Apfelwein Anyone?

I believe that my next brewing adventure will be an excursis into Apfelwein: a German hard cider or apple wine. I love hard cider and as I was buying a six-pack of Woodchuck Dark Draft ($9.95) I thought, "Hmm.. I bet I could brew something like this!" I started researching hard cider and viola! I found Apfelwein!

This hard cider seems to be popular in Germany and actually has a special 0.3 liter glass that is used to quaff it called a "Geripptes" or a "Schoppen." For larger quantities, Apfelwein is served in a 1 - 1.2 liter stoneware jug called a "Bembel" that is gray with blue detailing. Look out eBay!

The recipe seems simple:
5 gal Apple Cider
2 lbs Dextrose (corn sugar)
1 packet Montrachet yeast

After fermentation and clearing, I will try my hand at carbonating with more corn sugar and into either flip-top bottles or growlers. The Apfelwein should finish dry (FG: 0.99) and be quite quaffable (ABV: 5-7%). The best part is that I should be able to make 5 gal for less than $20.

-Safari Bob

More Racking Fun: 3-007 Buckwheat

Today, in a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable writing of a paper, I racked 3-007: The Buckwheat Traditional. This is a show mead in that it is simply buckwheat honey, water, and yeast. I was cautioned against this by some other mazers but I wanted to try it.

Wow! The must tastes sour with some coffee-like bitterness that is not at all unpleasant. I cannot wait to try it after it matures. OG: 1.102; SG: 0.996; ABV: 14.7%

-Safari Bob

Mead I Have Known: Yuletide

In 2005, I brewed a batch of mead based on a recipe I found in the forums at GotMead.com: Joe's Ancient Orange. This mead is dry and has a distinct holiday flavor. I brewed this on 5 June 2005 and bottled on 14 August 2005. I did bottle too soon and now I have sediment in the bottles. This is a great recipe, however, as one can get all the ingredients at your local grocery store. Here is the recipe:

Yuletide
5 gallon water
10 lbs Wildflower Honey
6 lbs Raw Clover Honey
6 small oranges
5 'handfuls' of raisins
7 cinnamon sticks
20 cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
4 cups tea
6 tsp yeast nutrient
3 bags of Fleishman's Bread Yeast
OG: 1.123; FG: .995; ABV: 17%

Wassail!

-Safari Bob

More Racking Fun!

Today I racked two batches: 3-006 and 3-007.

3-006 is the Orange Blossom traditional. It has been perkin' along but lately it was down to a bubble every 3-4 minutes so I racked it. OG: 1.108; SG: 1.022; ABV: 11.2%.

3-007 is the Buckwheat traditional and I have been worried about it. This batch has stopped fermenting (I thought) way too soon; in fact I have been contemplating adding more yeast to kick-start it. Its color is dark brown and reminds me of a good porter. OG: 1.102; SG: .998!; ABV: 14%.

Turns out that the Buckwheat is done and bone dry at SG: .998. The must also reminds me of a porter and portrays a distinct bitterness without any alchohol bite. I can see that it will need extended aging, however.

-Safari Bob