Full Hard Lemonade recipe

[Tatmia]

I've made several batches of this - my favorite was made with 5 Alive.

Started a new batch tonight with the hopes of having a refreshing drink for a hot Atlanta Labor Day weekend. While writing down my notes, realized that I had used 1 LB of Lactose and not DME. I've since added the DME, but did I make a Milky Lemon Stout? Just how much body/milk does 1 LB of Lactose add to a 6 gallon batch?

Trying to decide if I need to start another batch by tomorrow so that I have something for Labor Day.

 

[cmac62]

Tatmia, I think you are okay. It may have more body that what you are used to, but the extra sweetness of the lactos will just be like it was back sweetened.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

I've made several batches of this - my favorite was made with 5 Alive.

Started a new batch tonight with the hopes of having a refreshing drink for a hot Atlanta Labor Day weekend. While writing down my notes, realized that I had used 1 LB of Lactose and not DME. I've since added the DME, but did I make a Milky Lemon Stout? Just how much body/milk does 1 LB of Lactose add to a 6 gallon batch?

Trying to decide if I need to start another batch by tomorrow so that I have something for Labor Day.

Unless you have Roasty malts you didn't make a stout. A Lemon bar maybe. If you just addded dme. Give it a few weeks and check gravity to ensure it completes.

 

[mentelope]

I've made this several times. SO easy and SO tasty! My friends ask for it. And I've made it with lime aid too, which is very delicious.
I calculated the ABV at @ 9%, but it goes down easy. Careful with this one.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

I've made this several times. SO easy and SO tasty! My friends ask for it. And I've made it with lime aid too, which is very delicious.
I calculated the ABV at @ 9%, but it goes down easy. Careful with this one.

LHBS dudes took the recipe and made a 20% version. Amazing how easy drinking it was.

 

[applescrap]

How did the no heat batches go Pianoman! Super curious.

Also thanks for the help with sugar information. Would one of you sage minds please help me calculate abv if only cans of concentrate were used. Thanks man.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

How did the no heat batches go Pianoman! Super curious.

Also thanks for the help with sugar information. Would one of you sage minds please help me calculate abv if only cans of concentrate were used. Thanks man.

Haha...different thread but mixed results. The hefeweizens came out great. Hazy IPA was just ok. Belgian IPA got infected. With the new Brewpub, will do 10-20min boils. Did a stout and it seems fine. The test will be with my "house" beers. OT, this recipe works great as a no-boil. Have you tried no boils?

 

[Blacksmith1]

Would one of you sage minds please help me calculate abv if only cans of concentrate were used. Thanks man.

Pour a single can in your test tube, drop in your hydrometer, and presto, you have your answer.

 

[applescrap]

Cheers. This is what I was referring too. Didnt see the follow up. I meant the hard lemonade no boil results. Sounds like it went well. Yeah I have done a couple no boils, last year wanted pumpkin beer so bad for Turkey day, did one. I short boil but chill haze is real I think. I liked the follow up about beers none the less as well. But yeah curious about this as a complete no boil.

Moreover, just tried a no heat up version. In a rush...we'll see!

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Cheers. This is what I was referring too. Didnt see the follow up. I meant the hard lemonade no boil results. Sounds like it went well. Yeah I have done a couple no boils, last year wanted pumpkin beer so bad for Turkey day, did one. I short boil but chill haze is real I think. I liked the follow up about beers none the less as well. But yeah curious about this as a complete no boil.

Ah, I've never boiled the hard lemonades. I just heat up the water to around 170-180f, add DME and corn sugar. If the water is not warm enough, the frozen concentrate will not melt.

I'm loosing it. Have zero recall on a no heat version of a hard lemonade. With that said, all have been drank on the last 4 month....so they must have been just fine!

 

[Pappy]

Recipe looks great. I'm thinking maybe racking to secondary after two weeks and adding a couple rosemary sprigs for the last week.

 

[Pappy]

Gonna give this recipe a shot but thinking about 2 changes.

