Skeeter Pee instructions using dry yeast?

does anyone have a brief writeup on making skeeter pee using a dry yeast instead of a slurry? I know its not as easy, but if anyone can share their method that worked id appreciate it.

What type of dry yeast?
When to add the lemon juice?

I went all in on mine. Added all of the sugar and juice all at once.

Pitched two sachet of Red Star Montrachet in 5 gallons. I waited until I saw activity and then aerated again and mix in the second dose of Nutrient and energizer.

The Montrachet chewed through it at 75*F ambient for several weeks and took the use of the Sparkalloid to make it drop. Montrachet is very lowly flocculant. never did take Hydro readings so I have no idea how attentuated it is. Given the vigour of the yeast and how long it fermented I can only expect it is very, very dry prior to the chemical genocide and back sweetening.

Kegged it last night and have yet to even sample it.

I started a batch of skeeter pee this weekend. Didnt have a slurry, so I decided to try to start it with dry yeast. I made the "must" as per the original recipe.

I decide to try to get a yeast starter going al la Yoopers Hard lemonade.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f79/hard-lemonade-68144/


If it worked for her recipe, it probably would work for Skeeter Pee.

So, I rehydrated a pack of EC-1118 in 2 cups warm water and 2 tbsp sugar. Once this got going, I added a cup or two of must every hour, making sure that it was bubbling away before I added the next round of must. Once I had about 1/2 gallon of starter, I put an airlock on the starter and let it work overnight .

I pitched the yeast starter into the fermenter and it seems to be going well, Its bubbling slowly, but its working. Ive been stirring the must a couple of times a day to introduce oxygen.

So far so good.

When it gets down to 1.050, I'll add the third bottle of lemon juice, some nutrient and energizer.

I got a question....... Started my batch and working on the starter doing small additions (1 wine theif) as the foam got built up.

Then I added two theifs worth and all activity has stopped. Ive been stiring it up and nothing.

I am wondering if I haved killed off the yeasts or just need to wait?
advise?

Just wait, it will come around. My batch that I started on Saturday night isn't showing much activity, but the gravity is going down.

mux11 said:

I got a question....... Started my batch and working on the starter doing small additions (1 wine theif) as the foam got built up.

Then I added two theifs worth and all activity has stopped. Ive been stiring it up and nothing.

I am wondering if I haved killed off the yeasts or just need to wait?
advise?

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As you add more and more slurry to your starter, the bubbling will slow down. In fact if you look at my original post, you can see from the pictures that each successive addition knocked down the activity.

Also don't expect high levels of activity when you add the starter to the must. There is only a perceivable fine bubbling until the second addition of nutrient.

Hope this helps

Well , pitched starter last night and checked this morning to a good bit of activity. So excited to have this going so well. Thanks !
Hit og at 1.070- temp holding at 75f in water bath with heater.

mux11 said:

Well , pitched starter last night and checked this morning to a good bit of activity. So excited to have this going so well. Thanks !
Hit og at 1.070- temp holding at 75f in water bath with heater.

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The 75 degree bath will help a lot.

HOLY SMACK! checked the gravity and its at 1.052 - at right about 24hr mark.
Guess Ill be doing the second addition of Lemon Juice, energizer, and nutrient shortly.
This is really coming along quick

It's been a really cool Spring in the Northern states. I think that means we're in for a hot Summer. At the rate your SP is going though, it'll be ready to drink by the first hot day we get.

Well, batch ready for bottling. WOO HOO! I was a little suprized about the winey flavors. Is this normal for this recipe to taste like wine? Wife said it was good like a mascoto.

mux11 said:

Well, batch ready for bottling. WOO HOO! I was a little suprized about the winey flavors. Is this normal for this recipe to taste like wine? Wife said it was good like a mascoto.

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It is essentially a lemon wine. Keeping the alcohol level down below 9-10% helps stave off the winey flavor and allows more lemon to push through.

Captive said:

It is essentially a lemon wine. Keeping the alcohol level down below 9-10% helps stave off the winey flavor and allows more lemon to push through.

