Sparkling "Hard" water recipe

[Schlenkerla]

While I am fully in favour of you going forward with this (I personally love screwing around with crazy recipies and ideas), I do want to warn you this may end in faliure your first few attempts.


So here goes with some questions:


1) what size batch are you making?


2)Are you wanting any flavour or as neutral as possible?


3)how are you carbonating (or are you)


4) how are you storing your drink?


5) what fermentables are you planning to use?

6) do you want sweet or dry


Myself personally If I was making a semi neutral I would go with something like this:

1 Gal
.75# sugar
1/2cup chopped raisons
1 cup lemon juice concentrate
1tbsp citric acid
Ec-1118
Yeast nutrient

I would boil 1gal water with the sugar and citric acid to properly invert it (stresses the yeast even less), cool and add to fermenter with raisons and lemon juice concentrate. Cool to pitch temp and pitch a small starter of EC-1118 and keep the temp in the 50s.

This would give you a slight bodied drink with the tiniest hint of citrus which goes with most Smirnoff style flavourings (and personally I think would go with anything) and would ferment out to roughly 4.5-5%.

This idea would allow for some visual defect of haze due the use to lemon juice....

 

[LoneTreeFarms]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I'm out of home brew, and I'm looking for low alcohol & low calorie, 4-5% ABV, hard water drink. Need to shed this beer gut.

I was thinking something like an invert but with a vanilla corn syrup and citric acid, roughly 3lbs, like an extract beer and hitting it with a few cans of pureed Oregon fruit at the end of the boil. When cool hit it with pectic enzyme and safale S-04. This yeast ferments fast and clears quickly for cask ale application.

Could be a fun experiment.

Even a slightly diluted cider with a late fruit addition could work too. Even a weak mead, or a 4-5% pyment.

I love this idea, it'd almost be a weak watered down wine with the pureed fruit, but using beer yeast. keep us posted!

 

[Schlenkerla]

Gonna kick off a Hopped Peach Hydromel (Short Mead) - "Pooch" tomorrow. Pooch as in peach hooch.

http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/articles/the-comprehensive-guide-to-types-and-names-of-mead.htm

Recipe is two pages...the last ingredient is Safale S-33.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Recipe's numeral data...

 

[Schlenkerla]

Almost forgot....Cost info

I believe I bought twice as much corn syrup as needed. I bought four, I think I only need two at 1lb 8.7 per bottle. Two weigh 3lbs 1.5 ounces.

Just under $20 dollars for the fermentables. I had the yeast and hops in my fridge. It's $3 less for the reduced corn syrup, but adding the hops and yeast add about $5. Realistically its more like $22. I'm using filtered tap water.

 

[TGFV]

There is an amazing but relatively re clusive book called "brew it yourself" (took several stores to be found but when I did the store had like 50 copies)

There have several recipies for drinks that are pretty much flavoured sugar washes, or flavoured light coolers.

I'll see if I can find a few of them when I find the book (probably in the morning after work). You might like the fruit cocktail fizzy drink recipie

 

[Schlenkerla]

There is an amazing but relatively re clusive book called "brew it yourself" (took several stores to be found but when I did the store had like 50 copies)

There have several recipies for drinks that are pretty much flavoured sugar washes, or flavoured light coolers.

I'll see if I can find a few of them when I find the book (probably in the morning after work). You might like the fruit cocktail fizzy drink recipie

Sounds cool!!!

I thought that making a low ABV mead with corn syrup, hops and fruit might be pretty dry and easy drinking. Making it like an extract beer.

I think this will be dry with all the sugar. Hopefully it's not hangover inducing mead.

After reading a bit it's a bit like Metheglin- Hydromel. Metheglin for the hops, Hydromel for low gravity with peaches.

 

[TGFV]

Sort of, just a heads up that honey, even smaller amounts, needs some more time to be at it's full potential.

I'll try and find the recipies when I get home.

Also another good quick drink is country wine coolers.

I usually have a jug in the fridge for summertime, and all you need is a large (1gal roughly) bottle of juice you like, say Cran rasberry, ferment it in a 1gal fermenter until bone dry, and either back stabalize and backsweeten ot simply backsweeten and keep in the fridge after returning to its original jug.

 

[madscientist451]

Have you made it?

