I'm going back and forth between bottling and then aging or just leaving it in the carboy to do it's thing for another few months. The advantage to the carboy is that it's easy to let it sit, and then I know I stay out of it...but I don't want to do more harm than good. :D
 
DParcade said:
Does it make a difference as to whether it's aged in the bottle or in the carboy, though? I'm going back and forth between bottling and then aging or just leaving it in the carboy to do it's thing for another few months. The advantage to the carboy is that it's easy to let it sit, and then I know I stay out of it...but I don't want to do more harm than good. :D
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You could let it sit in the carboy and I'm sure there are people who do...but the problem with that is, it is easier for it to become contaminated in the carboy than it is in a "sealed up tight" and freshly sanitized bottle or keg. I've always let it sit a week or two in the carboy and then bottled or kegged it. I've never had a contaminated batch yet...and I'm sure I just jinxed myself! :(
 
Dragon06 said:
Come to think of it. Yes it is. Probably explains the carbonation then.
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If I was you, I would wear safety goggles and heavy gloves when around those remaining bottles. Wouldn't want to get injured when one blows. That's part of the reason I went to kegging instead of bottling.
You could also bottle the stuff in Champagne bottles which are very thick glass and very strong.
 
I opened a bottle of my second ever batch of this stuff from Feb 2011 last night and it was mind blowing. If you have the ability to put some down for five years it will definitely be worth it. Super super smooth, lightly effervescent, tastes lightly sweet with fresh apples even though I know this batch fermented out dry. You don't feel the heat from the 11% this one fermented out to until half a bottle in.

Luckily I have five bottles left :)
 
After 2 years of brewing hiatus, I decided to get back in the game with this recipe!

I basically stuck to the recipe as much as possible, with some very minor tweaks. I am making a cheapo batch first, and then in 2-3 weeks when our local orchards have fresh cider, I'll make a more expensive batch.

I used:

  • 5 gallons of store brand apple juice (from concentrate, with ascorbic acid, like I said, cheapo)
  • 1 sachet montrachet yeast
  • 1 tsp tannin powder
  • 1/2 tsp fermaid k

I was considering a tiny bit of malic acid, but a) I was lazy and didn't want to take the pH, and b) it came with ascorbic acid, so it should already have a little extra acidity. Also, didn't bother with an sg. I didn't make any significant changes from the base recipe so I don't have any reason to believe I'll be significantly different there. Also, did I mention lazy?

Really could not ask for an easier recipe. After a starsan soak, the whole thing went together in about 10 minutes. Hoping there is enough headspace left, since I haven't used this yeast before and I have no idea how aggressive it can be.

I'm a little concerned about the yeast because it didn't seem to be bubbling after a 15 minute soak. I'll keep an eye on it, and if I don't see any activity in 24-48 hours I'll see about adding another sachet.

cxX7iyp.jpg
 
EagleScout said:
Has anyone tried this with apple cider? I have a local orchard I can get fresh pressed unpasteurized cider from in a few weeks.
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There really isn't any reason you couldn't use it.

You can either pasteurize, or add 1/4 tsp of potassium metabisulfite/1 crushed campden tablet (your LHBS should have them) per 5 gallons. Add your juice to your carboy 24 hours before you plan to add your yeast, along with the p meta/campden tablet. Then let it sit for 24 hours. That should kill most of the wild yeasts that may be present. You can do the same thing for meads. After 24 hours, you can add your preferred yeast.

I prefer p meta because many fruit juices have volatile chemicals that give things like flavor and smell, and pasteurization can destroy them. If you are going out of your way to get the good stuff, treat it well.

Of course, the final option is leave it as is, just be aware that if they made the cider the traditional way (press whole apples) you are pretty much guaranteed to have tons of wild yeasts that your store bought yeast will have to compete against.

Edit: One other thing to note, early season apples tend to have a bit more acidity compared to late season apples. If the cider comes from late season apples, you may need to add some malic acid to compensate, or else the final product can be a bit dull. Early season apple cider shouldn't have any such issue. This will be all about personal taste and experimentation though.
 
First batch - 5.75 gal Wally World juice with 2lbs Fructose. Added 5 tsp fermaid, 25-30 drops pectic enzyme, pitched 10g of rehydrated Montrachet. Fermenting at 72F fermenter temp. Actually got an inch + of krausen at the highest activity. At 2 weeks I think I see the top end starting to clear. I knew the fermaid + double pitch might go faster but didnt expect it to go that fast!
 
Starting my batch today! Got my fermaid and pectic enzyme from NY Brew Supply for so cheap! Gonna hopefully crank out a couple batches of this stuff.
 
Sorry if this has been asked before...can this be done in 6.5 gallon buckets or does this need as little headroom as possible?
 
I wouldn't do 1 gallon of this or anything in a 6.5 gallon but if you do 4 to 6 gallons it should be fine. Usually it's secondary that you want to limit the headspace
 
SHAIV said:
I wouldn't do 1 gallon of this or anything in a 6.5 gallon but if you do 4 to 6 gallons it should be fine. Usually it's secondary that you want to limit the headspace
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I'll be doing the full batch. Just wasn't sure if wine/apfelwein was different than beer and needed less headroom during primary too. I'll use my bucket, thanks
 
You want headspace with beer in primary because of the krausen. Then limit headspace for secondary. From what I've gathered most people don't have any krausen or foam or whatever it's called with wine. The headspace will get filled with c02 though and c02 is heavier than air so it will push all the air out. Then it doesn't really matter how much headspace you have
 
So I have a question. For those of you who wanted to up the apple flavor and added concentrate. How much did you add? Like one can per gallon? Or a half can per gallon? Just wondering what would give the best results. Thanks
 
SHAIV said:
You want headspace with beer in primary because of the krausen. Then limit headspace for secondary. From what I've gathered most people don't have any krausen or foam or whatever it's called with wine. The headspace will get filled with c02 though and c02 is heavier than air so it will push all the air out. Then it doesn't really matter how much headspace you have
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oh no, there is 100% krausen for wine, same as beer...I've had to use blow off tubes for wine, cider, skeeter pee, mead...and beer...sugar + yeast = bubbling goodness...LOL...:ban:
 
A50SNAKE said:
oh no, there is 100% krausen for wine, same as beer...I've had to use blow off tubes for wine, cider, skeeter pee, mead...and beer...sugar + yeast = bubbling goodness...LOL...:ban:
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Interesting. My apfelwein with sucrose, store juice, nutrient, and nottingham/s-04 at 65-68F has never made more than a pretense at krausen. usually I can fill it up to the neck and have under 1cm of 'stuff' there while it ferments.
 
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Yeah I've read at least 30 pages of this thread and most people say they don't get any foam. But has anyone had experience with concentrate? Jw how much to use
 

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