# Winery got a delivery!



## jswordy (Sep 27, 2013)

Well, the winery received a delivery of Nebraska crabapples this evening! Just got done prepping them and putting them in the feezer. Even got a Nebraska spider that hitched a ride. That's a long way to travel to meet the executioner!


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## WVMountaineerJack (Sep 27, 2013)

Whats the plan Sweetpea? We finally used our crab for cider this year, 100% crab juice, now I am trying to figure out what to dilute it with! Are those Dolgos? WVMJ


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 28, 2013)

Sorry to bud in on the thread guys. But I have a question about using all crabapples. We just processed our apples of different varieties as well as some of our crabs we usually blend about 4-5 apple varieties with 2 crab varieties. But we have had such a huge crop of crabs that I am wondering what we can do with the extras for a cider on straight crab apples. What do you dilute it with if anything? Do you add sugar due to its tartness? Any possible recipes?? Thanks  Carolyn


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## WVMountaineerJack (Sep 28, 2013)

I have only started this year with my own fruit having finally got the equipment. We did a 100% wild crab juice, TA was 1.8%, outrageous, I added caramelized honey, let it ferment, its outrageous still, going to have to cut it in half with just a plain mead as we want to taste that honey also. What kind of apples did you guys use in your blend? WVMJ


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 28, 2013)

Wow that was acidic! For the apple blend we have some native trees that have apples that are very similar to northern spy or a courtland type. They have a very nice sweetness with a bit of tartness. We also have a bunch of 5 in one trees that have golden delicious, red delicious, northern spy, and a few others can't remember now. Granny Smith. For our crab apples I wish I knew what kind they were they have been standing here since we bought the place. One looks like miniature Macintosh apples with the distinctive green and red markings. The other looks like mini delicious sort of. Not as round, larger, red with gold steaks and sweeter. We skipped last year, but the year before I can say this blend made a perfect cider! No sugar or water added and it came out to what seemed a perfect sweetness and acid balance. We didn't have a ta kit then so I have no idea where it was on the scale.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 28, 2013)

How much honey did you use and I'm guessing it wasn't enough? Could you blend it with normal apple cider? Boy this is going to be an adventure finding out how I can use all these crab apples and no I'm not making tons of crab apple jelly! Hey that's an idea... Maybe crabapple can be simmered with sugar to make a simple syrup?


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 28, 2013)

Ok last post I have to go pick concords. I found a recipe which uses straight crabapples and sugar and raisins I'm sure sultanas would be complementary... Here's the link: http://foragedfoods.co.uk/crab-apple-wine-recipe/


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## Hokapsig (Sep 28, 2013)

I ended up with 4 gallons of fermented crab juice which is clearing now. I also have 5 gallons of Apple wine and I am wondering if I should blend the apple to the crab apple? Niether are sweetened yet.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 28, 2013)

Have you tasted both batches yet? If so, how does the crabapple taste compare to the apple? If it seems really sour you could blend it with your apple batch and then back sweeten to your tastes. Or you could keep them separate if the crabapple isn't too acidic to drink and just back sweeten each batch to your liking!


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## jswordy (Sep 28, 2013)

I'm going to make crabapple wine. It will use apple juice and the crabapples. I don't know what kind of crabapples they are, all I know is they are like I remember from home in Illinois. It's gonna need backsweetening.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 28, 2013)

That sounds great! Maybe once you've gotten around to it you can post your recipe! I have 2 - 6 gallon pails of crabapples so far left over from my apple blend. There is still probably another 5-6 6 gallon pails to collect... Not sure how much I'll need yet...


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## jswordy (Sep 29, 2013)

It's *Arne*'s recipe. He sent me the crabapples. After drinking several of my wines, he apparently has so little faith in my winemaking skills that he sent me a recipe and also a bottle of his crabapple wine, so I would be able to get some idea of what the heck I am doing and know if I'd hit the mark or not. 



(Hahahaha, wait til he see this....)


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 29, 2013)

Uhuh!! Would love to get my hands on it! We have no issues with doing the apple/crabapple blend but I have all these crabapples waiting in pails for me to do something with them lol!! Arne, care to share? Have you posted it in the recipe section or is it under wraps??


