This sounds like something I would love to drink, and would love to make. The only recipes I've seen are for five gallons - my only carboys are six gallons. Does anyone have a six gallon recipe? Or since it sounds like this only sits in secondary for a very short time, do you think it would be okay to use the six gallon carboy for the five-gallon recipe?
anyone have a 6 gallon skeeter pee recipe?
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gaudet
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You would probably be very good to go Mama J. I'm fermenting my beers in a 6 gallon carboy. Racking it to the keg in two weeks. You shouldn't have a problem with the skeeter pee. Probably a ton of co2 in it that will off gas when you rack it. I would give it a run.
PAwinedude
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I tweeked the original recipe by adding a little more lemon juice approx 8 oz.
I upped the nutrient by 1 tsp as well as the acid blend.
as you probably know, the starter and the temp are very important to get this thing to blast off....
also, don't forget to stir the heck out of it each day.
good luck
I upped the nutrient by 1 tsp as well as the acid blend.
as you probably know, the starter and the temp are very important to get this thing to blast off....
also, don't forget to stir the heck out of it each day.
good luck
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I also did mine in a 6.5 carboy and just winged it adding another third bottle of lemon juice. I also added a couple frozen cans of raspberry/apple juice to it.I also upped the nutrient and acid blend as PAwinedude mentioned.
PAwinedude
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I used a slurry from a blackberry recipe....It came out OK, but the blackberry was only a 1 gal recipe and I made 6 gal of Pee. It fermented OK, and the color turned pink, but, not really any blackberry taste to speak of.
As far as this being your first non kit batch....DONT WORRY. This should be the cheapest batch of wine you have made yet. The lemon juice is probably the most costly item.
Make sure you have all the additives (acid blend, nutrient, yeast, K meta, etc). If you don't have a brew belt or a heating pad, I would consider some heat source. The temp of the must, will need to be at least 75 degrees.
Some people make up the must according to the origninal recipe (w/o adding the lemon juice). Hydrate the yeast.....add 1/2 teaspoon of nutrientto approx 2 oz of hot water approx 104-109 degree's. Stir to get the nutrient in suspension...waitforapprox 5 mins and then sprinke the yeast on top of the water. Wait another 10 minutes and then stir yeast and nutrient together. Then add to must.....
Fermentation shouldstart in approx12-24hrs....Once started, you can add the lemon juice a bottle at a time.
Key factors
on't adddry sugar to must---simmer sugar on stoveuntil you get a syrup.
Keep temp on must up, especially duringthe begining stages offermentaiton.
stir the must daily----I mean stir itlike itstole something from you
relax...have fun....You have made kits so your all ready a winemaker!!!
this is the fun part.....even if you had todump the whole bucket off yourback porch....you would be out less than 15 bucks!
hope this helps
As far as this being your first non kit batch....DONT WORRY. This should be the cheapest batch of wine you have made yet. The lemon juice is probably the most costly item.
Make sure you have all the additives (acid blend, nutrient, yeast, K meta, etc). If you don't have a brew belt or a heating pad, I would consider some heat source. The temp of the must, will need to be at least 75 degrees.
Some people make up the must according to the origninal recipe (w/o adding the lemon juice). Hydrate the yeast.....add 1/2 teaspoon of nutrientto approx 2 oz of hot water approx 104-109 degree's. Stir to get the nutrient in suspension...waitforapprox 5 mins and then sprinke the yeast on top of the water. Wait another 10 minutes and then stir yeast and nutrient together. Then add to must.....
Fermentation shouldstart in approx12-24hrs....Once started, you can add the lemon juice a bottle at a time.
Key factors
on't adddry sugar to must---simmer sugar on stoveuntil you get a syrup.Keep temp on must up, especially duringthe begining stages offermentaiton.
stir the must daily----I mean stir itlike itstole something from you
relax...have fun....You have made kits so your all ready a winemaker!!!
this is the fun part.....even if you had todump the whole bucket off yourback porch....you would be out less than 15 bucks!
hope this helps
Thanks, PA. I've got your instructions right alongside the actual recipe. Started it just now - I'm not doing the slurry - prepared the recipe without the lemon and made a started w/ EC-1118 according to your instructions. Going to add the lemon later, after the fermentation starts up. Brew belt is on and we're ready to go!
