# first batch of skeeter pee



## huntva89 (Jul 22, 2013)

I am in the process of making my very first batch of skeeter pee using slurry from my blueberry wine. I added the slurry and all after I had added the tannin, nutrient, energizer and let set for a couple days. Sg was right on the money at 1070. I added the slurry and it has been 2 days and all I'll see is an occasional bubble or two. At what point should I be concerned its not going to ferment? Any suggestions on how to kick start it if I can save it? It smells awesome even if it hasn't done anything yet.


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## jamesngalveston (Jul 22, 2013)

i have never used slurry, you could always open a packet of yeast and sprinkle on top, that should kick start it...
some one that uses slurry will respond..i am sure.


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## Arne (Jul 22, 2013)

Get your temp. up to about 75 degrees or so. Stir the heck out of it. It likes lots of oxygen, expecially at the start. It will most likely take off shortly. Arne.


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## Arne (Jul 22, 2013)

Ha ha, James. The phone rang and you beat me. LOL, Arne


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## wineforfun (Jul 22, 2013)

I have never used the "slurry method" either. Yeast is too cheap not to just use it from the get go. Not following why slurry is used other than to add a little flavor, which I assume is going to be fermented out anyway. Backsweeten or flavor at the end.


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## huntva89 (Jul 22, 2013)

Thanks for the quick responses. I currently have it in glass carboy should I transfer back to larger fermentation "bucket" in order to whip in some oxygen?


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## wineforfun (Jul 22, 2013)

I would leave it in the bucket until you get fermentation started and moving along pretty well. Easier to get air into that bucket.


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## huntva89 (Jul 22, 2013)

Cool thanks!


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## jamesngalveston (Jul 22, 2013)

back to the bucket, yes....
i know lot of folks dont, but I fast track all my wines..so i leave in primary until it is done fermenting...PERIOD

I quit using yeast nutrient..I use grape nuts instead.
I double up my pectin enzyme on every fruit wine..to help in clearing 
and reducing the chance for pectin haze.


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## bambiying (Jul 22, 2013)

I started my Dragon Blood on Friday with a slurry from Welch's concentrate wine. I threw the first ingredients in, let them sit for 12 hrs and then pitched the slurry. By the next morning it was working so hard it looked like it was boiling. On the other hand, I made Skeeter Pee with just a yeast pack and ended up needing to pitch a second one. The slurry seemed to work much better for me.


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## jamesngalveston (Jul 22, 2013)

i have never made skeeter pee, and i am not. I dont like lemon much.
but dragon blood...it always comes out perfect.
Once you drink your dragon blood...it will be hard to make anything else.


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## huntva89 (Jul 22, 2013)

What is "dragon blood"? As of right now I smell both blueberry and lemon. With the blueberry slurry it obviously looks more like blood than pee.


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## beardy (Jul 22, 2013)

I have lemon zest (2 lemons worth) sitting in a jar of Blue Raspberry vodka to add to my Pee at the end. I think that will add a really nice flavor! This is my first Pee batch also, but I couldn't help but to modify it. I'm thinking I might bottle 1 gal regular and add the blue raspberry to the 2nd gallon. (Only have 3 empty 1gal jugs at the moment so I could only make 2 gallons)


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## beardy (Jul 22, 2013)

huntva89 said:


> What is "dragon blood"? As of right now I smell both blueberry and lemon. With the blueberry slurry it obviously looks more like blood than pee.



Its Pee made with 6lbs of frozen/thawed mixed berries.


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## Arne (Jul 23, 2013)

Once you transfer it to secondary, I would recomend you start another batch. You will probably find it doesn't last very long at all. Poof, its gone and now I am down to watching the primary work again. LOL, Arne.


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## huntva89 (Jul 23, 2013)

I might be making another batch anyway I am starting to wonder if it's going to get going.


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## ffemt128 (Jul 23, 2013)

huntva89 said:


> I might be making another batch anyway I am starting to wonder if it's going to get going.


