Skeeter Pee

[Renegades_Brew]

Whole 64oz can of wine raspberries from hbs.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

Are you worried about that much head space?

 

[Renegades_Brew]

Not at all. the photo was when I transferred to secondary and was degassing. primary was all buckets. they are nice and clear now from the sparkloid too.

 

[Apple_Jacker]

Just bottled 5 gallons yesterday. I sweetened with a homemade mint simple syrup. With 4 bottles, I added a small amount of cherry pie filling, and 3 bottles with blueberry pie filling. Those definitely will be cloudy but it was just to test out using pie filling for flavoring.

 

[z-bob]

I just bottled my 3 gallons that I started a few months ago. It tasted nasty when it was done fermenting but still cloudy (even when I added a little sugar.) I gave the yeast another week or two to clean up, then dropped it out with Sparkloid. It tastes really good now.

 

[Moose_MI]

Mixed up a batch per original recipe Fri....waited 24hr...pitched 2packs of hydrated EC1118 .... 12 hours later I have steady air lock activity. Stressed for days about not having a wine yeast cake....should RDWHAHB

 

[Texconsinite]

Mixed up a batch per original recipe Fri....waited 24hr...pitched 2packs of hydrated EC1118 .... 12 hours later I have steady air lock activity. Stressed for days about not having a wine yeast cake....should RDWHAHB

You should relax. I had the saem questions when I made my first batch, but I have rarely used a yeast cake and never had any problems. Here's what I do (for dry yeast or harvested). Make a starter 2-4 days before you mix up the invert sugar and lemon. Wine starter is easy:
Take any 1/2 gallon jug of 100% juice from the store (no preservatives) and add 1 cup of sugar, and a pinch of nutrients. Pitch 1 packet of EC1118, and shake like crazy, then affix a balloon or airlock to the top of the jug. I usually try to use a juice that is similar or complimentary to the flavor I'm making, but apple or white grape should work fine, and it'll be less than the cost of a second packet of yeast.

Then, by day 4-6, the yeast is going strong and the trace amounts of preservatives in the Lemon juice arent going to slow them down when you pitch. Yeast loves invert sugar, just shake the starter up, pour into fermenter and it will be bubbling away in no time.

EC1118 is a beast, you should not need more than 1 packet for even 6 gallons. It takes a little time a few days in advance to prep the starter, but well worth it IMO, and gives you seomthing to watch in subsequent days while you are RDWHAHB

 

[z-bob]

I think I used Premier Cuvee yeast instead of EC-1118, but I just rehydrated it and pitched it and it worked just fine.

I saved all the sediment from the primary and put it in the fridge. That was 2 months ago. I think I might wash it and try making a starter to try out my new stirplate and Erlenmeyer flask. What do you think about using 1.040 sugar-water with a little Yeast Energizer added for the culture medium? (instead of wort or fruit juice)

Even if it doesn't work, it will be good practice. Hopefully I will know that it didn't work before it's time to pitch.

 

[Texconsinite]

I think I used Premier Cuvee yeast instead of EC-1118, but I just rehydrated it and pitched it and it worked just fine.

I saved all the sediment from the primary and put it in the fridge. That was 2 months ago. I think I might wash it and try making a starter to try out my new stirplate and Erlenmeyer flask. What do you think about using 1.040 sugar-water with a little Yeast Energizer added for the culture medium? (instead of wort or fruit juice)

Even if it doesn't work, it will be good practice. Hopefully I will know that it didn't work before it's time to pitch.

Do it! 2 months My last two Skeeter Pee batches have been fermented with primary sediment I harvested from blackberry and pomegranate wines 6 months ago, and they worked fine with a good starter. I don't even have a stirplate or flask either, so yours should go great!

1.040 sugar-water sounds good. I would put some nutrient in there as well as energizer. I like using fruit juice so the yeast has nutrients as well as sugar, but if u add nutrients then sugar water should be fine.

I like doing a 1/2 gallon starter several days in advance so I can make sure it takes off before I pitch it. That's why i use the method i described, because it easy to tell when its ready because the balloon is inflated and I can see the yeast cake forming on the bottom of the juice container.

