Skeeter Pee - Starting with Dry Yeast

[jguy898]

Just a suggestion for all those out there brewing up your skeeter, try 71B !

I've always had bad experiences using "Dry" yeasts and champaigne strands like 1118, they blow way too much flavor out the airlock. (not to mention bouquet).
I have now fermented two batches of skeeter, both at 5%, using the same lees and I may not even sweeten these batches because they are so fruity. I highly recomend using your favourite yeasts instead of the champaigne yeast that the recipe calls for.
jm2c's.

 

[Reaver]

Bottled my first batch of D.Y.S.P. and it tasted great! Lemon came thru alot better this time and super clear. (i'll have to tag a picture in later.)
I admit it was my lack of skill and planning that made the first batch less appealing. But the dry yeast setup is going to work very well for me. I'm starting a pipeline of this for the summer. Just picked up another Carboy yesterday for the pipeline.


First batch didn't clear this well... Probably operator error... so I really liked seeing this on the 2nd batch.

 

[BeerCutter]

Yep, looks great when it's clear!

 

[WIP]

WOW! that is water clear. I don't know what to think. You could add food coloring and make it neon pink or something. lol

 

[CidahMastah]

Yep, looks great when it's clear!

mine was very clear like that too - did you start from dry yeast? Or a used yeast cake?

 

[BeerCutter]

mine was very clear like that too - did you start from dry yeast? Or a used yeast cake?

I used a cake from a gallon batch of orange wine I started 3 days before. Used sparklloid to clear. Total time 47 days start to bottle. Tastes great too!

 

[BeerCutter]

WOW! that is water clear. I don't know what to think. You could add food coloring and make it neon pink or something. lol

Someone might think I had health issues if I told them I had neon pink pee!! LOL!

 

[CidahMastah]

I used a cake from a gallon batch of orange wine I started 3 days before. Used sparklloid to clear. Total time 47 days start to bottle. Tastes great too!

Cool - I just let mine clear on its own. i do think mine was in the fermenter ~30days though by the time I got to it.

 

[stujol]

Last night I pitched batches 3 and 4 from a starter of Ec1118 that I had going for a full 24 hours. I was a little disappointed this morning when it was not actively fermenting this morning. My last two batches started with a slurry started fermenting the first night

 

[CidahMastah]

Last night I pitched batches 3 and 4 from a starter of Ec1118 that I had going for a full 24 hours. I was a little disappointed this morning when it was not actively fermenting this morning. My last two batches started with a slurry started fermenting the first night

ferment temp on the low side?

 

[stujol]

Probably mid 60's so a little colder than the first two batches. It is finally starting to warm up here in Michigan so I switched from my big wood pellet furnace to a little Eden Pure heater for heat at night.

 

[CidahMastah]

Probably mid 60's so a little colder than the first two batches. It is finally starting to warm up here in Michigan so I switched from my big wood pellet furnace to a little Eden Pure heater for heat at night.

I bet that is it.

I noticed this ferment (on my fifth batch) likes 68f+ at a minimum. I actually have been shooting for 71-73F, but I don't sweat it if it pops up to 75F. I have noticed the ferment smells clean and the end product is good at these temps (say 71-75F). Also, it ferments out quicker than my first batch did (~68F).

 

[stujol]

It is fermenting nicely now so the temp probably was the difference.

 

[BigdogMark]

I just started a batch of of SkeeterPee with an addition of strawberry puree. I built up my starter from the dry yeast and the starter is going well. I've just added the first cup of must to the starter and all is well.

The must looks absolutely great. That is the starter in front, the must right behind it, and a couple of other ciders I am in the process of bottling.

 

[calicojack]

okay. stupid question. how long generally are you guys leaving it in the primary?

 

[geniz]

okay. stupid question. how long generally are you guys leaving it in the primary?

About a week. The whole process takes me abt 5-6 weeks

 

[calicojack]

right on. i appreciate the quick response.

so i followed your pictorial from pages 2-5. I used 1 packet of ec-1118, rehydrated just the way you did. I ended up adding only 8 cups over about 3 hours, threw an air lock on it to see if it was doing anything; an hour and a half after i put the airlock on it i was noticing activity. So being the impatient ass that i am, i went ahead and pitched it.

this morning the airlock actually woke me up it was moving so much.

thanks for making a great tutorial on how to do things "the easy way". it would have taken me forever to figure out how to harvest a yeast cake.

 

[Captive]

...............thanks for making a great tutorial on how to do things "the easy way". it would have taken me forever to figure out how to harvest a yeast cake...............

The whole yeast cake (or slurry) thing is really quite easy, but may be more suited for active wine makers. Most wine makers start their batch in a primary fermentor (typically a plastic bucket) and do 3/4 of the ferment in there before moving it to the glass carboy. When moving the wine from the bucket to the carboy, if you use a racking cane, you will have a layer of gunk at the bottom of the bucket after transferring the wine. This "gunk" is your liquid yeast cake or slurry. Just dump it into the Skeeter Pee batch and it'll get things going for you. Wine makers have the advantage that they are already using yeast suitable for wine-like ferments and the carry-over of fruit flavors usually suits the Skeeter Pee well. Beer and cider makers may be using yeast that isn't as well matched to Skeeter Pee and some of the flavors that are necessary for a good beer might clash with the lemon in Skeeter Pee. Hope this helps.

