# Strawberry Breeze Pee



## Catfish (Apr 4, 2011)

The wife doesn't think keeping the house at 75 degrees is a good idea so I ordered a brew belt. Should be here tomorrow. 

I bought 2 packs of EC1118 yeast. I'm going to follow Lons recipe to a T until it gets to the slurry part since I don't have any. 

Should I get the yeast going with some sugar and water at the same time I start making the must? Give both about 24 hours and then dump the yeast (that hopefully is active) into the must?

After it ferments dry I plan to sweeten with Welchs Strawberry Breeze Concentrate. I bought 4 cans. I'll do some taste testing to see what I like but do you experienced pee'ers also add sugar? I bought some blueberry pomegranate concentrate today also. Once I rack the strawberry breeze I will start the next batch. I'm taking your guys and gals advice and I'm going to keep a steady supply on hand to keep everyone happy.


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## djrockinsteve (Apr 4, 2011)

If you are going to backsweeten with a different then only use 2 btls. of lemon juice.

You can help the yeast take off by only adding half a btl. at first then add the other half in a day or so then the other later on.

Be sure to give it plenty of oxygen.


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## Catfish (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks for the tips Steve I'll take all I can get.


I'll add the 14 tsp to the invert sugar . Then add half the bottle to the must then let it sit for 24 hours. I'll add the rest of the bottle when I see that it's taking off good after a day or two and then the other half once it gets to 1.05 Does that sound about right? I'll make sure to stir it every 8 hours or so. So it has plenty of oxygen.


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## djrockinsteve (Apr 4, 2011)

I stirred mine frequently daily. One-to introduce plenty of O2 Second to dispurse excess CO2.

You may want to split the nutrients a bit. Half in the beginning and half halfway thru but not necessary.

It smells so good and being able to change flavors with concentrates makes it a wonderful drink. You'll be fine.


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## twistedvine (Apr 4, 2011)

I just started my first batch last Friday. Not having a slurry to use, I let the must sit for 2 days and then yesterday, added 1 cup warm water a little energizer and a little nutrient and 1/2 cup sugar. I then added the yeast to this mixture. After about 1/2 hour, it was going nuts so I added 2 cups of the lemon must. After another hour, I added another 2 cups and again that started going nuts. I then added all of this to my primary with the must. This morning it was going crazy. Is at a nice 72 degrees courtesy of my brew belt. Will check SG tomorrow morning.

So far going good without a slurry


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## Catfish (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks guys. Hopefully my brew belt is at the p.o. in the a.m.


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## Catfish (Apr 5, 2011)

twistedvine when you say a little of the energizer and nutrient do you mean just a pinch of each


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## Catfish (Apr 5, 2011)

Got it all mixed up and covered with the brew belt on. Going to add the yeast tomorrow night. When I was covering it up with a towel I dropped part of the dang towel in the must. Pulled it right out. It's clean of course but I hope no leftover detergent was on it. Might mess with the must? I don't know. Probably worrying too much. Thanks for the help everyone


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## Minnesotamaker (Apr 5, 2011)

Catfish said:


> Got it all mixed up and covered with the brew belt on. Going to add the yeast tomorrow night. When I was covering it up with a towel I dropped part of the dang towel in the must. Pulled it right out. It's clean of course but I hope no leftover detergent was on it. Might mess with the must? I don't know. Probably worrying too much. Thanks for the help everyone



You should be OK, but my guess is after a night of heavy drinking, you could wake up with cotton mouth.


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## docanddeb (Apr 5, 2011)

I drop mine in all the time... no worries!

Debbie


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## Catfish (Apr 6, 2011)

Got the yeast and some must doing it's thing. Mmmmm an ice cold bottle of strawberry lemonade I can't wait.


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## twistedvine (Apr 6, 2011)

Catfish said:


> twistedvine when you say a little of the energizer and nutrient do you mean just a pinch of each



yes, pinch, not sure if this is technical or not, but I do have a measuring spoon that is a pinch and another that is a smidge


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## Catfish (Apr 7, 2011)

lol



Well it is fizzing away right now. I will check the SG tonight and see what it has to say.



