dderemiah

Recipes 

I have a gallon of Mango Lemonade I wanted to try making hard. It is made from concentrate but already hidrated. What should I start the SG at to give me a sweet 7-8% final? Should I let it ferment all the way or will that give me a dry wine instead of hard lemonade? Should I add nutrient? What kind of yeast is best? I have the following on hand:

EC1118
Red Star Champaine
Red Star Montrechet
yeast nutrient
grape tanin
pectic enzyme
white or brown sugar
honey
some bottled water

a couple 1 Gallon carboys and airlock. Here is my idea of a recipe:
1Gal Mango Lemonade and sugar mix to SG 1.065
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/8 tsp nutrient
1 gram Red Star Montrechet

mix a cup of lemonade mix with pectic nutrient and yeast at 78 deg for an hour or so to start it. Vigorous stir of the rest of the liquid to aerate it and pitch the yeast starter. air lock it and check SG when bubbling slows down. rack and stabilize at 1.000 SG. Drink? How long does hard lemonade typically take? 3-4 weeks?

Teromous

Recipes 

The only real things that I forsee being an issue, are the yeast fermenting past 1.000 before you notice it, and the lemonade being too dry and not sweet enough. You could try a lower gravity to help control the alcohol level and sugar consumption, then backsweeten it after it's done fermenting and has undergone stabilization. Just a suggestion...I haven't ever fermented a hard lemonade, just mixed alcohol into lemonade

dderemiah

Recipes 

If I start at 1.055 and it goes to .990 that will get me around 8.8% I don't think it will go that far though. If it makes it to 1.000 that will be 7.5% So I think that is the range I will shoot for. You're right, I am going to let it go dry and then back sweeten. I am not sure what the pH is. Should I be concerned of that?

Teromous

Recipes 

I don't think you have to worry about the pH level in a hard lemonade. If it tastes too tart when you start, just water it down some. If it's too bland, just use more mix