Skeeter Pee - Starting with Dry Yeast

[geniz]

I started a batch of skeeter pee this weekend. Didnt have a slurry, so I decided to try to start it with dry yeast. I made the "must" as per the original recipe.

Here is the recipe:

http://www.skeeterpee.com/Skeeter_Pee/Recipe.html


I decide to try to get a yeast starter going al la Yoopers Hard lemonade.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f79/hard-lemonade-68144/


If it worked for her recipe, it probably would work for Skeeter Pee.

So, I rehydrated a pack of EC-1118 in 2 cups warm water and 2 tbsp sugar. Once this got going, I added a cup or two of must every hour, making sure that it was bubbling away before I added the next round of must. Once I had about 1/2 gallon of starter, I put an airlock on the starter and let it work overnight .

I pitched the yeast starter into the fermenter and it seems to be going well, Its bubbling slowly, but its working. Ive been stirring the must a couple of times a day to introduce oxygen.

The starting gravity was 1.072

Temp in the mid 70s

So far so good.

When it gets down to 1.050, I'll add the third bottle of lemon juice, some nutrient and energizer.
__________________

 

[geniz]

Now its Monday night,

The must is fermenting, but not vigorously.

SG tonight is 1.062, so something's happening.

 

[geniz]

Tuesday afternoon. SG = 1.054

Adding last bottle of lemon juice, 3 tsp yeast nutrient, and 1 tsp yeast energizer.

More to come...

 

[geniz]

Wednesday Night,

Bubbling away like mad. Nice lemony smell from the open fermenter and a large foam cap on top. Did not stir since it looked like it was working just fine, but probably will tomorrow to try to try to prevent sulphur smell

 

[Knight03]

subscribed

 

[Atek]

Subscribed as well

 

[Bradinator]

Very interested in seeing where this goes. I can tell you from my own experience in trying to make a 'hard lemon cider' that it can be very, very difficult to get that fermentation going.

It took over two weeks and three packs of WC-1118, lots of yeast nutrient and a prayer before it finally took off. What I found though was it appeared to be fermenting like crazy at first, but my SG readings told another story. Mind you the recipe was different, but I was very happy with the final product. I would keep checking the SG every couple days to be sure its actually fermenting.

 

[geniz]

Very interested in seeing where this goes. I can tell you from my own experience in trying to make a 'hard lemon cider' that it can be very, very difficult to get that fermentation going.

It took over two weeks and three packs of WC-1118, lots of yeast nutrient and a prayer before it finally took off. What I found though was it appeared to be fermenting like crazy at first, but my SG readings told another story. Mind you the recipe was different, but I was very happy with the final product. I would keep checking the SG every couple days to be sure its actually fermenting.

It seems to be working well. I aerated it tonight. I think the trick is to get the yeast started well in sugar water and very carefully add must a little at a time to the yeast, making sure that it is working well before adding more. Initially I had very slow fermentation, but when I added the second round of energizer and nutrient, it really took off.

 

[Bradinator]

Glad to hear it

I actually started a 'light' version of Skeeter Pee tonight (OG was 1.048) and I plan to go with the dry WC-1118 yeast as per what you did.

Here's hoping!

 

[geniz]

Bradinator,

Keep us informed on how things are going.


Here's a picture of the foam cap in the fermentor.

 

[geniz]

Thursday night

Things are still going well. Aerated the must. No off smells. Still smells like lemons and yeast.

Took a SG reading. 1.018

 

[geniz]

Saturday Morning. SG = 1.000. Time to rack into secondary.

I got it to work!

But to prove it wasn't a fluke, I'm planning to start a second batch next week as an experiment to demonstrate reproducibility. I plan on chronicling the new batch and will take pics of the steps.

Anyone else trying this, please post your progress

 

[Bradinator]

Glad to see yours is working out!

Well I took a gravity reading this morning, 1.040 down from 1.048. The yeast is working, albeit slowly. I think I did not add enough nutrient to the batch initially so I introduced another tsp (1 cup boiled water, 1 tsp yeast nutrient, 1 tablespoon sugar, stirred and cooled to room temp).

 

[geniz]

Mine started really slow too. Didn't really pick up until the second addition of nutrient.
Yours probably will do the same.

 

[B0whunt3r]

I'm doing a variation of Skeeter pee with Simply Limeade. I found it unsale and I love Limeade more than Lemonade. I forsee the same problems of starting fermentation, so I'm going to do as you suggest and try and get this thing started.

 

[geniz]

Excellent. Post your progress

 

[Bradinator]

It was bubbling pretty good this morning just from the single tsp of yeast nutrient added yesterday morning, so I skipped taking another gravity reading, added the final 3 tsp of yeast nutrients and bottle of lemon juice.

