Oxidation affects wines too. Add sulfites to prevent it, also if you back sweeten add sorbate.
I doubt it… just need the sugars and pasteurization temps I think.
I'm kind of going through the same thing with my latest batch. I over-crushed the raspberries and didn't strain them sufficiently so it's pouring a little slower than normal. But, not bad enough for me to do anything but keep drinking it.Well, good and bad news.
Good news - I got it kegged, a little carb'd and sampled.
Bad news - In my excitement of racking it, I didn't strain it and now it wont pour steadily/consistently.
Guess I get to re-rack into a new keg but with a brew bag to catch the sediment.
Oh, and even more good news - Its DELICIOUS!!! I definitely foresee larger batches of this in my future!!
Taking so long to start or finish?
Both! I originally wanted to go gluten free, so I skipped the DME, but after 3 weeks with barely ANY bubbles visible in the fermonster, decided well, no harm in whipping up an extra half-gallon of wort from 1 lb of mashed (& boiled/cooled) 2-row. With this addition, fermentation finally started going with some vigor, and I watched gravity go from 1.044 down to 1.007 in 2 days. That was ten days ago, now it has reached 1.003, but still see bubbles rising.
Cuz I'm not saying that, I'm just wondering if anyone who's ever made this, ever took a pH reading of their lemonade, before all the other stuff was added.
Both! I originally wanted to go gluten free, so I skipped the DME, but after 3 weeks with barely ANY bubbles visible in the fermonster, decided well, no harm in whipping up an extra half-gallon of wort from 1 lb of mashed (& boiled/cooled) 2-row. With this addition, fermentation finally started going with some vigor, and I watched gravity go from 1.044 down to 1.007 in 2 days. That was ten days ago, now it has reached 1.003, but still see bubbles rising.
Original lemonade was 5 cans walmart great value lemonade into 2.5 gallons of untreated RO water.
The added half-gallon wort was made with RO water salted to get Brewer's Friend Light and Balanced profile, and a predicted mash pH of 5.4
Hopefully this doesn't come across too much like the stereotypical doofus who significantly alters a recipe and then complains that "didn't turn out well for me" post.
Can I ask which lemonade and flavor extract brands you are using? I didn't think the great value brand frozen lemonade was all that good...
I’ve never checked the pH. You did use the EC-1118 yeast correct?Both! I originally wanted to go gluten free, so I skipped the DME, but after 3 weeks with barely ANY bubbles visible in the fermonster, decided well, no harm in whipping up an extra half-gallon of wort from 1 lb of mashed (& boiled/cooled) 2-row. With this addition, fermentation finally started going with some vigor, and I watched gravity go from 1.044 down to 1.007 in 2 days. That was ten days ago, now it has reached 1.003, but still see bubbles rising.
Original lemonade was 5 cans walmart great value lemonade into 2.5 gallons of untreated RO water.
The added half-gallon wort was made with RO water salted to get Brewer's Friend Light and Balanced profile, and a predicted mash pH of 5.4
Hopefully this doesn't come across too much like the stereotypical doofus who significantly alters a recipe and then complains that "didn't turn out well for me" post.
yes, full pack (5 grams) rehydrated per instructions.
Sorry, I got nothing
I’ve always used the Great Value and haven’t tried the name brand stuff. I’ve always thought mine finished weaker (ABV) than the written recipe. I might splurge and try the more expensive concentrate next time.
My take-away is that the malt (or DME) is a KEY ingredient, "normal" lemonade, even with Fermaid, is just going to be a bit too sour for EC-1118 to perform well, especially with RO water, unless it's got the buttload of nutrients that actual grain contributes.
That could be very true. I’ve never looked into the traditional skeeter pee recipes… I’m not sure how they’re getting them to ferment.
Possibly. I've never taken a pH reading, most likely because I don't have a meter.
I suspect they are using tap-water with fairly high HCO3- values that buffer the pH a bit, but that's just a guess... Gonna make two new very-small batches next soon, with "REAL" MinuteMaid frozen lemonade (per the instrux on the can):
Yeah, not sure where I got the 6.5% info when I wrote up this recipe, but I've never gotten it to finish that high. Mine usually finishes between 5.5 and 6%. I've always used store brand lemonade concentrate, so that may indeed be the difference.
How's it coming along? Ready for a mug of it yet?2 weeks in the ferm cab, and I just racked my very first lemonade onto the raspberries to rest for ~week or so before going into the keg.
This was a 2.5-3gal batch and if it comes out as hopeful as I think it will, I may have to invest in some larger dedicated equipment to keep it on tap. The sample was delicious, and even the wife agreed!
View attachment 867444
I have had several mugs
and lessons learned.
OR another thing you can do is a quick blanch of the fresh raspberries (to kill the nasties) and THEN freeze them to burst their cell walls and increase availability.
I've only used frozen raspberries but I would think each method would properly sanitize the berries. Although if it were me I think I'd go with the blanch/freeze method. Seems like it would result in a better raspberry color and flavor than just a vodka soak.
