Hard Lemonade

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
M

McBrewty131

Member
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
6
Reaction score
2
Has anyone used just a gallon of lemonade from the store and added yeast? Can a recipe that simple be any good? Not much of a wine maker but I thought I might find an answer here. I tried this tonight and curious if anyone has experience doing the same.

Of course the lemonade had no preservatives only water, sugar, lemon juice and red star premier blanc yeast. And also 3 oz of corn sugar. I mixed it all in a gallon carboy and put an air lock on it.

1.056 OG. Is it possible to get down 1.005 using that yeast with all that lemon acid?

Any information is appreciated.
Thanks a lot.

- Everybody Wang Chung Tonight.
 
There is a very popular home made wine known as Skeeter Pee (SP) which is made from lemon concentrate, water sugar and yeast (slurry). That is pretty simply too.
I have made a version of SP using honey as my sugar source and in order to avoid any problem of the added preservative I added the lemon juice to the secondary. This is just my way of suggesting that it should be very possible to use store bought "lemonade" as your fermentable; but you are paying for the water they added; and it may not taste very good as this lemonade was manufactured to be drunk as a soft drink with all the acidity balanced by the sweetness; but even using concentrated lemon juice (with its high acidic content) fermentation is not a problem if you use a yeast that has had some exposure to acidity (hence the use of the slurry - what brewers refer to as yeast cake - yeast harvested from a previous batch of wine making).
 
Awesome thanks for the info. After reading those recipes I'm pretty short on sugar. I could only use a little corn sugar since I'm bottling brew this week too. If this one turns out well I guess I'll be able to re use the slurry.
 
But why do you say that you are "short on sugar"? True an SG of 1.056 (with a finished gravity of about 1.005 ) will have an ABV of about 6.5%. That's low for a wine but it is high for a session beer or cider. In other words, you are making something that you can just about drink by the pint rather than sip by the glass. If it has the flavor profile you are looking for then this is something you might really enjoy after doing yard work or simply relaxing in the evening.
 
Thanks Bernard for your point of view. According to the other recipes showing OG of 1.07 I'm just short. But no worries. I'll tweak if need be as I make more. At $3 a gallon no sense in only trying once.
 
FG will likely be at or below 1.000. The issue you may run into is that it is going to be dry and tart, without any sweetness to cut it. That means back-sweetening, which is going to require sorbate and campden to kill the yeast (otherwise, it will just eat through the backsweetening yeast) or pasteurization. Skeeter Pee is dangerously good btw.
 
Anyone ever successfully use S04 for hard lemonade? Looking here ya typically see EC-1118 being used.

Cheers! [emoji111]
 
Take what I am about to say with the proverbial pinch of salt but most novice wine makers and almost all brewers who turn to wine making seem to glom onto EC-1118 as their go to yeast. That yeast is actually cultivated to be used after fermentation to make a sparkling wine (you add a dose of sugar and the champagne yeast to each bottle). It is not designed to highlight flavors or aromas, (It is so aggressive - which is why it can be added to a wine already at 12-15% ABV -), or to add flavors, or to mask flavors. Other less aggressive yeasts (and this is a killer yeast- Literally. It does not tolerate competitors) bring out fruit flavors, add complexity to the flavor profile, increase mouthfeel (by producing glycerols). EC-1118 has all the finesse of a sledgehammer cracking a walnut. Experienced wine makers tend to choose other yeasts. But the one "advantage" EC -1118 has is that it copes with just about any temperature in your make room , Oh, and it has a very high tolerance for alcohol.
 
bernardsmith said:
Take what I am about to say with the proverbial pinch of salt but most novice wine makers and almost all brewers who turn to wine making seem to glom onto EC-1118 as their go to yeast. That yeast is actually cultivated to be used after fermentation to make a sparkling wine (you add a dose of sugar and the champagne yeast to each bottle). It is not designed to highlight flavors or aromas, (It is so aggressive - which is why it can be added to a wine already at 12-15% ABV -), or to add flavors, or to mask flavors. Other less aggressive yeasts (and this is a killer yeast- Literally. It does not tolerate competitors) bring out fruit flavors, add complexity to the flavor profile, increase mouthfeel (by producing glycerols). EC-1118 has all the finesse of a sledgehammer cracking a walnut. Experienced wine makers tend to choose other yeasts. But the one "advantage" EC -1118 has is that it copes with just about any temperature in your make room , Oh, and it has a very high tolerance for alcohol.
Click to expand...
Can ya suggest other yeasts you've know/heard work for hard lemonade?
 
