year old apfelwein

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BreWirfel

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so...a year ago to date i started a batch of Edworts apfelwein. about 4 months later my son was born, and priorities changed. He is now 8 months old, and i still have the carboy of apfelwein in my basement. I kept the airlock full in hopes that someday ill get back to it.

It does not have anything growing on it...so im guessing it's worth a taste

opinions?
 
a year is just about right imho. i made two 5 gallon batches last year, they sat in the carboys for 6 months, then sat in kegs for another 6 months. both kegs are now in my keezer although only 1 of them is on tap, really really smooth and flavorful after sitting for so long. i'm the only one drinking it so it'll last me quite a while, when the first keg is empty i'll start another 5 gallon batch.
 
It should be the best damn apfelwein you've ever had. My experience has been that folks won't even begin liking it til it's nearly a year old. I leave mine in the fermenter for 6 months, thend bottle and don't begin drinking them til they're 8 or 9 months old. But the bulk of them are drunk after they/re a year old. I make it in Jan. And give the bulk out as gifts the following x-mas.
 
now i cant wait to try it...hopefully this weekend ill be able to get some bottles sanitized and get it bottled.
 
I'm about to start a 28L apfelwein just because it gets drunk so damn fast. My mouth is watering for some that I've got in the fridge... I don't think the sign 'DO NOT DRINK UNTIL DECEMBER' will hold me for long.
 
can you throw them in the bottles after a couple of weeks in the fermenter? Can they age like that? I don't like the idea of not being able to use my fermenter for a whole year.

Oh and how long would you say is a minimum wait to drinking apfelwein? i've never tried it before so i'm looking forward to making some after a couple more batches of beer.
 
Yeah, I usually ferment for about a month depending on what I'm doing with it and then chuck it in bottles with some priming sugar, let it carb up and then either pasteurise them if I want it sweet, or let them sit for a while. I would say minimum you're looking at 2-3 months for it to be awesome, 5-6 months for amazing and around about a year for the nectar of the gods.

Although, mine don't usually make it past 2 months because I love it so much.
 
My first batch was left in the carboy (5gal) for just over a year before bottling and I started drinking it 2-3 weeks after that and it was very very good.
I bought a few 18.L carboys for a really good price but cant use them for kits as they are 23L so i use these for longer term bulk aging of home made stuff like apfelwein which i can make is smaller batches
 
I can't leave mine quite that long. The question is , do you leave it on the lees that long? Are you letting it go clear, taking it off the lees and then letting it sit? I only had a single 1gal batch come out not yeastie tasteing before I ran out of apples last year. I am hoping that I do better this year.

Rick
 
I have some from last winter. Too tart and too dry for me. I have to back sweeten it with Spite or juice to make it taste better. With all this beer here why waste time with that junk?
 
can you throw them in the bottles after a couple of weeks in the fermenter? Can they age like that? I don't like the idea of not being able to use my fermenter for a whole year.

Yes you can, but why not buy a cornie for long-term aging? They don't cost much and there's no danger of breakage.

OP - I kegged my last batch on Oct. 24th last year, so I'm thinking about trying a bit ...

soon.
 
I know this thread is dying, but I would bottle it and make a label and call it "Freeman's Apfelwein" because back when you started it...well you were a free man lol congrats on the child, they are pretty awesome
 

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