Apfelwein (Hard German Apple Cider)

[Daisy]

The recipe you given seem to very tasty.I appreciate your work.
I visit the website Homebrewtalk.com very first time and its very informative and fascinating.
I am glad to visit this thread ,and learn various new things.I know one more resource winegrowersdirect.com.au which is very interesting too.

Thanks.

 

[gesnipes]

Big Blunder

My first batch of apfelwein is almost done fermenting, but I thought the ABV tasted a little low, so I made a wee little error. Normally I disolve table sugar in water and add it to my wine, but this time I decided to use dextrose. I dissolved it into a quart glass, but decided to pour it in without fully dissoving it. I didn't feel like heating some water to finish the job. It was a slight milky color. I poured a quart in, and a quart and a half came out. Like a geiser.

Talbe sugar doesn't have that affect - at least not on the other wines I have made. What a mess

 

[Sirs]

sorry to hear about your trouble but........

 

[gesnipes]

sorry to hear about your trouble but........

I greatly appreciate the sympathy

 

[Drez]

Done

So its been about 4 weeks and its clearly done fermenting at this point but still fairly cloudy. While racking down or clearing isn't needed is it still of benefit to rack toa secondary, top up or use anything to clear or will aging over another ~4-8 weeks do this for me?

 

[SteveL]

I spend a lot of time over at HBT as I started out as a beer brewer. Early in my brewing career I started making this and have not stopped. This stuff is great. I know that it is not really a wine or a cider, it is just good. I usually carb up half the batch so I have both sparkling and still. I use 1L flip top bottles as they are the easiest IMO. The only warning I have about the stuff is it sneaks up on you. It packs quite the punch.

As for the recipe, I follow it just the way that Ed made it with one change. I use Nottingham yeast instead of wine yeast. Not as much a sulfer smell and I think it comes out cleaner in the end.

As for proccess, all I do is poor juice into carboy, add sugar, pitch yeast. Let it sit in the same primary for 8 weeks, bottle. Wait three weeks (even for the ones I did not add carb tabs to). Open bottle, enjoy.

Like I said, be careful, none of us can be held responsible for the next morning!

 

[Drez]

Just having my first batch now, only been about 8 weeks old but turned out very well. I have another batch started that I intend to age longer.

Note: I used EC1118 works just fine. I found a little space is needed to allow some head to build up, not a lot, no more than is pictured in the original recipe link.

I mix a little different, I pour the dextrose into the carboy and stir with my drill powered rod till the dextorse is dissolved. Pretty minor change but works well.

An incredibly budget recipe and one of the easiest out there.

You'll note a lot of people remarking that it "sneaks up on you" I will add that this is proabaly due to the fact it has a fairly light taste is ever so drinkable. Given that, drinking rather than sipping will certainly put you in the bag.

Enjoy!

I Suspect hence forth one of these will always be on the go.

 

[Wade E]

I still have not done this or the Skeeter Pee. I really need to get off my a$$ and do both.

 

[SteveL]

Wade, yes you should. I have not done the Skeeter Pee, but we love the Apfelwine. I just opened a 3 year old bottle of the stuff, it was excelent. It had really smoothed out and there was quite a bit more apple flavor.

 

[ERASMO]

I bottled the three gallon batch of apfelwein today after an 11 month bulk aging in a glass carboy. I was kind of disappointed because it didnt really seem to have alot of flavor. I did not carb the batch it is still. Is this normal?

 

[Wade E]

Carbing will always bring out more flavor.

 

[IQwine]

wade... I have made both..... SP and Apfelwein
U need to get with the program

 

[SteveL]

Carbing will always bring out more flavor.

This one was not one of the carbed ones. The SWMBO likes it better carbed so those bottles never stay around very long. However I do agree, the sparkling version always has more apple flavor.

 

[Drez]

I was kind of disappointed because it didnt really seem to have alot of flavor.

I would agree if your expecting a strong punch of apple I'm not sure you'll find it, perhaps as it ages, I cant say. I didn't find the apple flavour strong though, but I found that (along with the dryness) to be a quality rather than a detraction. I don't actually care much for sweet or fruity wine in most cases (we all have exceptions). The light flavour made it very refreshing and drinkable.

Carbing will always bring out more flavor.

I think I might try this on some of the next batch. I bet it pushes the the experience closer towards cider. As of right now I found it to be somewhere between a cider (Strongbow or Blackthorn) and a white wine. A nice departure from the other carboys...

 

[gesnipes]

I bottled the three gallon batch of apfelwein today after an 11 month bulk aging in a glass carboy. I was kind of disappointed because it didnt really seem to have alot of flavor. I did not carb the batch it is still. Is this normal?

I also am disappointed in the flavor. I have read where aging supposedly brings out the apple flavor. I'm sure it does, but having a weak starting flavor concerns me.

 

[Drez]

I also am disappointed in the flavor. I have read where aging supposedly brings out the apple flavor. I'm sure it does, but having a weak starting flavor concerns me.

I'm not sure "weak" is the right word, subtle yes but not necessarily weak. Weak implies that there is something "wrong" with it, that it should be strong flavour but isn't. I think the flavour is mild and I would argue that is a part of its character. Sometimes less is more. I think if people go in expecting a fruit wine made from apples that you may be unhappy as that not really what it is.

 

[FTC Wines]

I also am disappointed in the flavor. I have read where aging supposedly brings out the apple flavor. I'm sure it does, but having a weak starting flavor concerns me.

My Apple wine was also blah at 1 yr. at 18 mo. it was better & at 2 yrs. it was very good, could not believe the difference! It had an oakie Chardonay flavor with a hint of Apple. Give it more time. roy

 

[sly22guy]

Apfelwein Batch; Forgot to stabilize my last batch before bottling. Giving them for xmas just bottled. how long will they last or should i uncork all of them and stabilize them and rebottle. The recipe didn't call for any k-met or potassium sorbate, and i just kinda for got to add it.

 

[SteveL]

You should be fine, I have bottles of this that are 4 years old, when I made that batch I didn't even know what stabilizing and k-meta were. They are still quite good.

 

[sly22guy]

Ok cool, that makes me feel better!