I've been reading peoples different experiments with the skeeter pee and some people have substituted the 3rd bottle of lemon juice with 2 cans of concentrate. Then other people have just used 2 bottles of lemon juice and after it fermented dry they killed the yeast and then backsweetened with the concentrate. Which method is better? Or does it matter? I planned on just letting it ferment dry and then back sweetening but I'm open to opinions.


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## Catfish (Apr 10, 2011)

Got busy yesterday and wasn't able to check the SG until afternoon. It got down to 1.040. Dumped in 32 ounces of reallemon, yeast energizer, yeast nutrient. Mixed it up at midnight to give it some more oxygen. Mixed it again this morning. It's doing great.


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## docanddeb (Apr 10, 2011)

As long as you give it the oxygen it needs to blow off the sulfites that were originally present... it's pretty forgiving!!

Have fun!

Debbie


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## Catfish (Apr 11, 2011)

It's down to 1.010 this morning. Something keeps telling me to add the 3rd bottle of lemon juice and just do the original skeeter pee for the first time. But the wife is expecting strawberry lemon.


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## Catfish (Apr 11, 2011)

Do you guys add the concentrate before or after you clear?


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## djrockinsteve (Apr 11, 2011)

I have done both. Prob. the best would be before ferm. is complete. It's all sugar anyway so whether you add it before, lose the sugar and re-add vs. Add it later flavor and sugar too.

If you add it later it will have to clear again. Both ways turned out great.


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## Catfish (Apr 11, 2011)

Thanks Steve that's why I asked because I figured if you clear and then add concentrate what's the point. Have to clear again. Can I do this....

After it ferments dry rack into carboy and degas. Add concentrate\sugar to taste. Then add sorbate,kmeta, sparkaloid. Let sit for 2 weeks. Rack. Let it settle for a few days, then bottle...?


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## djrockinsteve (Apr 11, 2011)

Catfish said:


> Thanks Steve that's why I asked because I figured if you clear and then add concentrate what's the point. Have to clear again. Can I do this....
> 
> After it ferments dry rack into carboy and degas. Add concentrate\sugar to taste. Then add sorbate,kmeta, sparkaloid. Let sit for 2 weeks. Rack. Let it settle for a few days, then bottle...?



NO! If you ferment dry then add more sugar in the way of a concentrate the yeasts will begin to ferment the sugar.

Either add it in the beginning or part way thru will will increase you ABV, ferment dry. Rack, sulfite and clear along with degassing.....or

Ferment dry. Sulfite, degass and add fining agent (sparkolloid etc) to clear. Pro. 4 weeks Rack and age a bit. When you rack you could add sorbate at this time.

Then back sweeten with the concentrates and inv. sugar if needed. Let sit to clear and bottle.

I personally add it up front or midway. Ferm dry. Clear etc. and back sweeten with inverted sugar. The yeast would have eaten up the sugar and left the flavors. You are just replacing it.


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## Catfish (Apr 11, 2011)

That makes sense. If I add the concentrate now I will be ok wont I. I'm at 1.010

Thinking about adding 2 or 3 cans. Will this bump the alchohol up 1 or 2 %?


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## Catfish (Apr 11, 2011)

Went ahead and added (3) 12 ounce cans of strawberry breeze concentrate. SG went from 1.010 to 1.0175 (I don't know if that's how you would read that?)

Doesn't have much a strawberry taste to it but I'm guessing the sugar will bring it out. Couple more days and I will rack, degas, sorbate, sparkolloid, etc. 

Thanks for the help.


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## djrockinsteve (Apr 11, 2011)

when you add sugar it will bring out the flavor.


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## Catfish (Apr 15, 2011)

The pee is down to under 1.000 I racked it into a carboy. There was a little left over in the bucket so I put a little in a cup and tasted. Yuccckkk. Sour. Added a dash of sugar. Not bad. Added another dash. Yummmmm. This is some good stuff.

