Apple Vinegar - Bärbucha Fermenterei!

This is our second vinegar of this (2021) year. Apple Vinegar is probably one of the most popular vinegars, and at our place it's no exception.

Lebendiger Apfel Essig - Apple Vinegar - Bärbucha Fermenterei

This is actually the second year in a row that we have made it.

This year we made two different variations of this delicious vinegar.

We were lucky to find some wild growing apple trees and we also got hold of very delicious Red Crab Apples.

So we made two different types of Apple Vinegar.

One Red colored Vinegar using those Crab Apples and a "regular" Apple Vinegar that went into our oak wood barrel.

Vinegar making is actually quite easy. Three ingredients - in this case apples, good water and sugar + sufficient time.

The apples that we used were naturally Organic (BIO), which means that no pesticides were used on them. The sugar which we use is also Organic (certified). As far as water goes, we have a good filtration system, so our water is quite good.

The key to a good vinegar is the right proportions, and also the sufficient amount of sugar.

The whole fermentation process is a two step process.

In the first step, natural yeasts that are present on the apples convert the sugars into ethanol.

In step two, ethanol is oxidized into acetic acid. And that is done by Acetobacter and Gluconobacter bacteria.

So, first we get all the ingredients ready and we set them up in the fermenters (multiple glass jars and our 50L oak barrel). Next, comes the occasional stirring, and after more than a month, we strain the apples and we keep the liquid which smells and tastes like a nice alcoholic cider.

Below are the Crab Apples after a month, being strained.

The rest of the apples that were in the barrel developed a visible apple vinegar mother (vinegar Scoby).

Those we also strained and we got the liquid ready for step 2.

The future "Red Vinegar" returned to our 13L glass fermenters. Below is just one of them, being "kissed" by morning sun rays.

From this point, part two of the Vinegar journey began and it took about two and a half months.

But it's all worth waiting.

Around mid December, both of our vinegars are finally ready.

The "regular" one, went into the darker bottles.

And the "red vinegar" went into our clear bottles. Just to avoid confusion.

Both of those vinegars were also available in 1L bottles.

And here they are, ready for pick up!

Our raw and unfiltered Apple Vinegar is a lot milder that most of the commercially made Apple Vinegars, and in our vinegar you can actually still taste the apples.

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2022 Update:

This year, we only set up the regular Apple Vinegar, as the red Crab Apples fruit every second year.

We start with the vinegar in the second half of September, and when we strain the apples we let this vinegar mature till June, so it takes about nine months before we sell it.

We also make it entirely in 27 L glass jars (so not in the wood barrel).

During that time many Mothers of Vinegar form at the surface.

Next, we transfer this vinegar to our storage bottles.

And here are the better looking MoVs which we store separately.

If we need to fill up some retail bottles, we do that too.

Apple Vinegar is available in two different sizes: 350 ml and 1000 ml.

Along with the vinegar, we also have beautiful Vinegar Mothers for sale. If you need one, just click on the button below.

Kaufen hier.

Below is just one of them.

And our Apple Vinegar in the company of our other vinegars and Oxymels.

And our label.

Ingredients: Raw and Unfiltered Apple Vinegar

To buy our Apple Vinegar, please click on the button below:

Kaufen hier.