Skeeter Pee

[Misplaced_Canuck]

MC - that is a long way from home for you (SC) I grew up about 30 minutes south of Canada, about an hour and change from Montreal. Great city for sure!

1,050 miles. Yeah, a long way! Spent a good bit of time in "the REAL upstate NY" (Plattsburgh, Lake Placid, Ogdensburg, Watertown, etc).

MC

 

[CidahMastah]

1,050 miles. Yeah, a long way! Spent a good bit of time in "the REAL upstate NY" (Plattsburgh, Lake Placid, Ogdensburg, Watertown, etc).

MC

Some of those places take you back... in time I grew up in Potsdam area (played against Ogdensburg in high school sports). Most people don't realize how far the state goes up North. I lived and worked as a chef in Lake Placid over many summers to pay for my education, many fond memories.

 

[fannypack]

ive got my batch fermenting like a champ right now, but looking at the directions it calls for what seems to be like 4 or 5 racks into different vessels.. how important to you think this is? i understand its for clarity, but if the recipe calls for the use of a fining agent.. why all the trouble? and why all the added risk of oxidation?

 

[Captive]

ive got my batch fermenting like a champ right now, but looking at the directions it calls for what seems to be like 4 or 5 racks into different vessels.. how important to you think this is? i understand its for clarity, but if the recipe calls for the use of a fining agent.. why all the trouble? and why all the added risk of oxidation?

The recipe calls for 3 rackings, but you can do it with less if you'd like. Some people ferment the whole thing until it is dry in the primary before racking it to a carboy. They then stabilize, fine, and sweeten. When clear, they bottle.

Because I like to ferment with leisure, I:
1) rack before it finishes so that it is protected from air once it's done
2) after it's done, I rack again when it's convenient for me to get it off the sediment that has fallen naturally. I then degas, stabilize, and add fining.
3) I rack a third time to get it off the finings and then sweeten. It's now ready to bottle.

Three rackings works for me on my schedule. Feel free to make changes to fit yours. Some people do rack more times by choice; in some cases, they eliminate using fining agents and clear their batch with time and racking.

 

[Kampo]

Ok gave this a try with Squeezed Lemon Juice. OG is 1.068, figured close enough, let the batch get to room temp, while I fed my Montrachet Yeast Slurry and little watter sugar and lemon. The Yeast nearly blew up my loosely closed 20oz Dew bottle I had the yeast slury in before I pitched the yeast and added nuetriants and energizer.

Hoping for the best. crazy I got back into this hobby with 3 gallons of Apflewien and before that is even finished its been joined by 5 gallons of a Welches Concentrate Wine and 5 Gallons of Skeeter Pee. Fiance is excited, hoping its drinkable lmao.

 

[Kampo]

Just was in the basement to grab something from the freezer, already burbling away, about an hour in! i'll call that a good start

 

[fannypack]

The recipe calls for 3 rackings, but you can do it with less if you'd like. Some people ferment the whole thing until it is dry in the primary before racking it to a carboy. They then stabilize, fine, and sweeten. When clear, they bottle.

Because I like to ferment with leisure, I:
1) rack before it finishes so that it is protected from air once it's done
2) after it's done, I rack again when it's convenient for me to get it off the sediment that has fallen naturally. I then degas, stabilize, and add fining.
3) I rack a third time to get it off the finings and then sweeten. It's now ready to bottle.

Three rackings works for me on my schedule. Feel free to make changes to fit yours. Some people do rack more times by choice; in some cases, they eliminate using fining agents and clear their batch with time and racking.

thanks for the response. ill give it a whirl with 3 rackings (seeing how youd probably know pretty well how this thing goes, judging by your sig) and see what happens.

 

[robin850]

I used Lalvin 71B yeast in a 1gallon starter.

Added 4 cans of Jumex Strawberry Nectar and some pectic enzyme into the primary. http://www.mexgrocer.com/6219.html Costs about 70c per can

Vigorously swirled the 6gal carboy daily for 4 weeks. Racked to another carboy, let sit for 2 weeks, cleared nicely.

Stabilized, then backsweetened with 2 liters of Lowell Strawberry syrup. (If you use 3 liters it turns into Strawberry wine with just a bit of tartness)
http://lowellshop.com/strawberrysyrup.aspx Costs about $5 per liter.


cheers,

robin850

 

[Kampo]

just checked gravity before work and it was 1.47 already (36 hours in or so fermenting at 60 degrees in my basement) so added the rest of the lemon juice and neutriants. thinking this may be done fermenting before my carboy with apflewien is ready to bottle...thinking I may add some superklear to the apflewien to help it along.