Here's my question for the day. Can I degas, add the kmeta, sorbate, and let them kill the yeast. Then add a little more concentrate. Wait a few days to make sure it isn't fermenting and then add the sparkaloid?


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## Catfish (Apr 15, 2011)




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## Arne (Apr 15, 2011)

Catfish said:


> The pee is down to under 1.000 I racked it into a carboy. There was a little left over in the bucket so I put a little in a cup and tasted. Yuccckkk. Sour. Added a dash of sugar. Not bad. Added another dash. Yummmmm. This is some good stuff.
> 
> Here's my question for the day. Can I degas, add the kmeta, sorbate, and let them kill the yeast. Then add a little more concentrate. Wait a few days to make sure it isn't fermenting and then add the sparkaloid?



Sure, should work just fine. Arne


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## Catfish (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks Arne


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## Minnesotamaker (Apr 16, 2011)

That batch is lookin' swell.


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## Catfish (Apr 17, 2011)

Thank you. I degassed and sorbated\campden tablets today. I'm going to let it sit a week or so and then add some more concentrate and sugar to taste. Then clear.

I degassed by putting a plastic bag over my hand and shaking the carboy on the floor. For about 20 minutes. Hopefully I got most the gas out but there was still bubbles so I don't know. I'm going to have to buy a attachment for my drill because that wasn't fun at all.

Started the Blueberry Pomegranate today. I added 2 cans of concentrate up front along with 14 cups of sugar. I will add another can or two of concentrate after the yeast is dead. The blueberry pomegranate concentrate taste much better than the strawberry breeze.


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## Catfish (Apr 20, 2011)

I think I'm addicted and my first batch isn't even done yet. Going to make the original pee on the next batch. Bottling 15 gallons of Catawba and 5 gallons of Niagara this weekend. Need the carboys!


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## Griff (Apr 20, 2011)

Catfish said:


> I think I'm addicted and my first batch isn't even done yet. Going to make the original pee on the next batch. Bottling 15 gallons of Catawba and 5 gallons of Niagara this weekend. Need the carboys!



I know the feeling. We started the second 5 1/2 gal. batch eleven days after the first batch, and started 15 more gallons last night. This will make 25 gallon since the 3rd of March. Of course we've had a lot of help drinking it.  Our friends all love this stuff. I've never seen anything disappear this fast.  Got a feeling we'll be doing 55 gallon barrels before the summers out. lol


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## Catfish (Apr 21, 2011)

I bet RealLemon sales are through the roof thanks to you Lon! lol



I was working out of town all week. Got home tonight and the SG was still the same after sorbating and adding 5 crushed campden tablets. 

1 problem. It smells very bad like sulfur\rotten eggs.  

I went ahead and added 2 more cans of concentrate and 4 cups of sugar. The wife and I both they it taste great once we get past the taste and the bubbles. I degassed Sunday using the shake the carboy method. Well last night I ordered a fizz-x. My plan is to let this stuff sit until the fizz x arrives. I will degas and then add the sparkaloid. Can any of you please give me a idea of how to get this sulfur smell away? Should I splash rack it before I degas? I just really hope the smell doesn't stick. The stuff taste great.


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## Minnesotamaker (Apr 21, 2011)

Catfish said:


> I bet RealLemon sales are through the roof thanks to you Lon! lol
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My best advice is invest in lemon futures. Maybe ReaLemon will hire me as a spokesperson just like when Subway hired that Jared guy. I've been sittin by the phone, it hasn't rung yet. 

Rotten egg smell, huh? Are you sure someone didn't start hiding Easter eggs early this year? Maybe there's one at the bottom of the primary. 

The smell will occur when the yeast are stressed. Either your batch got too warm, the acid was too high, your initial yeast were already in tough shape, or they didn't have the right amount of oxygen or nutrient at the right time. The sooner the better, splash rack. Pour is between a couple of buckets a few times. If this doesn't do the trick, you can stir it with a bit of clean copper wire and the copper will bind with the SO2. You may not get absolutely every trace of the odor out, but you can improve it to the point that it can be brew for yourselves.


