Derrick123
Well-Known Member
Hi, just wondering if anyone ever added cut lemons in their skeeter pee or hard lemonade during the first few days of fermentation to give more lemon flavor
Adding lemons
- Thread starter Derrick123
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
I've added lemons to dandelion wine, but never hard lemonade. The reason is that hard lemonade can be a tough ferment- the must is very acidic and the yeast don't really like it.
If you want to add lemons, you could do it after fermentation takes off I'd guess.
If you want to add lemons, you could do it after fermentation takes off I'd guess.
Jacob_Marley
Well-Known Member
You have to be careful as to the amount of lemon peel you introduce as part of adding the lemon pieces.
Lemon oil can make wine undrinkable, not from the taste - but from stomach upset.
This is particularly the case when peel is added to the secondary where the alcohol helps to extract the oils and for a longer period of time (as the wine is in the secondary for a much longer time).
I would also be careful in the primary as well ... though I'd think it might be a little less prone to problems.
It's been a while since I used a larger quantity of peel in anything, but if memory serves, as an initial rule of thumb the total peel should not exceed about 3/4 of a medium lemon's worth of *peel* per gallon ... that would be very approximately - and even that (in the secondary in any case) might possibly be too much.
I'd certainly run some (gallon) test batches before treating a larger quantity such as 5 gallons ... whether added to the primary or the secondary.
As for flavor - peel does add a strong lemon flavor. It's a careful add though.
Lemon oil can make wine undrinkable, not from the taste - but from stomach upset.
This is particularly the case when peel is added to the secondary where the alcohol helps to extract the oils and for a longer period of time (as the wine is in the secondary for a much longer time).
I would also be careful in the primary as well ... though I'd think it might be a little less prone to problems.
It's been a while since I used a larger quantity of peel in anything, but if memory serves, as an initial rule of thumb the total peel should not exceed about 3/4 of a medium lemon's worth of *peel* per gallon ... that would be very approximately - and even that (in the secondary in any case) might possibly be too much.
I'd certainly run some (gallon) test batches before treating a larger quantity such as 5 gallons ... whether added to the primary or the secondary.
As for flavor - peel does add a strong lemon flavor. It's a careful add though.
