skeeter pee questions

[Neviawen]

I've been reading alot about making skeeter pee and I want to try to make some. From what I read you are supposed to use a slurry from another batch of wine but don't have any fruit wines sitting around that I can use their slurry from. I only have a few 1 gallon batches of mead sitting in the closet. Would the sediment from the bottom of one of those be good for SP? If not, then I also have a packet of D-47 yeast. Has anyone used that for SP?
I also was wondering about the tannin. I have liquid tannin but saw that it is also sold as a powder. Does anyone know what the difference between powdered and liquid tannin and what is best for SP?
Thanks!
Kate

 

[Arne]

Get your sugar, a bottle of lemon, and water plus the other ingredients all mixed up. You should be fine with the liquid tannin also. Make a good starter with your yeast. I really don't know about that yeast, but bet it will work fine. For your starter, get a cup of warm water, bout 100 degrees, add some sugar and a little nutrient. Use a quart container or so, but the sugarwater in and spinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit til it gets going good, add a cup or so of your must (out of the primary). Let it sit for a couple of hours, if it is fermenting good, add another cup of the must. Add the starter to the must. after a day or two, slowly add another bottle of lemon. Maybe halfin the morning, half in the evening. Let it ferment down as the recipe says and add the last bottle of lemon and nutrient. When it gets down to where you add it to the secondary, start again. You will find you run out of this stuff in a hurry so it is nice to have some more going. Arne.

 

[Neviawen]

Thanks, Arne!
I got the recipe off skeeterpee.com that says to use (3) 32 oz bottles of lemon juice and it will make 5 gallons. My glass carboy holds 6 gallons. Do you think I will be ok adding an extra gallon of water to the mix so that it's full or do you think I should get a 4th bottle of lemon as to not dilute the SP? I've never made it before so I don't want to mess it up!
As always, thanks for the help!
~Kate

 

[harleydmn]

I always add extra water to take it up to the 25l mark, but I also add in 3 cans of concentrate (this new batch with peach white grape) and enough sugar to take the SG up. I shoot for sg 1.080. It really taste great!

 

[SpoiledRotten]

I loved the remark my neighbor gave me after she tried my SP. Said the first glass tasted great and it didn't seem to have much alcohol in it, then the second glass knocked her on her butt. I guess it does slip up on you!

 

[Twintrades]

Made my first pee with Arnes method.

Now i have a frozen slurry im thawing right now. Ill be using that tomorrow...

Im thinking this next batch will be koolaide flavors !Youll make friends fast !

 

[Neviawen]

Awesome! Thanks for all the help! I'm excited to get my batch going. I'm heading to the kitchen now to sterilize the bucket/supplies and away I go! Happy Friday! ~Kate

 

[Minnesotamaker]

I loved the remark my neighbor gave me after she tried my SP. Said the first glass tasted great and it didn't seem to have much alcohol in it, then the second glass knocked her on her butt. I guess it does slip up on you!

I've had that happen as well. Little old ladies who visit and aren't big drinkers, sit in the shade and have a couple of glasses. It's not until they stand up that they realize the real power of a little Skeeter. I sense that it's still fun for them as they don't get many opportunities to get "a little tipsy". Since they didn't do it "on purpose" they have fun with it.

 

[Neviawen]

So, today my SP hit 1.050.
Two questions I have at this point:
1: I added the nutrient, extra bottle of lemon, and energizer. (As per Lon's recipe) I started this out in a 6 gallon bucket but would like it in my carboy so that I can make sure the kids don't drop anything in it while it is sitting in the kitchen. Can I rack it into the carboy now or should I wait until it is dry in the bucket and then syphon it off into the carboy?
2: The top of the liquid in the bucket doesn't look like how my other primary ferments looked. (There are no bubbles, just looks kinda like dirty lemon water.) Is that normal?
Thanks for the help!
~Kate

 

[Deezil]

1. 1.050 is a bit early, for any wine, to rack to secondary. I'd give it longer yet, if you could

2. Depends on the yeast & some other factors (temp, etc) - different yeasts have different amounts of 'flocculation' - the amount of crud that builds up on top during the fermentation - some produce enough that it almost looks like an off-color root beer float, while other just look like cloudy, fizzy, juice (like you mentioned)

 

[oldwhiskers]

I'm on my second batch using K1V-1116 yeast and at about 1.050 it started building a thick krauzen that I have been stirring down mostly and I'm now at 1.028 as of this morning. This does grow on you as you drink it, it did me. I am starting another batch as soon as I transfer this one to secondary.

 

[Neviawen]

I'm on my second batch using K1V-1116 yeast and at about 1.050 it started building a thick krauzen that I have been stirring down mostly and I'm now at 1.028 as of this morning. This does grow on you as you drink it, it did me. I am starting another batch as soon as I transfer this one to secondary.

Will using 1116 instead of 1118 change the taste much? What is the difference? I am using 1118 that was recommended in the recipe. I can't wait until mine is done! This is my first batch but I have all the ingredients for my next batch ready for when this goes into secondary.

 

[Julie]

Will using 1116 instead of 1118 change the taste much? What is the difference? I am using 1118 that was recommended in the recipe. I can't wait until mine is done! This is my first batch but I have all the ingredients for my next batch ready for when this goes into secondary.

You shouldn't notice a difference in taste between the two yeasts. The purpose of using 1118 is to ensure fermentation, lemon concentrate can be very difficult to ferment.

 

[Neviawen]

Thanks for the quick reply, Julie.