# First Batch of Skeeter Pee Dry, but Still Going Like Gangbusters!



## AnnArrogance (Dec 7, 2014)

Hello, all!

I have embarked on my first 5-gallon batch of Skeeter Pee (second batch of wine ever), and am amazed that it's going so well! I started it last Saturday (11/29) and pitched the yeast on Monday (12/1). I used Lalvin EC-1118 and made a slurry with some of the watered-down must in a Mason jar per a video I saw on YouTube, since I didn't trust that I actually had enough lees/slurry from the first racking of my 1-gallon Passionfruit Wine. It started fermenting like mad immediately! In fact, I've been stirring it vigorously twice a day, and there were times when the foam on top of my 5.5-ish gallons of must has threatened to overflow my 6.5 gallon primary before I even really start up the drill! Wow!

I've been checking the SG periodically, and this morning it hit 0.998 (original SG was 1.070 bang on). So it's technically in the fermented dry range right now, but there's still a good head of yeast foam (sorry if there's a term for this I'm not using), though it's not nearly as thick as it was, and it looks like there's still a lot of activity, so I'm kind of afraid to rack it to my carboy (pic from this morning):





So, here's the noob question: should I wait until the activity settles down a bit first, or should I go ahead and rack it? I just don't want to end up with an overflowing carboy! 

Thanks in advance for the advice! Man, I am loving this hobby! I think I might have to make a batch of Dragon's Blood (possibly all blueberry rather than triple berry) next if this batch of SP all goes well--it's really satisfying to have something that goes this quickly in winemaking terms, and it smells pretty darn good already!


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## cintipam (Dec 7, 2014)

Ann, I've never made skeeter pee, but you've been waiting a while for an answer so I thought I'd offer my opinion. When to rack first time is based on SG, and you are there. At this point not enough CO2 is being made to keep the wine safe from oxidation. So it needs to be racked. If you are concerned that it might overflow into the airlock then do not go all the way to full. Leave about an extra inch or 2 max so you can keep an eye on it. If it doesn't foam up into the airlock by tomorrow then you know it is safe to top up to the normal full position.

I often do this when when racking out of primary just as a matter of course. Put any extra wine into a sanitized container. If enough to fill a wine bottle you can put a #2 bung on it with an airlock. But prob you don't have that much, so put a loose lid on it and put it in the fridge till tomorrow. It will be fine.

Glad you seem to be settling in.

Pam in cinti


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## cintipam (Dec 7, 2014)

BTW just read you are using a drill mount to still while in primary. You really don't need a drill mounted tool till you are degassing. While in primary there is so much activity going on that even stirring with a spoon by hand can cause foamover. In primary you start stirring slow then can speed up a bit as the first bit of built up gas gets out. Just thought I'd mention it, as you WILL have foam over some day. Each yeast and each must is a little different, some more gassy than others.

Pam in cinti


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## calvin (Dec 7, 2014)

IMHO if you have it in a bucket with an airlock leave it there until it settles down a bit. Read danger Dave's recipe for dragon blood. We let dragon blood go completely dry (3 days with a stable sg) in the primary with no issues. I have racked a batch to soon and made a big mess. Racking can really get the yeast going again.


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## AnnArrogance (Dec 7, 2014)

Thank you, Pam and Calvin! I really appreciate the advice! I do have a lid and airlock for my primary (though to this point I've just had it covered with a flour sack towel, held in place by a bath towel pinned around the primary to keep the must a little warmer--we sleep with it cold in the house), so I think I might go ahead and add the lid and airlock and give it another day or so (continuing the stirring 2x/day) to let it settle down a bit more before I rack it. It's still SO active--tons of gas in it. I just went in there and gave the bucket a little nudge, and it started hissing at me again LOL.

If it hasn't settled down by Tuesday morning, Pam, I'll probably take your advice and just go ahead and rack it and leave some room. I have some bottles and a 1-gallon carboy I can use for any excess and to top up.

Oh, and thanks for the stirring advice, too, Pam! I've been using the drill attachment since I read that the Skeeter Pee needs some good oxygen whipped in a couple of times a day to avoid an SO2 problem. Maybe I'm overdoing it, though!  I've been starting out with just a real slow "hit" with the whisk, let it foam up (thankfully not over the rim yet), let it come back down a little, and then I hit it for real (like, medium to medium-high speed) and it tends to knock itself down. I've been doing it for a good minute or two twice a day. I probably am overdoing it, but my OCD just kicks in sometimes! 

Thanks again both of you for the advice!


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## cintipam (Dec 8, 2014)

Ann, once you snap down the lid and put on the airlock you do NOT need to keep stirring it. At least that is my opinion, tho I do understand that pee and blood are done a bit differently.

Pam in cinti


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## AnnArrogance (Dec 8, 2014)

Cool, thanks, Pam! I won't bother, then. Checked the SG this morning and it's down to 0.995, so it's still dropping, but the foaming activity has slowed way down, which is good. If I get the same SG again tomorrow I think I'm going to go ahead and transfer it to my carboy, mostly because I only have 1 big primary and 1 5-gallon carboy (so far!), so I'm going to have to do a little juggling back and forth over the degassing/stabilizing/clearing steps. I will wait to make sure the SG's been stable for 3 days before I start that whole process, though!


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## calvin (Dec 8, 2014)

cintipam said:


> Ann, once you snap down the lid and put on the airlock you do NOT need to keep stirring it. At least that is my opinion, tho I do understand that pee and blood are done a bit differently.
> 
> Pam in cinti




X2. Don't stir after snapping down the lid


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## AnnArrogance (Dec 10, 2014)

Quick update—today was day3 with the same SG of 0.995! So I racked it to a carbody and degassed and added my kmeta, sorbate, and sparkolloid! My Skeeter Pee is now sitting in its carboy waiting to clear! I took a little sample after I tested the SG and added a teaspoon or so of sugar to it and tasted it. It's pretty raw, still, as is probably to be expected, and the alcohol was definitely in the forefront, but once it mellows out I think it will be delicious! 

Mostly updating to share this funny moment. I gave my husband some of the sweetened sample to try, and he gave it a sniff first:

Hubby: "That doesn't smell like wine. It smells like fermented fruit."
Me: "Honey, wine IS fermented fruit!" 

 it totally smelled like wine, BTW. Just not grape wine LOL. 

Thanks again for all the great advice!


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