Apfelwein Question

[Nevervine]

Hi all,

Pretty straight forward question for the community. I recently started a 6 gallon batch of Ed Wort's Apfelwein in a 6.5 gal glass carboy. For the first week the batch was fermenting very well, by day 2, it was blowing off CO2 from the airlock every other second. However, after the one week mark it had begun to slow. Bubbles were still emanating, but at 10 to 12 second intervals.

Today is two weeks and 3 days and no bubbles from airlock can be detected. Is the fermentation stuck or is it proceeding at such a slow rate that it is slowly leaking out of the top of the airlock rather than bubbling? This is my first attempt at making Apfelwein. Is the vigor of the fermentation over this quickly?

 

[HBngNOK]

Airlock activity only indicates gas is being released. It's no indicator of fermentation. Only way to know if fermentation is complete is to take specific gravity readings. If you have the same reading over a 2~3 day period, then fermentation is complete.

What you've observed is right in line with what you should see.

 

[Nevervine]

Thanks for the quick reply HBngNok. So I shouldn't be worried about stuck fermentation? When mixing up the batch I added yeast nutrient to try to avoid that.

 

[HBngNOK]

You're fermentation isn't stuck. The yeast have eaten the sugars, and are now cleaning up. Patience! Let nature take it's course and, trust me , in three months you will be rewarded - he says after his third glass of apfelwein!!!

 

[Nevervine]

Thanks was just a little worried after some pear wine's fermentation got stuck on me last fall. Turned out tasty but very sweet.

 

[solbes]

Right on schedule. Hard to get a stuck ferment in Apfelwein with only simple sugars present.

The hard part is waiting. I've made 2 batches. The second was started on Sep 8th and bottled Dec 2nd. Tasted one bottle so far and its not that great yet. By April or May it should taste pretty good.

 

[SPR-GRN]

Right on schedule. Hard to get a stuck ferment in Apfelwein with only simple sugars present.

The hard part is waiting. I've made 2 batches. The second was started on Sep 8th and bottled Dec 2nd. Tasted one bottle so far and its not that great yet. By April or May it should taste pretty good.

yeah when I made a batch I didn't like it at first, but I let it sit for a month and a half in the bottle conditioning room and it got crazy good; I went through it like water.. need to make more once I get an empty carboy.

 

[solbes]

yeah when I made a batch I didn't like it at first, but I let it sit for a month and a half in the bottle conditioning room and it got crazy good; I went through it like water.. need to make more once I get an empty carboy.

I have an empty carboy now, I should get one going too!

We miss you over on TBG. Come back! (ShoreWB)

 

[SPR-GRN]

I have an empty carboy now, I should get one going too!

We miss you over on TBG. Come back! (ShoreWB)

yeah I've missed being there, been flat out with life and work - for example, I've had a wee heavy I started in November and a lager I started in December , both are still in secondary, I haven't been able to bottle them due to time constraints; real beer comes before fake beer in my world! I'll get back on eventually; hopefully bottling one or both this weekend.
Darn life taking up all my internet time...