During what almost now feels like another lifetime, back when I was highly active on a homebrewing forum, I came across a thread about Apfelwein. The OP (a good fellow named Ed and who's handle was "EdWort") worked up a recipe for his wife who grew up with the stuff. The recipe was simple enough, so we have it a try, and we loved it. That first batch (made around 15 years ago) became our substitute for Champagne on New Year's Eve, but it also became a hot weather staple around the house.
Ed's recipe really was simple:
- Approximately 5 gallons apple juice
- 2 lbs. dextrose
- 1 packet Red Star Montrachet wine yeast (now called Premier Classique)
Sanitize your fermentation vessel, airlock, and funnel. Mix everything together in your fermenter (dextrose dissolves very easily, far more readily than sucrose), slap on the airlock, stick the thing in a dark corner, and forget about it for 4-6 weeks. After that, do what you want with it.
Ed acknowledged that the added dextrose was not traditional, but he liked how it crisped up the final product (and the extra ABV was kinda fun). He also kegged and carbonated his to about 2-2.5 volumes (like many beers), another non-traditional move that works very well. Traditionally, it's not carbonated at all.
Personally, I backed down the dextrose to 1 pound, and I carbonate to 3.5 volumes (about the same as many sparkling wines).
It's mighty fine stuff. I'm no longer active on that board, and I've fallen out of touch with Ed, I always have some EdWort's, Apfelwein on hand. Here's the batch I started yesterday.
It'll be more than ready, come New Year's Eve, even if it's just me and Mrs. TL getting into it (in recent years, we've had around 75-80 folks come through our home on NYE, around 20-30 of whom toast in the new year with us and Apfelwein).
Y'all make yourselves some. It's too easy. It takes little time, and the ingredients are cheap. If you have a homebrewing or wine making supply store in town, you're all but good to go.
Just make sure to get apple juice that doesn't use a sorbate preservative. It might still work, but no reason to risk it. Acid preservatives (usually malic or ascorbic) are just fine.
Ed's recipe really was simple:
- Approximately 5 gallons apple juice
- 2 lbs. dextrose
- 1 packet Red Star Montrachet wine yeast (now called Premier Classique)
Sanitize your fermentation vessel, airlock, and funnel. Mix everything together in your fermenter (dextrose dissolves very easily, far more readily than sucrose), slap on the airlock, stick the thing in a dark corner, and forget about it for 4-6 weeks. After that, do what you want with it.
Ed acknowledged that the added dextrose was not traditional, but he liked how it crisped up the final product (and the extra ABV was kinda fun). He also kegged and carbonated his to about 2-2.5 volumes (like many beers), another non-traditional move that works very well. Traditionally, it's not carbonated at all.
Personally, I backed down the dextrose to 1 pound, and I carbonate to 3.5 volumes (about the same as many sparkling wines).
It's mighty fine stuff. I'm no longer active on that board, and I've fallen out of touch with Ed, I always have some EdWort's, Apfelwein on hand. Here's the batch I started yesterday.
It'll be more than ready, come New Year's Eve, even if it's just me and Mrs. TL getting into it (in recent years, we've had around 75-80 folks come through our home on NYE, around 20-30 of whom toast in the new year with us and Apfelwein).
Y'all make yourselves some. It's too easy. It takes little time, and the ingredients are cheap. If you have a homebrewing or wine making supply store in town, you're all but good to go.
Just make sure to get apple juice that doesn't use a sorbate preservative. It might still work, but no reason to risk it. Acid preservatives (usually malic or ascorbic) are just fine.