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## Arne (Sep 30, 2013)

Not a secret. Jim, can you scan it and put it on here? If not, let me know and I will retype it. Most of my recipies are written down til I start fermenting, then unless I do something different, I just put a piece of masking tape on the carboy and keep track of my racking, additions like k-meta on there. Sorry about the spider, but the last bunch of the crabapples were picked in the dark and just dumped into the box. Glad they got there ok. I don't know what kind they are either. Just an ornemental tree I brought home for Kathy 25 years ago. It is still loaded with crabapples. Anybody close can have them for the picking. Arne.


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## Arne (Sep 30, 2013)

jswordy said:


> It's *Arne*'s recipe. He sent me the crabapples. After drinking several of my wines, he apparently has so little faith in my winemaking skills that he sent me a recipe and also a bottle of his crabapple wine, so I would be able to get some idea of what the heck I am doing and know if I'd hit the mark or not.
> 
> 
> 
> (Hahahaha, wait til he see this....)


 

LOL, knew I would have to hold your hand.  Arne.


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## jswordy (Sep 30, 2013)

Yeah, I will post the recipe as soon as I get it scanned or whatever.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 30, 2013)

Thanks very much guys! I'd much appreciate!


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## jswordy (Sep 30, 2013)




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## jswordy (Sep 30, 2013)

There ya go. I edited it to take out some stuff that probably shouldn't have been in there the first time.


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## ckvchestnut (Sep 30, 2013)

Nah! Sounds like he thinks you are creative  lol thanks for sharing Jim and Arne! This gives me a basis of what to use to add to these apples and not get a mouthful of sour wine when I'm done with it. Ill see what I can come up with once I start this batch!


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## Arne (Oct 1, 2013)

JS if you change it and it comes out better, make sure you let me know what you did. I am always up for a change.  Arne..


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## jswordy (Oct 1, 2013)

Sure enough, I will let you know, Arne. But it looks like the recipe is about what I was going to do anyway. I will use 71B1122, though.


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## Arne (Oct 2, 2013)

The bottle of wine I sent along will let you know about how it is going to taste if you follow my directions. If that is about what you want, I say go for it. Don't believe the yeast is going to make much of a difference.  Good luck with it, Arne.


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## Runningwolf (Oct 2, 2013)

Jim & Arne they look just like the ones I use. Mine are Dolgo Crabapples if you want to look it up.


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## Arne (Oct 2, 2013)

Thanks, Dan. Arne.


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## jswordy (Oct 4, 2013)

Dan, all I know is my folks planted two of those trees because the pic on the pot showed how beautiful they are in spring. Which was true. But the info did not tell how messy they are the rest of the time!

Hahaha ... Dad let them grow for years, but they have long since been cut down.


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## jswordy (Mar 14, 2015)

Updated for 2015! Time flies when you are drunk. Look what just came out of the freezer! Arne's 25 pounds of crabapples from fall 2013! 

These bad boys crushed right up by hand after being frozen solid. Wow, I have not made a batch of wine this small in years. Brings me back to my roots.





Juice was a lot redder before I added the k meta. A tasty must. I ended up adding 4 cups sugar. SG 1.085 so the fruit doesn't get overwhelmed. 





This is an all-juice batch. I'll have to look in the fridge to see what yeast I have. That'll get tossed tomorrow. Should be 25 or so bottles of goodness ahead sometime.

So there ya go, Arne! Thank you, sir! I'm slow but I make up for it by not moving quickly.


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## Arne (Mar 15, 2015)

Good luck with it, keep us informed how it comes along. Arne.


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## jswordy (Mar 16, 2015)

Back to being real red now. Looks like a cherry recipe. I didn't see any signs of ferment yesterday and forgot to look this morning. We'll see this afternoon. Tastes great right now.


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## jswordy (Mar 17, 2015)

Well, it looks like my 71B1122 stash may be dead. They've been around quite awhile. I've tried two packs since Sunday. Got up at 2:30 a.m. today, still no visible ferment and no "bloom" from the pack contents. Very unusual, since the temps are nicely in the upper 60s and low 70s here. I'll have to pull out another pack and mix up a starter just to check viability. Might be time to toss 'em.

Anyway, while I was up at 2:30, I pulled an EC-1118 out of the same refrigerated stash, sprinkled it on and went back to bed. Got up at 6 a.m. and had bubbles. We rollin'!