1. Add a couple rosemary sprigs to secondary.

2. Back sweeten with monkfruit artificial sweetener, add priming yeast and honey to bottle condition (that's what I do with my ciders).

Thoughts......

 

[dshipp]

This is a really easy and good recipe for hard lemonade. It is a lot stronger than Mike's.

Ingredients (makes 6-7 gallons):

- 12 cans preservative-free Lemonade concentrate (I use Nature's best
brand from Aldi's cause it is cheap, Minute Maid is another option)
- 1 lb Extra light or Pilsen Light Dry Malt Extract
- 2.5 lbs corn sugar
- Yeast nutrient
- Lalvin EC-1118 Champagne Yeast (THIS YEAST IS VERY IMPORTANT, OTHER CHAMPAGNE YEASTS HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THE ACIDITY OF THE LEMONADE, BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE YEAST PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS BELOW AS WELL)
- Potassium Sorbate
- Appx 8 cups regular cane sugar

Rehydrate yeast:

Rehydrate yeast by combining 1 cup warm water with 1 tbsp of lemonade concentrate and just a couple yeast nutrient pellets with Lalvin EC-1118 Champagne yeast, Allow to sit for at least a half hour. You should see vigorous action in the yeast when ready.

Brewing the wort:

In a 2.5+ gal brew pot, combine 1 lb Pilsen Light Dry Malt Extract (DME) with 3 lbs corn sugar to appx 2 gal boiling water. This will give you appx 9% abv when finished. To increase alcohol, increase sugar and/or DME, use less sugar to lower ABV). Stir until completely disolved Remove from heat, and 7 tsp yeast nutrient.

Combine wort in large plastic fermentor bucket with 10 cans lemonade concentrate, and enough cold water to fill bucket to bring total volume to 6 gal. Make sure temp is between 65 - 75 degrees, and take initial hydrometer reading. Pitch in your yeast starter. Put lid and airlock on fermentor and allow to ferment at room temp.

Fermentation:

You should see steady fermentation within 2 -3 days, that will last 1-2 weeks. Allow to ferment completely out before attempting to bottle.

Bottling day:

Take hydrometer reading. You should be right around .998 – 1.002 specific gravity.

In a large sauce pan, add 8 cups cane sugar (or to taste), 2 cans Lemonade concentrate, and 3 cups water and, stirring continuously, bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and disolve 3.5 tsp potassium sorbate. Add lemon/sugar/sorbate solution to a 7 gal bottling bucket. Rack fermented lemonade from carboy into bottling bucket with the sorbate solution, stirring thoroughly.

You can bottle in beer or wine bottles, or you can keg. Even with the sorbate, you will probably get a little bit of carbonation as it sits, but it is usually not enough to pop a cork. I usually keg, and force carbonate.

It is ready to drink on bottling day.

If kegging do I add the extra bottling day ingredients??
Shipper

 

[beerfactory]

If kegging do I add the extra bottling day ingredients??
Shipper

definitely should - the point is to backsweeten. super glad you bumped this thread, I had marked it watched a long time ago and completely forgotten about it. I have never tried this recipe and I am going to get it going this weekend!!

 

[beerfactory]

Actually got mine started this weekend - to the original recipe. Posting so that I can remember when I pitched. Hope to keg on 4/30

edit - 13 hours after pitch, I have airlock activity @ ~ one bubble every 23 seconds. the recipe was 6 gallons and my speidel has 7.9 gallons capacity. (I do realize airlock activity is not a precise scientific measure)
@ 20 hrs post pitch bubble rate @ 1 bubble every 11 seconds
@ 36 hrs post pitch bubble rate @ 1 bubble every 2 seconds
@ 46 hrs post pitch bubble rate @ 1 bubble every 1.5 seconds (I was a bit worried it would not be a vigorous ferment but I am not worried anymore)
@ 1 week post pitch and @ 1 bubble every 23 seconds

2nd edit - my wife read the label on the lemonade concentrate and declared she would never try it - due to the sugar content. I did not argue with her. adding this for record - in case it tastes good and she allocates it.

