Apfelwein Bottling question

[Mirage]

Sooo, we have held off the temptation to bottle (ultimately drink) our apfelwein for around 5 months!! WOO HOOO!! But now it is time to bottle (taste test) and we have some questions. We know that having oxygen around the beer/apfelwein is not not good as it seeps into it over time and we are lazy and not planning on carbing our batch. So, how then should we bottle them? And this leads to the question of what happens to wine when bottled? Do they remove the oxygen from the bottles with nitrogen or something? Thank you very much!

 

[Yooper]

Sooo, we have held off the temptation to bottle (ultimately drink) our apfelwein for around 5 months!! WOO HOOO!! But now it is time to bottle (taste test) and we have some questions. We know that having oxygen around the beer/apfelwein is not not good as it seeps into it over time and we are lazy and not planning on carbing our batch. So, how then should we bottle them? And this leads to the question of what happens to wine when bottled? Do they remove the oxygen from the bottles with nitrogen or something? Thank you very much!

You can bottle in beer bottles with caps if you would like, or in wine bottles with corks. That will be fine.

When I bottle wines that I'm aging, I use sulfites. Sulfites bind with the wine so that o2 can't, and that's what prevents oxidation over the long term. You can bottle without any added sulfites, of course. Just be sure to rack carefully without splashing and cork or cap with the same headspace you'd give beer. If you're corking, it's about 1/2 inch (guessing) under the cork, but up into the neck of the bottole.

 

[Mirage]

Thank Yoop! We appreciate it! I think no on the sulfites (laziness again). Thanks for the information on wine and things though.

 

[jcobbs]

I'm as lazy as anyone (and lazier than most) but I second the sulfites. All Yooper is talking about is Campden tablets. Crush one tablet per gallon using the back of a spoon or a pill crusher from the drugstore, and stir gently into the wine before racking/bottling. It's well worth the trouble to make sure your wines stay tasty.

 

[Mirage]

Alright, if it does make that much of a difference, we will get some. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Unclewillis]

After bottling Apfelwine, whats the bottle time before drinking and when it is ready to drink how long will it be good for overall?