Twist to Edworts Apfelwein

[sAvAgE]

I was looking at Edworts Apfelwein recipe and I too came up with a twist to the apfelwein. I wanted to so I saw your recipe which is as follows

5 Gallons of Tree Top Apple Juice from Costco
2 pounds of Dextros (corn Sugar)
1 packet Dry Montrachet Wine yeast

1. Sanitize your carboy (I love my Better bottles) and big funnel.
2. Pour half of one gallon of juice in the Carboy. Then add 1 pound of Dextrose to the half empty bottle of juice. Put the cap on and shake it up to dissolve the sugar.
3. Repeat step 2 with another gallon of apple juice and the other pound of Dextrose
4. Pour the half bottles of juice/dextros into carboy
5. Pour the rest of the juice into the carboy saving about a quart
6. Sprinkle the yeast into the funnel then rinse with the rest of the juice so all the yeast is now in the carboy.

THe Twist would be to simmer all of the applejuice with the Dextrose and Brown sugar, also let cook in about 8 quartered chinese apple pears, , then bring the temp down to about 70 degrees then place in the carboy for about 4 - 5 weeks. What is your feedback on this? do you think it would work well?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

also let cook in about 8 quartered chinese apple pears, , then bring the temp down to about 70 degrees then place in the carboy for about 4 - 5 weeks. What is your feedback on this? do you think it would work well?

Sounds good...but be careful about simmering fruit, especially apples and pears. It tends to "set" the pectin, which can lead to haze and/or useless (read: adds no flavor) jelly in the bottom of your fermenter.

 

[Yooper]

Right- my first thought was what Yuri said. You'll have a wine/cider that will never clear. You can use fruit, but the best way might be to freeze it first (if it's fresh), then thaw and add a little apple juice with campden tablets (one per gallon of wine). Let that sit for 12 hours, then add it to your primary and 1 tsp pectic enzyme per gallon along with it. Then, 12 hours later, pitch your yeast.

The pectic enzyme needs about 12 hours to get going before you pitch your yeast, and your shouldn't mix campden and pectic enzyme (but I can't remember exactly why at the moment and I don't feel like looking it up as I am drinking). Don't simmer your juice or your fruit- just use as is. But, I'd put the fruit in a grain bag and use a bucket. After 5 days, remove the fruit and drain but don't squeeze.

 

[Caplan]

Don't add heat to apple juice - it can set pectin as described and it certainly doesn't help with flavours. Follow Yooper Chick's advise and chop and mash the chinese apple pears and use them in primary.

 

[sAvAgE]

thanks for everyones advice

@ yooperchick

could you explain a little more on campden tablets please so I can understand

 

[Yooper]

Campden tablets are potassium metabisulfite, which kill certain bacteria and to inhibit the growth of most wild yeast. This product is also used to eliminate both free chlorine, and the more stable form, chloramine, from water solutions (i.e., drinking water from municipal sources).

It's conveniently packaged so that 1 tablet is the right amount to treat 1 gallon must. And, since it does dissipate, you need to add it every other racking. There are people who do make sulfite free wines, but I use it because it has protective qualities as well as anti-bacterial properties. It's especially important for fruit wines, or wines that are not made from pasteurized fruit/juices because it does inhibit most wild yeasts so your wine yeasts can begin fermentation without interference. Wild yeasts and bacteria will give your wine and/or cider off-tastes, infections, and possibly turn it to vinegar.