Well guys, if you remember I had made two batches of Apfelwein. One in September and the other in November. I am glad to inform you that I had a few small bottles of Apfelwein left from the September batch! Yes! The original Apfelwein without any cinnamon or other flavouring. This is just apple juice and dextrose in it. Although I regret to say that the apple juice I used isn’t that good. Probably because it is made from concentrates and seem to have this sour aftertaste. Furthermore, the colour of the Apfelwein isn’t as golden as I like. It is more to the dark brownish side. And it is 7 months old! Again, I repeat, this is a 7 month old Apfelwein! I bet you can just imagine how this aged apple wine would be – mellow, complex and all so wonderful. And I have to tell you, it is exactly that!
I opened a bottle of Apfelwein a few days back and I can’t stop thinking about it. This is a completely different drink as compared to those about 1-2 months Apfelwein. It taste so very smooth and goes down your throat very easily. If you dislike the sourness of the young Apfelwein, try aging it for a few more months and have a taste again. You will be surprised to find that the Apple flavour coming up when you drink it, instead of the sour aftertaste. Overall, it is wondeful. I never expected such a big difference when it comes to aging. I knew that it would be more mellow and complex, but I never expected it to be so much more! Furthermore, I cannot taste the bitterness in the drink as well! Just amazing what aging can do. I guess this would encourage you wine makers to age your wines. In fact, all wines must be aged properly before they become drinkable. The Apfelwein is no exception.
Anyway, as you guys know by now, I have stopped brewing beer and making wines already. The reason is because of my health. I am now spending my time trying to improve my health. The super high fever I had in September is reason enough for me to start concentrating on being healthy. Getting sick at my old age is something which could lead to even more problems. I also find it much more difficult to recover from my illness. I was down (weak) for more than 2 weeks from that fever. So I hope you guys don’t mind me talking about yogurt, kefir, salmon, tuna, nuts, milk and others.
Hi,
Just curious, between your 2 brews of Apfelwein, which would you prefer?
I am attempting to brew Apfelwein too, and i am wondering if i should add cinnamon for some sweetness.
Based on your experience, is 2 sticks of cinnamon too much? Or we should just go with 1 instead?
Regards,
In my opinion, the apple juice used is way way more important than those cinnamon sticks. I would recommend you to get the best quality apple juice and a very clean yeast to get the best. Adding the cinnamon impacts very little in terms of favour. And yes, aging for 8 months or more, that apfelwein tastes like heaven.
Thats great, guess i am leaving out cinnamon then,
just planning to use Ceres Apple Juice and Harvey Fresh Apple Juice.
However, i am planning to add 500g more brown sugar (1kg corn + 500g brown) to atain more body.
Is that a good idea?
So how was the final product? I guess in Singapore, it is really hard to find good quality apple juice like what you can find in other countries. Too bad.