Skeeter Pee

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I boiled it for 5 minutes or so. It didnt really seem to dissolve that well. Sorta looked like cloudy water with some dirt in the bottom. I can now see that "dirt" in the bottom of my carboy.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'd like to have this bottled by next weekend.

You could try a different fining agent. How much sparkolloid did you use? Maybe you didn't use enough?
 
GenIke said:
This is my first batch so I'm not sure if I did it right...

I boiled it for 5 minutes or so. It didnt really seem to dissolve that well. Sorta looked like cloudy water with some dirt in the bottom. I can now see that "dirt" in the bottom of my carboy. Should it have been totally dissolved before I added?

I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'd like to have this bottled by next weekend. Can I hit again with sparkoloid? I also have a pack of super kleer.

I don't user sparkoloid it takes forever to work. I use super kleer, it works within 24 hrs every time.
 
I don't user sparkoloid it takes forever to work. I use super kleer, it works within 24 hrs every time.

I actually ended up using the super kleer I have. I just added the first packet. When should I add the second? The package says 1-24 hours...?
 
GenIke said:
I actually ended up using the super kleer I have. I just added the first packet. When should I add the second? The package says 1-24 hours...?

If I remember I add it within the first 1-3 hrs. :)
 
GenIke said:
It was pretty late so I went to bed. When I woke up to add the second part it was already completely clear. I added the second part anyway and gave it a stir.

Yeah I've done the same, but it works so good. I'll never use anything else again. Only issue is that it REALLY stinks lol
 
Well I gotta say I am pretty impressed with this. My wife and I like dry wines after clearing this using Kieselsol and chitosan for a few days. I am getting a distinct sulphite smell however, is it possible to vacuum rack that out? Or perhaps I should leave it in. On another note I think the fining agent has stripped some of the lemon out and I am thinking of not back sweetening

Ps I used 1/2 teaspoon of P metabisulfite as the original recipe called for. I am thinking next time to use 1/4. Everything I have read about the sulphite issue leads toward ... be patient and give it some time
 
Bottled mine up this evening. Had about 1/2 a bottle left in the bottling bucket so I pour it over some ice.....OMG this stuff is good :rockin:
 
How long did it take from start to bottles?
I'll check my notes when I get home but I'm thinking about 6-7 weeks. That includes the 10-14 day wait after the Sparkolloid (sp?) addition for it to clear and waiting a couple of weeks after back sweetening it.
 
I'll check my notes when I get home but I'm thinking about 6-7 weeks. That includes the 10-14 day wait after the Sparkolloid (sp?) addition for it to clear and waiting a couple of weeks after back sweetening it.

I backsweetened my most recent batch at bottling and it turned out just fine. The sugar dissolves right away.
 
I backsweetened my most recent batch at bottling and it turned out just fine. The sugar dissolves right away.
It does dissolve fast but I was following the directions and they recommend waiting a bit to make sure it doesn't restart the fermentation with the addition of the sugar. Since this is my first attempt at this particular brew I followed the directions.
 
Thought I would give it a try ......


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Looking at my brewing notes: (all according to provided instructions)

5-18 - OG of 1.070
5-20 - Pitched yeast - Lalvin EC-1118
5-27 - Gravity of 1.040, added more energizer, yeast nutrient and last bottle of lemon jiuce.
5-30 - Gravity at 1.014
5-31 - Racked to clean carboy, gravity 1.008
6-2 - Gravity .998 - Added Kmeta, Sorbate and Sparkolloid
6-16 - Added 6 cups of sugar to back sweeten
6-29 - Bottled, gravity at 1.020

Final ABV at 9.45%. I have had it over ice and also as a 50-50 mix with lemonade. It's outstanding :mug:
 
Looking at my brewing notes: (all according to provided instructions)

5-18 - OG of 1.070
5-20 - Pitched yeast - Lalvin EC-1118
5-27 - Gravity of 1.040, added more energizer, yeast nutrient and last bottle of lemon jiuce.
5-30 - Gravity at 1.014
5-31 - Racked to clean carboy, gravity 1.008
6-2 - Gravity .998 - Added Kmeta, Sorbate and Sparkolloid
6-16 - Added 6 cups of sugar to back sweeten
6-29 - Bottled, gravity at 1.020

Final ABV at 6.56%. I have had it over ice and also as a 50-50 mix with lemonade. It's outstanding :mug:

Your Abv is wrong its actually 9.45% :mug: although as smooth as this stuff has come out for me I could easily see someone telling me its 6% instead of almost 10 and not giving it a second thought :D
 
Is 6 cups about right for back sweetening? This is my first batch. That seems like a bit much, but I have no idea really.
 
Is 6 cups about right for back sweetening? This is my first batch. That seems like a bit much, but I have no idea really.

Depends on how sweet you like it. The recipe calls for 6 cups so I'd follow the recipe if this is your first batch. You can always make more and adjust the sugar for taste
 
Your Abv is wrong its actually 9.45% :mug: although as smooth as this stuff has come out for me I could easily see someone telling me its 6% instead of almost 10 and not giving it a second thought :D
I thought that might be the case but it's so smooth and easy drinking I figured there is no way it could be that high. :drunk:
 
Is 6 cups about right for back sweetening? This is my first batch. That seems like a bit much, but I have no idea really.
I think mine turned out perfect with 6 cups. I know some folks do less and sweeten to taste when they are drinking instead of sweetening the entire batch.
 
I gave away a few bottles and it was very well received. I now have another batch getting ready to be pitched.

And I liked it as well.
 
GenIke said:
Is 6 cups about right for back sweetening? This is my first batch. That seems like a bit much, but I have no idea really.

