Crafty: Eins, zwei, drei, apfelwein time!

On a trip to Germany a few springs ago, I fell in love with apfelwein—a traditional German apple cider. My travelling companions and I spent two weeks drinking delicious bottles of super dry apfelwein that the mother of our host made by hand. She had spent the previous fall pressing apples harvested from her family orchard and making apfelwein that fermented in her cellar over the winter. By the time the weather was warm, the apfelwein was ready to enjoy.

Now, when spring arrives, I think of apfelwein. It’s the perfect beverage for patio weather and working in the yard. My host’s mother’s brewing process was much more drawn out and intense, but here I’ve simplified and quickened the recipe so the apfelwein will be ready in a matter of weeks. The result is super delicious, dry and refreshing—less a spiced-out commercial apple cider and more like a nice white wine. And, for those who’ve always wanted to try out home brewing, apfelwein is a great place to start. Prost!

Step 1. Fill a large bowl with sanitizing solution following directions indicated on the One Step package. Add your airlock and funnel to solution and soak for 25 minutes. Fill carboy or growler with appropriate amount of sanitizer as indicated by the package, fill with hot water and shake.

This is a crucial step: If materials aren’t sanitized correctly, you could start growing bacteria and ruin your whole batch! So, be sure to clean container and parts thoroughly. When time is up, rinse all parts completely to remove any remaining residue and dry.

Step 2. Pour 1/2 gallon of apple juice through funnel into sanitized growler. Add desired amount of dextrose to remaining apple juice. The dextrose boosts alcohol, so the more you add, the higher the alcohol content. For a gallon of juice, 7 ounces of dextrose is more than enough. Shake to combine. Once combined, pour into growler.

Step 3. Add half of the Montrachet yeast packet to growler.

Step 4. Fill sanitized airlock with vodka or other neutral spirit, being sure to pour down the side of the airlock rather than into the central hole. Place airlock into the mouth of the growler.

Step 5. Store growler in a dark, out-of-the-way place. Montrachet yeast performs well between 59-86 degrees, but best results come in 70-74 degree range, so choose a fairly warm spot. Let the juice ferment for about six weeks, checking on it daily. You’ll want to see bubbly activity—that’s how you know the juice is fermenting. And, because no yeast additive was used, the apfelwein will start to smell strange. This is part of the fermentation process: Ride it out!

Step 6. After six weeks of fermentation, clean and sanitize your bottles and funnel. Fully submerge and fill with solution while soaking for best results. Empty and turn upside down on a towel to dry.

Step 7. While bottles are sanitizing and drying, boil a 1/2-cup water in a small saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of dextrose and remove from heat. Stir to dissolve. Combine with fermented juice.

Step 8. Use sanitized funnel to portion fermented juice into clean bottles. Use bottle capper to seal.

Step 9. Allow to sit for at least a week at 70-74 degrees to carbonate and bottle-condition. The longer you can wait, the better. After a week, you can move to a cooler spot. When you can’t wait any longer, crack one open and enjoy in the yard.

Note: Apfelwein takes about seven to eight weeks to brew. Montrachet yeast is a wine yeast, so alcohol content can be as high as 13 percent; less dextrose will make for an ABV as low as 7 percent. This yeast will produce a fairly dry cider. For something less dry, you can experiment with a different yeast.

Frankie Schneckloth cannot brew up delicious beer, but she has learned to make some pretty good apfelwein.