Good Hard lemonade

[bignick]

I came up with a pretty simple hard tea recipe, i will share it with you once i taste it.

 

[ScottUV]

Just read through this again. How about that hard tea recipe? I'm thinking if I brew up some strong iced tea and add in some lemon/lemon zest and sugar to reach the abv i'm looking for. What type of yeast should I use for this. I want this to be a crisp summer drink.

 

[Frost]

I don't really wanna place a homebrew order for just potassium sorbate so is there any possibility of using metabisulfite instead?

 

[o8secridr]

I have had a 5 gallon batch in the fermenter for 6 days and it has reached the 1.00sg. Should it be racked to a secondary with potassium sorbate or just left to finish? It is still bubbling like crazy and still kind of dark. Also is it alright to drink right away or how long should I wait for the best flavor?

 

[siveloz]

well I'll get this threat started again i guess! I just started a batch today, heres what i did.

10 cans of limonade
1 kg light DME
about 1,5 kg sugar
champagne yest


So I had a starting OG of 1064 and let it fermant to 1030 then I racked to secondary. Now im at 1000. I know i should stabilize it, then I should back sweet... I was thinking using some limonade powder.. would it work

Also how about that hard tea recipe???

 

[nucmed24]

So... I'm getting ready to start a batch of Hard Lemonade. I am planning on bottle carbing this, so before I start I was wondering if anyone else has done this and how it turned out. I was figuring if I carb it I should use less sugar than the original recipe. And what is this I am reading about Splenda? How does that work?

 

[Ten-Seven]

I did a limeade.

1 gal
Start mead 2#Honey 2#Sugar. Sprinkly a little KV-118 yeast in and let that ferment for a month or untill the airlock slows to a crawl. Rack to another jug and dump in one or two cans of limeade concentrate. When the airlock solwed down to a bubble every 45 seconds I put it in bottles. 24oz empty plastic softdrink bottles (avoid explosions). This is a very sweet and extreemly carbonated limeade.

What is the disadvantage to frementing the LME and sugar 1st to get the yeast going and adding the Lemonade concentrate a week later?

 

[Dionysos911]

well I'll get this threat started again i guess! I just started a batch today, heres what i did.

10 cans of limonade
1 kg light DME
about 1,5 kg sugar
champagne yest


So I had a starting OG of 1064 and let it fermant to 1030 then I racked to secondary. Now im at 1000. I know i should stabilize it, then I should back sweet... I was thinking using some limonade powder.. would it work

Also how about that hard tea recipe???

How did this recipe turn out?

 

[SueMac]

Started a Hard Limeade last night. As this is my 2nd attempt, only made a 1 1/2 gallon batch this time. Thanks to Yooper for the hard lemonade recipe this is based on:

2 cans Minute Maid Limeade
3 cups cane sugar
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 tsp Yeast Energizer
Champagne Yeast
1 1/2 gallon Bottled water

1. Thaw limeade cans in pot with hot tap water.
2. Boil 2 pints water and slowly pour in 3 cups of sugar. Stir until dissolved. Take off heat.
3. Empty thawed limeade into clean primary. Rinse cans with bottled water and pour into primary. Keep adding water to 1 gallon mark. Stir.
4. Add water/dissolved sugar mix. Stir. Add water to 1 1/2 gallon mark. Stir, stir, stir... Check temperature.
5. Take hydrometer reading. (my SG was 1.072)
6. Add nutrient, stir. Add energizer, stir, stir, stir.
7. Add yeast. I just pitched right on top. (I didn't have a problem getting it going last time.) Covered over with lightweight dish towel.
This morning: Bubbling away happily!

NOTES:
The last batch I made tasted more like lime wine - just not good! I carbed it with corn sugar and while it took awhile, darn it carbed well! The last batch also had extra light DME and I back flavored with several packets of True Lime. This recipe is a lot more basic so I figured I'd start here and tweak... I only made this small batch because I ended up dumping the other one (6 gallons!) even after individually sweetening bottles,adding flavorings, etc. - it was just gross!