You say, "for the most part it tastes like absolute crap," and "this is why it tastes like poopy"

(Rant coming)

I have seen this sentiment over and over about how bad its going to taste, etc...All, literally All from people who have never made it, not a one. This bothers me, A LOT.

It IS going to taste bad.....but that's MY PERCEPTION

How do I know? Because several years ago I did a variety of fermentation "experiments"
using many different sugar based recipes. Basically I was trying to see if I could ferment an acceptable beverage with ordinary items from the local supermarket.
Most of what I made was eventually consumed, but they all needed substantial amounts of other flavored beverages added to them to make them drinkable.
My conclusion was that getting proper wine grapes, cider apples or other ingredients to ferment WITHOUT added sugar was essential to make something I would like.
The exception would be something like a barrel aged imperial stout, where the rocket fuel alcohol note is muted/complimented by the dark malts and barrel aging.

Everyone has different tastes, what some people like, others can't stand.

 

[applescrap]

Wow, the ball is really getting rolling here. Just had a 12 pack of truly for my wife and i had a few. Egads its not very good. Schlenkerla's recipe sounds way better. The ingredients listed are here. It tasted very much like the sodastram seltzer water flavor. Made me wonder if water, vodka, and flavor could be carbed. Cant wait to hear how your recipe turns out schlenkerla and this is getting so interesting.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

Mandarina hops in there, interesting.

 

[Schlenkerla]

It IS going to taste bad.....but that's MY PERCEPTION

How do I know? Because several years ago I did a variety of fermentation "experiments"
using many different sugar based recipes. Basically I was trying to see if I could ferment an acceptable beverage with ordinary items from the local supermarket.
Most of what I made was eventually consumed, but they all needed substantial amounts of other flavored beverages added to them to make them drinkable.
My conclusion was that getting proper wine grapes, cider apples or other ingredients to ferment WITHOUT added sugar was essential to make something I would like.
The exception would be something like a barrel aged imperial stout, where the rocket fuel alcohol note is muted/complimented by the dark malts and barrel aging.

Everyone has different tastes, what some people like, others can't stand.

Ye hast little to no faeth!!! LOL

Have you made any Mead, Melomel, or a Metheglin?

I'm basically making a low gravity mead. Call it what you want. Metheglin/Hydromel.

I'm going to add some gypsum and an acid blend to the water The gypsum (CaSO4) will help with clearing (calcium) crispness (sulfate). The acid blend will lessen the hotness and help with fruitiness since honey and corn syrup lacks acidity. These suggestions are from Charley Papazian's mead recipes.

The corn sugar is going to be steeped with yeast nutrient prior to the start of the boil. As suggested Stan Hiernoymus's "Brew Like a Monk" in the chapter on sugars. He sites this as a Randy mosher suggestion with using corn syrups in "Radical Brewing".

Then I'm adding the honey, once it's boiling one hop addition for 60 minutes. At the end add the fruit puree. Followed by pitching yeast and enzyme.

That's hardly out of the realm of extract brewing. The sugar usage is a typical Belgian and English methods. It's slightly more in sugar, but less in honey. It's very low ABV. I'm not expecting rocket fuel either.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Ok - I got my Pooch in the tank.

I added gypsum, acid blend and yeast nutrient to the water prior to adding the fermentables. At boil I added the honey, corn syrup, then brought it back to a boil. Added foam control. Then added the hops. Boiled for 60 minutes. Add the chiller brought it back to a boil. Then added the peach puree and steeped 15 minutes. During the chill period at about 75F I added the pectic enzyme. Drained to the fermenter. Hit it with oxygen. Pitched S-33 and then closed her up.

Here's my water additions.... The puree and the boil before the adding honey and corn sugar.

 

[Schlenkerla]

The OG measured at 10 Brix. It's 1.040 after conversion and temp comp. I'm at about 5.25 gallons. I'm pleased.

The air lock is active within five minutes. (Scratching my head about that.) I'm good with that. Wonder if that has to do with the enzyme. Probably the excess oxygen...

 

[Schlenkerla]

As for the ingredients, I didn't use anything that had crap in it that I couldn't pronounce. Water treatments are to help the yeast consume the honey and corn sugar easily, then floculate out when done, and to add acid for enhanced fruit flavor.

Fermentable ingredients: Water, Honey, Corn Syrup, Peaches, Sugar, Vanilla, Salt.