I make about three or fours 5 gallon batches each year following Yoopers out line (One of the links above) I have used US-05 So4 Nottingham as well as EC-1118. They all work fine, and I cannot tell any real differences in quality. Not to contradict Bernard. I completely understand his view of EC-1118, but a lot of us like it in this app BECAUSE it is tough guy in the yeast world, and the acidic content of these lemon and lime concentrates can really vary. EC-1118 will usually stand up to it just fine. Most of my family likes this one at about 1.020 or so. I have had very good luck in Knocking fermentation out with campden and sorbate at this level. I know it is HARD to "stop" a good active fermentation. But with hard lemonade I have always been able to make it stop where I want. And have never had it come back to life after. This leads me to think that in the highly acidic environment even an exuberant looking fermentation may actually be on a tenuous teetering edge if you will. That's I why I guess i favor a pretty aggressive yeasty. I could of course be wrong about all of it!!! Wouldn't be the first time. AND I have never had a fail with the other yeasts. But i tend to error on the side of robust with lemonade . . . We mostly prefer this juice still - But I do occasionally fill up a keg and add some bubbles. Lots of ways to skin this cat I imagine!
 
gunhaus said:
I make about three or fours 5 gallon batches each year following Yoopers out line (One of the links above) I have used US-05 So4 Nottingham as well as EC-1118. They all work fine, and I cannot tell any real differences in quality. Not to contradict Bernard. I completely understand his view of EC-1118, but a lot of us like it in this app BECAUSE it is tough guy in the yeast world, and the acidic content of these lemon and lime concentrates can really vary. EC-1118 will usually stand up to it just fine. Most of my family likes this one at about 1.020 or so. I have had very good luck in Knocking fermentation out with campden and sorbate at this level. I know it is HARD to "stop" a good active fermentation. But with hard lemonade I have always been able to make it stop where I want. And have never had it come back to life after. This leads me to think that in the highly acidic environment even an exuberant looking fermentation may actually be on a tenuous teetering edge if you will. That's I why I guess i favor a pretty aggressive yeasty. I could of course be wrong about all of it!!! Wouldn't be the first time. AND I have never had a fail with the other yeasts. But i tend to error on the side of robust with lemonade . . . We mostly prefer this juice still - But I do occasionally fill up a keg and add some bubbles. Lots of ways to skin this cat I imagine!
Click to expand...
Thanks for ur feedback [emoji111]

So if you're stopping at 1.02....are you doing any backsweetening?
 
Nope. I found 1.030 or so a bit sweeter than i liked. At 1.020 or so it is still sweet enough for me. Just try a little from time to time as it ferments and see if there is a level you like. Sweet is a little different to everyone.
 
gunhaus said:
Nope. I found 1.030 or so a bit sweeter than i liked. At 1.020 or so it is still sweet enough for me. Just try a little from time to time as it ferments and see if there is a level you like. Sweet is a little different to everyone.
Click to expand...
Do u add any baking soda to knock ph down? I've seen some do...others don't.
 
gunhaus said:
Nope. I found 1.030 or so a bit sweeter than i liked. At 1.020 or so it is still sweet enough for me. Just try a little from time to time as it ferments and see if there is a level you like. Sweet is a little different to everyone.
Click to expand...

If you are always using the same commercially made apple juice then perhaps the easiest way to check how sweet you like the hard cider is to allow the fermentation to finish dry and then bench test for sweetness by taking a fixed known volume of the cider and adding different but known quantities of sugar to each sample. Then measure the gravity of that sweetened sample.
That won't work in quite the same way if you are using juice from an orchard because every season will result in juice with different characteristics (tannin, acidity etc) so what may be perfect for this season's batch may not for next.But you would use the same bench testing technique - only with the proviso that the results are good for this batch only. Next batch you would want to bench test all over again.
 