 

[Newsman]

Note: I haven't read all the comments (or even MOST of them) so this may have been asked and answered before; has anyone tried adding a little baking soda or something to make it a LITTLE less acid for the yeast? Thinking maybe 1/8 to 1/4 cup

 

[beerfactory]

Note: I haven't read all the comments (or even MOST of them) so this may have been asked and answered before; has anyone tried adding a little baking soda or something to make it a LITTLE less acid for the yeast? Thinking maybe 1/8 to 1/4 cup

Have you had trouble with attenuation?

 

[Newsman]

Have you had trouble with attenuation?

I'm getting ready to try this for the first time. I think I'll try adding a couple Tbsp baking soda to see if it helps out. I've got pretty hard water here, so that might not be necessary

 

[Newsman]

I also have several packages of fresh raspberries I stuck in my freezer. May use raspberry lemonade concentrate instead and add raspberries In a bag afterward

 

[beerfactory]

I also have several packages of fresh raspberries I stuck in my freezer. May use raspberry lemonade concentrate instead and add raspberries In a bag afterward

Let me know how it turns out please. I made my first batch according to the recipe on page one. I have high hopes. I hope to do more batches and experiment a bit.

 

[beerfactory]

Actually got mine started this weekend - to the original recipe. Posting so that I can remember when I pitched. Hope to keg on 4/30

Kegged today. FG was 1.001 according to my hydrometer. Sample definitely tasted dry.

I used 5 cups sugar on the backsweeten... Otherwise staying true to the recipe in post #2.
Filled a 5 gallon keg and a 2.5 gallon keg nearly perfect.

 

[beerfactory]

Will be starting another batch ASAP.

This stuff is perfect for sitting next to the barbecue on a beautiful day don't think I'll be taking it on the boat much, it's powerful. I may need a nap this afternoon

 

[Texas_Red]

I put this in the fermenter a week ago. I had trouble finding the frozen lemonade so ended up with 6 cans of lemonade and 6 cans of limeade. I looks like it will be a little darker then the pictures I see of others. After 7 days I am still getting airlock activity. One bubble every 3-4 seconds still. Just added a new tap to my kegerator for this to go in next weekend. Pretty excited to give it a try.

 

[awilkes67]

I put this in the fermenter a week ago. I had trouble finding the frozen lemonade so ended up with 6 cans of lemonade and 6 cans of limeade. I looks like it will be a little darker then the pictures I see of others. After 7 days I am still getting airlock activity. One bubble every 3-4 seconds still. Just added a new tap to my kegerator for this to go in next weekend. Pretty excited to give it a try.

HI! I am very interested to hear how this works out! Late year I tried a prototype 1 gallon scaled back batch using frozen limeade instead of lemonade. It turned out very good tasting, however the gravity of the limeade seemed to be slightly lower than lemonade, so the end product did not have a high ABV. If I were to make it again, I would add more sugar or DME before fermentation to make up for the gravity points. This recipe is a got to with at least 2 batches made every year and they're gone before you know it. I put strawberries in secondary and add 10% extra DME and it always turns out perfect.

 

[gdoug060765]

Exactly how much yeast does this recipe require (i.e. packets, tsps., oz.)?

 

[bernardsmith]

Looks like you are trying to reincarnate a long-time dead thread. Most wines use 1 package of wine yeast for 1 -5 gallons, where the wine is not more than about 12% ABV, and then you might use 2 packs for more than about 3 gallons if you are trying to make an unbalanced wine at much more than 14% ABV. Given the price of fruit and the price of a pack of wine yeast, and given the likelihood that when you open a pack of yeast, use only some of it and refrigerate the rest that you will have invited all kinds of bacteria into that pack, the "benefit"" of saving a half pack or so of the yeast compared to the cost of using a whole pack is simply not there, not least because most novice wine makers kill about half their yeast colony because of poor pitching protocols.