Hard Tea

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gaudet

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Anyone try to make this themselves?

I am going to make a 5 gallon experimental batch today. I plan to boil 1 gallon of water to steep the tea, then continue to boil to dissolve enough table sugar to make about 5%-6% abv. 5#'s should do it. Ferment out with a Muntons Ale yeast and then back sweeten to taste and keg and force carb it.
 
I recommend keeping the tea in the mash to give it a better tea kick. Adding 1 can of frozen orange juice concentrate per 2.5 gallons before you keg it helps with backsweetening and gives it a fuzzy navel taste. If the final product doesn't taste like tea, steep more bags in a sample of your final product to give it more kick and add it. I love to make this stuff as an in-between while waiting for my other hooches to clear. Good served over ice in the summer.
 
I already tossed the tea bags to trash. I dissolved 5#'s sugar and then topped it up to 5 gallons in my primary. Did not take a temp yet, but the sg is 1.042 and it feels warm. I left the hydrometer in it to take a final reading tonight before I pitch the Munton's. I like the idea of the orange juice concentrate, but thinking more of adding 2 cans of lemonade concentrate. The possibilities are actually pretty good if you think of all the different frozen concentrates you could add. (thinking cranberry would be great also.)

Thanks for the advice and the ideas.........
 
:u

I had a little trouble getting this ferment going. I had to add another packet of Muntons Ale yeast and this time I added yeast nutrient and energizer. I was told that the tea produces a benzoic acid that prohibits fermentation. Its been three days since I added the extras and fermentation is happily rolling along.
 
:u

I had a little trouble getting this ferment going. I had to add another packet of Muntons Ale yeast and this time I added yeast nutrient and energizer. I was told that the tea produces a benzoic acid that prohibits fermentation. Its been three days since I added the extras and fermentation is happily rolling along.

Yea!!! Gotta luv hard tea...on ice..not on ice..that will be your next choice...
 

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