 

[Handi]

So I started my cranberry skeeter pee and it is bubbling along nicely. My question is the recipe says to add more nutrient when the gravity reaches 1.05. Any idea how long this should take? I don't want to check this daily and risk something funky getting in if I don't need to.

I'm probably a little to late on this, But I'm brewing up some right now, and it took me around 24 hours and mine was around 1.044 when I took mine, So probably around 20 Ours give or take.

 

[Handi]

Ok for the Skeeter Pee my LHBS didn't have either yeast Energizer, or Sparkolloid.

So what can I do to replce the yeast energizer?

They did have isinglass and another kind of clarifying agent which is what I think Sparkolloid is. Is it ok to replace the Sparkolloid with either of them?

Yes, any Fining Agent will work fine. or you don't have to use any at all, it's pretty much a Preference, you will just have to wait longer for it to clerify.

As far as enegizer, I couln't tell you, my LHBS Has everything I need. You may Search on Amazon.com or some other online brew Shop and see if you can get it there.

 

[Handi]

Can you use the yeast slurry from a batch of skeeter pee to make another batch of skeeter pee?

Yes you can. You would have to Create a Yeast Slurry (Starter) from the Yeast when it's done.

You'll have to Renew the yeast by adding some stuff to it. Look on Youtube on how to harvest yeast, I just watched one last night, shows how you can harvest the yeast from the carboy.

Then you'll have to feed it when you are ready to use it to get it active again. But yes, it can be done, it will store in the Fridge up to 3 to 6 months I think i twas, Liquid yeast don't last as long as Dry.

 

[Handi]

ok, so I just bottled my Apfelwein and I want to make this Skeeter Pee next. Can I just rack on top of my yeast cake? How long is the Yeast Cake viable?

No clue how to do this here...

You should be able to do that. The yeast will be on the bottom of course, Dormant cause of all the Alcohol, Once revitilized it can get back to work. But you would have to wait to drop it in until you wait 2 days like the recipe says.

Then drop it in, but you would have to clean it up a little and make a Slurry from the yeast at the bottom of the Fermentation bucket. Basically harvesting the Yeast from that then Dropping it into the Skeeter Pee, so while you got the skeeter pee sitting, clean up the yeast and drop it in after it's had it's 2 day rest.

 

[Handi]

Well I started to try my first batch of skeeter pee last night, and to make a long story short, I F'd up,-- I F'd up bad. Now Ive got my own theory on where it went wrong, but I'm going to tell you exactly what I did and u tell me where I went wrong.

I was going to use the yeast left from the 1 gallon of Clementine wine I have in the primary right now. So I adopted the 5 gal recipe off SP's website, and devided all the steps by 5.

instead of 8 Cups of water, I put 1.6 cups of water in my stainless steel pot. Unfortunately, the only stainless pot i Have is a 4 gal, so it only filled up maybe a half inch or so. Instead of 16 cups of sugar, I put in 3.2 Cups of sugar. And Instead of 14 Tsps of lemon juice, I used 2.8 tsps in. I heatedd the water and juice and mixed the sugar as I went to help it dissolve fully.

While that was heating for the prescribed 30 minutes,

I added the other lemon juice, (2x32oz bottles = 64oz / 5= 12.8 oz, or just over 1.5Cups) straight in the empty primary.

Now i started to figure I had screwed up somewhere along the way, but kept going anyways. The heated sugar water was turning Brown. I was making caramel/ribbon candy in the pot.

By the time I went to add it to the Primary, i KNEW i had screwed up but at this point said F it and kept going. It was cooling and hardening faster than I could pour it in.

Topped it to 1+ gallons with water.

My end result? A 1 gal carboy with an inch of solid, brown rock hard caramel at the bottom with water and 1.5cups of lemon juice on top.



So lets hear it, did I not follow directions or miss something? make a mistake going from 5 gal recipe to 1 gal recipe? I should have known better than try to make a drink that involved cooking.

