Hard Raspberry Lemonade

[Supergravi]

Started 6 gallons of hard raspberry lemonade last nite. Used beer yeast and 6 pounds of sugar (1 lb sugar per gallon). Also used a yeast nutrient. OG 1.085.

First time trying hard lemonade, so I have a few questions.

I plan on carbonating. Do I need to stabilize/neutralize at some point? Should I carbonate as I do my beer? (priming sugar before bottling).

I plan on letting it ferment out, which will make it dry. May backsweeten depending on taste.

 

[Gunfighter04]

Yeast will struggle with lemonade due to the Low PH, keep an eye on it for activity. What was your OG? depending upon the yeast type you can calculate what type of attenuation you will get and estimate the FG, the lower the FG the greater chance that you will have to backsweeten.

Letting it go to full attenuation will negate the need to neutralize it. Since it's lemonade, the need for clarity isn't there so just let it run it's course, and backsweeten to taste

 

[Supergravi]

OG 1.085. If I go to full attenuation, do I need to be concerned about how I backsweeten? What are my carbonation concerns?

 

[Gunfighter04]

How are you carbing? Kegging or bottling?

Backsweetening is pretty subjective. I've just used the concentrate if it's pre-sweetened. If it isn't just mix a syrup of concentrate and sugar then add it incrementally until it's at your desired sweetness.

If you are bottling then back sweetening will act the same as priming beer.

 

[Supergravi]

Good deal. I think my concern on backsweetening was based on the thought that I was going to stabilize before attenuation. I am bottling, so I will let my backsweetening act of the primer sugar for carbonation as well.

 

[Supergravi]

Also- what if I wanted to backsweeten but not carbonate? Use a stabilizer?

 

[howabouttheiris]

I use Splenda for backsweetening, it is a non-fermentable. (2 cups per 5g of lemonade is about correct for my taste)
I dont use stabilizer.

 

[Supergravi]

I got a day's worth of fermenting, as in watching co2 release airlock. Hoping it fermented long enough and did not stall. Going to rack Saturday and take a gravity reading. It it is off, can I safely restart fermentation? OG 1.085

 

[TopherM]

Why rack so fast?? At a OG of 1.085, it is going to take 2-3 week MINIMUM for this to ferment out. Just let it sit!

 

[marsbike]

Mmmm. Sounds kinda like a modified skeeter pee.

 

[Supergravi]

I usually let it sit for 5-7, re-rack and wait another 7 days. Just surprised I am not getting more airlock action. It came and went. The beer I started on the same nite is still bubbling away. I plan on letting the hard lemonade go to full attenuation.

 

[Supergravi]

Still fermenting nicely. Ended up being a seal issue. 1.085 OG. Gravity on 6/23, 1.070. Gravity 6/26, 1.055.

Still debating on whether to carbonate or not - maybe 1/2 and 1/2.

Using a priming sugar for carbonating - how much sweetness will that add? Should I also include a non-fermenting sugar if I think it's too dry?

 

[Supergravi]

Have decided to carbonate this. Can I use regular table sugar for the priming sugar? If so, how much would recommend for gallons of lemonade?