So my current plan:
Let ferment in primary until "head drops" and then rack to 1 gallon jug with airlock. Let sit until FG reached (going for 1.000 or under). Rack 1/2 to primary:

One batch: Backsweeten with about 1/4-1/2 can of limeade. Add sugar, if needed. Bottle to beer bottles and cap. After 2 weeks, check for carbonation.
Other batch: Stabilize with k-meta and pot sorb. Backsweeten with limeade and raspberry beer flavoring - 1/4-1/2 can limeade and maybe 1 TBSP rasp flavoring (will flavor to taste). Bottle in 1/2 gallon jug and refrigerate.

My husband and his cousin go through a lot of Mike's Hard Limeade (lovingly called "Greenies") during the summer up the lake. Your input, suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated. I'll let you know how the batches turn out...

 

[wpreston]

What temp are you fermenting this hard lemonade at, and do you need the potasium sorbate?

 

[SueMac]

Started a Hard Limeade last night. As this is my 2nd attempt, only made a 1 1/2 gallon batch this time. Thanks to Yooper for the hard lemonade recipe this is based on:

2 cans Minute Maid Limeade
3 cups cane sugar
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 tsp Yeast Energizer
Champagne Yeast
1 1/2 gallon Bottled water

1. Thaw limeade cans in pot with hot tap water.
2. Boil 2 pints water and slowly pour in 3 cups of sugar. Stir until dissolved. Take off heat.
3. Empty thawed limeade into clean primary. Rinse cans with bottled water and pour into primary. Keep adding water to 1 gallon mark. Stir.
4. Add water/dissolved sugar mix. Stir. Add water to 1 1/2 gallon mark. Stir, stir, stir... Check temperature.
5. Take hydrometer reading. (my SG was 1.072)
6. Add nutrient, stir. Add energizer, stir, stir, stir.
7. Add yeast. I just pitched right on top. (I didn't have a problem getting it going last time.) Covered over with lightweight dish towel.
This morning: Bubbling away happily!

NOTES:
The last batch I made tasted more like lime wine - just not good! I carbed it with corn sugar and while it took awhile, darn it carbed well! The last batch also had extra light DME and I back flavored with several packets of True Lime. This recipe is a lot more basic so I figured I'd start here and tweak... I only made this small batch because I ended up dumping the other one (6 gallons!) even after individually sweetening bottles,adding flavorings, etc. - it was just gross!

So my current plan:
Let ferment in primary until "head drops" and then rack to 1 gallon jug with airlock. Let sit until FG reached (going for 1.000 or under). Rack 1/2 to primary:

One batch: Backsweeten with about 1/4-1/2 can of limeade. Add sugar, if needed. Bottle to beer bottles and cap. After 2 weeks, check for carbonation.
Other batch: Stabilize with k-meta and pot sorb. Backsweeten with limeade and raspberry beer flavoring - 1/4-1/2 can limeade and maybe 1 TBSP rasp flavoring (will flavor to taste). Bottle in 1/2 gallon jug and refrigerate.

My husband and his cousin go through a lot of Mike's Hard Limeade (lovingly called "Greenies") during the summer up the lake. Your input, suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated. I'll let you know how the batches turn out...

Came out pretty good! After looking over above directions, I don't know what possessed me to also add carb drops to bottles, too!!?? Anyway, carb tabs were not needed and 6 bottles were gushers - but, they tasted good!! :cross:
Other half with raspberry was delish! First you taste lime and then after taste is an unexpected raspberry. Next batch will be 5 gallons and 1/2 with raspberry, all carbonated!

 

[SueMac]

What temp are you fermenting this hard lemonade at, and do you need the potasium sorbate?

As we discussed in a PM, around 70 degrees - no less than 68 degrees. The potassium sorbate was used in conjuction with the potassium meta to stabilize for a non-carbonated version. (I did 6 bottles carbed and the rest "still".) If you want to carb your batch, don't use it!

 

[jjgrappler]

Could you instead use 2 pounds of DME and 1 pound of corn sugar to get a more malty flavor?

 

[bubbachunk]

What about not using any DME because I want to keep it gluten free

 

[Dan_of_Earth]

I fermented some lemonade with only a bit of yeast nutrient, and I just tossed the dry yeast in. It was a slower ferment than normal, but it went fine.