 

[black_talon]

Don't mess with the apfelwein all you will do is mess it up... Talking from experience here don't "F" with it I have a batch that was going fine and started tasting really good so I "treated" it and back sweetened it with some apple juice concentrate and was letting it bulk age stuff took off again so by the time it get done it will be rocket fuel 5gal down the drain and all because I tried to rush it

 

[kpr121]

Adding finings to clear your apfelwein is different than attempting to backsweeten. You wont “F it up” by adding finings. You can “F it up” by not stabilizing correctly, and then adding more fermentables. But even then you could have probably just let it sit for another couple months and the rocket fuel would have gone away.

 

[Sirthomas42]

I don't remember who said it, but, "never throw away a wine unless it tastes like satans anus." I've held true to that when I was tempted to toss a batch that tasted "funky" or had a "skunky" flavor to it. We knew we had screwed up the batches, but we let them sit, and didn't toss them. 9 months now since bottling, and it's fantastic!

We did make an Apfelwein "rocket fuel" batch, adding in a ton more sugar than it calls for. I think we got it to 17%. It was nasty as hell, but almost a year later, it's pretty tasty.

 

[Kampo]

I have a feeling my skeeterpee will be finished fermenting by early enxt week prolly sooner (tested yesterday at 1.029 and was 1.05 36 hours before when I added the last of the lemon juice.

I really need the fermenter its in for a wine that I want to get going before I go on vacation. would cold crashing the pee when fermentation is done be a bad or good idea?

 

[kpr121]

I have a feeling my skeeterpee will be finished fermenting by early enxt week prolly sooner (tested yesterday at 1.029 and was 1.05 36 hours before when I added the last of the lemon juice.

I really need the fermenter its in for a wine that I want to get going before I go on vacation. would cold crashing the pee when fermentation is done be a bad or good idea?

Cold crashing a finished wine/beer is almost never a bad idea!

 

[fannypack]

just finished clearing my first batch of pee with sparkalloid.. racked into new container and backsweetened. its still tasting a little hot though.. should i wait on bottling even though the directions say there is no need to age?

 

[Cider123]

I am planning on using my yeast cake from a merlot kit I'm making. The only additive that was added to the primary is bentonite. Will that negatively affect the process or flavor of my SP?

 

[mmead]

That gallon tasted like something that was spilled on the walmart bathroom floor, mopped up with a string mop, and then wrung out back into the jug. I did not feel sad pouring that down the drain. I was getting lazy and taking too many short cuts, tempting fate.

 

[kpr121]

That gallon tasted like something that was spilled on the walmart bathroom floor, mopped up with a string mop, and then wrung out back into the jug. I did not feel sad pouring that down the drain. I was getting lazy and taking too many short cuts, tempting fate.

What gallon? I jumped back a few pages and didn't see a post by you. What did you do wrong?

 

[Clifton]

just finished clearing my first batch of pee with sparkalloid.. racked into new container and backsweetened. its still tasting a little hot though.. should i wait on bottling even though the directions say there is no need to age?

Yes

I am planning on using my yeast cake from a merlot kit I'm making. The only additive that was added to the primary is bentonite. Will that negatively affect the process or flavor of my SP?

No

 

[A50SNAKE]

just finished clearing my first batch of pee with sparkalloid.. racked into new container and backsweetened. its still tasting a little hot though.. should i wait on bottling even though the directions say there is no need to age?

hi all, sorry for maybe a newbie question, but what does it mean when someone says "its still tasting a little hot"....is that a literal meaning? the beverage is warm/hot?...thanks for the help in understanding things...

 

[cyberlord]

hi all, sorry for maybe a newbie question, but what does it mean when someone says "its still tasting a little hot"....is that a literal meaning? the beverage is warm/hot?...thanks for the help in understanding things...

Hot means you can feel the warmth of the alcohol in your mouth and down your throat as you swallow it leaving a warm sensation in your belly. Really hot and hoochy means it's more like a shot of hard liquor. :cross:

Wine should not have that affect when you drink it. A hot wine usually melds with age especially if balanced with enough acid and or tannin.

 

[A50SNAKE]

oh ok, thanks allot cyberlord...I just wasn't sure how it was being used or what it meant in this case, I was thinking it meant that it was very bubbly, like it was highly carbed or the yeast was still actively working away, hahaha... *shrugs shoulders*....thanks.

 

[D_Nyholm]

So, mine fermented down to .995 and I transferred it to a new carboy. There was a slight sulfur smell at the time that I was hoping would go away. It sat for about a week and I just gave it a little whiff... O MY! Farts +1! I am planning on transferring and stabilizing this week along with degassing. How long should I expect the smell to linger or is it permanent?

 

[BobJ]

Sulphur smell should reduce over time now that you have it off the yeast..... If for some reason it persists you might try splash racking or adding a few pre 1980 cleaned copper pennies.... I doubled dosed one of my batches with campden by accident and this trick fixed it nicely.....