Ok, first. The recipe was ment for a 5 Gallon Batch. Not 1 Gallon. it would've been just simple to Follow the instructions to make a 5 Gallon Batch then Seperate if you need to into 5 1 gallon batches.

And Second, the Sugar, water and lemon juice, you were supposed to Simmer for 30 Minutes just BELOW Boiling Point so right around 190* to 200*, Boiling Point is 212* This is probably what made it turn into rock Candy at the bottom.

It's cheap enough that a 5 Gallon Batch isn't going to Break the Bank.

Next time you give it a go, Do a 5 Gallon Batch and Simmer below boiling point, it will turn into a Nice Syrup thickness, then it will be diluted and thinned out with the 5 gallons of water you add to it.

 

[Handi]

I'm totally new to this hobby so forgive me.

It looks like the Kmeta and the sorbate are to kill the yeast and it is bottled as a still beverage, is that right?
Is that necessary? Could I back sweeten with splenda and prime and bottle as a sparkling version?

Thanks

I'm assuming it is possible. You can leave out the Kmeta and Sorbate, but you will have to Watch how much you use to Back Sweeten it, if you do that, you won't be able to prime it cause it will be "Extra" Sugar for the yeast to eat, it could cause bottle bombs.

So you would have to check how much sugar or priming sugar you need to use to Create the Carbon Dixoide.

In Beer Brewing, the standard I seen was 4 oz per 5 gallon batches. So I wouldn't go past that.

What you could do, is before pack sweeting, rack off say 1 gallon, back sweeten that with little sugar, bottle in a 2lt bottle and check the tightness of the bottle for carbonation and give it a trial and error.

It's more of a Trial and Error kinda thing, but be safe when doing it.

 

[Handi]

Thanks this makes alot more sense then stirring it (oxygenation). If I try this again will make sure to do this so I don't get 3 quarts of skeeter pee on my basement floor.

I have been reading on Degassing. Many ways of doing this. One of them I found to work pretty good and watched on youtube, was a Food Saver if you have one.

By attaching the Tube to the Food Saver, then attach the tube by Holding it on to the Bung then Turning on the Food Saver (That is if you have one) Will create a vac that will pull the Gasses out of the Skeeter pee and Degassing it, Or as a fellow poster said, you can use a Break Bleeder Pump to create a Vac and do the same.

I've seen home made versions of Degassing Tools Such as a Plastic Coat Hanger heated, Straightened then bent a Hook on the bottom, then attach to a drill with a Bung on it then Stired with the Drill to Degass.

So many things can be done, or you can purchase a Degassing Stir Tool from any online Brew Shops. like Midwest Brewing, MoreBeer, Amazon, or eBay.

 

[z-bob]

I made a 3 gallon batch. It took a long time to make, and it disappeared fast once it was ready. I would not bother with a 1 gallon batch (and I do 1 gallons of cider and other stuff)

I was planning to sweeten with Splenda and carbonate it, but decided to just follow the recipe the first time. It's good as a still beverage. Also, it tasted terrible when I sampled it when it was finished fermenting but still cloudy, and sweetening didn't help. Glad I followed thru on it with the sorbate and clarifier.

 

[Handi]

Update on Cherry Pee...

Just racked to secondary and I have a few photos to share. This is what it looked like after a week of fermenting:

This one shows the lovely blood red color that I was hoping for:

I pulled a sample and when it was appropriately sweetened it was dangerously delicious. No medicinal flavors at all, just a bit of yeast taste which is normal as there is still a lot of yeast in suspension.

I am very excited about the final producto!

That looks VERY Tasty

 

[Handi]

ok, so i screwed up big time on the i added 2.5 tablespoons of kmeta and 2.5 tablespoons of sorbate, clearly it was too late in the night to be messing around with this stuff...i don't know ANYTHING about wine making...what is this going to do to my 5 gallon batch will it be safe to drink, will it be drinkable, should i just throw this out?

The Sorbate and Kmeta are to Pretty much kill the yeast so it will NO Longer Ferment. You do this so you can Back Sweeten it so it won't be so Dry.