 

[geniz]

The purpose of this experiment wasn't to simplify or change the original recipe. I make wine, but not that often. All I wanted to do was to see if I could make skeeter pee when I didn't have a slurry. It worked and the skeeter pee comes out consistently well. I follow Lon's recipe except I make a starter with dry wine yeast. I don't shortcut any steps, and except for the yeast I dont mess with the original recipe.

 

[Reaver]

Here's a Youtube link showing how to do it with Dry Yeast... again not much different. I just whipped up a batch with Cote De Blanc.... lets see how it tastes.

[edit] Update: the Cote de Blanc has shown marked improvement in activity, smell, and lack of krausen. I think it will work nicely [\edit]

Shared via the SP Facebook.

 

[calicojack]

Finally got around to bottling the skeeter pee today. We did several different flavors. From Left to right: Black Cherry, Original (lemon) Watermelon/cherry, pineapple, tropical punch. Out of all of them, i like the Pineapple and watermelon, cherry the mostest. The Starting Gravity was 1.0695. it finished up at .97. so by my calculation, that's 13%.

it should be noted that the small bottles (far right) are smironoff daiquiri bottles. they will not be used again. The other bottles are Bud Light w/Lime bottles. I want to get some modelo bottles; so i gotta go make nice with one of the mexicant joints here in town....

 

[geniz]

Beautissimus!

 

[Clifton]

I just whipped up a batch with Cote De Blanc.... lets see how it tastes.

How did it turn out?

 

[Sammyk]

May I ask what you used to flavor each?

 

[A50SNAKE]

May I ask what you used to flavor each?

+1..... please and thanks, I too would like to know how you flavored it.

 

[calicojack]

koolaid. flavors are listed in my post

 

[FeelinKindaGiddy]

On the skeeterpee.com website it says that most folks use Kool-Aid. 2 packs per gallon if I remember right. Is that what you used??? I read where some back sweetened and use regular unsweetened Kool-aid and some used the sugar included and it flavored and sweetened at the same time. Some even used the sugar-free version. I would love some experienced input before I bottle! Thanks everyone-Giddy

 

[FeelinKindaGiddy]

koolaid. flavors are listed in my post

Wow, beat me to it Calico, how did you sweeten?

 

[dwyler]

watching this thread, very interested.

thanks

 

[Reaver]

How did it turn out?

Well I need to work out the pitching rate. I didn't get good attenuation on the first batch. And the 2nd batch is till working thru. Batch #2 took 5 weeks to get get down to 1.010 (with alot of carbonation on the hydrometer). I'm clearing now and it smells really good. I'll update again when I bottle.

 

[Captive]

On the skeeterpee.com website it says that most folks use Kool-Aid. 2 packs per gallon if I remember right. Is that what you used??? I read where some back sweetened and use regular unsweetened Kool-aid and some used the sugar included and it flavored and sweetened at the same time. Some even used the sugar-free version. I would love some experienced input before I bottle! Thanks everyone-Giddy

1 or 2 packs per 5 gallon batch is what I recommend. Feel free to experiment, but remember that Kool-aid is really just flavor and acid. Put too much Kool-aid and it could eat through the glass bottles!

 

[calicojack]

1 or 2 packs per 5 gallon batch is what I recommend. Feel free to experiment, but remember that Kool-aid is really just flavor and acid. Put too much Kool-aid and it could eat through the glass bottles!

I generally break my 5 gallons up into 1 gallon batches for flavoring (as we are still trying out which flavors we like) i use half a packet per gallon and it comes out nice and clear. a whole pack makes for a very cloudy after product.

 

[calicojack]

Wow, beat me to it Calico, how did you sweeten?

i don't

 

[Reaver]

How did it turn out?

I bottled this today and it turned out pretty good. I backsweetened with a heavy sugar syrup to ~1.022 it had finished up around 1.010 (6%abv). There was a very good lemonade flavor to it. But it did not clear nearly as well as the Montrachet batches I had done before. I just started a new batch and will be pitching a double pack of CdB starter.

 

[HBngNOK]

I want to get some modelo bottles; so i gotta go make nice with one of the mexicant joints here in town....

I tried some modelo bottles - but the standard 26 mm cap wouldn't crimp on. I could pop the caps off with my thumb. They may need 29 mm caps. Double check me, just in case there was a problem with my capping technique.

 

[johnnync]

What SG do you rack to secondary?
thanks

 

[Reaver]

You don't really "secondary". Let the Pee ferment out to terminal gravity. Then you will clear, stabilize, and backsweeten.

 

[calicojack]

What SG do you rack to secondary?
thanks

usually at the four week period, per the original recipe. then i let it clear for an additional four weeks, bottle and consume.

 

[johnnync]

Just bottled one gallon of Skeeter pee from dry yeast.

 

[A50SNAKE]

ok, just checked my pee...its @ ~0.9 right now, sitting in my pail...been about 1 month I think...man, i gotta take better notes (read take notes period!) should be time to move to carboy now right? and then mix up the sparkaloid and other ingredients to add to it as well?...just wanted to check and make sure still doing it right...thanks.