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## Catfish (Apr 21, 2011)

Thanks Lon. I used EC1118 and followed the directions with yeast nutrient and etc. It fermented quickly. My guess is it wasn't lack of oxygen because when I degassed it, it got a lot of oxygen. I did some googling and seen that sometimes that smell forms when campden tablets are added...could that be it? Only other thing is I asked my wife to switch the brew belt from the carboy to my primary bucket which contains some fermenting blueberry pomegranite. But she got busy and forgot. It very well could of got up to 77-80 degrees for a few days I would guess. 

I just splash racked it into a bucket and then back into my carboy. Ill check it tomorrow and splash rack again if necessary. Hopefully it goes away.


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## Catfish (Apr 22, 2011)

Checked the smell this morning. Still stinks. I did the splash racking again.

Has anyone ran into this with their skeeter pee after adding campden tablets? If you did, did it go away? Does fining help make the smell go away?


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## Catfish (Apr 23, 2011)

Well it still stinks. I'm hoping after I degas, add the sparkalloid, and wait a few weeks, the smell will go away.

Bottled some Niagara and Catawba last night. Needed the empty carboys!


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## Griff (Apr 23, 2011)

Those bottles look great, Catfish.


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## Catfish (Apr 23, 2011)

Thanks Griff those are just local grape juice, sugar, and yeast.I let it clear and degas naturally. It taste very good. I'm just giving it away to friends when they want some.


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## Minnesotamaker (Apr 23, 2011)

Catfish said:


> Checked the smell this morning. Still stinks. I did the splash racking again.
> 
> Has anyone ran into this with their skeeter pee after adding campden tablets? If you did, did it go away? Does fining help make the smell go away?



campden itself does have a faint smell of sulfites, but it isn't the smell of sulfur dioxide. If you were getting lots of gas coming off during degassing, that is usually carbon dioxide, not oxygen. There is also some sulfur dioxide mixed in there (the offensive smell). If this were mine, I'd try stirring with the clean copper wire, it seems to have the most noticeable effect on eliminating the smell.


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## Catfish (Apr 23, 2011)

Thanks for the advice Lon I'll try that. The tricky part about this situation is that some things I read say it will go away with time, then other post I've read say to take care of this situation asap because the sooner you try to get rid of the smell, the easier it is.


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## Griff (Apr 23, 2011)

Catfish, just curious, but did you whip oxygen into the pee 2 or 3 times a day as it was fermenting?


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## Catfish (Apr 24, 2011)

Yes Griff I did it 2 or 3 times a day. No specific time, just when I had time. My blueberry pomegranate is down to 1.020 already. It's going crazy. About 4 inches of foam on top of the must.


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## Griff (Apr 24, 2011)

Catfish, when you have a free bucket try doing just Lon's original recipe following his directions or the original recipe but add 30 oz. Realime instead of the last bottle of lemon juice for Lemon/Lime Pee. It's great stuff. We have 3 Ale Pails of Lemon?Lime Pee fermenting right now, and between family and friends we have already drank about 8 gallons since April 1st.


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## Catfish (Apr 24, 2011)

Sounds good Griff I'll do exactly that. My bucket will be free in a few days.


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## Catfish (Apr 25, 2011)

Well this batch has been re-named. After adding 5 cans of strawberry breeze we still can't taste the strawberry. It gives it a nice pink color though. It is now named Pink Lemonade. We took about 30 minutes to sweeten it just right and degas it with my new fizz-x which arrived this morning. Then we added the sparkalloid. Hopefully it will be ready to bottle this weekend.


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## Catfish (Apr 26, 2011)

I was hoping to check the carboy this morning and see the pink lemonade starting to clear. Hasn't changed a bit. I seen a couple of you said "stir the heck out of it" when you add the sparkolloid. I just gently stirred it like the instructions said. Might have to re-do this process in a few days if it doesn't start to clear. Temp is about 70 degrees.


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