Naturally carbonating hard lemonade

[Rockindaddy]

I just kegged a batch of hard lemonade and sweetened to taste. I was going to let it sit in the keg for about a week to carb and then add potassium sorbate to stop any further fermenting. Is there anything wrong with doing it this way? Thanks,

OG = 1.072
FG = 0.099
Added 5lbs of sugar in a gallon of water to sweeten.

 

[Yooper]

I just kegged a batch of hard lemonade and sweetened to taste. I was going to let it sit in the keg for about a week to carb and then add potassium sorbate to stop any further fermenting. Is there anything wrong with doing it this way? Thanks,

OG = 1.072
FG = 0.099
Added 5lbs of sugar in a gallon of water to sweeten.

Not "wrong" in that you'll harm it, but sorbate doesn't stop fermenting.

How sorbate works is that it's added to finished and clear wine/cider/mead/lemonade so that there are very few active yeast in the finished drink, and no lees (sediment) at all in the bottom. The sorbate is then added, and it keeps the few yeast remaining from reproducing. Since they can't reproduce, fermentation won't restart or at least not much.

But since they are active when fermentation is happening, and there are literally hundreds of billions of them, they don't need to reproduce so the sorbate will do nothing. Sorbate inhibits yeast reproduction, but does not stop fermentation nor kill yeast.

 

[Rockindaddy]

Wow, thank you you for that information. So my plan is to add the sorbate about a week in after the kegging. I'm letting the keg sit in my fermentation chamber (69 degrees) and I'm not sure how long it will be until my wife kills off the keg that is in my kegerator now. I'm hoping the new keg will be carbonated close to "just right" when I hook it up to the kegerator once the first keg is finished.

 

[TexasWine]

Keep an eye on it while it's in the keg and fermentation chamber. Not sure how long it'll take the yeast to plow through 5 lbs of sugar, but you might end up with a highly carbonated and highly tart lemonade. When I bottle carb the stuff it takes about 3 days before it hits the carb level I'm looking for.

If you have room in the kegerator I'd go ahead and put it in there. Cold temps will slow it down at least.

 

[Yooper]

Wow, thank you you for that information. So my plan is to add the sorbate about a week in after the kegging. I'm letting the keg sit in my fermentation chamber (69 degrees) and I'm not sure how long it will be until my wife kills off the keg that is in my kegerator now. I'm hoping the new keg will be carbonated close to "just right" when I hook it up to the kegerator once the first keg is finished.

There is no point in adding it to a keg that has been fermenting.

I must not have explained it, but adding it where there are a lot of yeast in suspension means it won't do anything (except impart a slightly unpleasant flavor).

It needs to be used only in totally clear wine/cider/mead, and when fermentation has stopped, and no lees at all present in the bottom.

 

[Rockindaddy]

There is no point in adding it to a keg that has been fermenting.

I must not have explained it, but adding it where there are a lot of yeast in suspension means it won't do anything (except impart a slightly unpleasant flavor).

It needs to be used only in totally clear wine/cider/mead, and when fermentation has stopped, and no lees at all present in the bottom.

Hmmmmm. OK, the first keg I did of this I added the sorbate right when I kegged it thinking I would carbonate it with the C02, but it stayed flat pretty much the whole time. That's why I thought I would let this one go for awhile before adding it. So did I just create a ticking time bomb?

 

[Yooper]

Hmmmmm. OK, the first keg I did of this I added the sorbate right when I kegged it thinking I would carbonate it with the C02, but it stayed flat pretty much the whole time. That's why I thought I would let this one go for awhile before adding it. So did I just create a ticking time bomb?

Kegs won't blow up so no worries there.

Staying sweet won't happen, though, unless the keg is chilled.

Of course, if the keg is chilled, no sorbate is needed anyway.

 

[Rockindaddy]

OK, that's probably what happened to the first one since I put it in the kegerator right away. I'm in a position to turn down the temp in my fermentation chamber so I'll just do that until my wife is ready for the next keg. I'll have to figure out a better system. Maybe I'll just leave them in the fermenting bucket until her other keg runs out, then keg and put in the kegerator.

 

[insanim8er]

Just clear it like Yooper mentioned, sorbate it and let it wait. After a couple days back sweeten it. When she kicks the keg force carb it by getting the keg cold over 24hrs and setting the regulator to 30psi and shaking it around for a few minutes. Keep it pressured, chill it for another 24hr. Depressurize and serve. You're not needing to hit a specific volume like you are with a beer, so this should work fine.

Or if you have a spare fridge, chill the keg and do this method while you're waiting for her to kick the keg.

 

[Rockindaddy]

Just clear it like Yooper mentioned, sorbate it and let it wait. After a couple days back sweeten it. When she kicks the keg force carb it by getting the keg cold over 24hrs and setting the regulator to 30psi and shaking it around for a few minutes. Keep it pressured, chill it for another 24hr. Depressurize and serve. You're not needing to hit a specific volume like you are with a beer, so this should work fine.

Or if you have a spare fridge, chill the keg and do this method while you're waiting for her to kick the keg.

OK, that sounds like a plan. One final question, do I add sorbate in the primary after fermentation is complete or should I transfer it first and then add the sorbate?

 

[Yooper]

OK, that sounds like a plan. One final question, do I add sorbate in the primary after fermentation is complete or should I transfer it first and then add the sorbate?

Always transfer it, off of the lees, or the sorbate won't "work".

A good way to do it is to dissolve the sorbate in a little boiling water, and add that to the keg and then rack the wine into that so that it fills from the bottom, and lay the tubing in a circle at the bottom, so it mixes well just like with a bottling bucket.

 

[insanim8er]

Yooper was right about how sorbate works. The liquid needs to be clean and clear of yeast and lees, so that the sorbate has a fighting chance to inhibit more growth.

If you don't rack off the lees and let it clear/settle, you'll run the chance of the yeast overtaking the sorbate. It can cause lag time, but if not chilled, they can still reproduce.

If you chill it right away, and keep it chilled, there's no need for the sorbate, but since you're going to wait a week or two, rack it over as clean as possible onto the sorbate.

 

[Rockindaddy]

Awesome! Thanks everyone!

 

[Rockindaddy]

OK, one final question. After racking on the sorbate how long do I wait to backsweeten?

 

[Texconsinite]

After racking onto the sorbate, you wait until it is clear, then rack again and backsweeten.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[insanim8er]

OK, one final question. After racking on the sorbate how long do I wait to backsweeten?

Actually 24hrs is fine