First Skeeter Pee Try

[eddyo78]

Hey guys, question for you. I racked over and it has been a week since i first racked. apparently I didnt degas enough because i tasted some and it was extremely fizzy so I am a degassing machine tonight.

my question now... when I tasted the wine I smelled it and it has a yeasty smell to it and the taste is like mad dog. Is this normal and does it get better after clearing / backsweetening?

thanks for the help

Ed

 

[oldwhiskers]

Without a good degassing, yeast will still be suspended and it can have a yeasty taste. Depending on your how high your ABV is, you will taste the young alcohol, it settles out pretty quick for me.

 

[Neviawen]

Backsweetening and allowing it to sit for a few days helps alot. I think that gives the flavors and sugars time to blend. I made a few batches of skeeter pee (I am by no means a pro) but I did realize that the bottles that I drank that I backsweetened and allowed to sit for a few days tasted way better than the ones that I sweetened and drank asap. I also backsweetened some with sugar and added a shot glass or 2 of welshes juice per bottle as I bottled (I tried a few varities- the white grape was awesome) and those bottles were the ones that everyone raved about.
I think I may mix my latest batch of SP with welshs again before bottling. It will be just in time for 4th of July this coming week! Yeah!

 

[keena]

I am on my first batch too and it looks tanner in color and is no where near that clear a after a month and sparkolloid. Any ideas? Hit it worth sparkolloid again or try a dif clearing agent?

 

[oldwhiskers]

The color of the Skeeter Pee is a darker more tan color with the suspended yeast. A good degassing lets it start settling out. The batch above was started on the May 5th and this was when I first started using Sparkolloid. It cleared like the picture above in three days to a week.

 

[Duster]

Ed, yes a good degassing after and stabilizing your wine after fermentation will greatly help the clearing process and the taste.

keena, Sparkolloid generally clears in 3 weeks or less for me with any wine, Of cores it will continue to drop fine sediment for the next couple of months. Did you degass first? When did you add it in the process? you did boil it for about 5 min first right?

 

[eddyo78]

hi duster, yes i did boil it for at least 5 minutes. I am still such a noob that I didnt really understand the whole degassing thing and I didnt do it enough. I followed the easy peasy recipe and today was my 1 week after racking into secondary. it wasnt clearing so I was a tad worried. I tasted it and it had a yeast smell to it as well as very fizzy.

I now understand the importance of degassing.

 

[oldwhiskers]

It degasses better if temperature is at least in the mid seventies.

I am getting better at degassing with practice. I use a degassing/stirring rod with paddles in my drill.

 

[keena]

Ed, yes a good degassing after and stabilizing your wine after fermentation will greatly help the clearing process and the taste.

keena, Sparkolloid generally clears in 3 weeks or less for me with any wine, Of cores it will continue to drop fine sediment for the next couple of months. Did you degass first? When did you add it in the process? you did boil it for about 5 min first right?

I degassed first and I added it like a month after I started it. Also I didn't exactly boil it. Put it in really got water for 5 min. Why does it call for a boil