 

[geniz]

So, mine fermented down to .995 and I transferred it to a new carboy. There was a slight sulfur smell at the time that I was hoping would go away. It sat for about a week and I just gave it a little whiff... O MY! Farts +1! I am planning on transferring and stabilizing this week along with degassing. How long should I expect the smell to linger or is it permanent?

Did you aerate often during primary?

 

[pyth]

Just tasted my skeeter pee after letting it sit for a month after stabing and sparkaloiding it. I get almost no detectable lemon flavor. It just tastes like a very very weak red wine.

Has a very pleasing crystal clear pink color, but unfortunatly, no lemon flavor

 

[saramc]

Just tasted my skeeter pee after letting it sit for a month after stabing and sparkaloiding it. I get almost no detectable lemon flavor. It just tastes like a very very weak red wine.

Has a very pleasing crystal clear pink color, but unfortunatly, no lemon flavor

Did you sweeten it? And you are drinking it chilled? Are you sure you used LEMON CONCENTRATE and not lemon juice?

 

[pyth]

..I used 100% pure lemon juice I think. Crap, was that the mistake?

I used http://img2.timeinc.net/instyle/images/2010/gallery/040610-Real-Lemon-400.jpg

 

[edmanster]

..I used 100% pure lemon juice I think. Crap, was that the mistake?

I used http://img2.timeinc.net/instyle/images/2010/gallery/040610-Real-Lemon-400.jpg

thats the right stuff!! 96oz of it right?

 

[JeepDiver]

I'm too lazy to read the entire thread and can't find an answer to this question. I don't do wine so don't have a yeast cake to pitch. Can I make a starter with wine yeast? If so what yeast and what should I use in the starter, sugar, DME, some other juice? Should I do a couple of steps (I have a 5 liter flask and a stir plate.

Thanks in advance.

 

[edmanster]

I'm too lazy to read the entire thread and can't find an answer to this question. I don't do wine so don't have a yeast cake to pitch. Can I make a starter with wine yeast? If so what yeast and what should I use in the starter, sugar, DME, some other juice? Should I do a couple of steps (I have a 5 liter flask and a stir plate.

Thanks in advance.

2 packs of EC-1118 will do the trick... follow the 1st and 2nd day additions though!!

 

[geniz]

I'm too lazy to read the entire thread and can't find an answer to this question. I don't do wine so don't have a yeast cake to pitch. Can I make a starter with wine yeast? If so what yeast and what should I use in the starter, sugar, DME, some other juice? Should I do a couple of steps (I have a 5 liter flask and a stir plate.

Thanks in advance.

Try this. It works for me:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/skeeter-pee-starting-dry-yeast-212915/

 

[pyth]

thats the right stuff!! 96oz of it right?

I used 3 bottles of that size. I think that's 96oz. I have not however, tried it chilled yet. I just sweetened a room temp glass of it and tried that. Should I try chilling it for a few weeks? Perhaps that would bring out the lemon flavor some?

 

[wizang]

I used 3 bottles of that size. I think that's 96oz. I have not however, tried it chilled yet. I just sweetened a room temp glass of it and tried that. Should I try chilling it for a few weeks? Perhaps that would bring out the lemon flavor some?

My grocery store only carried 15oz bottles, which looked the exact same, except half the volume of course... perhaps those were purchased by mistake?

 

[A50SNAKE]

this is another way, to start a batch of SP, by using dry yeast, I did mine very similar to this method, but more like Geniz's...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/very-effective-way-start-skeeter-pee-310979/

good luck and have fun...

 

[pyth]

Hmm, the issue I guess was in converting liters to oz. Being in Canada, the bottles were marked with liters. The ones I used were about .9 liters iirc. Anyone know roughly how many oz to the liter?

 

[edmanster]

1 liter = 33.8 oz , 2.85 liter = 96 oz

 

[D_Nyholm]

Did you aerate often during primary?

Yeah, I aerated it about 2-3 times per day the first few days. There was no fart smell during that time. When I transferred it, the smell was there it just seems to be getting worse as it sits. Maybe it is coming out of solution and that is why I am smelling it. Hopefully. I will give it a few more days and I am also going to transfer it and stabilize. I bet more will come out then. If it still smells bad at that time, I may try the penny trick, though when I read about it, it is said to do it for a very short time. Is copper poisonous? I know nothing about it.

 

[Sirthomas42]

I've made tons of Pee; I aerate it when I mix up the must, then once a day until the 50% sugar break (and last nutrient/juice additions). I've never gotten a fart smell out of it. :-( Same with my Apfelwein. :-(

 

[edmanster]

Is copper poisonous? I know nothing about it.

Only when it's green!!