Too true Bernard - and exactly for the most part what i do with cider. I did my first go around with lemonade the same - but a wise little birdy whispered the trick of stopping the ferment being fairly easy with lemon or lime concentrates, so i gave it a go. For most of my ciders - I am actually fond of them taken to dry and served sparkling. (I am fond of Ed Worts Apfelwien) I do back sweeten one in particular for my wife and son. And I also do that fairly high abv Pappy's Pub Cider https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/pappy-s-pub-cider-award-winner.408610/
In my case this last one always seems to choke out around 1.030 or a tad under, and i find it fairly sweet for my taste. Plus it will beat you about the head a shoulders if you let it!

My brother and I do a big batch of farmouse style cider from fresh pressed each fall. This one we ferment out with SO4 for the most part. No added sugars. We generally see this go down to .998 ish, and we bulk age in a secondary for about 4-5 moths. At that point we may or may not need to tweak it a tad. Although the past couple years this has been very nice without any additions. I usually bottle mine at this point - He splits his and bottles half oak barrels half. But that is all another thing for another post.

I have of late made a few batches of cider with Mott's Apple juice, just enough simple syrup added to reach 1.060 OG, and pitching with SO4. No additives, nutrients, or extras. I simply ferment it out, let it get nice and clear, and keg it and carb it. I have really been pretty happy with this. It seems to retain a fair amount of fruit flavor. It is a little on the dry side but not bad - and quite refreshing. BUT, I digress, and this was about lemonade and not cider! Got a little sidetracked.
 
1st batch of hard lemonade underway! Decided to go with S04. (...which is my go-to for most of my ciders)

6cans Lemonade concentrate
4cans Limeade concentrate
1lb extra light DME
4lbs sugar
Enough spring water to get to 6gal mark
Rehydrated the S04 & added yeast nutrients to the speidel.

OG - 1.082

Cheers[emoji111]
 
Last edited:
gunhaus said:
Have fun!
Click to expand...
U know it...thanks...and thanks for your feedback. Gonna target a cold crash around 1.02. I've had great success cc'ing my S04 ciders. [emoji41]

Fellow Michigander here....near Rochester [emoji111]
 
Red star has done great! After four days it is still bubbling like a champ and has been almost from the start. No problem with acidity at all.
Everybody Wang Chung.
 
I have tried the just add yeast to lemonade approach. I was extremely disappointed. I used organic lemonade out of the health food section, pretty good tasting stuff. Added corn sugar, fermented. Tried 3 separate batches. Straight lemonade, lemonade grapefruit, lemonade tangerine juice. All three went down the sink. I did recently make the skeeter pee, then did some improvising, using raspberry jello to Add more sugar, flavor and some color. Didn't clear as much as I would have liked, but, it's pretty damn good. I'm currently drawing a label for it, I've named it "boat nectar". And I'm going to be making a lot more of it.
 
The jello would have added pectins and pectins create haze. Best approach is to add pectic enzyme to the jello before adding to the must (alcohol denatures the enzyme).
 
S04 chugging along nicely...airlock bubbles every 5ish secs [emoji111]

0511181657a.jpeg
 
Day7...SG 1.051... ABV a bit over 4%

Halfway to the goal.

Tasty & still a weeee bit sweet as expected.

Airlock bubbles every 7-10secs [emoji111]
 
Last edited:
gunhaus said:
I make about three or fours 5 gallon batches each year following Yoopers out line (One of the links above) I have used US-05 So4 Nottingham as well as EC-1118. They all work fine, and I cannot tell any real differences in quality. Not to contradict Bernard. I completely understand his view of EC-1118, but a lot of us like it in this app BECAUSE it is tough guy in the yeast world, and the acidic content of these lemon and lime concentrates can really vary. EC-1118 will usually stand up to it just fine. Most of my family likes this one at about 1.020 or so. I have had very good luck in Knocking fermentation out with campden and sorbate at this level. I know it is HARD to "stop" a good active fermentation. But with hard lemonade I have always been able to make it stop where I want. And have never had it come back to life after. This leads me to think that in the highly acidic environment even an exuberant looking fermentation may actually be on a tenuous teetering edge if you will. That's I why I guess i favor a pretty aggressive yeasty. I could of course be wrong about all of it!!! Wouldn't be the first time. AND I have never had a fail with the other yeasts. But i tend to error on the side of robust with lemonade . . . We mostly prefer this juice still - But I do occasionally fill up a keg and add some bubbles. Lots of ways to skin this cat I imagine!
Click to expand...
At what OG do ya typically start & How long do ya ferment the S04 for typically...to get to ur sweet spot of 1.02?

