Using my newly found bounty of carboys and buckets, I decided to start a batch of Skeeter Pee - a fermented lemonade I found at Skeeterpee.com. It's quick, needs no aging, is rather simple, and sounds fanstastic. I had strawberries left over from my melomel, so I decided to add those here (seems like I never want to start with something simple, gotta make it more complicated.) Didn't use a bag for the berries; I know it can be difficult when racking (this may make me change my mind), but I so love seeing those berries floating free in my bucket. And I thought I'd make my very first brewlog to document this batch.
5 gallon batch:
4 pounds strawberries
3 x 32oz bottles 100% real lemon juice (has some sulfites, let it air to dissipate)
6.5 pounds sugar (recipe says to use 7, but I didn't have room in my pots to use full amount)
4/5 tsp pectinase
6 tsp nutrient
2 tsp energizer
Start: 3.5.13
Thawed strawberries, removed tops, then blanched with boiling water. Added 4/5 tsp pectinase and a little over half a pound of sugar - both to release juices and help protect the berries, thinking the sugar would help kill any pathogens that might want to start. Did not want to use campden tablets as it seemed to bleach out my berries in my melomel (although I did occasionally mist them with my campden spray bottle while topping). Let sit over night.
3.6.13
Boiled 6 pounds sugar with some lemon juice to make invert sugar. Added to must, with two bottles of lemon juice (you save the third bottle for later), 1 tsp energizer and 3 tsp nutrient. Vigorously stirred to help vent preservatives. SG 1.070, right were the instructions said it should be. Let it sit, with occasional shakes, for a few hours.
They say to use the slurry from a recently racked batch of wine, but my two bottles of lees had little life left in them. So later this night I made a starter of the Montrache wine yeast. The recipe says you can just dump yeast in dry if you don't have some fresh slurry, but I was a little concerned the high acidity would cause problems with the yeast, especially since I was using half a 5 oz pack for 5 gallons. I had used the first half in my apfelwein, reading that post that less yeast gives better flavors. Hydrated yeast, and over the next hour or so added some of the must. Didn't see much in the way of life in the starter, but pitched it any way (what was the worst that could happen?)
3.7.13
Vigorously shook bucket in the AM, no sign of activity (this was a new bucket with a VERY tight lid, knew there would be airlock activity.
This PM, the air lock was blipping at a very nice rate, so the yeast had no problem taking. Shook bucket again for aeration. Did not check SG tonight.
I've noticed the saddest thing in the world is an airlock that is slowing down. I just have to make a new batch to watch the *blip*.
5 gallon batch:
4 pounds strawberries
3 x 32oz bottles 100% real lemon juice (has some sulfites, let it air to dissipate)
6.5 pounds sugar (recipe says to use 7, but I didn't have room in my pots to use full amount)
4/5 tsp pectinase
6 tsp nutrient
2 tsp energizer
Start: 3.5.13
Thawed strawberries, removed tops, then blanched with boiling water. Added 4/5 tsp pectinase and a little over half a pound of sugar - both to release juices and help protect the berries, thinking the sugar would help kill any pathogens that might want to start. Did not want to use campden tablets as it seemed to bleach out my berries in my melomel (although I did occasionally mist them with my campden spray bottle while topping). Let sit over night.
3.6.13
Boiled 6 pounds sugar with some lemon juice to make invert sugar. Added to must, with two bottles of lemon juice (you save the third bottle for later), 1 tsp energizer and 3 tsp nutrient. Vigorously stirred to help vent preservatives. SG 1.070, right were the instructions said it should be. Let it sit, with occasional shakes, for a few hours.
They say to use the slurry from a recently racked batch of wine, but my two bottles of lees had little life left in them. So later this night I made a starter of the Montrache wine yeast. The recipe says you can just dump yeast in dry if you don't have some fresh slurry, but I was a little concerned the high acidity would cause problems with the yeast, especially since I was using half a 5 oz pack for 5 gallons. I had used the first half in my apfelwein, reading that post that less yeast gives better flavors. Hydrated yeast, and over the next hour or so added some of the must. Didn't see much in the way of life in the starter, but pitched it any way (what was the worst that could happen?)
3.7.13
Vigorously shook bucket in the AM, no sign of activity (this was a new bucket with a VERY tight lid, knew there would be airlock activity.
This PM, the air lock was blipping at a very nice rate, so the yeast had no problem taking. Shook bucket again for aeration. Did not check SG tonight.
I've noticed the saddest thing in the world is an airlock that is slowing down. I just have to make a new batch to watch the *blip*.
