De-Acidifying Lemons

[Loweface]

I made a lemon/lime malted hard lemonade thingy awhile back and it is FAR too acidic. Any suggestions for reducing it to a drinkable level.

I don't think backsweetening is a real option as it would only mask the acid and I predict this would shred your stomach like you just swallowed a cat with razors for claws...

 

[tuckferrorists]

how about the use of an edible base...

 

[Freezeblade]

Have you ever used sweet lemons? Citrus limetta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I know that lemon acid is mostly citric acid, but if some of it is malic acid, then using lalvin 1122 yeast metabolizes some of it, leading to a less acidic product, I have used this with great sucess on a pineapple wine.

 

[effigyoffaith]

I would just use less lemon juice and more lemon zest. The juice has very little lemon flavor anyway mostly just citric acid, while the zest (yellow outer part of the rind) is very lemony flavored.

 

[k1v1116]

+1 on using the zest for flavor.
you can in theory use the juice and add something like Chalk (CaCO3) to neutralize some of the citric acid but the amount of chalk necessary to do that would leave too much calcium in the must and result in a chalky tasting drink.

 

[jfrizzell]

I would just use less lemon juice and more lemon zest. The juice has very little lemon flavor anyway mostly just citric acid, while the zest (yellow outer part of the rind) is very lemony flavored.

+1 It's a whole other subject, but that's how limoncello is made. Take the zest off a bunch of lemons, soak them in everclear and then dilute and add sugar. Tasty stuff!

 

[toularat]

what was your recipe? I made a 1 gallon batch of hard lemonade with malt using 2 cans lemonade concentrate. It tasted very acidic when I sampled after fermenting was done. But I sweetened it and let it sit 2-3 weeks and that made alot of difference. I loved it.

 

[Loweface]

I'll try look it up. It had lots of lemon juice and lots lime juice, the zest of both, sugar and DME. It is very acidic. It was an experiment anyway but I'd like to try save it...

 

[Yooper]

I'll try look it up. It had lots of lemon juice and lots lime juice, the zest of both, sugar and DME. It is very acidic. It was an experiment anyway but I'd like to try save it...

Well, could you pull out a sample and sweeten it with some honey or sugar and see if it's better? Trust me, I know it's acidic, but sweetened to 1.010 or so might make all the difference!

 

[Sean]

It wouldn't be just what you were going for, but it might be good mixed with iced tea, or sprite, or some sort of lemon sangria, like with a bit of brandy, white wine, and sliced peaches, strawberries, oranges, whatever fruit is in season, and club soda if you like. Very refreshing in the heat, and it will knock you on your ass.. brandy + fruit = smooth.

Luck tell if you find something that works

 

[Loweface]

A punch mightn't be the worst idea. I'll keep looking.

Yooper, how would that much honey effect the mouthfeel?

 

[Yooper]

A punch mightn't be the worst idea. I'll keep looking.

Yooper, how would that much honey effect the mouthfeel?

I don't know if it would affect it at all, in a small quantity. I drank most of my hard lemonade slightly sweetened, while my husband liked it dry. I didn't carbonate it, though, since I liked it still. I just used a simple sugar syrup to sweeten mine.

 

[Pogo]

Loweface -

I've made several batches of hard lemonade this past summer, and they were wonderful.

What recipe did you use that resulted in so much acid?

Pogo

 

[SueMac]

Pogo:

Please share your Hard Lemonade recipe. I'm looking to make Hard Limeade if you have suggestions. Thanks in advance!

 

[Pogo]

SueMac -

I found this recipe in this very forum of this very site. It was posted by USFBull on 04/21/07.

Here it is...

GOOD HARD LEMONADE RECIPE​

"Frozen lemonade concentrate (10 cans) and enough water to make a 5-gallon batch. (Check the labels to make sure that there are no chemical preservatives, such as Potassium Sorbate, etc.)

2 pounds sugar

1 pound ultra light Dry Malt Extract (DME)

(More or less depending on your desired target alcohol percentage.)

1 packet of champagne yeast

Ferment

Add potassium sorbate when the finished gravity is reached

Enjoy.

This stuff is awesome, and the ladies love it."


SueMac, essentially, I see this recipe as a modified Apfelwein recipe. It starts and finishes in the same primary/secondary carboy fermentor. See the first page of the "Man I love..." thread for the exact details if you are unfamiliar with making Apfelwein.

Hopefully you will like it, too!

BTW - Thanks USFBull for an excellent twist to an already excellent recipe!

Pogo

 

[EvilTOJ]

Dude, you're not wasted. Those weren't acid lemons, they were regular ones made of blotto paper.

 

[SueMac]

Pogo,

Thanks very much for the recipe and your reply.

I'm actually looking to make "Hard Limeade" for my husband and his cousin. (They've had enough beer for a lifetime! LOL!) I'm looking to somewhat replicate "Mike's Hard Limeade" - so a malt beverage with some carbonation.
Would you recommend priming sugar before bottling or carb tabs? I may also play with the DME to "kick it up a notch"...

I'm going to experiment with a smaller amount (probably a gallon)...

Thanks again!
SueMac

 

[Pogo]

Hey, Sue -

Just substitute Lime concentrate for the Lemon.

I've never had Mike's Hard Lemonade (I live in a dry county, surrounded by dry counties), or Limeade, but others tell me that this tastes just like it. You may have to adjust the amount of DME over several batches to dial in a more exact clone to Mike's recipe though.

I'm sorry to say that I've never felt the need to carbonate this beverage...or bottle it either.

After 8 weeks I simply syphon a gallon of it into a sanitized apple cider jug and stash it in the fridge.

So, your on your own in that department. If Mike's is carbonated, then you might as well plan on carbing, too. The only way I've ever carbed is 5 ounces of sugar to 5 gallons of brew, though.

Pogo

BTW - If you are thinking that you are going to wean your ol' man off of beer, and onto something else, you might want to go ahead and start shopping for tubing and a "T" fitting for his funnel now, rather than later.

 

[SueMac]

Pogo,
Like your sense of humor!
Thanks for your advise! Hoping to make my concoction in the next week or so...
I'm sorry that you haven't had the chance to try "Mike's Hard..." but you don't sound deprived!
Personally, I'm just outside of Boston, MA. where we talk fast, "r's are for losers" (No offense!) and we have too many darn choices for everything!!!
Thanks again for your input! I'll let you know how things turn out!