Skeeter pee help!

[minervaperez0204]

Hi all, I’m new here and have gone over the site looking for help. But, I still need help.

I think I killed it. Ok, I started a skeeter pee on 1/28. I pitched the yeast on 1/29 about a day and a half later. Nothing happened so as the recipe calls I stirred twice a day until yesterday 2/3. By evening time with no action I made another starter by mixing yeast, sugar, and a pinch of yeast energizer and waited about an hour to get it going. When it was nice a foamy I pitched it. Well, this morning I still don’t see any action. Any help is appreciated as I don’t want to waste what I have.

 

[Rembee]

I would check the ph. Lemons are very acidic and can cause the yeast to have problems fermenting if the ph is below 3.0. When I make Skeeter Pee, the ph has been as low as 2.8. I adjust using potassium bicarbonate until the ph is around 3.2 to 3.4.

 

[ruhbarb76]

I'm relatively new to wine making and don't have anything to measure ph, but feel I should. What should be considered when shopping for an instrument?

 

[Rembee]

I'm relatively new to wine making and don't have anything to measure ph, but feel I should. What should be considered when shopping for an instrument?

This is a reliable ph meter. It's also the one that I use.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ENFOIQE?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image

 

[cmason1957]

I'm relatively new to wine making and don't have anything to measure ph, but feel I should. What should be considered when shopping for an instrument?

To answer your question, you want something that reads to x.xx and is accurate to .01 +/-.

 

[Rembee]

Sorry, I misread what you were asking @ruhbarb76.
I'll quietly retreat back to my corner lol

 

[user 36973]

You'll also want to double check that the juice you are using does not contain potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate preservatives that will interfere with the yeast doing its thing.

 

[Bossbaby]

I just had this issue 2 days ago, after 5 days of nothing happening and pitching yeast twice, i split the batch in half added 4lbs of a frozen cherry blend that i simmered in 1.5 gal of water for a few minutes, I added more nutrient and potassium bicarbonate to the must and sweetened back to 1.090 stirred both batches really well made a new yeast starter and it was fermenting away in 6 hrs. my brand new ph meter was broke when I started the batch. pretty sure just diluting the must a bit will get your ph up to make the yeast happy.

 

[BernardSmith]

Not sure if this helps but unless you are making SP with a very large and viable yeast culture you may want to avoid adding any of the lemon juice for a couple of days and then add half the total amount of lemon and after another week or so then add the remaining lemon juice. The acidity of the lemon coupled with the preservatives in most brands of lemon juice is real trouble for the yeast. By allowing the yeast to grow on the sugar (and they are producing alcohol as they reproduce ) and then adding the LJ you are scaffolding the process for the yeast.

 

[Fencepost]

I had this same issue and the keys were 1) adding water to existing batch to raise pH to get it fermenting and 2) add lemon in stages after fermentation starts on next batch. Tried both suggestions and they worked on both batches... thanks to @cmason1957 @Johnd and others. The name of the thread was "Really stuck.... need some help" not sure how to add the link so I copied the title. Just use search in upper right

 

[ruhbarb76]

Sorry, I misread what you were asking @ruhbarb76.
I'll quietly retreat back to my corner lol

It appears your meter meets the criteria. So thanks for summing it up with your recommendation.

 

[minervaperez0204]

Not sure if this helps but unless you are making SP with a very large and viable yeast culture you may want to avoid adding any of the lemon juice for a couple of days and then add half the total amount of lemon and after another week or so then add the remaining lemon juice. The acidity of the lemon coupled with the preservatives in most brands of lemon juice is real trouble for the yeast. By allowing the yeast to grow on the sugar (and they are producing alcohol as they reproduce ) and then adding the LJ you are scaffolding the process for the yeast.

Thank you. I will remember this for next time. Do you think I should start another batch? I posted this when I was at work. I got home 11 hours later and still nothing. SG is still at 1070. It’ll be a sad day for me wasting good product.

 

[Arne]

how warm is the must? Probably want it in the mid 70's or so. No reason to pitch the batch. It should be fine. IF you want it to take off fast, follow the origional recipe. Rack another wine off its lees. Mix your S.P. ingredients on top of the lees. Use the same primary I have found you just leave everything in the origional primary and let her go. It does like to be warm, tho, like in the mid 70's, Arne.

 

[Fencepost]

By all means, don't waste it! Split it if necessary into a couple primary buckets. Add water, Add Sugar to get back to desired SG, and warm it up (I did mine at 78F, it liked it)...(mine started "spontaneously" with the yeast that was there once conditions are right) and you can always add a more lemon juice, if needed, after it gets started. As the experts have said, wine is pretty forgiving... I think you (and the wine) will be OK.

 

[KevinAZ]

Hi all,

i don’t mean to hijack this thread, but it seemed like a good place to ask my question since the Skeeter Pee folks are here. If I should start a new thread please let me know.

I’m actually having the opposite problem the OP was having. I started my Skeeter Pee on the 6th. I overshot my target IG and landed at 1.102 (I like a sweeter wine so I’m not worried about that). I was aiming for 1.090. I used 71B for my yeast and the prescribed yeast nutrients and energizer. I’ve got a ferm wrap heater on the carboy and have been able to keep the temp in the high 70s. It started fermentation quickly and has been bubbling right along. But it’s still very actively bubbling a month later - about 6 bubbles every 10 seconds.

Do I just wait it out or move it to secondary?

With it being very active I’m worried if I rack it I’ll mess up a good thing.

 

[sour_grapes]

Have you measured the SG lately? That is the thing to do to tell you what your next step is.

A month later, I am guessing that it is done, and you are merely seeing outgassing of dissolved CO2.

 

[Bossbaby]

Hydrometer is your best friend, I have several so (when) I break it I have two back ups.

 

[KevinAZ]

Hi @sour_grapes & @Bossbaby & all,
I was able to go ahead and measure my SG today: 1.045 . So I guess my fermentation is kinda stuck. I tried giving it a swirl to see about getting it restarted. If that doesn’t work in a few days, what are some other thoughts on getting it going again?

thanks in advance for all your help,
Kevin

 

[Rembee]

@KevinAZ, your ABV is only around 7.5%. So that is no where near 71B yeast alcohol tolerance.
What is the wine temperature and can you measure the ph?

 

[KevinAZ]

The temp has been pretty consistent between 74 and 78. I’ve been using a wrap heating element on the carboy.
I just went out after reading your post and I think the PH is 3.2. See pick for test strip.

do I need to be worried about bumping up the PH?