Plain Table Sugar Fermentation

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ThunderPanda

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My plan is to just dump a bunch of white sugar (refined sugar) into water, ferment until its like 12%, then have my way with it when it is done. And by that I mean mix it with soda, juice, or whatever, add flavorings, and bottle.

My first batch will probably just be mixed with Ginger ale and then I will add some apple extract to it and maybe color it green. I figure it will taste like a smirnoff ice or something... My bet is that is essentially how they make smirnoff ice, except they use dry malt extract instead of sugar.

Anyone have any experience doing this?
 
It's called a sugar wash and it will taste horrible. If you're really dead-set on doing this I would juice a few lemons and add some zest. I did this trying to create a lemonade of sorts but it came out tasting like alcoholic water. Worst thing I have ever created until I mixed it back in with juice from around 40 lemons.
 
i agree with oldmate. this will taste like rubbing alcohol. this sounds like a job for distillation. too bad its illegal here in the USA.
 
In the long run it will be easier and cheaper just to make a nice recipe for something. You'll spend more money & time on this than it's worth, and in the end it's still hooch. A gallon of Mott's and a package of ale yeast will make a decent batch of cider for less than five dollars and it will be drinkable in a couple of months.

During the past year or so while I was away from HBT doing other things, the whole place seems to have gone crazy for something called skeeter pee. I haven't made it, but it must really be the bee's knees. From the descriptions, I bet you could make a batch of it and flavor it with just about anything this side of a bologna sandwich and it would taste pretty good. Before I sacrificed a bunch of pure sugar to the yeast gods, I think I might give it a whirl. Worth thinking about.
 
In the long run it will be easier and cheaper just to make a nice recipe for something. You'll spend more money & time on this than it's worth, and in the end it's still hooch. A gallon of Mott's and a package of ale yeast will make a decent batch of cider for less than five dollars and it will be drinkable in a couple of months.

During the past year or so while I was away from HBT doing other things, the whole place seems to have gone crazy for something called skeeter pee. I haven't made it, but it must really be the bee's knees. From the descriptions, I bet you could make a batch of it and flavor it with just about anything this side of a bologna sandwich and it would taste pretty good. Before I sacrificed a bunch of pure sugar to the yeast gods, I think I might give it a whirl. Worth thinking about.

funny you say this - I was just going to recommend he give that a try.

I make a consolidated version that I carb up for draft hard lemonade. You can drink it still and it is good too, but I like carbonated. Great for the summer. You can shoot for a high ABV or a more reasonable one. I go for 1.056-1.060.

Check out the link:

it is as easy as:
1. Add sugar and real lemon to water to your gravity
2. Double pitch dry champagne yeast half your nutrient and energizer
3. 24 hours later pitch 1/3 of the lemon and the rest of teh nutrient and energizer
4. Ferment dry and back sweeten to taste (I like dry 1.014 - 1.024 sweet).

the original recipe brings this up to 10 percent. Be careful if you make a draft style. It will punch you in the back of the head if your not careful.

http://skeeterpee.com/

and HBT discussions:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/skeeter-pee-195681/

Oh yeah - this stuff is CHEAP to make and very good.
 
One of my favorite drinks is a quick cider (apple juice and yeast).

Get some apple juice and brewing yeast (I like nottys for cider). I usually pay 2.50 for 96 ounces at wally world. So for under 20 dollars you can have just over 5 gallons of good drinkable cider in 2-3 months. You also don't have to add anything to make it drinkable.

I read about skeeterpee and will try that soon.
 
I've gone the Skeeter Pee route and have been very happy with the first batch out, a strawberry variant. Took it public at a picnic this past weekend and everyone raved about the flavor.

The recipe for Skeeter Pee has us make invert sugar using heat and lemon juice. What is the difference from a taste and fermentation point of view as compared to straight table sugar?
 
One of my favorite drinks is a quick cider (apple juice and yeast).

Get some apple juice and brewing yeast (I like nottys for cider). I usually pay 2.50 for 96 ounces at wally world. So for under 20 dollars you can have just over 5 gallons of good drinkable cider in 2-3 months. You also don't have to add anything to make it drinkable.

I read about skeeterpee and will try that soon.

I just tasted a batch of this very stuff--Walmart juice and Munton's ale yeast. It's not six weeks old, already clear, and goes down smooth as silk. Hard not to like a recipe like that.
 
I figure it will taste like a smirnoff ice or something... My bet is that is essentially how they make smirnoff ice, except they use dry malt extract instead of sugar.

Malt beverages are made by brewing an unhopped high-gravity beer, then filtering it so tightly that the most of the color and flavor are stripped out.

And yes, a straight sugar wash tastes pretty bad.
 
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