some help please,

[hounddawg]

ok using EC-1118 with SSG of 1.110 and keep step feeding sugar and nutrients fermenting as far as possible,then taking the 6-GALLONS of skeeter pee then adding 750 ml of 190 proof everclear, what is the approximate, ABV of the skeeter pee after all that?
thank you
Dawg

 

[KCCam]

It would be more accurate if you kept track of how much sugar you added each time (I always weight mine with a digital kitchen scale). The only way to tell final ABV now is to assume that the EC-1118 made it to it's stated 18% tolerance and no more. Assuming you started with 6 gallons of 18% ABV, adding a fifth of 190 proof would yield 20.5% ABV.
BTW, what is your ending SG? And did you measure it before adding the Everclear? I think your process is to keep it at 1.040 until it won't drop from that, yes?

 

[sour_grapes]

I had to make a few assumptions, but I get about 20.5%

My assumptions were that your pee winds up at about 18%, and that you have 6 gallons of pee, despite adding more sugar (which increases the volume). But you lose some volume to lees, so I think my answer would be close.

Edited to add: Yes, @KCCam agrees.

 

[BernardSmith]

Yeah, Once you know how much sugar you added then you use a Pearson's Square calculation to determine the total ABV.

 

[hounddawg]

FIRST i keep extra must/wine for topping, so when i say 6 gallons it is six gallon finished wine, 2nd i have no need to weigh anything except for fresh fruit of berries, my hydrometer works fine even though i have a hospital grade new set of baby weighing scales, not to mention i ask for a, about ABV,, not a dead on ABV,, in country wines you shoot to make something that taste good , not to mimic, other wines or what was made last must, and to add something that's off base, i never use simple syrup, all sugar is added dry, and there has never been any residual sugar left, as i said earlier, i get my SSG, then raise to what will work, other wines are not that ht, but lemon and pineapple you can step feed till maxed out on them two then add spirits, after some aging you can't tell from lemonade, was just a wonderment question only, i marry the old to some of the new, but aint about to get technical with my country wines, each wine i craft is new to its self, i never try to recreate what i made yesterday, just like a duck in a new pond each and every morning, was only wondering about a general thing, not a fixed point, i left all that behind when i left the malls, no watch on my arm, only clocks are on the phone and TV, no calendar in my home, life is like a slow calm breeze, you just get what you get,
but thank you one and all
Dawg

 

[KCCam]

I hear you. I know that's how you operate, and that's great.

Our point is just that without knowing how much sugar you add, there is no way of knowing what your ABV is before adding the Everclear. We are assuming the yeast goes to its specified alcohol level. I don't know how close that spec is to the actual though.

Whatever your starting ABV is, 750 ml of Everclear will raise the ABV of 6 gallons by about 2.5%.

 

[cmason1957]

Did you measure what you new sg was at each step of the way, after each sugar addition?? you can take the delta's of each of those and guesstimate what your yeast got you to. I have seen EC-1118 when step fed like that make it to nearly 20% ABV.

 

[KCCam]

Did you measure what you new sg was at each step of the way, after each sugar addition?? you can take the delta's of each of those and guesstimate what your yeast got you to. I have seen EC-1118 when step fed like that make it to nearly 20% ABV.

I’m certain he measured, pretty sure he didn’t record, right @hounddawg?
So the “guesstimate” is now 20.5% to 22.5%. Probably somewhere in there.
That should be a nice night cap for you!

 

[hounddawg]

I hear you. I know that's how you operate, and that's great.

Our point is just that without knowing how much sugar you add, there is no way of knowing what your ABV is before adding the Everclear. We are assuming the yeast goes to its specified alcohol level. I don't know how close that spec is to the actual though.