 

Give it a stir 2x a day. Don't seal the lid on the bucket, just set it there or cover with a cheese cloth. The pee can sometimes take 2-3 days to get started due to all the acid from the lemon.


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## huntva89 (Jul 23, 2013)

I sure hope that's all it is. I will surely be disappointed if it doesn't go. I got a beach trip coming up mid august and would sure like to have some by then.


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## huntva89 (Jul 27, 2013)

It's finally going...looks like someone lit a fire under it. Do you all recommend continuing stirring twice daily while it's in the primary and until it's time to move it to the secondary?


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## beardy (Jul 27, 2013)

huntva89 said:


> It's finally going...looks like someone lit a fire under it. Do you all recommend continuing stirring twice daily while it's in the primary and until it's time to move it to the secondary?



The last 3 days mine has been sitting at 1.052 with no change. Was going to make adjustments tomorrow but I got home from work and its really going now. Ill check the SG in the morning.


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## Arne (Jul 29, 2013)

huntva89 said:


> It's finally going...looks like someone lit a fire under it. Do you all recommend continuing stirring twice daily while it's in the primary and until it's time to move it to the secondary?


 
Yep, keep the oxygen in there at least til it gets down to 1.010 or so. It needs it to keep the ferment going. Arne.


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## beardy (Jul 30, 2013)

In the last 5-6 hours my batch has started to smell of nail polish remover/acetone... help? I would hate to dump it, but will if necessary. Would upping the so2 help? I stir twice a day so there's lots of oxygen contact. I JUST read up on total & free so2 and the whats and whys of it and my first thought was that it binds to oxygen and isn't available to fight off other unwanteds.

Thoughts? (Done searches and lots of "this is happening" found but almost nothing on "possible solutions")
Thanks! !!!

Edit- did more googling and, according to a buncha folks, it looks like this is a doomed batch. Too much or too vigorous stirring could be my problem ("gross oxidization"). I'm gonna give another batch a go to see if I can't make this allegedly (hahaha) fool-proof drink.


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## kryptonitewine (Jul 30, 2013)

My last batch I didn't stir all that much. I made a yeast starter rather than using a slurry. Fastest fermenting batch ever for me


I mixed the ingredients and stirred. Then started the yeast in a mason jar with sugar and some must. Every few hours stirred the yeast and added more must. 24 hours pitched the yeast and stirred it again. Fermented to under 1.05 in 2 days and was almost dry in 5. I used to whip it with a drill daily.


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## dessertmaker (Jul 31, 2013)

Beardy, SP has a lot of acid. Mine smells pretty sharp once the ferment starts tapering off. It also has a pretty acidic taste before I back sweeten it. The sweetness brings the other tastes back out. Did you use any of the lemonade powder in it? 

I made a batch from my wife's lemonade one time and found out too late that she had used a lot of the minute made powder. Stuff smelled even more vile than usual! It smelled like a science experiment gone horribly wrong! But the taste wasn't really that different in the end. It was a little off but that didn't stop it from flying off the shelf as soon as it was in the bottle.

I was scared that batch was garbage at first though, even posted on here about it.


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## beardy (Jul 31, 2013)

dessertmaker said:


> Beardy, SP has a lot of acid. Mine smells pretty sharp once the ferment starts tapering off. It also has a pretty acidic taste before I back sweeten it. The sweetness brings the other tastes back out. Did you use any of the lemonade powder in it?
> 
> I made a batch from my wife's lemonade one time and found out too late that she had used a lot of the minute made powder. Stuff smelled even more vile than usual! It smelled like a science experiment gone horribly wrong! But the taste wasn't really that different in the end. It was a little off but that didn't stop it from flying off the shelf as soon as it was in the bottle.
> 
> I was scared that batch was garbage at first though, even posted on here about it.



I didnt use any powder. Just the realemon juice. I might campden and wait it out.


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## dessertmaker (Jul 31, 2013)

I would not even campden. Ferment it to dry and see how it tastes. If its just a little off, sorbate/sulfite and back sweeten till you get it where you want it.


