Skeeter Pee

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I always start my SP with 2 bottles of Lemon juice, then add additional during fermentation and taste it so it dosent get too tart. (using pretty small Juice bottles 75cl) Have tried once to start with 4 bottles but, was hard to get the fermentation to start. And the taste was not what i wanted.....
 
Started my batch of SP last night. Going the gradual additions of lemon juice route. Had an SG of 1.07. I whipped the heck out of it with a drill whip and pitched a rehydrated 1118 packet. Eight hours overnite and there's no visible airlock activity but I cracked the bucket lid and there's obvious movement with slight fizzing and bubbling. There seems to be quite a bit of yeast hanging out on top, but it all appears to be moving about. Curious if anyone has seen delayed airlock activity with this or if anyone has any thoughts.

Airlock activity does not equal fermentation. I'm sure it's fine. Get a hydrometer reading.
 
That's what I was thinking, just needed to hear it from someone else. It looked like and smelled like fermentation to me. Figured I'd take a reading next Monday before I add the 2nd bottle of juice. Thanks man! :tank:

Airlock activity does not equal fermentation. I'm sure it's fine. Get a hydrometer reading.
 
Anybody ever try this with less lemon juice? I'm on my 2nd batch and thought the first one was just a bit to tart. I haven't added the third bottle yet.

Yes. I made a watermelon batch and only used 2 bottles of lemon juice instead of 3, becasue i was concerned the lemon would odrown out the delicate watermelon flavor. The reduced lemon really made a difference, but I'd have to say it really wasn't my favorite batch. The conclusion i came to is that the lemon juice kinda hides the alcohol bite and other young-wine flavors. For straight lemon pee, reducing the Lemon would not be good idea IMO.

However, after over a dozen batches of pee of various flavors, I've found that I can get other fruit flavors to come through just fine with the normal amt of lemon. And a solution for it being "too tart" might be to add some other fruit flavors to balance out the lemony tartness. Strawberries work well.

Heres how:
2-3 days before making invert syrup w lemon juice. Make a starter in a 1/2 gallon jug (100% juice any type), pour yourself a glass of juice to drink, then add: 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp Nutrient. EC-1118. Shake like crazy, put a balloon on plastic jug (after 5 days dump in and affix lid)

1-2 lbs frozen then thawed fruit in muslin bag in primary

Backsweeten with whatever juice, packets, etc you want as well as sugar.

Between the 1/2 gallon of juice starter & the primary fruit, you will be AMAZED how much flavor comes through just backsweetening with sugar.

One previous poster said his lady liked to add raspberry lemonaide packets to the pee to further sweeten it. To get this right out of the bottle, Just backsweeten it with those same packets + sugar to taste, and let your lady be the assistant taste tester. Some ppl even use Kool-aid packets. Once the yeast is sorbated+Kmeta'd, fermentation stops, so preservatives in Kool-aid , frozen daiquiri mix, etc arent gonna hurt anything. ;)
 
Anyone else had a batch go from 1.07 to a little under 1.05 in a matter of two days? That's adjusting for a temp of about 78 ambient temp. I didn't use a starter, just pitched some rehydrated 1118. I went ahead and added the nutrient and energizer and second bottle of juice.
 
BTW, do NOT drink a whole growler of SP -- over ice in a large glass -- by yourself in an evening. It goes down so easy, you can hurt yourself. (ouch)

Probably best not to put it in a half gallon bottle in the first place.
 
Have my first batch of SP in secondary.
Spent 6 days in primary, started at 1.075 and was at 0.998 when I racked over.
Started with 2 quarts real lemon and added 2/3 of another quart at day 4, used a starter of C1118 and mixed with a whip each day. when I racked to my carboy I had about 20 ozs. left over so I was obligated to add some sugar and ice and drink it. It was deliscious, if this is the result of a batch that is not done yet, I can't wait for the final results :)
I plan on splitting into 1 gallon batches and flavoring 4 of them and just back sweeten the rest.
 
BTW, do NOT drink a whole growler of SP -- over ice in a large glass -- by yourself in an evening. It goes down so easy, you can hurt yourself. (ouch)

Probably best not to put it in a half gallon bottle in the first place.
z-bob, you could probably also post that advice in the, "Don't Do That" thread...
 
Apologies if this question was already asked and answered somewhere within the 249 pages of this thread. I'm wondering if I can go ahead and back sweeten while I'm waiting for the Sparkolloid to settle out or if I need to wait for the Sparkolloid to finish first. More info...

