Hard lemonade / Skeeter 4 Summer 2019

[bmd2k1]

Curious who's firing up a batch of hard lemonade /Skeeter Pee for Summer 2019?

Will be starting mine near the end of April...
10cans frozen lemonade concentrate
1lbs extra Light DME
4lbs sugar
4gals spring h20 + 2bottles
1pak S04 rehydrated
2T yeast nutrient

Once done I'll Jack up 1gal with 100% Cranberry juice concentrate & another 1gal with Pomegranate.

Lets hear what ya got planned [emoji111]

 

[stevo155]

I do one batch for home in the summer and another batch for the New England Homebrewer's Jamboree in September (weekend after Labor Day so still hot enough for lemonade). One year, one of my club members mixed it with my Black Cherry cider for someone and now it is a regular at our club booth!

 

[bmd2k1]

6gal batch underway using S04 - OG 1.083

Cheers [emoji111]

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I think this is so easy it is time for me to try my hand at it this summer. Have to add it to the list along with hard seltzer and the rest of the planned brews.

@bmd2k1 in your experience how long does this take to ferment out? I might get weird and use a yeast from my yeast bank but I am curious how long s04 takes to reach FG for you with this recipe.

 

[bmd2k1]

I think this is so easy it is time for me to try my hand at it this summer. Have to add it to the list along with hard seltzer and the rest of the planned brews.

@bmd2k1 in your experience how long does this take to ferment out? I might get weird and use a yeast from my yeast bank but I am curious how long s04 takes to reach FG for you with this recipe.

Last year's batch took 23days to reach 1.016 where I cold crashed for a couple days then bottled in 1gals & refridged em. Shooting for 1.02 this year to cold crash.

Cheers & Good luck [emoji111]

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

Thanks, less than a month is pretty good for some strong hard lemonaide!

I think I will use WLP644 I have on hand and see how she goes.

 

[bmd2k1]

Thanks, less than a month is pretty good for some strong hard lemonaide!

I think I will use WLP644 I have on hand and see how she goes.

Good luck -- keep us posted! [emoji111]

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

Welp I got this in the can on Saturday, had to change it up on the fly though. The grocery store I went to was picked over for frozen lemonaide concentrate so I had to use limeaide concentrate. A few days in the fermentation smells great so I don't mind, plus I like limeaide.

Used the recipe in post #1 exactly except for the lime/lemon swap. I will leave it alone for at least a month maybe more.

 

[CallyBrewster]

I have a batch of "Cleaning out the pantry" Pee running as an experiment. Theoretically it'll be cranberry lime, I used a super old bottle of cranberry cocktail + a bottle of Kirkland (Costco) Margarita Mix + what was left in the bottle of the Knudsen Cranberry juice concentrate. I pitched some 2-years past the use-by date US-05. Raw mix smelled like it would be a great party option for the designated drivers/friends of Bill, maybe diluted with soda water.

OG = 1.070

Day 4 and barely seeing signs of any fermentation, which given the age of the yeast, isn't really a surprise, especially now that I see most folks use something like EC-1118. I'll give a shake and take a reading. I have enough stuff on hand to make a proper batch, so I may do that and use some of the starter to get some action going with the experimental batch.

 

[bmd2k1]

Wow...this year my CrazyTrain hard lemonade fermented down from 1.082 to 1.02 in two weeks (~8.4%)....so just tossed in fridge to cold crash [emoji111] Last year took 3weeks -- only diff was only used frozen lemonade concentrate this year -- last year was 50% that & 50% limeade. Tastes awesome! Cheers [emoji111]

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I'm hoping I get a similar timetable. I'm hoping that like fermenting an ale using decanted yeast slurry from a starter might give it the punch it needs to chew through the sugars fast. I won't be sad if it takes a full 3 weeks though.

 

[Blacksmith1]

Getting ready to pitch mine. Saw this thread, cut the stuff to a one gallon batch (empty carboy) but since the sugar was 0.8lbs I just used a pound even. It'll be a little stronger or a little sweeter, either is fine for me. Might try to bottle carb some of this....maybe.
Edit. Also no DME as I have none here.

 

[OpenSights]

Curious who's firing up a batch of hard lemonade /Skeeter Pee for Summer 2019?

Will be starting mine near the end of April...
10cans frozen lemonade concentrate
1lbs extra Light DME
4lbs sugar
4gals spring h20 + 2bottles
1pak S04 rehydrated
2T yeast nutrient

Once done I'll Jack up 1gal with 100% Cranberry juice concentrate & another 1gal with Pomegranate.

