Apfelwein - signs of fermentation?

[Awfers]

Hi all!

My brother found an Apfelwein recipe and put it together the other day, consisting of:

12 litres apple juice
1kg dextrose
White wine yeast

The apple juice was pasteurised, but it was also carbonated (unfortunately we didn't read the label close enough).

We removed a lot of the CO2 by pouring it into the fermenter and swirling it around with the powdered dextrose.

Two weeks later, you can see some light bubbles on the surface, but the airlock hasn't made any noise (i know it's installed correctly though).

Just how vigorous should the fermentation be?

Will the pre-carbobation cause problems?


Thanks!

 

[oldbloke]

That volume obviously isn't in a demijohn, so you probably don't have enough of a seal on your lid to make the airlock work. This isn't a problem.
It does sound a bit lacklustre though, try chucking in some yeast nutrient.

 

[tonyhibbett]

I agree about the nutrient. Fresh apples can naturally cope with their own sugar levels. It's called cider. Wine is another matter!