Whatever your starting ABV is, 750 ml of Everclear will raise the ABV of 6 gallons by about 2.5%.

that's the exact thing i want, guess i just ask wrong, as for my ending ABV, that's a leap of faith, beings i know my SSG but step feeding i take as faith of reaching max, thank you
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

I’m certain he measured, pretty sure he didn’t record, right @hounddawg?
So the “guesstimate” is now 20.5% to 22.5%. Probably somewhere in there.
That should be a nice night cap for you!

you are dead on right, hum, you getting to know me, lol
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

Did you measure what you new sg was at each step of the way, after each sugar addition?? you can take the delta's of each of those and guesstimate what your yeast got you to. I have seen EC-1118 when step fed like that make it to nearly 20% ABV.

yep that's why i went to step feeding, seem to help the yeast, of course i use yeast energizer , and yeast nutrient, to try and keep the yeast from stressing out on me, after all i try to keep me from getting stressed out,
Dawg

 

[Ajmassa]

Dawg- do I got this right?
started at SG 1.110 and ferment down to ABOUT 1.040. Then start feeding sugar & nutrient. As it drops u just feed in more and maintain SG somewhere around 1.040 until yeast maxes out?

so when done your wine is hot but with an intentional sweetness of about 1.040— then add in the grain alc for an extra kick.

Then let it age and got yourself some jungle juice that drinks smooth like actual juice?
Pineapple and lemon skeet pee right?

Sounds awesome. I never made skeeter pee or looked at recipes but I see it mentioned so much. And this sounds like a fun one to make. What did you start with besides pineapple and lemons?

 

[hounddawg]

Dawg- do I got this right?
started at SG 1.110 and ferment down to ABOUT 1.040. Then start feeding sugar & nutrient. As it drops u just feed in more and maintain SG somewhere around 1.040 until yeast maxes out?

so when done your wine is hot but with an intentional sweetness of about 1.040— then add in the grain alc for an extra kick.

Then let it age and got yourself some jungle juice that drinks smooth like actual juice?
Pineapple and lemon skeet pee right?

Sounds awesome. I never made skeeter pee or looked at recipes but I see it mentioned so much. And this sounds like a fun one to make. What did you start with besides pineapple and lemons?

yes, so right

Dawg- do I got this right?
started at SG 1.110 and ferment down to ABOUT 1.040. Then start feeding sugar & nutrient. As it drops u just feed in more and maintain SG somewhere around 1.040 until yeast maxes out?

so when done your wine is hot but with an intentional sweetness of about 1.040— then add in the grain alc for an extra kick.

Then let it age and got yourself some jungle juice that drinks smooth like actual juice?
Pineapple and lemon skeet pee right?

Sounds awesome. I never made skeeter pee or looked at recipes but I see it mentioned so much. And this sounds like a fun one to make. What did you start with besides pineapple and lemons?

yes sir quite right, the only variance is , that for the start of a 6 gal, batch is i only add i 32 oz of lemon juice, to the water, yeast nutrient, yeast energizer so as to feed he yeast so the yeast will not stress out, then as your must drops to around i add more yeast nutrient and yeast energizer. and sugar back up to 1.040, and keep doing so till ferment locks
in to a SG of 1.040, then i add 5 ore quarts of lemon concentrate, ley bulk age to clear and degassed, then i add a fifth of everclear that is 190 proof, to a empty 6 and 1/2 gallon carboy, then rack the finished skeeter into that clean 6 & 1/2 gal carboy with the fifth of 190 proof spirits, and check the SG, making sure i have a FSG of 1.040, let it set around 4 weeks, then bottle, the longer you let age in bottle the smoother it will become, clean down to tasting just like lemonade, i use it to sleep, about a coffee cup and your out,, but zero hangover come morning,
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

Dawg- do I got this right?
started at SG 1.110 and ferment down to ABOUT 1.040. Then start feeding sugar & nutrient. As it drops u just feed in more and maintain SG somewhere around 1.040 until yeast maxes out?

so when done your wine is hot but with an intentional sweetness of about 1.040— then add in the grain alc for an extra kick.

Then let it age and got yourself some jungle juice that drinks smooth like actual juice?
Pineapple and lemon skeet pee right?