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## Deezil (Jul 31, 2013)

beardy said:


> In the last 5-6 hours my batch has started to smell of nail polish remover/acetone... help? I would hate to dump it, but will if necessary. Would upping the so2 help? I stir twice a day so there's lots of oxygen contact. I JUST read up on total & free so2 and the whats and whys of it and my first thought was that it binds to oxygen and isn't available to fight off other unwanteds.
> 
> Thoughts? (Done searches and lots of "this is happening" found but almost nothing on "possible solutions")
> Thanks! !!!
> ...



Nail polish remove / acetone types smells.. I went through that with a Blackberry batch.. Come to find out, its from excessive creation of Volatile Acidity (VA) - basically is a nutrient shortage. Add some yeast nutrient, yeast energizer & still very well to help dissipate the smell.. Caught early enough, it can be fixed.. Allowed to continue, its considered a "Fault".. Wont hurt you, but wont win a wine competition either


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## beardy (Jul 31, 2013)

Deezil said:


> Nail polish remove / acetone types smells.. I went through that with a Blackberry batch.. Come to find out, its from excessive creation of Volatile Acidity (VA) - basically is a nutrient shortage. Add some yeast nutrient, yeast energizer & still very well to help dissipate the smell.. Caught early enough, it can be fixed.. Allowed to continue, its considered a "Fault".. Wont hurt you, but wont win a wine competition either



I thought I had read somewhere that an excess of DAP/O2/high temp can cause VA. I've added probably triple the amount of nutrients because the fermentation just wasnt starting. I have "yeast energizer" (no specific name) and DAP (as nutrient). I was stirring 2 times a day but the temp was always a constant 75°. I'll add some more energizer and stir for a while. See if that helps.


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## kryptonitewine (Jul 31, 2013)

I made a batch and added koolaid at the end for flavor. I bought strawberry but grabbed the wrong packets. Ended up adding pink lemonade. I was really worried that the double lemon would be awful. It wasn't my favorite but was still very drinkable.


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## Deezil (Jul 31, 2013)

beardy said:


> I thought I had read somewhere that an excess of DAP/O2/high temp can cause VA. I've added probably triple the amount of nutrients because the fermentation just wasnt starting. I have "yeast energizer" (no specific name) and DAP (as nutrient). I was stirring 2 times a day but the temp was always a constant 75°. I'll add some more energizer and stir for a while. See if that helps.



Maybe I'm wrong?
Could be a bacteria..

Here's some reading we can wade through
(Learning with you, now)

Winemaker's Magazine Article
Surry Community College PDF/Slideshow


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## beardy (Jul 31, 2013)

Deezil said:


> Maybe I'm wrong?
> Could be a bacteria..
> 
> Here's some reading we can wade through
> ...



Well those were definitely good reads... but makes me believe that I should just dump this batch. Ill keep the next one cooler and will double sanitize everything before I begin again. Ugh. Makes me pretty sad. But on the bright side I can make a 5 gal batch now that I have the carboys..


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## dessertmaker (Jul 31, 2013)

Dude don't dump it! That's alcohol abuse! I'll bet you a bottle of my best that it turns out drinkable and enjoyable!


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## beardy (Aug 1, 2013)

dessertmaker said:


> Dude don't dump it! That's alcohol abuse! I'll bet you a bottle of my best that it turns out drinkable and enjoyable!



Alright... Ill let it go. Its still fermenting and should be <1.000 in a day or so. Guess ill just see what I get. At least I could make a nice lemon vingarette with it hahaha


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## Deezil (Aug 1, 2013)

I kept mine.. 

Did you read in the Winemaker's Magazine: 



> The problem with volatile acidity is that once you’ve got it, there’s not a lot you can do to get rid of it. But, as Bisson pointed out, one of the advantages of being a home winemaker is that you can experiment and see what happens.
> *If volatile acidity shows up during primary fermentation, Lustig said that often the process of pressing and racking the wine will be enough to get rid of it. Make sure your SO2 levels are up and proceed as usual.*


An experienced wine taster/judge could probably find the VA fault in my Blackberry-Cherry wine, but I cant. Maybe I can and just cant recognize it; I wont know 100% until I repeat the combination.