This must is red as all get-out. I hope the color is preserved throughout the process.

Note to self: Start using a marker to write the arrival date on every yeast pack.


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## PhilDarby (Mar 17, 2015)

Im in the uk, traditional cider/scrumpy, over here is brewed from a mix of apples, reds, greens and crab apple roughly mixed in 1/3rds the nicest tasting apple wine, or scrumpy however u want to name it, though, has a bit of a bias towards red apples, reds give a nicer, traditional dry flavour to apple wines in my opinion.

Based on that I would go 25% green 25% crab and 50% reds for a nice drinkable balance, in my opinion.

Also, worthy of note, is that apple tends to blend well with most other fruit wine, and in conjunction with grape, generally provides all trace nutrients required for a healthy ferment hence the apple and grape beverage industry.

Both, apple and grape have a lifes worth of fermenting to enjoy, hope u enjoy your journey ;-)

both crabs and greens tend to be overly acidic as well.


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## jswordy (Mar 17, 2015)

Phil, my very first wine was apple, years ago. Apple wine is fun to work with and it is very popular among my friends, who generally like it dry and sometimes compare it loosely to a kind of fruit chardonnay, but I really have not much cared for it personally so most of my bottles have been given away to those friendly raves. 

This is a true apple wine, made from wine yeasts and using wine processes. It is uncarbonated.

I've always wanted to try adding the crabs to it, but the Southern US grows a mealy crab apple, not like the tart, firm ones I remember are grown in the Northern US. I believe they grow too fast in the South. As a surprise, my friend sent me some from the North, hence this experiment. I do plan to do a number of things to it as the process proceeds to attempt to get it to something I better like.

I have a commercial apple orchard less than 5 miles from my house and am always tempted to get green tart apples from them for a trial wine, but I am almost to the point now where there will only be two wines I make, both will be grape based, and I will make them both but once a year. 

I wanted to try this experiment out before I switch schedules. It only took me two years to get around to it!


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## PhilDarby (Mar 17, 2015)

Many years ago I visited a cider farm in somerset, they take visitors around and show them the orchards and processing and stuff, im not a great lover of straight cider or apple wine (it makes me baulk if its too green or acidy, as I have gastric problems) 

But apples with a bias towards red apples are the ones I think you will find bias it towards chardonnay imho.

anyway hope your batch turns out well ;-)


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## jswordy (Mar 17, 2015)

Phil, you made me go look up "scrumpy." Learned something. Now I get ya!

All my apple wines have been dry and light. They are not overly acid at all, and have had no "cidery" characteristics. That's why I wanted to try something a bit different this time. As I said, others raved, but I like real fruit-forward wines and with the dry apple wines I had been making, that has not been the case.

We'll see!


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## jswordy (Mar 17, 2015)

Man, look at how red this stuff is, even after having the yeast stirred into it. Wild!


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## jswordy (Mar 18, 2015)

Tasted a teaspoonful tonight.

(Clasping hands together)

Oh Lord, if you could see your way to let this taste this good when it is done so I can get drunk --- er, I *mean*, so I can honor your goodness and generosity to a poor soul like me with it, glass after glass, I would be beholden to you.

Your faithful servant,
Jim

It is tart and complex right now. Oh, and fizzy.


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## jpike01 (Mar 19, 2015)

You truly are "Otis"


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## jswordy (Mar 20, 2015)

This thing is still rocking right along, at 1.040 last night. The liquid volume appears to have grown, as well. I ought to get it in a carboy maybe Sunday.


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## ceeaton (Mar 20, 2015)

Never have had a crabapple wine before, but boy that looks good. My oldest son was looking over my shoulder when I was viewing your picture in the earlier post and wondered if they made wine out of Hawaiian Punch!


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## jswordy (Mar 22, 2015)

ceeaton said:


> Never have had a crabapple wine before, but boy that looks good. My oldest son was looking over my shoulder when I was viewing your picture in the earlier post and wondered if they made wine out of Hawaiian Punch!



Yes, they do! Try it sometime!


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## jswordy (Mar 22, 2015)

Having arrived at the mystical 1.000, Arne's wine has been transferred today to the carboy. Very pink! A bit of settling will help that. I wish all the container manufacturers would get together on what "5 U.S. gallons" is. I had 5.5 gallons in the bucket, but came up shy of 5 gallons in the Mexican carboy, which clearly says "5 GALS" on the bottom. So I topped with some apple juice, which may start a minor ferment. The juice is 1.060, and I used less than a quart, so it should't be too much of a referment. We shall see!