Water treatments: Gypsum (CaSO4), acid blend (Malic and Tartaric Acid), Yeast Energizer (Diammonium Phosphate, Springcell, Magnesium Sulfate), Irish Moss and Pectic Enzyme.

Pictures.... Honey, corn syrup, peaches and the water additives.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Burping airlock

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VzGVzZ0nwsCBUkpAlw1omr61ZMPowWVP/view?usp=drivesdk

 

[applescrap]

Oh man awesome! Cant wait to see how it goes. It would seem your great planning will add up to a better end result.

 

[TGFV]

I can't find the book but will post the recipies when I can

 

[Schlenkerla]

I can't find the book but will post the recipies when I can

You'll run across it when you're looking for something else. It always seems to work out that way.

 

[TGFV]

You'll run across it when you're looking for something else. It always seems to work out that way.

Most likely. I'm betting my daughter hid it again, she loves taking it and running off with it, convinced it is my "potion" book.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Honey has no nutrients -- pretty much entirely sugar, and yet people make mead, and fairly quickly nowadays.
I'd probably use a neutral wine yeast and handle it almost like mead: follow the current Tailored Organic Staggered Nutrient Addition protocol (TOSNA 2.0), along with frequent degassing and aeration throughout fermentation. Sounds easy enough.

 

[divrack]

I would guess it'll taste like crap, simply because all alcopops taste like crap. It's not subjective, it's a fact.
Divrack hath spoken. You may resume your activities.

 

[applescrap]

I would guess it'll taste like crap, simply because all alcopops taste like crap. It's not subjective, it's a fact.
The millenial hath spoken. You may resume your activities.

Ftfy

 

[Schlenkerla]

Honey has no nutrients -- pretty much entirely sugar, and yet people make mead, and fairly quickly nowadays.
I'd probably use a neutral wine yeast and handle it almost like mead: follow the current Tailored Organic Staggered Nutrient Addition protocol (TOSNA 2.0), along with frequent degassing and aeration throughout fermentation. Sounds easy enough.

Interesting. I looked at that it looks like my recipe needs 3.5 grams of nutrient. I'm sure that I add twice that if not more. I need to dig into that some more. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I would guess it'll taste like crap, simply because all alcopops taste like crap. It's not subjective, it's a fact.
Divrack hath spoken. You may resume your activities.

Ha. For a fact you know what crap taste like by your own admission. Whatever convinced you to set that lower level benchmark?

BTW - Was it your crap or somebody else's?

Not that it matters. LOL

[emoji12]

 

[applescrap]

Interesting. I looked at that it looks like my recipe needs 3.5 grams of nutrient. I'm sure that I add twice that if not more. I need to dig into that some more. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah, i degassed my first cider attempts everyday. Many thought I was crazy but I got the idea from the chop and Brew guys interview with mino choi, i think thats his name. He has won every award Under the Sun and in that video he holds up all 45 or whatever of his medals. Express that one of his Secrets was degassing everyday.

 

[divrack]

Ftfy

If I were a true millennial I wouldn't have had to google ftfy. My listed age isn't my actual BTW. Im building a web of online untruth so post skynet I can slip through the cracks, knife in teeth, and eliminate the poisoned flesh...
It's a long game I'm playing.

 

[divrack]

Ha. For a fact you know what crap taste like by your own admission. Whatever convinced you to set that lower level benchmark?

BTW - Was it your crap or somebody else's?

Not that it matters. LOL

[emoji12]

Look, I'm doing my best to lay of the mother jokes at the moment but you're making it very hard.... (ooh er matron!)

 

[Schlenkerla]

Yeah, i degassed my first cider attempts everyday. Many thought I was crazy but I got the idea from the chop and Brew guys interview with mino choi, i think thats his name. He has won every award Under the Sun and in that video he holds up all 45 or whatever of his medals. Express that one of his Secrets was degassing everyday.

I degass daily, if not hourly. It doesn't have anything with beer or cider making. Usually beer drinking.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Yeah, i degassed my first cider attempts everyday. Many thought I was crazy but I got the idea from the chop and Brew guys interview with mino choi, i think thats his name. He has won every award Under the Sun and in that video he holds up all 45 or whatever of his medals. Express that one of his Secrets was degassing everyday.

All of my ciders have had yeast nutrients or yeast energizer. With various strains of dry yeast. All of them turned out great. They usually take about 30 days to ferment and drop clear. Never aerated. I've always wanted mine carbed like the typical English cask serving.