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## beardy (Aug 1, 2013)

Deezil said:


> I kept mine..
> 
> Did you read in the Winemaker's Magazine:
> 
> An experienced winemaker could probably find the VA fault in my Blackberry-Cherry wine, but I cant. Maybe I can and just cant recognize it; I wont know 100% until I repeat the combination.



I did see that. I added a half dose of campden today. I'll just watch and wait. I think ill lock the lid down and airlock until I rack.


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## beardy (Aug 6, 2013)

dessertmaker said:


> Dude don't dump it! That's alcohol abuse! I'll bet you a bottle of my best that it turns out drinkable and enjoyable!



I kept it and let it go over this weekend under airlock (went camping and couldn't be tempted to mess with it). SG was at 0.998 so I racked to a clean carboy and degassed and stabilized. The smell is definitely reduced and now smells mostly of lemon and alcohol. Going to let it clear this week and hopefully with the next racking it will be even better. Thanks for the encouragement!


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## beardy (Aug 9, 2013)

Racked off lees and Backsweetened today to 1.010 will let it sit for a few days to make sure theres no ferment action... thanks for all the help!!


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## beardy (Aug 15, 2013)

Success!! Bottled my first batch! 




It's a blue raspberry (infused with lemon zest) skeeter. Six 750's (gifts) and three 1.5's (for muhself).


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## dessertmaker (Aug 15, 2013)

So how is it?!


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## beardy (Aug 15, 2013)

It has a touch of VA smell but it isn't in the taste. Its tart to start but is fruity and sweet at the end. I like it and the girl does too. I think in a month it will be outstanding!


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## dessertmaker (Aug 15, 2013)

That va smell will probably go away with some time.


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## wineforfun (Aug 15, 2013)

Looks great beardy. You will be amazed at how much smoother/mellower it is in a couple of months, if you keep it that long.


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## ShawnDTurner (Aug 17, 2013)

Let sit for a couple to 3 months. The tartness will go away. This wine will improve the longer it sits in bottle. Cheers


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## dessertmaker (Aug 17, 2013)

LOL never had skeeter pee last 3 months...people actually age skeeter pee?


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## ShawnDTurner (Aug 20, 2013)

I am and it gets much better!


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## cedarswamp (Aug 20, 2013)

dessertmaker said:


> LOL never had skeeter pee last 3 months...people actually age skeeter pee?



I've aged 10 months and was rewarded for the wait, if only I could keep my MIL outta my stash. 

My first batch, I bottled 5 bottles and dumped the rest...none to happy when I realized what a little aging would do for this "quick drinker". I still drink it young sometimes but time brings out an awesome fruityness. (If that's a word)  Hide a bottle or two for about a year, I bet you start aging it too.


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## dessertmaker (Aug 21, 2013)

I ferment my pee to 5%, cold crash, sorbate/sulfite once its clear, back sweeten, add fresh squeezed lemon juice, clear again (never really truly clears after the real lemons just gets slightly see through) and then force carb. I don't see how that stuff could last for a year. 

It's my go to grass cutting gun shooting movie watching beverage that I drink with my wife by the mug and growler.


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## robie (Aug 21, 2013)

dessertmaker said:


> I ferment my pee to 5%,
> It's my go to grass cutting gun shooting movie watching beverage that I drink with my wife by the mug and growler.



That's a good reason to keep the ABV down a little lower... so one can drink a little more of it during those good times.

I did my batch at 10% ABV. Does the acid seem a little more bitie when the ABV is 5%, rather than at 10%? I would think it would, since the balance will have changed.


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## dessertmaker (Aug 21, 2013)

At 5% it tastes like a normal lemonade only smoother.


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