I've done the primary open, with a dish towel covering it, to allow oxygen to get to it- then done the secondary with an airlock. I've only used wine yeast for this, so I can't tell you about ale yeast in it.
__________________ Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006
You call me a dog well that's fair enough 'Cause it ain't no use to pretend You're wrong
But when it's my time to throw The next stone I'll call you beautiful if I call at all
Alright guys, question about your experiences making this. I just made my first batch of Hard Lemonade Saturday. I used Minute Maid and added 2.5 pounds of corn sugar (no malt.) I prepared a starter like many on the boards recommended: Champagne Yeast, Water, Sugar & Yeast Nutrient. Once it was bubbling happily, I added a couple ounces of lemonade every 10 minutes or so for about an hour. When that mixture was very active, I pitched it and that was that. Within a couple hours I had a 1/2 inch layer of bubbles and pulp and the airlock was bubbling once every 30-45 seconds. Now it is 72 hours later and it remains just like that. I've got a thin layer of bubbles and pulp at the top, I'm getting a bubble from my airlock every 40 seconds, and nothing else. Is there anything I can do at this point? Should I give it more time? Add more yeast nutrient and/or yeast?
__________________
Primary - Amaterasu Honey Blonde, Orange Blossom Mead
Bottled - Pinot Noir
Drinking - Cthulhu Stout, Santa's Little Helper III, Hard Lemonade
Alright guys, question about your experiences making this. I just made my first batch of Hard Lemonade Saturday. I used Minute Maid and added 2.5 pounds of corn sugar (no malt.) I prepared a starter like many on the boards recommended: Champagne Yeast, Water, Sugar & Yeast Nutrient. Once it was bubbling happily, I added a couple ounces of lemonade every 10 minutes or so for about an hour. When that mixture was very active, I pitched it and that was that. Within a couple hours I had a 1/2 inch layer of bubbles and pulp and the airlock was bubbling once every 30-45 seconds. Now it is 72 hours later and it remains just like that. I've got a thin layer of bubbles and pulp at the top, I'm getting a bubble from my airlock every 40 seconds, and nothing else. Is there anything I can do at this point? Should I give it more time? Add more yeast nutrient and/or yeast?
It sounds like it's fermenting. Wine doesn't usually get explosive, just bubbles along until it's done. When your s.g. doesn't drop any more, it's done! At this point, I'd leave it alone.
__________________ Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006
You call me a dog well that's fair enough 'Cause it ain't no use to pretend You're wrong
But when it's my time to throw The next stone I'll call you beautiful if I call at all
It sounds like it's fermenting. Wine doesn't usually get explosive, just bubbles along until it's done. When your s.g. doesn't drop any more, it's done! At this point, I'd leave it alone.
Ditto. Let it sit doing its job. At day 5 or 6, take a SG reading. Take another one a day later. Just remember to sanitize and be careful. My primary went 9 days for the hard lemonade. It was ready at 8, but I couldn't rack over to secondary on that day. Currently in my secondary I have a small layer of bubbles/pulp mass at the top with a steady rate of bubbling (not vigorous, but its going). Hope that helps...
__________________
Drinking: Brown Ale, Belgian, Apple Ale
Planning: Scotch Ale, Stout
Thanks for the advice. I took a reading last night (as I was brewing and had everything sanitized anyway I figured what the hell,) which was 3 days, and had a reading of 1.070. The OG was 1.076, so it's fermenting, albeit a little slowly. I'll take another one tomorrow (day 5) just to make sure it's at least steadily fermenting.
__________________
Primary - Amaterasu Honey Blonde, Orange Blossom Mead
Bottled - Pinot Noir
Drinking - Cthulhu Stout, Santa's Little Helper III, Hard Lemonade
Things seem to be taking a turn for the worse. After the reading of 1.070 last Tuesday, I took another reading on Friday. Unfortunately it hadn't budged from 1.070. It was a lot fizzier, however. I let it go and took another one today (3 days later) and it had only moved the smallest amount, down to maybe 1.068-1.069. Still fizzy, though.
Thoughts? It's now been 10 days and I've only gone from 1.076-1.069. Somethings gotta give. Any help appreciated
__________________
Primary - Amaterasu Honey Blonde, Orange Blossom Mead
Bottled - Pinot Noir
Drinking - Cthulhu Stout, Santa's Little Helper III, Hard Lemonade
Do you have it in a bucket, or a carboy? If it's in a bucket, give it a great big stir a couple of times a day, stirring so it gets lots and lots of aeration. Cover it with a towel to keep bugs out of it but to allow oxygen to get in it. Keep it at 70-72 degrees if you can. Add some yeast nutrient.
Check the s.g. daily, and if it stops completely, start another yeast starter.
Edit- go ahead and start another yeast starter now. Rehydrate the yeast as the package directions state, adding a pinch of yeast nutrient. After a little while, add a small amount of your must to the starter, diluted in some water. An hour later, do that again. After you have a quart or so of starter and it's going, then add a small amount of must to it. Keep doing that over a day or two until you have a gallon or so going then dump that in the rest of the batch.
__________________ Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006
You call me a dog well that's fair enough 'Cause it ain't no use to pretend You're wrong
But when it's my time to throw The next stone I'll call you beautiful if I call at all
Linear Mode
