At the start of the month I embarked on a project to make Frankfurt-style apfelwein. Today Chris and I bottled the stuff, then sampled it at dinner with Bill and AJ.

Verdict: Chris and AJ liked it. It wasn't Bill's thing, but that's OK (he prefers sweeter drinks). To me the taste is pretty close to real apfelwein, but it is cloudier. Ingrid tasted it last night (I'd bottled a small amount when racking to the secondary) and says the taste is right but noticed the higher alcohol compared to Frankfurt apfelwein.

From my 5 gallons of apple juice, I got 13 1L bottles, 4 750mL bottles, and a gallon jug about half full. It should keep me going for awhile—it sure looks like a lot—but AJ encouraged me to start the next batch right away. I think I'll give it a few weeks, though.

I'm a bit tempted to see if I know anyone with a juicer, and start from local fruit this fall, but that would turn a relatively easy undertaking into a lot of work. In any case, I do plan to do it again. I'll skip the sugar from EdWort's recipe as I want to drink, not get drunk, but otherwise it'll be the same thing again: apple juice plus montrachet yeast plus patience.

Based on the wine I bottled directly from the primary, I do agree with EdWort that racking to a secondary is unnecessary, as long as it's been allowed to ferment very dry.

Now I just need to get the right equipment to serve my apfelwein. The pitcher is called a Bembel and the glass is called a Geripptes.

(and if you're thinking of doing this as a first home fermenting project? go for it! A basic winemaking kit plus auto-siphon and bottles and you're good to go)