After my skeeter pee fermented out, I added Potassium metabisulfite and sorbate, but I didn't have Sparkolloid on hand. Since then I got some Sparkolloid. I racked to a new carboy and added the Sparkolloid per manufacturer's directions just a few days ago. I'm feeling impatient and want to back sweeten soon so that I can bottle in a few weeks. Can I mix in my 6 cups of sugar now and then wait a few weeks for the Sparkolloid to settle out (and to confirm that fermentation doesn't start back up).

Alternatively, I guess I could just back sweeten at bottling, but the recipe suggests to back sweeten and then wait a few weeks before bottling (to avoid bottle bombs, I’m sure).

Any thoughts from previous experience? Thanks!
 
Yeah. That should work fine. Adding the sulfites and sorbate first is the most important thing. The clarifier won't have an impact on the sugar being added.
 
Since I made the first batch a few years ago, this has been one of the few things I consistently keep in rotation. I just finished bottling 6 gallons of it about a month or so ago... I have 10 bottles left, so I have to make more. This stuff is popular! People I've never met know who I am because of the lemon wine I make!(friend of a friend of a friend kind of thing) I usually never tell them how damn easy this is to make.

When I sweeten this stuff, I typically make a mint-infused simple syrup. Lemon and mint go great together! I've also been tempted to try a lemon and lavender skeeter pee, or even a rosemary pee. Anyone try any herb-infused skeeter pees recently?
 
When I sweeten this stuff, I typically make a mint-infused simple syrup. Lemon and mint go great together! I've also been tempted to try a lemon and lavender skeeter pee, or even a rosemary pee. Anyone try any herb-infused skeeter pees recently?

No, but this is an interesting idea. Ginger or Coriander might also be good. Hibiscus Lemon or Cucumber Lime might also be good, but thats more of a fruit addition i guess

Ive heard of some people steeping teabags in it for the tannins and to get an Arnie Palmer kinda flavor.
 
Since I made the first batch a few years ago, this has been one of the few things I consistently keep in rotation. I just finished bottling 6 gallons of it about a month or so ago... I have 10 bottles left, so I have to make more. This stuff is popular! People I've never met know who I am because of the lemon wine I make!(friend of a friend of a friend kind of thing) I usually never tell them how damn easy this is to make.

When I sweeten this stuff, I typically make a mint-infused simple syrup. Lemon and mint go great together! I've also been tempted to try a lemon and lavender skeeter pee, or even a rosemary pee. Anyone try any herb-infused skeeter pees recently?
Apple_Jacker: Serving with mint has become a mainstay for us. Mint is really easy to grow and my patch has gotten larger every year. I make Mint Granita which is kinda like a sweetened mint slushie. I keep a constant supply in a container in the freezer. When it's time for a Skeeter, I take a tall insulated glass, put in a scoop of mint granita slush, and add Skeeter Pee. The slush keeps it really cold and the mint adds a great taste. People who think Skeeter is too strong also add some lemon-lime soda to the mix. Recipe for mint granita is here: https://www.facebook.com/drink.skeeter.pee/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1091804777501197 or here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mint-granita-109659
 
No, but this is an interesting idea. Ginger or Coriander might also be good. Hibiscus Lemon or Cucumber Lime might also be good, but thats more of a fruit addition i guess

Ive heard of some people steeping teabags in it for the tannins and to get an Arnie Palmer kinda flavor.

I like the ginger idea, and the tea one too. I'll need to add that to the to-brew list.
 
Apple_Jacker: Serving with mint has become a mainstay for us. Mint is really easy to grow and my patch has gotten larger every year. I make Mint Granita which is kinda like a sweetened mint slushie. I keep a constant supply in a container in the freezer. When it's time for a Skeeter, I take a tall insulated glass, put in a scoop of mint granita slush, and add Skeeter Pee. The slush keeps it really cold and the mint adds a great taste. People who think Skeeter is too strong also add some lemon-lime soda to the mix. Recipe for mint granita is here: https://www.facebook.com/drink.skeeter.pee/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1091804777501197 or here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mint-granita-109659

I moved my mint this spring out of a flower bed so I can make room for a second vegetable garden. The part of my yard I moved it to was full of poison ivy... and it almost all died anyway. So unfortunately I'll have to go with overpriced store -bought mint this time.

Question - had anyone used the lemon juice at Aldi for skeeter pee yet? It's Nature's Nectar 100% Lemon Juice.
 
I moved my mint this spring out of a flower bed so I can make room for a second vegetable garden. The part of my yard I moved it to was full of poison ivy... and it almost all died anyway. So unfortunately I'll have to go with overpriced store -bought mint this time.

