A few questions about starting apple wine

[Ericphotoart]

I will start a 5 gallon batch of apple wine. I already sliced apples in small pieces and about 50% is frozen, 50% is in fridge. Should I defrost it before putting to fermentation bucket, or just add hot water? Next question - what SG should I start with? Another question - How long the primary fermentation should last? For a fruit wine I do not leave it longer than 4 day usually but I read that apple wine should be left for a week.

 

[ChuckD]

You can leave it frozen and add hot water. Most folks I see are shooting for 1.090 for a starting SG but you can push it higher than that if you want more alcohol. I did an apple where I overshot and hit 1.118… it’s hot stuff but tastes good. Primary fermentation should take as long as it takes… use the hydrometer and rack into the carboy when it gets to 1.010.

My apple wine seems to take at least a week at 70 to 75 degrees.

 

[Ericphotoart]

Thanks. I added yeasts today. I ended up with SG 1.072. I just didn't buy enough sugar. So far it smells really good. I added some raspberries and strawberries, mostly for color. I'm curious how much flavor this relatively small amount will add to apple wine.

 

[ChuckD]

Thanks. I added yeasts today. I ended up with SG 1.072. I just didn't buy enough sugar. So far it smells really good. I added some raspberries and strawberries, mostly for color. I'm curious how much flavor this relatively small amount will add to apple wine.

When it ferments to dry you won’t taste much fruit but if you back sweeten just a little it will bring out the flavors. That’s after it clears, so at least two months away yet.

 

[BigDaveK]

Thanks. I added yeasts today. I ended up with SG 1.072. I just didn't buy enough sugar. So far it smells really good. I added some raspberries and strawberries, mostly for color. I'm curious how much flavor this relatively small amount will add to apple wine.

Didn't buy enough sugar? If you keep up with this pretty soon you'll be saying, "Oh oh, I'm under a hundred pounds of sugar in the pantry. Time to buy more."

 

[Jovimaple]

Didn't buy enough sugar? If you keep up with this pretty soon you'll be saying, "Oh oh, I'm under a hundred pounds of sugar in the pantry. Time to buy more."

I feel personally attacked by that comment! (Just bought 10 lbs of sugar tonight because I dumped another 10 lbs into my Skeeter Pee on Monday, and I will need some for backsweetening in a few weeks!)

 

[hounddawg]

shoot now I'm Leary of telling on myself, my chest type freezer is 20 cubic foot, when i look into it, and see only 4, 25lb bags i go into a panic, i try to keep 200lb to 300lb of sugar in my freezer, now i dont go thru tons at a time, but like now, when I am healthy again, i have at least 18- 6 gallon carboys ready to bottle.. apparently, i seem to have gotten the ideal that for my wake , I'm way short,,, um that number is carboys 2 to 3 years in bulk,
Richard

 

[BigDaveK]

I feel personally attacked by that comment! (Just bought 10 lbs of sugar tonight because I dumped another 10 lbs into my Skeeter Pee on Monday, and I will need some for backsweetening in a few weeks!)

Ooh, jeeze, I didn't mean to attack anybody!

But seriously, I bought some sugar this week (because I dipped under a 100 lbs) and the price went up. Will it stabilize or keep going, don't know, but it might be worthwhile to plan ahead.

 

[Rice_Guy]

A low alcohol will ferment more easily/ stress yeast less than an 18% alcohol, so does it matter? ,, A high alcohol will have better oxidation resistance than a 5% cider so your technique can be more sloppy if you add more sugar sometime. ,, There isn’t any rule to keep you from adding more sugar on Monday and still more on Thursday to get the alcohol up. ,, My style is to try to maximize aroma so apple will sit in the garage at 50F and then get back sweetened with frozen concentrate.
I have routinely put 1% or even 5% of raspberry or aronia or elderberry in for color. Strawberry does not have a stable color (most settles out in the lees), ,,At 1% a tannic like aronia or crab apple adds long flavor notes which are not identified/ turn into complexity/ make the flavor more pleasing. ,, Apple has a lot of variation in flavor and color. If you have a local orchard you might ask if they have Red Devil variety which makes pink juice and has a strawberry like flavor, and is self fertile > a good single in the city tree. ,,,, Basically if you tell the customer they should taste strawberry or raspberry they will but if you don’t tell them they should taste it they will have pleasing fruity complexity.

