Kool Aid Beer

[Lute]

Please tell me this is a bad idea so I can tell my Boyfriend I'm right and he's wrong.

My Boyfriend wants to brew a beer using Sweetened Cherry Kool Aid instead of water (and, logically, sugar). I've only found unsweetened kool aid being added for flavour.

I'm assuming he would be using an American Pale Ale to get started. We're still in the "I don't think it's a tasty idea" stage.

 

[bdupree]

I can't really say that it's a bad idea, but i don't see any benefits from adding the kool aid. The 10# of table sugar (assuming you're making 5 gallons of kool aid with 2 cups sugar each) and 10 packs of kool aid powder, will yield you something closer to a dry, sour, bitter, cognac, that still needs to be distilled. If thats what he's shooting for, then it's a good idea.

 

[Lute]

Thanks for answering my question BDupree!

It seems there was a snafu in communication. What he wants is something akin to "Mikes Hard Lemonade" or Smirnoff. What he lovingly refer to as "B!tch Beer".

 

[Airplanedoc]

Sounds like something from the college dorm days

Pass

 

[Lute]

Welcome to my college life.

 

[Airplanedoc]

Best days of your life.

 

[TopherM]

My Boyfriend wants to brew a beer using Sweetened Cherry Kool Aid instead of water

Well, of course he is using water as well!

Anyway, the sugar is going to ferment out, so the actual flavor this is going to add to the beer is the flavor of the kool aid mix without the sugar, which I think of as bitter, not sour. The extra sugar is just going to dry out the beer and increase ABV, which might not be a good thing if it is a bit high for the body of the beer to cover.

Smirnov Ice and Mike's Hard Lemonaid are made using the same kinda thing as cidering techniques, which is a bit different than beer brewing. These are MALT LIQUOR beverages, not beers. They are kinda a hybrid between beer brewing and winemaking, not just adding fruity flavoring to beer.

Do a search for Smirnov Ice or Mike's Hard Lemonade on this forum and you'll find plenty of recipes and processes.

 

[SenorPepe]

Buy him a sixer of Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. Kool-Aid beer pre-mixed for you. But Topher's right. There are some tested recipes for malt liquor-like fermented beverages that I'd probably start with. See if any of those appeal to him.

 

[Lute]

Sounds ghastly. Hopefully this will prevent him from wanting to do this. Thanks guys!

 

[hopstupid]

Would work great in a kettle sour

 

[redshift76]

Would work great in a kettle sour

 

[kristiismean]

Zombie

but am curious if it was done or not?

 

[jsprinceiii]

Thanks for answering my question BDupree!

It seems there was a snafu in communication. What he wants is something akin to "Mikes Hard Lemonade" or Smirnoff. What he lovingly refer to as "B!tch Beer".

Should look into making some "Skeeter Pee". Might be closer to what you want.

http://skeeterpee.com/recipe



(Also, just realized how old this was..)