Stuck Hard Raspberry Limeade...Can it be saved?

I've put together a raspberry limeade as follows:

- 8 Cans Limeade Concentrate
- 4 Cans Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate
- 1 lb. Dextrose
- 0.5 lb. Table Sugar
- 2 pkg. Red Star Champagne Yeast

- 5 oz. Priming Sugar
- 0.5 lb. Lactose (for sweetening, at bottling)

OG = 1.076

After thoroughly mixing the top ingredients I added the Red Star yeast. It never began fermenting. I added yeast nutrient after a couple of days. No luck. After several days I made a yeast started using 2 pkgs. Lavin EC1118 Champagne yeast. After it started I added 2 oz. of the limeade mixture. Even with the little amount of mixture added the yeast seemed to come to a halt. Is this redeemable? Help would be greatly appreciated!

Just a thought -- is there a preservative in the concentrate that is killing the yeast?

My only other thoughts have to do with oxygenation (seems unlikely, though)

Maybe add some yeast nutrient and yeast energizer?

Make a starter with the same yeast. EC-1118 should be able to do it. Once the starter is at high krausen (I'd give it a few hours at least) start adding some of the must to it. I would add at a rate of one cup per hour for 3 or so hours to acclimatise the yeast to the acidity of the must. After this, pitch into your vessel with some more nutrient/energiser and you should be good to go. Before you pitch make sure that you have given it a very good shake to get some oxygen into solution.

Edit: Woops, I didn't see that you've already made a starter. In this case, go to your local brew shop and purchase some pottasium bicarbonate and whatever they have to determine pH (universal indicator, pH strips etc.) then follow the directions to lower the pH. ALSO make sure that the concentrates you used did not have and additives that might be suppressing the yeast. Finally, take a hydrometer reading to see if it has actually started fermentation but you're not seeing any visible signs. Don't rely on airlock activity!

oldmate said:

In this case, go to your local brew shop and purchase some pottasium bicarbonate and whatever they have to determine pH (universal indicator, pH strips etc.) then follow the directions to lower the pH. ALSO make sure that the concentrates you used did not have and additives that might be suppressing the yeast. Finally, take a hydrometer reading to see if it has actually started fermentation but you're not seeing any visible signs. Don't rely on airlock activity!

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So I'm wondering what additives am I looking for that could have killed the yeast? If they do contain some is there any way of getting around it? I haven't checked the ph levels but that sounds good. Will it affect the batch in any other ways? Thanks!

Potassium sorbate is the most common one, it hinders yeast reproduction. Just go through the list and if there are anything that isn't lime/lemon juice, water, sugar or ascorbic acid, post back here. Usually the easiest thing to do is mix the must VERY vigourously after adding some warm water OR by making a big starter.

HOOOORAY! I checked the ingredients and they do not contain any additives. I added some yeast nutrient to the started I made with the Lavin EC1118. I checked the gravity and it was down from 1.076 to 1.060. I did add some water while trying to make diluted starters but it wasn't enough to change the gravity that much. I put the EC1118 started into the carboy last night and by this morning it is taking off! I tried aerating a couple of days ago which may have helped this as well. Thanks for all of the help!