PAwinedude
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Great!
Keep an eye on the temp....after the first 48 hours the yeast will create some heat due to fermentation. Probably, don't want the temp over 80. I would check the acutul must temp peridocially....If the juice is getting close or above 80, I would move the brew belt all the way to the top of the bucket or remove it all together.
You can't go wrong with the original recipe....The starter or the slurry tends to get people scratching their head a bit. Once the fermentation is rolling....the yeast will swallow the lemon juice.....easily.
Make sure you add the energizer according to the original recipe....
Good Luck! I look forward to hearing how it turns out..
Keep an eye on the temp....after the first 48 hours the yeast will create some heat due to fermentation. Probably, don't want the temp over 80. I would check the acutul must temp peridocially....If the juice is getting close or above 80, I would move the brew belt all the way to the top of the bucket or remove it all together.
You can't go wrong with the original recipe....The starter or the slurry tends to get people scratching their head a bit. Once the fermentation is rolling....the yeast will swallow the lemon juice.....easily.
Make sure you add the energizer according to the original recipe....
Good Luck! I look forward to hearing how it turns out..
Checked it this morning - 81 degrees with the brew belt on. I don't see any fermentation yet. That makes me a little nervous that maybe the must was too warm when I pitched the starter.Iprobably should have let it cool down a little longer, as it had been almost boiling on the stove.
But not worried yet! We'll see how it looks this evening. I have an extra packet of yeast so I can try again if I managed to cook the last one.
But not worried yet! We'll see how it looks this evening. I have an extra packet of yeast so I can try again if I managed to cook the last one.
PAwinedude
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We'll
You got action? Should be poppin and fizzin by now!
You got action? Should be poppin and fizzin by now!
Waldo said:
No I didn't!
This is my first wine not-from-a-kit. For whatever reason it didn't occur to me that my must could be too hot. I killed my yeast - it was really, really hot. I've got a starter going now. Must is holding between 79 and 81 degrees with absolutely no action, so I'll try again.... Good learning experience! If I screw it up, it's just a bunch of sugar water down the drain at this point.
PAwinedude
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Its only "help" if it works
Cross your fingers.....leave a cork under your pillow
and waaalaaa!
P.S. did you get a S.G. reading yet?
Cross your fingers.....leave a cork under your pillow
and waaalaaa!
P.S. did you get a S.G. reading yet?
PAwinedude said:Its only "help" if it works
Cross your fingers.....leave a cork under your pillow
and waaalaaa!
P.S. did you get a S.G. reading yet?
It will work! I have plenty of corks to put under my pillow. Good plan.
I didn't test the SG because without the lemon juice in there, I thought it wouldn't give me an accurate reading. But I guess it would at least tell me if the fermentation is underway. But I mean, this was completely dead. I put my ear right down in there and nothing.
PAwinedude
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I understand and agree with your thought process....
What the heck.....dip that little guy in there
at least you will know where you started S.G. wise
Once the fermentation starts rolling, you won't want to wait too long before adding the lemon juice
what do you think
What the heck.....dip that little guy in there
at least you will know where you started S.G. wise
Once the fermentation starts rolling, you won't want to wait too long before adding the lemon juice
what do you think
PAwinedude said:
I am pleased to report, we have liftoff! I checked this morning and fermentation was underway. I beat the hell out of it with my mix-stir, added 32 ounces of lemon juice, and beat the hell out of it again. I'm thinking, probably add the next 32 ounces about 12 hours later, if everything appears to be proceeding.
PAwinedude
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Jules in Michigan
What's the status???
give us the goods
What's the status???
give us the goods
PAwinedude said:
It's looking good! Tuesday morning it was going good so I added the first 32 oz of lemon juice, stirred it some and whipped it with a whisk. Added the second 32 oz last night and whipped and stirred again. The SG reading before the first lemon juice went in was 1.075. This morning it was at 1.065. The recipe calls for the last bottle to be added along with nutrient and energizer at approximately 1.05. I'm going to check tonight to see if it's ready for that yet.
Temp is holding steady at 75 degrees... All is going well. Thanks for asking!
