Hard Lemonade

[Yooper]

anyone carb this in bottles? could i use priming sugar if so how much for each bottle will probably bottle in 750ml

I would carb it at about 1 ounce (by weight) per gallon. If you carbonate it, make sure you use bottles that can hold pressure along with crown caps. You could also bottle it in plastic soda bottles, as they hold pressure.

I've never added sugar to bottles individually, so I don't know how much to put in each bottle. I bulk prime it.

 

[Freezeblade]

anyone carb this in bottles? could i use priming sugar if so how much for each bottle will probably bottle in 750ml

using sucrose (table sugar) for a almost champagne-like carb I would use 1 tsp per 350ml, for more relaxed cider-lioke carb use 3/4 tsp per 350 ml bottle. for corn sugar I don't know.

 

[Dionysos911]

Has there been any conclusion on the best type of yeast for this recipe?

 

[Hallowed]

I started a batch of this on 4/30, and added the starter to primary on the second or third (can't remember which) of May... After a couple days of lag, it's still fermenting strong. I got scared for a little bit because the starter was going like crazy but there was nothing for 36-48 hours after I pitched it. But I was patient and it picked up and hasn't slowed down. I used Lalvin EC-1118 Champagne yeast because I figured it could handle the alcohol. OG was 1.081 or so... can't wait to see how it turns out! I just got a kegging system and I'm planning on letting it ferment out, backsweetening, and then force carbonating as the first thing I put in my keg. Thanks for posting this recipe, because I've been kicking around the idea of a hard lemonade for a while but hadn't even considered concentrate....

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

Well, I am wondering about repitching I did a starter as yooper suggested, starting at 1L and 3 steps up to 2.5L, using Lavlin 71B-1122 on a stir plate. I waited until there was a small layer of foam (after stopping the stir plate for an hour) before stepping up.

I pitched 72 hours ago, hit the must with some O2. It is maintained @ 70-72*. There is no activity in the airlock.

Only difference from the recipe is that is is 4 gal w/ 3# sugar (1.090) and I didn't have the yeast energizer( yes, I had the nutrient). My LHBS should have it today.

So, if I want to repitch, would I take make up a couple of quarts of the same (Minute Maid) lemonade and go from there?

 

[Yooper]

Well, I am wondering about repitching I did a starter as yooper suggested, starting at 1L and 3 steps up to 2.5L, using Lavlin 71B-1122 on a stir plate. I waited until there was a small layer of foam (after stopping the stir plate for an hour) before stepping up.

I pitched 72 hours ago, hit the must with some O2. It is maintained @ 70-72*. There is no activity in the airlock.

Only difference from the recipe is that is is 4 gal w/ 3# sugar (1.090) and I didn't have the yeast energizer( yes, I had the nutrient). My LHBS should have it today.

So, if I want to repitch, would I take make up a couple of quarts of the same (Minute Maid) lemonade and go from there?

Maybe there is no activity in the airlock, but I'd check the SG before making a new starter. Sometimes these ferments go along with no visible indication at all, except that one day it's fermented out. Check the SG today, and then check it again in two days. If it's still the same, then you may have to repitch. don't forget to keep stirring the must, because the aeration is really good for it at this point. Once it gets to about 1.020 or so, you can airlock and stop stirring.

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

Thanks Yoop. I just checked it. 1.090, same as start date . I have some O2 and a .2 micro stone, so I might hit it and give it a couple more days.

I set a carboy of Pale Ale that is finishing up next to it - maybe it will get the idea

 

[Hallowed]

Does anyone know if I would have a problem using regular lemonade (made per directions on concentrate can) to backsweeten after I stabilize? I tasted it when I moved to secondary the other night after hitting 1.020, and it tasted really good... except for an overwhelming alcoholic nose and flavour. Will this dissipate at all as fermentation continues? If not, I was thinking of diluting with lemonade to add sweetness and more lemon flavour to make it more palatable. I couldn't see any reason why I shouldn't use this method, but thought I would ask on here first... Thoughts, warnings?

 

[wpreston]

What I don't get is why you only put a towel over the primary, and are you using a bucket or glass carboy for this part? Also is the yeast added 2 days later? Thanks

 

[Yooper]

Does anyone know if I would have a problem using regular lemonade (made per directions on concentrate can) to backsweeten after I stabilize? I tasted it when I moved to secondary the other night after hitting 1.020, and it tasted really good... except for an overwhelming alcoholic nose and flavour. Will this dissipate at all as fermentation continues? If not, I was thinking of diluting with lemonade to add sweetness and more lemon flavour to make it more palatable. I couldn't see any reason why I shouldn't use this method, but thought I would ask on here first... Thoughts, warnings?

It should be ok to sweeten with whatever you'd like after you stabilize it.

