ferment without lemon juice

[ninjamonkey]

If I ferment just the sugar water and add the lemon juice when its done will the batch turn out the same. I want to see if I can avoid a slurry and the yeast nutrient and energizer. I figure all that stuff is because of the acidity, why not introduce it after fermentation.

 

[Minnesotamaker]

You can always give it a try, you won't have much invested. Some water, sugar and yeast. I don't know what your finished product will taste like. Even if you ferment sugar water without the lemon, you should probably still use the yeast nutrient. Sugar water isn't a very healthy food source for your yeast.

 

[ninjamonkey]

True. From what I've read nobody has tried so I think I will try so everyone can know if it works. I will keep this thread updated.

 

[dessertmaker]

Pot growers use this method all the time to generate CO2 for their grow rooms. It will ferment if you use a good strong yeast.


The big problem with this is not getting it to ferment, it's keeping it from developing bad off flavors.

Yeast nutrient will help. Acid blend will replace the acid from the lemon. Running the whole batch through a cheap charcoal filter will help a lot.

 

[Kampo]

I usually start mine with 1 bottle of lemon then day 2 add 2nd with nutrients then day 5 or so add the last. Works well for me. But to be honest never had a stuck ferment in my 5 batches of skeeter pee ( 3 original 2 blends of something else)

 

[clifton]

I use nutrient and energizer. I start mine with no juice and then add them after fermentation is well under way. A bottle at a time. I try to have the last one added before my gravity drops below 1.030. That way the pee gets one last whisk before it goes under the airlock. My latest batch was 64 oz lemon and 30 oz Key Lime juice. The sample I drew today was fantastic.