Lets hear what ya got planned [emoji111]

Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’m planning on starting a Skeeter pee tomorrow for family reunion. This is the recipe I’m, maybe was, going to use:

https://skeeterpee.com/recipe

I like the sound of yours better.

 

[bmd2k1]

Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’m planning on starting a Skeeter pee tomorrow for family reunion. This is the recipe I’m, maybe was, going to use:

https://skeeterpee.com/recipe

I like the sound of yours better.

Good Luck [emoji111]

 

[Blacksmith1]

So, mine is off and running.....like a herd of turtles in a hailstorm.
Thinking it might benefit from a bit of extra O2, I capped it and shook the crap out of it, opened it and damn near had a lemon volcano. Good thing the cap was still in my hand. This stuff can hold a crapload of CO2. I'm leaning more and more towards a carbed version.

 

[bmd2k1]

So, mine is off and running.....like a herd of turtles in a hailstorm.
Thinking it might benefit from a bit of extra O2, I capped it and shook the crap out of it, opened it and damn near had a lemon volcano. Good thing the cap was still in my hand. This stuff can hold a crapload of CO2. I'm leaning more and more towards a carbed version.

Which yeast ya go with?

 

[bmd2k1]

5gals just bottled - awesome taste! 8.4% Prob will go with regular & Cranberry.....maybe pomegranate too. I use 100% fruit juice concentrate from www.brownwoodacres.com for flavoring [emoji2]

Cheers [emoji111]

 

[Blacksmith1]

Which yeast ya go with?

K1v 1116. It was what I had on hand and I have had good luck with it in the warmer temps down here.

 

[OpenSights]

Good Luck [emoji111]

Quick question for ya, with your recipe I assume you just add the DME, no boil right? I plan on heating one gallon to dissolve the sugar.

Heading to my LHBS and grocery store to get the ingredients now.

Since I already have the ingredients for the recipe I posted, I figure might as well make both. My bet is that your’s will be the better of the two.

 

[bmd2k1]

Quick question for ya, with your recipe I assume you just add the DME, no boil right? I plan on heating one gallon to dissolve the sugar.

Heading to my LHBS and grocery store to get the ingredients now.

Since I already have the ingredients for the recipe I posted, I figure might as well make both. My bet is that your’s will be the better of the two.

I boil the DME...and 4lbs sugar...in 2gals H20.....cool down & add to rest in speidel. [emoji111]

 

[OpenSights]

Ok, slight change to your recipe per my wife. (It’s for her family reunion after all.)

5 cans of lemonade
5 cans of limeade

I’ll report back once I keg.

 

[bmd2k1]

Ok, slight change to your recipe per my wife. (It’s for her family reunion after all.)

5 cans of lemonade
5 cans of limeade

I’ll report back once I keg.

Did That last year [emoji111] It will be great!

What yeast ya using?

 

[OpenSights]

US04

 

[bmd2k1]

US04

Bravo! [emoji111]

 

[mkelly601]

5gals just bottled - awesome taste! 8.4% Prob will go with regular & Cranberry.....maybe pomegranate too. I use 100% fruit juice concentrate from www.brownwoodacres.com for flavoring [emoji2]

Cheers [emoji111]

View attachment 626199

How much of each juice concentrate do you add for flavoring?

 

[bmd2k1]

How much of each juice concentrate do you add for flavoring?

1oz to 1gal -- which is 4squirts -- does an awesome job [emoji111]

 

[OpenSights]

OG @ 76f!

Followed the recipe, overflowed my Better Bottle plastic carboy. Definitely going to use a blowoff tube for this one!

 

[OpenSights]

Well this is embarrassing. I was listening to music on YouTube and went off memory for the recipe. I used 7#s sugar. Well, too late now. Guess I won’t have to back sweeten. Once the 04 is done, if it’s too sweet, I’ll pitch some champagne yeast.

 

[bmd2k1]

Well this is embarrassing. I was listening to music on YouTube and went off memory for the recipe. I used 7#s sugar. Well, too late now. Guess I won’t have to back sweeten. Once the 04 is done, if it’s too sweet, I’ll pitch some champagne yeast.

Sh*t happens! S04 tolerance approx 10%.

Thats why I buy my sugar in 4lb bags...makes it fool proof [emoji12]

 

[bmd2k1]

Well this is embarrassing. I was listening to music on YouTube and went off memory for the recipe. I used 7#s sugar. Well, too late now. Guess I won’t have to back sweeten. Once the 04 is done, if it’s too sweet, I’ll pitch some champagne yeast.