 

[SueMac]

Could you instead use 2 pounds of DME and 1 pound of corn sugar to get a more malty flavor?

I tried with malt and I personally did not care for the flavor...so much so that I dumped the batch! Try making a one gallon batch and you be the judge!

 

[tccoy]

Just brewed it this past saturday and I am not "hearing" any fermentation. Is that normal?

 

[lumpher]

should be seeing small bubbles. and i like montrachet wine yeast with this recipe. final alc = about 11-12 %

 

[tccoy]

problem solved itself I took off the blow off tubing and replaced it with the fermentation lock and now I see and hear the fermentation!

 

[Spilicers]

So I used the original, recipe and directions and it tastes terrible.
I did two batches 5 gallons each in igloo water containers.

Batch one
5 gallons water
10 cans frozen minute maid concentrate
2 lbs sugar
1 packet champagne yeast

Batch two
5 gallons water
enough powder lemonade for the 5 gallons
2 lbs sugar
1 packet champagne yeast

I activated the yeast according to the directions on the packets and then added them directly to the lemonade, didnt have a problem starting they started to bubble and foam within the day. I let them both completely ferment out (took about 3 weeks) had to stir and add nutrient a couple times. I covered them with just some towels. In the end they both taste pretty bad, the powder concentrate is actually the better tasting one(actually had somewhat of a lemon taste to it) the other didnt even resemble lemonade. I have no idea what went wrong, any suggestions would be welcom.

 

[tccoy]

ok, anyone who has made this recipe how long did you let it condition?

 

[tccoy]

Spilicers,
just bottled mine last night and I'm in the same boat I'm just praying that bottle conditioning turns this stuff around some.

 

[SueMac]

So I used the original, recipe and directions and it tastes terrible.
I did two batches 5 gallons each in igloo water containers.

Batch one
5 gallons water
10 cans frozen minute maid concentrate
2 lbs sugar
1 packet champagne yeast

Batch two
5 gallons water
enough powder lemonade for the 5 gallons
2 lbs sugar
1 packet champagne yeast

I activated the yeast according to the directions on the packets and then added them directly to the lemonade, didnt have a problem starting they started to bubble and foam within the day. I let them both completely ferment out (took about 3 weeks) had to stir and add nutrient a couple times. I covered them with just some towels. In the end they both taste pretty bad, the powder concentrate is actually the better tasting one(actually had somewhat of a lemon taste to it) the other didnt even resemble lemonade. I have no idea what went wrong, any suggestions would be welcom.

I agree that it tastes terrible so it has to be backsweetened/flavored. If you're making it still or kegging it, then you can backsweeten/flavor with more lemonade, sugar, etc. If you're bottle carbing, your choices are more limited as fermentable sugars will carbonate and possibly, overcarbonate your lemonade.
I just bottled Hard Limeade last night, so I can't tell you that it was great or not so...Here's what I did:

Additional Ingredients:
8 oz Malto-Dextrine (a 96% non-fermentable sugar that adds body) found at LBHS*
True Lime (also have True Lemon) found at most supermarkets in the sugar/artifical flavoring section (see True Lemon® Home) and it has
neither fermentable sugar nor fermentation inhibitors.
Corn Sugar (less than 3/4 cup as Malto-Dextrine has some fermentation capacity)


For almost 5 gallons, I siphoned out about 2.5 cups to a sterilized container and added 4 oz. Malto-Dextrine. I stirred and stirred and pressed it against the side of the cup until all was dissolved. I then added about 15 packets of True Lime for flavoring and stirred and stirred. I added this back to the batch, stirred and stirred and then siphoned another 2.5 gallons. I repeated the procedure. It seemed to have a very lime smell flavor but wasn't overly sweet. I thought that I had some *Lactose (Lactose is a non-fermentable sugar used to add body and sweetness, also non-fermenting-100%). In retrospect, I would have used Lactose from the beginning and added more, until it was sweeter. This wasn't bad but it could have been sweeter. We'll see how it comes out and then I can post the whole recipe/thought process.

 

[tccoy]

how would the yeast strain affect the flavor? the reason i ask is because after four weeks of bottle conditioning it has mellowed but is definetly not like a commercial hard limeade but more like a sparkling wine.