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Thanks Lon!!
So (sorry for the new-b question), would you do this by moving to secondary when final gravity is reached and adding the clarifiers?
Many thanks!
james

You should do it by adjusting your SG. Once this wine gets going it WILL ferment out to the low end of the scale. EVERY ONE of my batches has gone to or below .990 (on my Hydro). So you'll need to adjust the sugar up front to get you where you want to be at the end. If you have good yeast and active fermentation it will get there no problem.
When I say good active fermentation... mine looks champagne... constantly fizzing bubbles up the side of the carboy (i've been using Carboy primary after pitching). It's kind of hypnotic. My last 2 batches fermented out that way for 2 weeks.

Reaver said:

... constantly fizzing bubbles up the side of the carboy ................It's kind of hypnotic. ..

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I whipped up a batch of hard lemonade 12 days ago hoping it would be ready for a family gathering this coming weekend. Last Saturday, I combined 2 half gallon carboys into a newly emptied 1 gallon jug (I love racking and taste testing!!).

The little bubbles started up the side right away and actually seem to be gaining strength instead of slowing. I'm going to have to decide tonight if I'm going to bottle it a little early and hope for the best or just leave it behind and tell everybody they are out of luck.

Anyhoo, yes, it is hypnotizing, like moving water or a flame.

Winepig said:

I whipped up a batch of hard lemonade 12 days ago hoping it would be ready for a family gathering this coming weekend. Last Saturday, I combined 2 half gallon carboys into a newly emptied 1 gallon jug (I love racking and taste testing!!).

The little bubbles started up the side right away and actually seem to be gaining strength instead of slowing. I'm going to have to decide tonight if I'm going to bottle it a little early and hope for the best or just leave it behind and tell everybody they are out of luck.

Anyhoo, yes, it is hypnotizing, like moving water or a flame.

Click to expand...

You're prob gonna be out of luck. Mine took 5-6 weeks before finishing, stabilizing, fining, and sweetening. You prob will be finished fermenting, but you won't have time to clear it. If it was me, I'd hold off and do it right instead of serving something less than finished.

geniz said:

.......... you won't have time to clear it.....

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Yeah, clearing was going to be a non issue. I figured we were going to have to strain it through our teeth... LOL

There are going to be over 20 people and I only have a gallon so it's pretty much just going to be a taste test for them.

I think I'm going to leave it behind though. I have a couple of beer bottles full from the last good batch. I'll prolly take that and sneak it to a couple of the wine aficionados.

How did everyone like it? I just made a bad of skeeter pee today and pitched dry yeast instead of slurry. I used Red Star Premier Cuvee. I pitched my dry yeast right out of the packet into the pee. It was probably a little on the warm side. I know the instructions say to sit it for a a day or two with a dish towel over top of it.

I am also wondering if this gets carbonated? How long to wait to drink it once it is bottled?

The first batch was so good the second is ready to drink, and we have been
Did decrease the suggar just a bit and got more lemon and less 'wine' flavors. Definately yummie. Had a friend that I gave a bottle to who said, "Now that I would buy at the store." made me smile big.

Has anybody used beer yeast with this recipe? I have a cream ale with a 1056 yeast cake that I am going to try.

So I've gotta ask. Wife likes it as writen. If I wanted to try a bottle carbed up is there an easy way to do this?
Perhaps pull off a bottle before the finings ~ but then how to get the sweetness?
Sorry No co2 yet, or would you for one or two bottles?
thoughts?

I've made 35 gallons of skeeter pee with dry yeast. Start with about 4 gallons of water and add everything except the lemon juice. When you have good fermentation going in about a day start adding lemon juice slowly over a 2 or 3 day period as long as you have good fermentation. I use B1112 and never had a problem

mux11 said:

So I've gotta ask. Wife likes it as writen. If I wanted to try a bottle carbed up is there an easy way to do this?
Perhaps pull off a bottle before the finings ~ but then how to get the sweetness?
Sorry No co2 yet, or would you for one or two bottles?
thoughts?

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Look at this thread on stove top pasturization.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/
it is a sticky also in the cider forum. Basically you don't stablize, but bottle in preasure bottles (ie not wine bottles - use beer, champagine or soda) and then after 3 or 4 days sample and pasturize the rest. with about 10 mins in 190F starting temp water. (yeast dies at about 110-115F, but you need enough heat to warm all the lemon wine)