Another option might be to let it run its course...see how it tastes once S04 peters out. If too sweet you could dilute with a bit more H20 -- which would also bring the ABV back down a bit. [emoji57]

 

[OpenSights]

Another option might be to let it run its course...see how it tastes once S04 peters out. If too sweet you could dilute with a bit more H20 -- which would also bring the ABV back down a bit. [emoji57]

Intended for family reunion, and people having to drive home, diluting is probably the more responsible thing to do.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

So I'm thinking I'll try to carb by melting 1 can of limeaide concentrate, maybe with a little water, and throwing that in the bottling bucket. If it doesn't carb it'll just be back-sweetening I guess. Anybody try something like this before? I am hoping it'll reinforce the lime flavor as well.

 

[Iceman6409]

Will be starting mine near the end of April...
10cans frozen lemonade concentrate
1lbs extra Light DME
4lbs sugar
4gals spring h20 + 2bottles
1pak S04 rehydrated
2T yeast nutrient

Once done I'll Jack up 1gal with 100% Cranberry juice concentrate & another 1gal with Pomegranate.

I am wondering if you might be so kind as to let me know your step by step process for this. It looks too good to not make. Also I cannot cold crash. Let me know your thoughts

 

[Blacksmith1]

What does the DME do for this?

 

[bmd2k1]

Will be starting mine near the end of April...
10cans frozen lemonade concentrate
1lbs extra Light DME
4lbs sugar
4gals spring h20 + 2bottles
1pak S04 rehydrated
2T yeast nutrient

Once done I'll Jack up 1gal with 100% Cranberry juice concentrate & another 1gal with Pomegranate.

I am wondering if you might be so kind as to let me know your step by step process for this. It looks too good to not make. Also I cannot cold crash. Let me know your thoughts

Boil 2gals water & add the 1lb DME and 4lbs sugar -- stirring till completely dissolved. Once dissolved let cool till it reaches room temp -- use an ice bath in sink if so desired.

Rehydrate ur yeast in small container using standard protocol.

Toss lemon/limeade (thawed) into carboy/fermenter with 2gals h20.

Once "wort" reaches room temp -- add it to fermenter. Add whatever additional h20 is needed to reach 5gals level.

Take an OG reading.

Toss in yeast nutrient...and swirl fermenter.

Toss in rehydrated yeast.

Away ya go....Game on [emoji57]


--I always cold crash my S04 brews -- not doing so...S04 has an approx alcohol tolerance of 10%. So if ur OG is 1.082 u could max it out b4 FG of 1 --

Once done fermenting taste & backsweeten as ya see fit.

Cheers & Good luck [emoji111]

 

[bmd2k1]

What does the DME do for this?

Makes it a malted bev - like Mike's. Prob adds some sugar. I'm no expert...lol...just took a basic recipe posted on HBT & tweaked it a bit [emoji111]

 

[OpenSights]

Mine is bubbling away, a steady 1/second since last night. I’m thinking of 1/8 tsp on Wednesday because of the extra sugar.

 

[EricaM]

I had some frozen raspberries and the dragon blood/skeeter pee recipe looked really good, so I got a bag of mixed berries and a bottle of lemon juice to go with them. I'm a newbie at this.

2 kg bag blue/black/rasp berry blend
approx. 3 - 3.5 lb frozen raspberries
1 bottle lemon juice
2kg sugar
1 tsp. tannin
4 tsp. yeast nutrient
3 tsp. pectic enzyme

Yeast will be K1-V1116 and I'll add a tsp of energizer with it.

Sg with these ingredients was 1.030. I added 3 more kg of sugar another 1/2 bottle of lemon juice and the squeezed out juice of about 1kg of boiled golden raisins. Sg is now 1.074. Much better.

The bucket is too full to keep the raisin bag in, so I will put the bag into the blueberry wine that I have fermenting.

Nope. The blueberry is too full as well, so I will freeze it for later use. I also had to remove 2 litres of the lemon/raspberry liquid and freeze it. Looks like eventually I'll have to make an "odds & ends from the freezer" wine.

 

[Blacksmith1]

That sounds tasty. But if this is for a gallon will you have room for the juice and water with all that fruit?

 

[HiImBrian]

I like what I'm reading and think I'll give the old hard lemonade thing a go!

I've got a kolsch that I'm about ready to cold crash, which means access to loads of WLP830 lager yeast. I think I might just way over pitch and see what happens!