What I don't get is why you only put a towel over the primary, and are you using a bucket or glass carboy for this part? Also is the yeast added 2 days later? Thanks

I usually primary most wines and ciders in a bucket, so that I can stir frequently.

Lemonade is a bugger to start, that's why I explain about the yeast starter and adding the starter to the must later. The super high acidity is a hostile environment to yeast, so the bit yeast starter (mixing up the must and diluting it for the starter) is crucial.

 

[scinerd3000]

yooper- how long did you age this. I did one gallon with real lemons from my tree, about 1/4 of a gallon and topped off the rest with water and sugar. SG about 1.060 and i threw in some montrochet. Fermented way down below 1.000, i figured i would backsweeten eventually once it cleared since this was an experiement anyways but damn its tart...im hoping some aging will do this good but i dont know...any ideas?

 

[Yooper]

yooper- how long did you age this. I did one gallon with real lemons from my tree, about 1/4 of a gallon and topped off the rest with water and sugar. SG about 1.060 and i threw in some montrochet. Fermented way down below 1.000, i figured i would backsweeten eventually once it cleared since this was an experiement anyways but damn its tart...im hoping some aging will do this good but i dont know...any ideas?

I siphoned some right out of the carboy and put in a pitcher in the fridge, so I didn't age it long at all! I did bottle some, but by then it was pretty tart.

Go ahead and sweeten it, if you're not carbonating it. You can stabilize it with sorbate and campden and then sweeten with sugar, fresh lemonade, honey, etc. I liked it best around 1.010-1.020 or so.

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

My second starter worked !! WOOOHOO !
I started with a 1.040 DME, about 500ml. Added the yeast and gave it a little while.
Then about every 12 hours or so, I added about 1c of lemonade mixed per directions + 1 tbsp of sugar to the starter (on a stir plate). It took three days, but 10 hours after pitching (2000ml) , it;s bubbling away!

 

[stoneman]

I started a batch today!
I upped it to 5 gallons, 10 cans minute maid lemonade, 5 lbs sugar (plus 3 cups at end to bring me to 1.08) I couldn't find any yeast energizer so I doubled the nutrient to 10 tsp and for good measure I used 2 pacs of 1118 wine yeast. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks Yoop!

 

[Bluelinebrewer]

Just finished up a batch of this last night. FG was .994, got a little carried away!! Anyways, we tossed in some potassium sorbate, and sweetened it back up with some simple syrup to about 1.020. Tastes great!! Next project is going to be a cherry limeade I believe..... Thanks for the recipe Yooper!!

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

Blue - I think I am doing the same. This thing has been chugging along forrrreeevvvvvvverrr ! Last I checked it, about a week ago, was @ 1.029. It sure was tasty there - ya know, a 2 liter 'hydrometer sample'

I had a starter for the limeade going good, then a frickin fruit fly made it's way under the foil and died the good way.

I'm going to rack this off onto some pot sorbate, and cold crash it. Then to 2 L bottles ( or that 3 gal keg on the way! ).

 

[Bluelinebrewer]

Sounds like a plan!! Has anyone successfully made a limeade following this recipe? Would be interested in knowing how it turned out. I'm also thinking about using a different yeast strain the next time.

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

Update on my lemonade. I just racked this off, and it ended up at 1.020, for a 9.3% ABV. This one, based on my experience with it a week ago at 8.x, will be called August Bent Truth Serum... Sample tasted palatable, and will need just a touch of back sweetening.

If you read my previous posts, the malt is in there from the starter, but you'd have to be looking for it. Now, to keep it out of the hands of the younguns.

 

[scray24]

So I tried this with a bit of a twist in the fermentation - basically same recipe:

3 gallons batch
6 cans of lemonade
1# of DME
1# of sugar
4c of sugar (sweetening)

I boiled some water and mixed in the DME, pound of sugar and yeast nutrient + DAP. Cooled and pitched into a carboy with about 2g of water and 1 can of lemonade concentrate. Rehydrated and pitched some champagne yeast into it and waited..

It was fermenting well by the next day so I added another can of the concentrate and a can of water (to rinse out the concentrate can). Put the airlock back on and waited.

Still fermenting well by day 2 so added one can in the morning and one that night and followed the same plan on day 3.

Its a bit backward from adding bits of the must/lemonade mixture back into a yeast starter but accomplishes the same thing.

Only drawback I can see is that its difficult to accurately measure your OG - I can get FG (it was in the 1.004 range when I kegged, added sorbistat k and the 4c of sugar dissolved in a quart of water to sweeten).

Anyone else see any major flaws in this alternative (if you would even call it that)?

Thanks for the recipe Yooper, its likely to become a standard offering during the summer.