Don't know if anyone else has had this issue, but I sweeten to about half that and it'd still a little sweet to my taste, now now that I'm on the second half of the keg, it's starting to get tart again. Is that just me? Or did I get all of the sugar in the first pints I pulled?
 
Don't know if anyone else has had this issue, but I sweeten to about half that and it'd still a little sweet to my taste, now now that I'm on the second half of the keg, it's starting to get tart again. Is that just me? Or did I get all of the sugar in the first pints I pulled?

No expert: sounds to me like some of the BS sugar was fermented before all the yeast died.
 
Hello all. I am feeling pretty sick today with the worst head cold ever. And I have to say skeeter pee makes the BEST HOT TODDY EVER! 2 parts SP, 1 part water, 1 bag of Earl grey tea, microwave for 1 minute. Then mix in two tbs of honey for one large glass. Another 45 seconds in the microwave and done. OMG this stuff is nice. Makes me forget the soar throat and gives me a smile.

Ok I just wanted to share.
 
Just finished kegging our first run of this about 20 minutes ago. Made two 5 gallon batches. One for a camping trip and another still waiting in the carboy since I have a feeling this wont last the weekend. Had about a half gallon more than the keg could handle so I popped the rest into a container and its chilling in the fridge. Cant wait until later tonight to break into it while watching soccer. I have a feeling once my kegerator gets done this will have a permanent tap during the summer. We added the sugar on the backend in one cup at a time until we got it to our liking. We found between 4-5 cups to be the sweet spot for us. I usually dislike wine but this really doesnt have the wine taste to me.
 
I have had mine kegged at 12 psi for 3 weeks and it still isnt carbed no leaks anywhere does anyone know why that would happen?
 
Is the keg at room temperature or is it cold? If its cold then there has to be a leak somewhere. Get a spray bottle of Starsan and spray it along the line and at the top of the keg, it will bubble where the leak is. I've had leaks before on the ball lock connector that I couldn't see or hear until I tried this and found the leak.
 
I have had mine kegged at 12 psi for 3 weeks and it still isnt carbed no leaks anywhere does anyone know why that would happen?

Skeeter pee, even under carbonation won't be similar to a carbonated beer. Think more like nearly flat seltzer water, at best.

I've had some carbed for months and it's barely sparkling.

If you wanted it carbed more like soda, you'd need a much higher psi and much longer serving lines.
 
I just racked my batch into a 5 gallon carboy. I must have filled my 6.5 gallon primary up too full cause I got enough for the 5 gallon carboy, an extra gallon in a plastic pitcher (Oh, darn... :) ) , and a 12 oz glass. The 12 oz glass was for me, of course... I back sweetened the glass with a little liquid stevia to give it some sweetness. It was fine for me but my wife thought it needed more. I did love it though! It was a little cloudy and a slight yeasty aroma, but I'm suspecting that will diminish some after my fining agent...

Also, just stopped by the store to get the ingredients for another batch tonight. So I remember reading that its not recommended to repitch on the previous SP yeast cake. Could I still do that though? What's the worst that could happen?
 
If you catch the yeast quick then you can pitch off the old cake. Worst thing that could happen is nothing. Then your forced to make a big starter. I say go for it and don't look back.
 
My first batch turned out ok. Still has a bit of a wine taste, but I think if I'd not rushed it, there would have been less of that. I backsweetened with 4 cups sugar. I think I will try 5 next time and compare.
 
My repitch didn't take off as I would have liked so I pitched some Montrachet. It may have not taken off due to cold crashing the batch, but no harm, no foul, I had activity with 24 hours.

I just had some of my first batch. Back sweetened 12 oz. with 2 tablespoons. Equivalent to 5 cups per 5 gallons and had to add just a tad more to make it just right. I also detected a slight wine note, but no doubt that it was lemonade. This stuff is dangerous!! Sooo good. Glad I made this. I'll definitely have this around all the time!
 
chalkdust41485 said:
My repitch didn't take off as I would have liked so I pitched some Montrachet. It may have not taken off due to cold crashing the batch, but no harm, no foul, I had activity with 24 hours.

I just had some of my first batch. Back sweetened 12 oz. with 2 tablespoons. Equivalent to 5 cups per 5 gallons and had to add just a tad more to make it just right. I also detected a slight wine note, but no doubt that it was lemonade. This stuff is dangerous!! Sooo good. Glad I made this. I'll definitely have this around all the time!


That is interesting. I posted a while back and said that I really do not like wine and many had said it was nothing like wine. So I did a batch and sweetened one gallon with 1.25 cups of sugar and a can of frozen lemonade as I had used a bit too much water and the taste was a bit weak. While defiantly lemon it still has a wine like quality. I am going to do the other four gallons with cranberry, lime, grape and peach juices. Maybe I will test the lemon with a bit more sugar. Nothing against the recipe or anyone, but I was excited about this and finally getting to drink it was a bit of a letdown for me personally.
 
Since my initial batch is about half gone I'm going to start another this evening. I've been doing 50-50 mixes with lemonade and with some Countrytime brand 1/2 lemonade- 1/2 iced tea mix, it's delicious.

This time I'm going to add Raspberry flavoring at bottling and see how that tastes. :)
 
ChrisL_ said:
That is interesting. I posted a while back and said that I really do not like wine and many had said it was nothing like wine. So I did a batch and sweetened one gallon with 1.25 cups of sugar and a can of frozen lemonade as I had used a bit too much water and the taste was a bit weak. While defiantly lemon it still has a wine like quality. I am going to do the other four gallons with cranberry, lime, grape and peach juices. Maybe I will test the lemon with a bit more sugar. Nothing against the recipe or anyone, but I was excited about this and finally getting to drink it was a bit of a letdown for me personally.

Mix a can of frozen limeade with one gallon of sweetened SP.
 
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