 

[B0whunt3r]

I got a quart (only doing a gallon batch) of must/starter bubbling real good let sit overnight and pitched it before work. hopefully it takes off.

Also I picked up a bottle of lime juice to add when the gravity drops, but I didn't look at the lable till I got home. The ingredients read Lime juice, sulfer dioxide, and lime oil in that order. Do you think it will be ok to use? I know sulfer dioxide occurs during fermentation, so i'm not too worried about that, but the lime oil i don't know about. I heard oils can leave a bad taste, but it being the 3rd ingredient i dount think there would be very much of it. any thoughts?

 

[geniz]

I got a quart (only doing a gallon batch) of must/starter bubbling real good let sit overnight and pitched it before work. hopefully it takes off.

Also I picked up a bottle of lime juice to add when the gravity drops, but I didn't look at the lable till I got home. The ingredients read Lime juice, sulfer dioxide, and lime oil in that order. Do you think it will be ok to use? I know sulfer dioxide occurs during fermentation, so i'm not too worried about that, but the lime oil i don't know about. I heard oils can leave a bad taste, but it being the 3rd ingredient i dount think there would be very much of it. any thoughts?

If I remember the suphur dioxide was present in the lemon as well. The original recipe requires you to aerate the must for 24-48 hours in an attempt to drive off the preservatives (SO2). I'm not so sure of the lime oil. Its certainly worth trying. When you are ready to add the lime, I would add the energizer and nutrient 1st and then add small portions of the lime making sure that fermentation is continuing before adding more lime. I cant imagine that the relative small amount of lime oil compared to your must would turn the whole gallon, but I'd go slowly.

 

[geniz]

Ok.

Round 2.

I took pictures this time while making the starter.

Again, followed the published recipe for Skeeter Pee.




Making invert sugar: 16 cups sugar, 8 cups water, 14 tsp lemon juice, just brought to boil and kept there for 30 min.

 

[geniz]

I made the must with:

The invert sugar
2 32oz bottles of Real-lemon
3/4 tsp tannin
3 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp yeast energizer
Tap water to 5 gallons

Stirred like crazy

O.G. 1.080 (a little higher than the original recipe)

 

[geniz]

Rehydrated a pack of EC-1118 yeast in:

2 cups 105F water
2 tbs sugar
pinch nutrient and energizer



After about 1/2 hour, I transferred the yeast to a jug and let it work for another 15 min.

 

[geniz]

Started adding the must a little at a time.

Added 1-2 cups each time, waiting an hour before adding more must. As you can see, the starter was bubbling away nicely between additions of the must.











The frothing/bubbling decreased after each must addition. The yeast is stressed, but it's working away.

 

[geniz]

I put an airlock on the starter and let it sit overnight. In the morning the starter was working, but not bubbling. You could see CO2 rising up the sides of the jug and the airlock was active.




The final volume of the yeast starter was 11 cups.
I gave the must a good stirring and added the yeast starter. I will report back as this progresses...

 

[Bradinator]

I did not let my starter wait for more then a couple hours before adding it to the must. I just rehydrated yeast in a cup of warm water with a couple tsp of yeast nutrient and like you geniz did, continually adding a small amount of must to the starter during that period of time.

When I pitched it, there was yeast action within the day though it was mild. It took off the day after adding the final bottle of lemon juice and yeast nutrient. Even today its still frothing away like mad.

 

[geniz]

I did not let my starter wait for more then a couple hours before adding it to the must. I just rehydrated yeast in a cup of warm water with a couple tsp of yeast nutrient and like you geniz did, continually adding a small amount of must to the starter during that period of time.

When I pitched it, there was yeast action within the day though it was mild. It took off the day after adding the final bottle of lemon juice and yeast nutrient. Even today its still frothing away like mad.

Mine is working away, very mildly. Same as last time. Just like yours, It didn't really get going until the second addition of nutrient and lemon

 

[geniz]

Looks like all my pics got deleted overnight. Not sure what happened. I'll try to figure it out

Put pics on a different server. They're back again

 

[geniz]

Saturday.
Day 2.
SG 1.069

Must is working very slowly, tiny bubbles rising up to the top of the bucket.



Froths up when aerated


Untitled by hdshovel2001, on Flickr

 

[Celestyal]

Hate to say, but still can't see the pics. Just thought you should know.:rockin:

 

[geniz]

Sunday
Day 3
SG= 1.056

Time to add:
3rd bottle of lemon juice
3 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp yeast energizer
aerate