Two Brand New Apfelwein Questions

[UnaBonger]

I was talking to somebody on another site about apfelwein and he said that if you bottle it in wine bottles.. you can let it sit for a year and it'll almost taste like champaigne.

Any truth to this?

I think the bottle would be irrelevant and the champaigne taste would come from the yeast you choose to use, ie, champainge yeast... But I would say, the longer it sits in the bottles, the smoother it gets

 

[jpuf]

Bingo, it's all about the yeast. Different strains produce wildly different flavor profiles. Trust me, I've tried a bunch, including ec1118 which made apple champagne, as expected. My personal favorite is nottingham, tart but not too dry.

 

[syd138]

Bingo, it's all about the yeast. Different strains produce wildly different flavor profiles. Trust me, I've tried a bunch, including ec1118 which made apple champagne, as expected. My personal favorite is nottingham, tart but not too dry.

I went to the homebrew store.. they were out of the yeast that was in EdWorts recipe. so I tried ec1118. We'll see how it is in a couple months.

One last quick question.. Is it too soon to bottle it after 4 weeks?

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

syd138 - I did 1 month primary, 1 month secondary and into a keg for long bulk aging. (I'm trying to learn patience). -- patience is the key, longer = better.

 

[syd138]

syd138 - I did 1 month primary, 1 month secondary and into a keg for long bulk aging. (I'm trying to learn patience). -- patience is the key, longer = better.

Shoot .. I was hoping to have some ready by Christmas. Do I really need a secondary though? Will it ferment as well?

 

[Throckmorton]

According to Ed, there is no need to do a secondary. I don't really see a point in it personally. If it isn't clear after 4 weeks, I think it will still continue to clarify in the bottle. A lot of folks don't bother to do a secondary with beer either. If you think about it, a beer bottle is just like a small secondary. The main difference as I see it is that you may get more sediment on the bottom of your bottle if you don't secondary with beer. I don't think you will have that much regardless with the apple wine.

 

[rmchair]

Keep it simple. I just made applewine and was trying to keep the temps in the 60's and it was taking forever, then I saw someones comment about fruit flavors and decided there would be no harm in warming it up into the low 70's. I recommend using something you can see through for a fermenter. You can see actually see it clearing up when the gravity is shaping up right.
Soda bottles seem like a great idea for this whether you want to carb or not. You can buy a case of 12/24 oz pepsi or 16 oz coke at the grocery that are cheaper than cans. The pepsi bottles have better caps.
I kegged mine without turning up the gas and it seems perfect after a week. It also started to sweeten up or I got used to it. One thing- I was trying to sip it like a white wine, but it goes down a lot better gulping to the back of the throat in the heat of the day.
I did get a headache after two large glasses in quick succession, but I can also tell you this stuff will knock down a large animal.