to all the beer geniuses on homebrewtalk

Dear beer oracles,

i am getting the itch to make a new beer after a long sabbatical away from homebrewing. here is what i am thinking. (By the way, i am an extreme novice. So you are about to be asked some extremely dumb questions). i am going to make a two 2.5 gallon batches. One i will add lime juice (juice from 3-4 limes) and one i will add lemon juice (juice from 3-4 lemons) . Once fermentation is complete, i plan to do a 50/50 mix of cane sugar and kool-aid (limeade and lemonade) to enhance the fruit flavor (so i like fruity beers, big whoop, wanna fight about it. Sorry family guy reference).

1.) i only have a 5 gallon carboy and 5 gallon bucket, will the amount of head space be a problem for a 2.5 gallon batch?

2.) is the mix of cane sugar to kool-aid correct? Any concerns with using kool-aid?

3.) is American Wheat ale a good base beer for this? i will be using the extract kit from northern brewer.

thank you,
the extract novice

p.s. Sorry for the grammar.

The headspace is fine for primary.

I'd double think the kook-aid, and maybe be ready to dump it, I don't see that going well with artificial sweeteners and flavorings...

And someone with more experience will have to chime in on the lemon/lime juice, maybe using the zest and/or aging on the actual fruit would be better because of the high acidity of those fruits.

From experience, I have tasted an attempt at a Limeaide beer that used an American wheat as the base...it, was, well...fairly terrible.

I would also agree with d3track on the kool-aid factor. You could be dumping quite a bit of beer.

Why not try this: if your heart is set on a wheat beer, make a good, basic American wheat but just make the full 5 gallons. Once bottled, carbed and ready to drink, and you still want to try the kool-aid, lemon, lime experiment, just add it to the finished beer. You can slowly blend the kool-aid with a bottle.

My guess is that you will end up dumping less and you can figure out whatever ratio is right for your palate.

Just my $0.02.

If you like the citrus flavor combined with a light wheat, try this recipe (I believe there is reference to an extract version a few pages in):

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f70/zest-bomb-citrus-wheat-pale-ale-264163/

I made a variation of this beer last year for a beer fest and it was amazing. Very light, hybrid Pale Ale/Wheat with a great citrus kick to it. Very popular at the fest I was at. You might save yourself some experimentation.

I don't have experience attempting what you are thinking about. I guess what I would do to start is go buy a couple good examples of a straightforward american wheat (boulevard or something like that depending on where you live) and mixing up some ratios of what you are thinking about doing in a glass. If it does not taste good like that, it definitely won't taste good as a homebrew.

I do think american wheat is a good base beer to experiment with various fruit type possibilities. Make sure to use a relatively neutral yeast...... you don't want to use a german hefeweizen yeast for example that might give you lots of other flavors on top of any fruit you are going for.

When you add the sugar (I assume to sweeten the beer?) don't forget it will ferment out. So, you'd have the fake kool-aid flavor, but without the sugar. Sugar is fermentable, and will not leave sweetness behind.

I'd rethink this plan as the citrus fruits will be tart and bitter once the sugars in the fruits ferment out, and the kool-aid without sugar may taste poor as well.

You like fruity beers huh?

Do a big flameout/hopstand addition with Citra and Mosaic (around 2 oz), dry hop with copious amounts of Citra and Mosaic (2-4 oz).

Fruity as all get out.

I do not see a kool-aid addition ending anywhere but down the drain. That being said, I would definitely hate killing any creativity, so I will try to give you some advice on what you are trying to do:

I would just make the kool-aid/juice/sugar mixture ahead of time and add it to your glass prior to adding the beer. This will save you from dooming an entire batch if it doesnt work out, or works out initially but changes with time.

If this isnt what you wanted to hear, try using the zest from your citrus in the boil. Also, use a non-fermenting sweetner, e.g. xylitol. This will provide sweetness and the yeast will not be able to turn it into alcohol, CO2, and off flavors.

Yooper said:

When you add the sugar (I assume to sweeten the beer?) don't forget it will ferment out. So, you'd have the fake kool-aid flavor, but without the sugar. Sugar is fermentable, and will not leave sweetness behind.



I'd rethink this plan as the citrus fruits will be tart and bitter once the sugars in the fruits ferment out, and the kool-aid without sugar may taste poor as well.

Click to expand...

They could maybe add lactose instead of cane sugar so it won't ferment out

I have to agree with everyone on the kool-aid thing. I wouldn't do it. Why not just make a nice hefe and do a summer shandy with it? Add some homemade lemonade to the finished beer? You can use lemon zest too in the boil or make a lemon extract with the zest and some vodka.

Awesome thanks guys.

i think you guys are right. i am really nervous about the whole kool-aid thing. i will try mixing the beer with the juices to see how they taste.

to clarify, i will be putting the lemon/lime juice during the boil. i will be adding the kool-aid to the priming sugar for carbonation.


oh no...i have to drink more beer

I concur with the others. Fermenting Kool-aid will be an awful product.

But, it might make a nice shandy when mixed with a beer at drinking time. For someone else, anyway...

I use all natural fruit juice. When I brew the base, I cut back on the water(reduce to accommodate the 1/2 gallon juice addition). I then add all natural juice to the base in secondary(1/2 gallon to 2 gallons of base wheat). I have won Golds for my Cherry, Cactus, Caramel Apple and Cherry Lime aide wheat beers. My Huckleberry/Black Pepper just confused the judges, they just couldn't see the two together.

You can add the juice of the lemons and limes but I think you would be better off also using the zest of a couple of them. Zest keeps the aroma and flavor better than citrus juice.

if it's fruity beer you like, do it right.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f75/