Cheers! [emoji111]
 
1.080 nominal OG. As for how long = as long as it takes! Not to be facetious, but it does seem to vary some. I have had it done in 5-6 days easy. I have had it take two weeks. Seems like the yeastie beasties will do what ever they feel like in all that acid. I have a batch right now, that is 7 days in and it is 1.030ish. I expect to be there in a couple days. It is for a party coming up quite soon, and i am going to simply add some campden and sorbate to the fermentor and stick it in the fridge and serve it right from the spigot - Experience says there won't be any left to bottle after the shindig.
 
gunhaus said:
1.080 nominal OG. As for how long = as long as it takes! Not to be facetious, but it does seem to vary some. I have had it done in 5-6 days easy. I have had it take two weeks. Seems like the yeastie beasties will do what ever they feel like in all that acid. I have a batch right now, that is 7 days in and it is 1.030ish. I expect to be there in a couple days. It is for a party coming up quite soon, and i am going to simply add some campden and sorbate to the fermentor and stick it in the fridge and serve it right from the spigot - Experience says there won't be any left to bottle after the shindig.
Click to expand...
Most excellent! Would love to snag one of those tilt units to track SG & temp...hard time justifying cost at this point. Trying to understand fermentation rates given different variables...is kinda like juggling jello...lol.

Cheers & Party On! [emoji111]
 
gunhaus said:
1.080 nominal OG. As for how long = as long as it takes! Not to be facetious, but it does seem to vary some. I have had it done in 5-6 days easy. I have had it take two weeks. Seems like the yeastie beasties will do what ever they feel like in all that acid. I have a batch right now, that is 7 days in and it is 1.030ish. I expect to be there in a couple days. It is for a party coming up quite soon, and i am going to simply add some campden and sorbate to the fermentor and stick it in the fridge and serve it right from the spigot - Experience says there won't be any left to bottle after the shindig.
Click to expand...
2weeks into this first batch using S04 and SG has gone from 1.082 to 1.041. Airlock activity every 30ish secs. Wondering if I need to add more yeast nutrient? (Put 6tsp in 6gal batch originally but didn't use any yeast energizer)

Swirling Speidel the last couple days...seems to have helped [emoji12]

Cheers[emoji111]
 
Last edited:
gunhaus said:
1.080 nominal OG. As for how long = as long as it takes! Not to be facetious, but it does seem to vary some. I have had it done in 5-6 days easy. I have had it take two weeks. Seems like the yeastie beasties will do what ever they feel like in all that acid. I have a batch right now, that is 7 days in and it is 1.030ish. I expect to be there in a couple days. It is for a party coming up quite soon, and i am going to simply add some campden and sorbate to the fermentor and stick it in the fridge and serve it right from the spigot - Experience says there won't be any left to bottle after the shindig.
Click to expand...
My S04 ferment seems to be taking much longer than yours do for a similar OG (1.082)....so I'm curious what the diffs might be....hmmm.

What temp is ur room at?
Single S04 pak?
How much yeast nutrient do ya use?
Do ya use yeast energizer too? How much?
What kinda tunes do ya jam whilst fermenting? [emoji41][emoji12][emoji111]

Cheers & Happy Memorial Day[emoji631]
 
Last first - Pearl Jam - Metallica - Nick Cave - Clairy Browne - and of course Stevie Ray Vaughn (Because i don't give a damn WHAT Tim Wilson says - Stevie Ray NEVER missed a note.)

