Who remembers Zima and how do I go about making it?

Donasay · 05-08-2008, 09:23 PM

So who on here remembers Zima? Does anyone have a recipe, I can make a very lightly colored beer about as light in SRMs as bud light, but I can't seem to figure out how to get it to be clear.

Does anyone have a recipe?

c.n.budz · 05-08-2008, 09:25 PM

sugar, water, yeast, artificial flavoring

Donasay · 05-08-2008, 09:47 PM

are you sure, sugar will make it create esters and probably ferment hot. I don't remember zima having those yeasty esters.

k1v1116 · 05-08-2008, 10:00 PM

recipe:
1. dilute vodka with water to desired Abv.
2. force carbonate.

Sir Humpsalot · 05-08-2008, 10:27 PM

I believe all those things, zima, smirnoff ice, etc use rice as the bulk of their fermentables. Yes, you heard it here first, smirnoff ice contains no vodka... because if it did, it couldn't be sold like beer. Malt liquor in many states has fewer restrictions on sale. As a result, they create a cheap hooch-like concoction and add artificial flavors.

Without a large R&D budget to find yeasts and such which ferment cleanly, I think this is beyond the reach of the average homebrewer...

UNLESS... you can just use rice solids. Maybe use rice solids and a clean-fermenting yeast, maybe champagne yeast? Then add flavorings at bottling time.

Funkenjaeger · 05-08-2008, 10:30 PM

It's probably all rice and sugar. Maybe throw in some yeast nutrient, and ferment as cool as you can to minimize esters?

But that still leaves the question of WHY???

To be fair, I was just a kid when zima was popular so I don't have any concept of what it was like, but the modern-day drinks like smirnoff ice that have pushed zima out of the market taste like ****, IMO, so I can't imagine zima was worlds better.

Actually, funny story, in the mid-90's, at the height of zima's popularity, I won a drawing at a local convenience store and won a huge inflatable zima-bottle-shaped pool lounge, which was REALLY appropriate for a kid about 10 years old to be using.

**Chriso** · 05-08-2008, 10:35 PM

I'm going to be shot for this but..................why not just buy Zima at the store, and use your precious brewing space for beer? I mean, I'm not knocking Zima, it's not terrible, I sure prefer sipping it over Bud Light if I'm outside in the summer. I think in effort-vs-price, I would just pick up a 6'er.

Otherwise, I'd do a hard lemonade, kill the yeast with Campden, keg it, blend it with more lemonade concentrate for flavor, and force carb it.

HOOTER · 05-08-2008, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funkenjaeger

But that still leaves the question of WHY???

That's what I was wondering. Maybe you should just mix some vodka with some sprite and call it good, or just stick to beer 'cause Zima sucks!

JustDave · 05-08-2008, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funkenjaeger

But that still leaves the question of WHY???

Cheaper than a time machine back to the 80s when it was popular?

Edit - My bad, it was early 90s. (seems like so long ago)

BigEd · 05-09-2008, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donasay

So who on here remembers Zima? Does anyone have a recipe, I can make a very lightly colored beer about as light in SRMs as bud light, but I can't seem to figure out how to get it to be clear.

Does anyone have a recipe?

You remember Zima and you still want to make it? Understand that Zima and all those other alcopops old and new aren't brewed like beer they are manufactured. A alcoholic base is made by fermenting some malt and who knows what else and then with various enzymes and filtration processes the liquid is left clear as water. Flavorings and sweeteners are then added to produce the desired final product. Trying to brew it from scratch in one step is probably an exercise in frustration although I have seen claims of success on some of the forums.