Skeeter Pee - a Question

[BernardSmith]

So, when we make SP we typically use around 3 qts of lemon juice awash in preservatives added to inhibit spoilage (AKA fermentation). My question: would there not be far less of any risk or problems if we simply fermented the sugar and added the lemon juice as if we were adding fruit to the secondary? We are not asking the yeast to ferment the lemon juice. We simply want the juice for flavor and for the acidity. Acknowledging Lon DePoppe's great recipe for an adult lemonade, why do we ferment with so much preservatives when it seems (to me) to be so much easier to treat the lemon juice like fruit added to the secondary after we have stabilized the wine. Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[winemanden]

Don't see why not, although maybe there might be a subtle difference in taste.
Vodka, water, lemon juice, sugar to taste, instant skeeter!

 

[BernardSmith]

Now, that would be subtly different in flavor. Of course, if you skipped the juice and added lemon zest (1 zested peel per 100 ml ) then you would have limoncello. But that is another story entirely. But to be serious: I don't disagree that the flavor would be a little different - I am using the alcohol (around 10%) as a solvent to extract flavors and aromas and not water (the solvent during first week or so after pitching the yeast). Me? I tend to prefer using alcohol as my solvent when I am making country wines. Which is to say, adding at least half the fruit to the secondary after all the alcohol has been produced. So, adding fruit AFTER the wine has been stabilized.

 

[Jovimaple]

Make SP 2 batches side by side - one with at least part of the lemon juice and the other with all the lemon juice added after fermentation is done. Compare the results! And let us know!

 

[BernardSmith]

Make SP 2 batches side by side - one with at least part of the lemon juice and the other with all the lemon juice added after fermentation is done. Compare the results! And let us know!

Nice scientific approach. I might just try that or compare the added lemon juice to the sugar wine to a batch I made last year using the conventional method.

 

[Jovimaple]

And yes, Bryan @winemaker81 , I WAS intentionally channeling you.

 

[Christopher Anderson]

For the experts (or those who might know the answer: Several times a year, I make fresh lemon/lime "aid" juice for a cleanse. It usually involves 1 gallon of RO water, the juice and pulp of 3 lemons and 3 limes, plus a cup of honey. I accidently left it out for two days. It has started to ferment (fizz). Can it be turned into SP? or throw it out? If SP, then some EC1118? or K-met/ Camden tablet first, then a yeast. Inquiring minds want to know.
This is for a 1 gallon version. I can add more sugar or honey if necessary and/or yeast nutrient/booster.

 

[winemaker81]

For the experts (or those who might know the answer: Several times a year, I make fresh lemon/lime "aid" juice for a cleanse. It usually involves 1 gallon of RO water, the juice and pulp of 3 lemons and 3 limes, plus a cup of honey. I accidently left it out for two days. It has started to ferment (fizz). Can it be turned into SP? or throw it out? If SP, then some EC1118? or K-met/ Camden tablet first, then a yeast. Inquiring minds want to know.
This is for a 1 gallon version. I can add more sugar or honey if necessary and/or yeast nutrient/booster.

Check the SG and add EC-1118!

 

[Christopher Anderson]

Check the SG and add EC-1118!

SG is only 1.024. low, but I can add more sugar or honey. now. 10 min later, it is 1.040! but no bubbles. but I do see some fermentation!
Thanks for the answer!

 

[winemaker81]

SG is only 1.024. low, but I can add more sugar or honey. now. 10 min later, it is 1.040! but no bubbles. but I do see some fermentation!
Thanks for the answer!

If the SG jumped that much, it's not well mixed. Honey is a REAL PITA to mix. When prepping a mead, I use hot tap water, ~120 F (49 C) to help the honey dissolve.

Add more honey, bump it up to 1.090. You might need to add more lemon and lime.

This is accidental, seat-of-the-pants winemaking!

 

[DrGriz]

Since it was RO water, I might be tempted to add some good broad spectrum nutrient. Like maybe Fermaid O.