I actually don't use any. I start my yeast in a solution of sugar water and some concentrate, and I gradually build up the level of concentrate over about three days. With EC-1118 I just pitch it and forget it.

Single pack.

Room temp - even a little warm. My current batch was probably rocking along in the 70 -75 range.

I have to admit this is NOT a ferment i put a lot of scientific endeavor into! This is my set it and forget it critter. What's it down to now, and how does it taste? If it stalls out but tastes good drink it. The numbers you have above put it at 5.3 -5.5 ABV that'll get ya swimmy. If it is still going down - let her go! I've had great luck with this - but if you read through those two links above you'll find fellers who have it take 2 months or so to get from A-B. If it stalls out for real, and is too sweet; pucker it up some - Some real lemon will tart things up nice.

I wish I could get all technical and high fallootin with my advice, but i don't have much of that kind for this beverage! It is kind of sweet tart kid stuff that my wife, kid, and nephews really like, and the sort of thing I gravitate to from time to time when the really juvenile voices in my head need to cut loose and bark at the moon - if ya fallow me.
 
gunhaus said:
Last first - Pearl Jam - Metallica - Nick Cave - Clairy Browne - and of course Stevie Ray Vaughn (Because i don't give a damn WHAT Tim Wilson says - Stevie Ray NEVER missed a note.)

I actually don't use any. I start my yeast in a solution of sugar water and some concentrate, and I gradually build up the level of concentrate over about three days. With EC-1118 I just pitch it and forget it.

Single pack.

Room temp - even a little warm. My current batch was probably rocking along in the 70 -75 range.

I have to admit this is NOT a ferment i put a lot of scientific endeavor into! This is my set it and forget it critter. What's it down to now, and how does it taste? If it stalls out but tastes good drink it. The numbers you have above put it at 5.3 -5.5 ABV that'll get ya swimmy. If it is still going down - let her go! I've had great luck with this - but if you read through those two links above you'll find fellers who have it take 2 months or so to get from A-B. If it stalls out for real, and is too sweet; pucker it up some - Some real lemon will tart things up nice.

I wish I could get all technical and high fallootin with my advice, but i don't have much of that kind for this beverage! It is kind of sweet tart kid stuff that my wife, kid, and nephews really like, and the sort of thing I gravitate to from time to time when the really juvenile voices in my head need to cut loose and bark at the moon - if ya fallow me.
Click to expand...
...[emoji111]

and great ode to Ozzy!
 
gunhaus said:
I saw brown haired Ozzy Before he and Sabbath parted ways the first time. Then I saw blonde haired Ozzy in Tampa Fl in 81, and again at Castle Farms, in Michigan in I think 82. Does that make me old?
Click to expand...
Nadda! Gonna catch the "farewell" gig at Pine Knob in Sept?

...and my batch is fondly being called CrazyTrain Lemonade! [emoji111]
 
LOL _ I am hoping so - My oldest son is a huge fan and a head banger and really wants to go - ALL depends on work schedules! CTL I like that. Drink it from a red solo cup and rattle the ice when she runs dry and it'll be just like the intro.
 
gunhaus said:
LOL _ I am hoping so - My oldest son is a huge fan and a head banger and really wants to go - ALL depends on work schedules! CTL I like that. Drink it from a red solo cup and rattle the ice when she runs dry and it'll be just like the intro.
Click to expand...
Lol...luv it....sounds like a CTL drinking plan [emoji41]

My batch is chugging along nicely with basement temps 70-72F in this scorching MI weather...next SG at 3week mark [emoji111]

Thx for the ongoing feedback with my first batch of this bad boy [emoji12][emoji41][emoji631]
 

Similar threads

K
Should I cherry up my lemonade?
Replies
3
Views
342
CKuhns
CKuhns
S
Home grown cherry wine
Replies
6
Views
1K
Srimmey
S
C
First hard cider questions and concerns
Replies
4
Views
648
Graham H
G
M
No apple flavor
Replies
32
Views
3K
Midway Island
Midway Island
Z
New to Cider making - sulfur smell I know
Replies
6
Views
998
EugenPrusi
E
Yakima 300

Latest posts

Back
Top