Sounds awesome. I never made skeeter pee or looked at recipes but I see it mentioned so much. And this sounds like a fun one to make. What did you start with besides pineapple and lemons?

ok my make list i will probably forget some, but,,,, pear/apple,,, apple,,, peach,,, blackberry,,, elderberry,,,, blackberry/elderberry fermented together, strawberry,,, tart cherry,,, a DDDB variant of blueberry-blackberry-tart cherry,,,,, plum,,, several meads, and melomels,,, banana,,, pineapple,,, all from scratch, but as health declines i do use some reduced concentrates from honewinery.com, but only use 4 gallon water to the jug of reduced concentrate, i order 3 concentrates to finish 2# 6's of wine plus a gallon jug of same to top off with, on heavy flavored fruits or berries i got 5lb to the gallon, to light flavors like banana i go 12lbs to the gallon apple juice, zero water,
Dawg

 

[KCCam]

There are a few things to note that maybe aren’t clear.
The final ABV is completely dependent on the strain of yeast you use. EC-1118 can tolerate about 18% or higher and a wide range of other fermentation conditions. It’s highly recommended to use that one. If you want to know your final ABV make sure to keep track of all your SG measurements (before and after adding sugar, and final SG before adding the remaining lemon juice and Everclear), and the total amount of sugar you add (preferably weight if you have a kitchen scale).

Dawg- do I got this right?
started at SG 1.110 and ferment down to ABOUT 1.040. Then start feeding sugar & nutrient.

Obviously you have to ferment to some point below 1.040 because you will be adding sugar to bring it back up to 1.040.

then as your must drops to around i add more yeast nutrient and yeast energizer.

He missed putting in the number, but I think he goes to about 1.010, then adds sugar. Also from questions I’ve asked him I believe he adds more nutrients at the first sugar addition, but not at any later ones.
The Skeeter Pee recipe says add water at the beginning to bring the volume up to 5 1/2 gallons. But you’re going to add 1 1/2 gallons of liquid at the end, and lots of sugar, so I would likely start at 5 gallons, which should give you plenty extra to use for topping up. Dawg could clarify that.
Which brings me to my last point, and a question for @hounddawg : you keep adding sugar until the fermentation stalls at 1.040. Then you add 1 1/4 gallons more lemon juice and 1/5 gallon Everclear and let it age and clear. How can the final SG possibly still be 1.040? By my calculations the final SG should be well below 1.030. And THAT gives me a point to make about the question that started this thread: if the yeast stalls at 18%, then you add 5 quarts of lemon juice, it drops the ABV to about 14.5% Adding the Everclear will bring that up to about 17%, not the 20.5% @sour_grapes and I told you earlier. Sorry ‘bout that.

 

[hounddawg]

There are a few things to note that maybe aren’t clear.
The final ABV is completely dependent on the strain of yeast you use. EC-1118 can tolerate about 18% or higher and a wide range of other fermentation conditions. It’s highly recommended to use that one. If you want to know your final ABV make sure to keep track of all your SG measurements (before and after adding sugar, and final SG before adding the remaining lemon juice and Everclear), and the total amount of sugar you add (preferably weight if you have a kitchen scale).

Obviously you have to ferment to some point below 1.040 because you will be adding sugar to bring it back up to 1.040.

He missed putting in the number, but I think he goes to about 1.010, then adds sugar. Also from questions I’ve asked him I believe he adds more nutrients at the first sugar addition, but not at any later ones.
The Skeeter Pee recipe says add water at the beginning to bring the volume up to 5 1/2 gallons. But you’re going to add 1 1/2 gallons of liquid at the end, and lots of sugar, so I would likely start at 5 gallons, which should give you plenty extra to use for topping up. Dawg could clarify that.
Which brings me to my last point, and a question for @hounddawg : you keep adding sugar until the fermentation stalls at 1.040. Then you add 1 1/4 gallons more lemon juice and 1/5 gallon Everclear and let it age and clear. How can the final SG possibly still be 1.040? By my calculations the final SG should be well below 1.030. And THAT gives me a point to make about the question that started this thread: if the yeast stalls at 18%, then you add 5 quarts of lemon juice, it drops the ABV to about 14.5% Adding the Everclear will bring that up to about 17%, not the 20.5% @sour_grapes and I told you earlier. Sorry ‘bout that.

correct , at 1.030 then kicking it back the first few are a little less sweet than i like, but i bottled 12 cases, and only use at bedtime most times just a coffee cup, so a bottle lasts around 4 days,, so after a while they then are smooth and sneaky,,, katie bar the door, lol
and one less med for me to take, before i took over what meds i would or would not do, i had 21 scripts, some once a day, some twice a day and some 4 times a day, was going into SICU at least every month and a half, now i have 5 scripts not counting insulins, been in hospital once in almost 3 years now,
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

There are a few things to note that maybe aren’t clear.
The final ABV is completely dependent on the strain of yeast you use. EC-1118 can tolerate about 18% or higher and a wide range of other fermentation conditions. It’s highly recommended to use that one. If you want to know your final ABV make sure to keep track of all your SG measurements (before and after adding sugar, and final SG before adding the remaining lemon juice and Everclear), and the total amount of sugar you add (preferably weight if you have a kitchen scale).