Question - had anyone used the lemon juice at Aldi for skeeter pee yet? It's Nature's Nectar 100% Lemon Juice.

Yes, it works just fine.
 
Has anyone tried drinking this stuff hot? (like a hot toddy) I have a sore throat this weekend. Whisky/honey/lemon/hot water works, but I can never get the ratio right. Think I might try some hot SP.
 
For my third batch of this (made 2 last year following the official recipe), I decided to make it a Cherry Limeade:

Initial must: 6gal @ 1.064
6.9lb sugar, inverted
32oz lemon concentrate
32oz Lime concentrate
32oz Montgomery Tart Cherry Concentrate ( link ) 1.2lb sugar in it, per the nutrition information
3tsp Fermaid O
tannin
I made a 2L vitality starter (shake a 1gal jug a couple times and pitch at 24 hours, high krausen) with cheep apple juice and 1 packet of Pasteur Red.
hit it with pure oxygen, waited 24hrs, pitched starter. ferment with a towel over the bucket. Initial pH 3.0

late addition
32oz lemon concentrate
1tsp Fermaid O
(switch to an airlock)


It ripped through the 1.064 OG, and when I measured it after 48 hours at 74F, it was already down to 1.015 for the lemon and nutrient addition.

Will report on tasting result when it's done.
 
Has anyone made a "low gravity" variant in the 7 or 8% range? I am worried at 10% this might be too drinkable for some.
 
Has anyone made a "low gravity" variant in the 7 or 8% range? I am worried at 10% this might be too drinkable for some.

Mine will be 8% when it goes from 1.064 to 1.000. You can also cut it with sparkling water when served, or at any time, really. Or use less sugar.
 
I bottled my skeeter pee in Riesling bottles last weekend along with a pomegranate/apple cider. Question: Does SP go through bottle shock and need to rest before drinking or is it pretty much ready to drink?

IMG_2631.JPG
 
Mine that I bottled near a year ago has become better with age.

How in the world do you have skeeter pee from a year ago ?! As soon as I get a batch ready to drink everyone that knows I make it shows up and it's gone .Except for what I hold back and don't tell them about.;)
 
Skeeter Pee? I looked back at the original post to see what skeeter pee is and the link was not active. Can anyone link me to a recipe? THANKS!!
 
Made this as Cherry Limeade.
Used with a yeast packet + 2L apple juice for a starter, and 64oz lemon, 32oz lime, 32oz tart Montgomery cherry concentrate (cherry bay orchards brand), and only back-sweatening with 3.5C sucrose. Other than that I followed all official recipe procedures.

It's very good. (I keg and carb it)
 
Just pitched into 5.5 gallons of the original that I made yesterday. I used a starter of red star DADY because I have a ton of it. Anyone have experience using distillers yeast for this stuff?
 
Has anyone tried using Knox gelatin to clear the Pee instead of Sparkolloid? I've had very good luck using it in wine and beer, but maybe the pH is too low here for it to work well?
 
Just finished back-sweetening a batch of skeeter pee. I am going to call this "Lemon Danger", or "how to get your mother-in-law hammered in 2 glasses." This stuff is so smooth and delicious . . . lemon Kool-aid is harsher. It really makes you want to keep drinking it, and the wonderful pale yellow color is just mesmerizing.
 
I started a 1 gallon batch about a week ago only
I used the frozen lemonade concentrate and a cup of sugar. Red Star Premier Blanc yeast, some energizer and nutrient got a head start. SG was up to 1.080. Air lock started thumping the next day. I plan to rack it to a 2ndary fermenter (1 GAL. Growler) and allow it to drop clear before back sweetening and bottling. Hoping to get some carbonation so it's going into French lemonade bottles with bale and stopper tops.
 
I'm certain this was mentioned somewhere in this thread and I sincerely apologize if I'm repeating. Very sorry. Would a cake from a hard cider fermented with a saison yeast be a sufficient slurry to use ? Really would like to try my hand at the pee. Thanks
 
Dadof5, I don't see why the yeast cake from your cider wouldn't work, provided it's still viable. I think I'd mix it with a little water and nutrient to see if it activates before I tried it in my mix.
 
I'm curious to know if anyone has tried this and what the results were. My plan is to Rack The Cider on to the sorbate and metabisulfite to prepare for backsweetening and to try and preserve the yeast in the carboy and use it for the skeeter pee. What is the process for adding the water and nutrients?
 
Back
Top