Tim's Version of Apfelwein (German hard apple cider/wine)

11 Cans of "great value" Walmart frozen apple juice thawed.
1 pound White Table sugar/Baking sugar.. the cheap sugar that comes in a paper bag.
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast

Equipment

3 Gallon Carboy (I use a Better Bottle)
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel

Start by setting out the apple juice concentrate to thaw. Take your equipment and sanitize it The carboy, funnel, airlock and stopper. Get them all super clean and sanitized.

I also recommend making a "bucket" of sanitizing solution to dip the juice cans into as well, you cant be too careful. Clean the heck out of the kitchen, bleach everything just to be safe.

dump a couple of cans of apple juice and a gallon of water into the carboy. dissolve your 1 lb of sugar into this. by shaking a lot until it is dissolved and no sugar is on the bottom. you can also heat water on the stove and dissolve the sugar in water first to make it easier. now add it and the juice concentrate to the carboy. shake to stir.

Top off the carboy with clean water, let it sit for 4 hours capped before you pitche in the yeast. I then make sure all the yeast is in the juice, and seal it up with the airlock. I use really cheap vodka in the airlock to make sure no bacteria can get into the system.


Let this ferment for 4 weeks, Rack into a second carboy and let clarify for 4 weeks, if you want you can rack it again for more clarification, I use a wine filter instead. Then you can bottle it. At this stage it will be very dry. I filter it and then use a wine sweetener and stabilize before bottling to stop the yeast and make it a tad sweeter. This makes a "still" Apfelwein with no fizzy bubbles. if you bottle in beer bottles at 4 weeks you will get some fizzyness. DO NOT add sugar (blow up your bottles) or the wine stabalizer as this will kill the yeasties.

This is my recipie that I am starting today for my second batch. I modified a very famous one I found online and tweaked it to be more flavorful and cidery.

NOTES: I crushed 2 campden tablets and added them to the juice to sanitize and kill anything in the juice. I then let the Juice set for 30 hours before pitching in the yeast to let the Campden tablets dissipate so they dont kill the yeast. I'm a bit paranoid at brewing and fermenting, I hate the idea of some bacteria getting in and ruining 6 months of work and $14.00 in supplies.

Comments

  1. You should try the "Poiré", it's from Normandy and really grat !
    Try a bottle washer if you make a lot of cider/beer/wine ;)

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