Thanks. I added yeasts today. I ended up with SG 1.072. I just didn't buy enough sugar. So far it smells really good. I added some raspberries and strawberries, mostly for color. I'm curious how much flavor this relatively small amount will add to apple wine.

 

[Steve Wargo]

Didn't buy enough sugar? If you keep up with this pretty soon you'll be saying, "Oh oh, I'm under a hundred pounds of sugar in the pantry. Time to buy more."

I stocked up when I found 4lb bags of sugar for $1.00 a bag. The yeast gets hungry. Also is used for baking/cooking. Prices have more than doubled for the same weight per bag.

 

[Jovimaple]

I stocked up when I found 4lb bags of sugar for $1.00 a bag. The yeast gets hungry. Also is used for baking/cooking. Prices have more than doubled for the same weight per bag.

Costco 10 lb bags are usually under $5/bag. Not as cheap as 16 lbs for $4, though!

 

[BigDaveK]

Costco 10 lb bags are usually under $5/bag. Not as cheap as 16 lbs for $4, though!

I love Costco but that involves a 1 hour trip to the big city. The local Kroger went from 4.89 a 10# to 5.69 in a week. Yikes!

How or where did you score 16# for $4?!

 

[Jovimaple]

How or where did you score 16# for $4?!

Yeah, @Steve Wargo , where did you find sugar that cheap?

 

[Ericphotoart]

The cheapest sugar I found locally was $2.09/4lb bag at Aldi. I will be adding more sugar on Monday so in the 4th day of fermentation. I have a formula to calculate the gravity when adding sugar in stages so I hope it's going to work.

 

[hounddawg]

r a 25 lb bag /
The cheapest sugar I found locally was $2.09/4lb bag at Aldi. I will be adding more sugar on Monday so in the 4th day of fermentation. I have a formula to calculate the gravity when adding sugar in stages so I hope it's going to work.

do you have room in the freezer for a 25 lb bag of sugar ?
i cheaked my freezer this afternoon i got about 60ish pounds, so i just put another 50 lb on my list,,, come Friday I got around 46 gallons of whites, got at least 70 gallons of different reds, ,, whites 1 to 2 year, reds 2 to 3 years aged, then i'll start 15 gallon peach, and 10 0r 12 gallons of pare to start,
Dawg

 

[Arne]

do you have room in the freezer for a 25 lb bag of sugar ?
i cheaked my freezer this afternoon i got about 60ish pounds, so i just put another 50 lb on my list,,, come Friday I got around 46 gallons of whites, got at least 70 gallons of different reds, ,, whites 1 to 2 year, reds 2 to 3 years aged, then i'll start 15 gallon peach, and 10 0r 12 gallons of pare to start,
Dawg

Me thinks there ought to be a tasting at Dawgs house. Arne.

 

[hounddawg]

Me thinks there ought to be a tasting at Dawgs house. Arne.

good lord willing, this coming Friday i plan to bottle, and send a care package to you come the following Monday,
Richard

 

[Steve Wargo]

Yeah, @Steve Wargo , where did you find sugar that cheap?

I keep an eye out at the grocery stores for sugar. Usually, Kroger If sugar doesn't move, or they get too much in at one time(shipment), they'll in-store flash sale it. It wasn't advertised. The last time I caught one was 2021 fall. The sugar was in a back aisle on pallets. Here today, gone tomorrow.
---- I sometimes go to the grocery store about an hour before closing, not many people. The people stocking items have told me more than once, that I missed one of those flash sales, yesterday. They(stockers) don't know when it will happen, it's the store manager that makes the call.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

it comes in 50 pound bags. Just not in grocery stores