If you add the stuff now while it's fermenting, then it will kill the yeast and no longer ferment.

 

[Handi]

you can boil some yeast to kill them, then use them as a nutrient.

This might help. Another Thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/substitute-yeast-nutrient-180360/

 

[Handi]

you can boil some yeast to kill them, then use them as a nutrient.

Here is another, Forgot to include it.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/alternative-yeast-nutrient-306685/

 

[Handi]

I started a Batch on Jan 1st.

Followed the Instructions to the T or as close as I could.

Starting Gravity was 1.066, Just a tad below the Target 1.070, which is fine with me.

I Pitched the Nutrient/Enegizer and Tannin During the 2 day wait.

Pitched EC-1118 Per Instuctions. I Put it in 50mL of Warm Water and let sit for 5 to 10 Minutes before Pitching into the Juice.

Pitched the 3rd Bottle, Nutrient/Enegizer at Gravity Reading 1.044, little late on that, but I was asleep, it reached at night.

My yeast took off with NO Problems at all.

I'm into the 5th Day of fermentation right now, it's still kicking. Last reading I took was 1.000. It's fermenting around 70 to 73 Degrees.

I first tried this about 2 years ago from my Cousin Brewing up some and Enjoyed it, so I decided to Brew me up some, I'm disabled and low Income so I didn't have the money for the stuff till Just recently.

Now that I've got all the stuff, I'll be ready to brew a few more batches, I'm going to harvest the Yeast from the First batch, put it in the Fridge until I'm ready to make another, then keep reusing the yeast as long as it will still be viable.

 

[Handi]

Does anyone know how long it takes to Degas this Recipe?

I used my Foodsaver to Degas it. The Foodsaver ran for awhile, I agitated it a little rotating the Carboy to help it along, It ran for a good little bit, then Stopped. I done this Several times until it had Shorter Intervolts.

first time it took say about 5 minutes, Let it rest done it again, Each time got Shorter then the next.

Until it was proably 30 Seconds, I'm assuming this means that it was done Degassing. I don't have a Degassing Wand or anything so this is what I had on Hand. In combonation with the Canister Tubing and a Nebulizer Tubing my Old lady had left over, 1 end Fit perfect in the Bung, the other I cut off and Stuck on the Tubing for a Tight and Secure Fitting.

Seemed to work perfect.

 

[Briatta]

My first batch just started clearing.

Please pardon the kitty photobomb (photobuttt?)

 

[jhoson]

Really want to give a shot at skeeter pee, but I cant find Powdered tannin's in my country (Brazil ).

Can I change it for Black Tea since its a tannin source? (another substitute? If there's please tell me )

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

You could probably get by without any tannin addition at all, but it seems I've read of people using black tea.
This recipe is pretty forgiving, you should be fine either way.

 

[Handi]

Really want to give a shot at skeeter pee, but I cant find Powdered tannin's in my country (Brazil ).

Can I change it for Black Tea since its a tannin source? (another substitute? If there's please tell me )

Tannin is supposed to be more of a kicker for the recipe. It don't really surveyed a purpose but giving it a little taste kicker

Its used in wine.

 

[jhoson]

Tanks for the reply's.

Will order all the stuff needed and do an 5 gal batch

 

[Handi]

Skeeter Pee is Clearing up Nicely. It will be time to Bottle before long!

 

[foasty]

Hi everyone, first post here, and I'm a pretty new brewer.

I have a large bergamot (sour orange) tree, and several hundred oranges. Being a new brewer, I'm trying to brew all the things and I stumbled upon skeeter pee.

So here's my idea. I was thinking to take a goodly amount of zest, probably 100 oranges worth or so, and boil it with the sugar for the skeeter pee recipe to further flavor the wine, straining the peel out before fermenting. Basically, making skeeter pee otherwise according to recipe, but substitute orange flavored sugar water for the plain.

The juice of the oranges is sour, but not very flavorful. It tastes mostly like lemon juice. The peel however is really complex and flavorful.

Does this sound like a reasonable experiment? Thanks!