 

[BernardSmith]

If the SG jumped that much, it's not well mixed. Honey is a REAL PITA to mix. When prepping a mead, I use hot tap water, ~120 F (49 C) to help the honey dissolve.

Add more honey, bump it up to 1.090. You might need to add more lemon and lime.

This is accidental, seat-of-the-pants winemaking!

Gotta say, as someone who makes mead all the time, It is not such a pita to mix honey. If you have a blender, you add some water and add some honey and blend on high until you can see the level rise towards the top. Pour this into your fermenter and repeat until all the honey has been mixed beyond thorough and well-aerated. But do remember to sanitize the glass and blender blades before beginning. I find it takes all of about three minutes to make a gallon of honey must.

 

[winemaker81]

Gotta say, as someone who makes mead all the time, It is not such a pita to mix honey. If you have a blender, you add some water and add some honey and blend on high until you can see the level rise towards the top. Pour this into your fermenter and repeat until all the honey has been mixed beyond thorough and well-aerated. But do remember to sanitize the glass and blender blades before beginning. I find it takes all of about three minutes to make a gallon of honey must.

My last batch was 7 gallons, so it would take a bit longer. Using hot tap water and a drill-mounted stirring rod worked.

It's important to emphasize to anyone new to mixing any thick substance (honey, fruit concentrate, glycerin, etc.) that a bit of extra effort is typically necessary to ensure the substance is evenly distributed. Your blender idea works for assembling a must, but I'd not use it to blend in glycerin as it would introduce way too much O2 to a wine.

 

[BernardSmith]

My last batch was 7 gallons, so it would take a bit longer. Using hot tap water and a drill-mounted stirring rod worked.

It's important to emphasize to anyone new to mixing any thick substance (honey, fruit concentrate, glycerin, etc.) that a bit of extra effort is typically necessary to ensure the substance is evenly distributed. Your blender idea works for assembling a must, but I'd not use it to blend in glycerin as it would introduce way too much O2 to a wine.

Interesting point about use of tap water. Up here, in NY, municipalities add both chlorine and chloramine to water (the latter cannot be evaporated off, which is why it's used) , so using tap water is rarely used. The risk being that the yeast produce phenols which then bind to the chlorine to produce chlorophenols , a product we are all familiar with in cough medicine.

 

[winemaker81]

Interesting point about use of tap water. Up here, in NY, municipalities add both chlorine and chloramine to water (the latter cannot be evaporated off, which is why it's used) , so using tap water is rarely used. The risk being that the yeast produce phenols which then bind to the chlorine to produce chlorophenols , a product we are all familiar with in cough medicine.

I live in the county, on a private well. Chemicals are not a concern.

 

[BernardSmith]

I live in the county, on a private well. Chemicals are not a concern.

That explains a lot, but I wonder if novice wine makers might assume that they could use their city tap water with no problem.

 

[Christopher Anderson]

In my case, I have a whole house RO unit. We never worry about dirty water.

 

[DrGriz]

I live in the county, on a private well. Chemicals are not a concern.

I thought so too, until I checked...high levels of fluoride. Lithium...

 

[winemaker81]

That explains a lot, but I wonder if novice wine makers might assume that they could use their city tap water with no problem.

That's an important point to make, not only to new winemakers. Folks with any type of municipal water may be best served by using bottled water.

I thought so too, until I checked...high levels of fluoride. Lithium...

We had our water tested decades ago. Nothing bad in it, other than being slightly acidic.

 

[AFW]

Interesting. I have been using Cincinnati tap water for wine since 2006 and either have grown accustomed to or can’t tell by taste but I think my water is fine. Even bottled water still could contain chemicals the same as tap depending on what type of filtration is used.

Anyway I found this on the GCWW website

Is it safe to drink tap water in Cincinnati?


Very safe. Cincinnati water is very good. The local home beer brewers send water sample out for professional lab testing. The results always come back excellent. Cincinnati water is moderately ``hard'' meaning it has a bit of calcium in it. It is a little hard on faucets but healthy.