Obviously you have to ferment to some point below 1.040 because you will be adding sugar to bring it back up to 1.040.

He missed putting in the number, but I think he goes to about 1.010, then adds sugar. Also from questions I’ve asked him I believe he adds more nutrients at the first sugar addition, but not at any later ones.
The Skeeter Pee recipe says add water at the beginning to bring the volume up to 5 1/2 gallons. But you’re going to add 1 1/2 gallons of liquid at the end, and lots of sugar, so I would likely start at 5 gallons, which should give you plenty extra to use for topping up. Dawg could clarify that.
Which brings me to my last point, and a question for @hounddawg : you keep adding sugar until the fermentation stalls at 1.040. Then you add 1 1/4 gallons more lemon juice and 1/5 gallon Everclear and let it age and clear. How can the final SG possibly still be 1.040? By my calculations the final SG should be well below 1.030. And THAT gives me a point to make about the question that started this thread: if the yeast stalls at 18%, then you add 5 quarts of lemon juice, it drops the ABV to about 14.5% Adding the Everclear will bring that up to about 17%, not the 20.5% @sour_grapes and I told you earlier. Sorry ‘bout that.

your bound and determined to make me technical
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

There are a few things to note that maybe aren’t clear.
The final ABV is completely dependent on the strain of yeast you use. EC-1118 can tolerate about 18% or higher and a wide range of other fermentation conditions. It’s highly recommended to use that one. If you want to know your final ABV make sure to keep track of all your SG measurements (before and after adding sugar, and final SG before adding the remaining lemon juice and Everclear), and the total amount of sugar you add (preferably weight if you have a kitchen scale).

Obviously you have to ferment to some point below 1.040 because you will be adding sugar to bring it back up to 1.040.

He missed putting in the number, but I think he goes to about 1.010, then adds sugar. Also from questions I’ve asked him I believe he adds more nutrients at the first sugar addition, but not at any later ones.
The Skeeter Pee recipe says add water at the beginning to bring the volume up to 5 1/2 gallons. But you’re going to add 1 1/2 gallons of liquid at the end, and lots of sugar, so I would likely start at 5 gallons, which should give you plenty extra to use for topping up. Dawg could clarify that.
Which brings me to my last point, and a question for @hounddawg : you keep adding sugar until the fermentation stalls at 1.040. Then you add 1 1/4 gallons more lemon juice and 1/5 gallon Everclear and let it age and clear. How can the final SG possibly still be 1.040? By my calculations the final SG should be well below 1.030. And THAT gives me a point to make about the question that started this thread: if the yeast stalls at 18%, then you add 5 quarts of lemon juice, it drops the ABV to about 14.5% Adding the Everclear will bring that up to about 17%, not the 20.5% @sour_grapes and I told you earlier. Sorry ‘bout that.

i forgot, i only use 2 types of yeast,,, EC-1118 & K1V-1116
Dawg

 

[KCCam]

your bound and determined to make me technical
Dawg

Nah, that technical stuff was for @Ajmassa's benefit... You are definitely beyond any chance of that, my friend!

 

[KCCam]

then rack the finished skeeter into that clean 6 & 1/2 gal carboy with the fifth of 190 proof spirits, and check the SG, making sure i have a FSG of 1.040

correct , at 1.030 then kicking it back

Ahhh, so the final check after adding Everclear, making sure you have FSG of 1.040 implies that you add sugar again (backsweeten), to get back to 1.040. That makes sense. Glad I cleared that up (for my benefit, for when I make some). So yah, your finished ABV should be 17-19% depending on how much alcohol that yeast actually manages to tolerate.