 

[jammoore]

USFBull - what does the potassium sorbate do?

 

[carbon111]

Potassium sorbate will render any surviving yeast incapable of multiplying. Yeast living at that moment can continue fermenting any residual sugar into CO2 and alcohol, but when they die no new yeast will be present to cause future fermentation.

Basically, it allows you to stop the fermentation before all the sugar is gone.

 

[dderemiah]

I have a gallon of Mango Lemonade I wanted to try making hard. It is made from concentrate but already hidrated. What should I start the SG at to give me a sweet 7-8% final? Should I let it ferment all the way or will that give me a dry wine instead of hard lemonade? Should I add nutrient? What kind of yeast is best? I have the following on hand:

EC1118
Red Star Champaine
Red Star Montrechet
yeast nutrient
grape tanin
pectic enzyme
white or brown sugar
honey
some bottled water

a couple 1 Gallon carboys and airlock. Here is my idea of a recipe:
1Gal Mango Lemonade and sugar mix to SG 1.065
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/8 tsp nutrient
1 gram Red Star Montrechet

mix a cup of lemonade mix with pectic nutrient and yeast at 78 deg for an hour or so to start it. Vigorous stir of the rest of the liquid to aerate it and pitch the yeast starter. air lock it and check SG when bubbling slows down. rack and stabilize at 1.000 SG. Drink? How long does hard lemonade typically take? 3-4 weeks?

 

[MBM30075]

I am in the middle of trying this recipe, slightly modified.

I used 8 cans of frozen lemonade (Minute Maid) and a little bit more than 2 pounds of corn sugar, plus 1 tablespoon of yeast nutrient. I'm currently at about 4 gallons and plan to add the other 2 cans with about another 1 gallon total of additional must to bring the batch size up to 5 gallons while giving the yeast time to work without overloading them with acid.

I re-hydrated and pitched Nottingham yeast in an attempt to get a rather neutral yeast profile.

After 24 hours I had ZERO airlock activity. I know, I know, airlock activity isn't a good indicator... whatever, mine work .

Feeling like the yeast wasn't working, I guessed that maybe the environment was a little too acidic for them yeasties to get started. So I re-hydrated some Lalvin EC-1118 Champagne yeast. After it was sort of creamy, I added a little bit of corn sugar and stirred, then let it sit for about 20 minutes. Then I added a little bit more sugar and let it sit again. When I felt like the yeast had probably gotten a good start, I pitched that solution into my carboy.

The next day, I had very good airlock activity. Now, the airlock is rocking and rolling and I can see particles rising and falling (but only on the edge since it's so cloudy). The smell from the airlock is a nice, lemony smell. Pretty much like lemonade.

What concerns me is the "stuff" that's floating on one half of the top of the must(?). It's white, but it's not like any foam I've ever gotten from a beer, cider or mead. It's a lot denser. It seems to me like it could be either pulpy "stuff" from the lemonade mixture, or maybe it's a bacterial infection.

I'm leaning AWAY from the infection due to the smell and the rest of the activity appearing normal, but I was wondering if anyone has encountered an infection while doing a hard lemonade.

If it's infected, how would I know? Would an infection appear like a normal fermentation? The surface of the liquid is fizzy like a normal, active fermentation normally appears to me. Like I said, I can detect no off smells. Would a taste test from a sample tell me what I need to know?

Thanks!!!

 

[oatc05]

I started a 3 gallon batch with Minute Maid about 4 days ago and I see the white stuff your talking about. I have a strong feeling it is pulp as you suspected. I saw the bits floating before any nasties had a chance to make themselves comfortable.

 

[uhohohno]

I put 3 packets (total of 21 grams) of Fleischman's Rapid Rise Highly Active Yeast into about 1.75 liters of store-bought, NO PRESERVATIVE apple cider with a bunch of confectioners sugar (probably a whole cup or something). I know I put in way to much yeast, I didn't do enough research before I started this project about three hours ago. What effect will having way to much yeast have on it? And how alcoholic will it get if I leave it alone for four days?

ALSO, I'm brewing it in the same container that the cider came in and I'm wondering if I should filter out the yeast with a coffee filter when I'm done.