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

BTW, Thanks Yooper - after letting some of my Truth Serum out, it seems that I'll be tying up a carboy & a 3gal keg all damn summer This is going down well, especially with the ladies, with no backsweeten.

I'll be kicking in another batch this weekend, hoping it will be done for my bday in August !

 

[NeonBrew]

Thanks for the recipe! I'm just a noob and have a couple dumb questions if you don't mind. I saw this and had to try it. I started a 3 gallon batch yesterday, hope it turns out. I've done everything according to recipe except I could not find yeast energizer, so I just used the same amount of nutrient on the advice of home brew store. It's been about 30 hours and the starter is bubbling along nicely on its own. Every few hours I add a cup or so of must. So, as long as the starter is foaming away, would it be safe to add it to the must, say tomorrow?

One thing I'm curious of is adding the campden tablets. I thought the purpose of these is to halt fermentation? Why are these added at the start?

I would like to carbonate I think. I'm confused how to do this. From what I can understand, I need to ferment down to 1.000, then stabilize and sweeten back up to 1.020 at bottling time if I dont want carbonation. If I do want carbonation, do I just add my priming sugar and accept it will be a much dryer drink?

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

I hope that Yooper will chime in on this, but I'll give an early thought.
The campden early is so that any of the wild (unwanted) yeasties in the lemonade are annihilated before the good yeasties come to dine.

I had a tough time with the starter, others have done it easier. From my lessons learned, step that starter up like your doing and pitch it tomorrow.

You should be ok with the nutrient, but you might as well order some of this energizer for that next batch when you find out that 3 gal doesn't last very long at all

 

[Yooper]

I hope that Yooper will chime in on this, but I'll give an early thought.
The campden early is so that any of the wild (unwanted) yeasties in the lemonade are annihilated before the good yeasties come to dine.

I had a tough time with the starter, others have done it easier. From my lessons learned, step that starter up like your doing and pitch it tomorrow.

You should be ok with the nutrient, but you might as well order some of this energizer for that next batch when you find out that 3 gal doesn't last very long at all

Yes, what he said! Sort of. Since it is such a tough ferment, I add the campden to the must so it's not growing wild bugs during the time of making the starter. Wine yeast are pretty tolerant of sulfites, so it works ok. Campden/sulfite don't kill yeast, nor do they halt fermentation. Many people may tell you that, but they are wrong. Campden is used to sanitize equipment (in a much stronger mix), and to sanitize must, as well as to preserve wine and prevent oxidation. In conjunction with sorbate, it can be useful to prevent refermentation during sweetening by inhibiting yeast reproduction, but it doesn't kill the yeast.

If you want a sweet carbed up drink, you can use a non-fermentable sweetener like lactose or splenda to sweeten and priming sugar to carbonate.

 

[NeonBrew]

Thanks for replies!

So then...would I be correct about it just being dryer when carbonating unless I sweeten it up? Thanks again.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for replies!

So then...would I be correct about it just being dryer when carbonating unless I sweeten it up? Thanks again.

Oh, sorry- I guess I didn't answer that, did I? Yes, it'll be dry and carbonated. It's pretty good like that, but I don't have a sweet tooth at all and don't like many sweetened things. I did like this drink best at between 1.010 and 1.020, though.

 

[NeonBrew]

Oh, sorry- I guess I didn't answer that, did I? Yes, it'll be dry and carbonated. It's pretty good like that, but I don't have a sweet tooth at all and don't like many sweetened things. I did like this drink best at between 1.010 and 1.020, though.

Thats great...thanks yooper. I prefer my drinks dry also, so I think it'll suit me fine!

 

[LooyvilleLarry]

Thanks for setting me straight on that ! As always, so much to learn, especially with winemaking.

 

[NeonBrew]

My batch has been hard at work now for 4 weeks. I thought I'd take a sample today to see where it's at. Tastes pretty good! Very stiff, and slightly yeasty still. It measured 1.003. Do you think I'm good to bottle now, or should I wait till its at 1.000 in probably a few days?

I also got a bit of a brainwave...maybe it's been tried before. How about adding crystal light (which is sugar free, lemon flavor obviously) at bottling to sweeten it up a bit, and to give it perhaps more lemon taste?

 

[Bullshivit-brew]

??? when useing splenda dose it read on the hydromiter like fermentable sugars or do you just sweeten to taste. Just woundering you say it is best around 1.020 and I would be bottle conditioning. Thanks

 

[Yooper]

I wouldn't bottle it until it's completely done. It should go lower than 1.000.

If you use splenda, I would just sweeten to taste. Make sure you use the 100% splenda, not the real sugar/splenda mix that is sold.

Something like Crystal Light would probably work. I have never sweetened with artificial sugars or with Crystal Light, though, so I don't know exactly what the results would be.