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## Arne (Mar 23, 2015)

Lookin good, Jim. Been so warm here hope all the fruit trees don't wake up. Do like last year, get em flowering and have it freeze. Hard on the crops. Good luck with it, Arne.


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## jswordy (Mar 23, 2015)

Arne said:


> Lookin good, Jim. Been so warm here hope all the fruit trees don't wake up. Do like last year, get em flowering and have it freeze. Hard on the crops. Good luck with it, Arne.



Bradford pears are out here, peaches won't be far behind. My maples are budded out. We have one 32 degree night forecast, on Friday. But days are upper 60s-low 70s. I'm planting 700 pounds of grass seed in my pastures next weekend, about Sunday.

In the wine, I did get a slight referment, but as I expected, the diluted apple juice didn't raise SG enough to make it anything more than a bubble or two now and again. We'll let it rest now a few weeks and see what we have.


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## jswordy (Mar 27, 2015)

A few days has made a difference. I can even see myself taking the pic.


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## jswordy (May 24, 2015)

Well, the old scrumpie looked pretty good today while I adjusted flavors on the back end. Nice and clear. Wound up with 6 gallons. Will let it sit again a week or two, then it's time to add k meta and bottle.


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## Arne (May 28, 2015)

If you could get all your carboy s to leave the headspace on the side like the top pic, you would never have to top up. Neat picture with the refraction. How does the wine taste? The crabapple come thru but not to heavy? Arne.


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## jswordy (Jun 16, 2015)

Arne said:


> If you could get all your carboy s to leave the headspace on the side like the top pic, you would never have to top up. Neat picture with the refraction. How does the wine taste? The crabapple come thru but not to heavy? Arne.



Stuff was tart on racking but I got it pretty good now! All juice recipe. It is just sitting around waiting for me to bottle it. Time is tight right now.


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## Arne (Jun 17, 2015)

Get out your shotgun and watch for the wine gremlins. They tend to show up when the wine is just sitting in the carboy. Little buggers can put a big dent in your supply. Arne.


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## nucjd (Jun 17, 2015)

Interesting thread as usual js! I happen to have a crab apple tree on my farm that makes super sweet and crisp hard crab apples.I wonder what type it is. They very similar to the ones you took a pic of. I have a second crab apple tree that has the type you described in an earlier post..soft tart and not sweet at all.


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## jswordy (Jun 18, 2015)

nucjd said:


> Interesting thread as usual js! I happen to have a crab apple tree on my farm that makes super sweet and crisp hard crab apples.I wonder what type it is. They very similar to the ones you took a pic of. I have a second crab apple tree that has the type you described in an earlier post..soft tart and not sweet at all.



The mealy ones are not much good if you are after a tart wine.


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## jswordy (Jul 17, 2015)

Well, I bottled the scrumpy today and I am absolutely delighted. At room temp, it tastes like you are drinking a mild SweeTart, just what I was after - and it looks gorgeous! Can't wait to try it chilled. 

Thanks to Arne for the crabapples all that long time ago. I owe you some of these 30 bottles of goodness. This could be contest wine but it is so far out of the mainstream, I don't know if judges would like it or hate it. Besides, I want to keep it all.  









Now I have to rebottle the last of that pesky blueberry while the equipment is set up.


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## Arne (Jul 21, 2015)

Looks good,Jim. Glad it worked out for you. Not going to be a lot of the crabapples here this year. Late frost got a lot of my fruits. Crabapple tree got a haircut from the bottom up. Got tired of the low hanging branches trying to wipe me off the lawnmower. Still plenty left,tho. Arne.


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## wrongway (May 21, 2018)

Jim, I know this thread is awhile ago but I just had to say how
delicious it looks!!! I am amazed at the color! Awesome!!!!!


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## Venatorscribe (May 22, 2018)

I did a straight crab apple wine three years ago. You'll need to back sweeten before bottling. I also added an oaking. You need to bottle condition it for at least two years. It makes wonderful wine. When you go to drink it, don't over chill it otherwise the tartness will dominate.


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