Skeeter Pee Revisited

[arcticsid]

I personally wouldn't be afraid of the pee starting. I don't see any necessity in the reverse method.

Following the recipe: mix up the initial amount of juice, additives, and sugar( plus any fruit juice you might want to add) as you would any other wine must.

Use Cuvee, Champagne, or EC1118 yeast. Build a starter using one of these. Build it for 12 hours or more, try to get a quart of starter, It will fire up, I assure you.

I have never used the slurry and am still confused to the why would you. Look back in this thread a few pages, I think this is the one where there was some discussion on this slurry idea. PERSONALLY, I don't see why, I'll just use a fresh yeast starter. I will never know about a slurry, because I have no intentions of ever trying it.

My opinion, of course.

 

[rocket man]

Well I respect your opinion Troy and I have some Champagne yeast on hand so I will try that. I will keep everyone posted on how it progresses.

 

[mrzazz]

I used the reverse method. It still ferments on the lemon juice for the same amount of time. After 48 hours the yeasties were very happy and pouring in the lemon juice didnt bother them at all............... now its foaming and boiling along quite good.

 

[arcticsid]

I have heard of other wines that were difficult to ferment, but only since this whole Pee idea was introduced in here have I ever heard of this "reverse" method being used.

So...if it works, I sure can't critisize. I wish some of the more senior makers would comment on this method.

Again, I am sure there have been thousands of this Pee made successfully using Lons original recipe and method so I don't see the "why" at all of using this reverse method, although I can see the point of adding the lemon jice in stages. All well and good I suppose, just seems an unnatural way to do something that doesn't need to be done.

The old saying of "not fixing it if it aint broke".

Just my thoughts.

 

[Julie]

Julie, as I am sure you will agree, the abv caution is because it is so smooth, I whipped up a batch at around 15%. Pretty sneaky, like the mosquito itself, but then again, I wasn't going to operate dangerous machinery or attempt tight rope walking. LMAO.

I made one batch by building the starter with OJ, that was a great taste.

It actually wasn't bad at all with that high of an ABV. Some wines are terrible too high, but the pee can handle it.

Yes Troy, I would agree it is becasue it is so smooth but that is the appeal of Skeeter Pee, you can make a good wine that does not need to be aged and taste smooth. LOL you would probably have me bumping into walls if I drank your skeeter pee.

.....Although I don't disagree with the reverse method. It just seems to me it needs to be "brewed" together....Troy

Troy you are right, I look at it like knitting an afghan, you can knit the picture into the afghan or knit it separately and sew it on later. Both will look great but you can tell the difference.

....I have never used the slurry and am still confused to the why would you. Look back in this thread a few pages, I think this is the one where there was some discussion on this slurry idea. PERSONALLY, I don't see why, I'll just use a fresh yeast starter. I will never know about a slurry, because I have no intentions of ever trying it.

My opinion, of course.

The slurry is what gives the SP it's characteristics. No matter what method you use to make it, it will come out great but using a different method other than the one for Skeeter Pee is lemon wine.

 

[rawlus]

i think the point of using a slurry is that this is an ideal in-between wine to make with inexpensive ingredients and be able to use the leftover yeast from a regular wine batch - it's sort of an economical/practical/recycling sort of thing. born out of the concept of "i have this leftover yeast that's perfectly good, what could i use it for instead of pitching it out, that would taste good and be very cost effective?"

sure, you can start with fresh yeast, make a starter and go through the normal process of making a wine from scratch, but i think the originator had more practical matters in mind when coming up with the authentic/original method.

i have a batch going now, with 2lbs of frozen raspberries i pureed in a blender for a few min, using my slurry from the unoaked Pacific Quartet ltd edition kit. made according to the original directions, a ton of sugar water, couple bottles of lemon concentrate and the tannin and yeast nutrients i let it sit overnight to off-gas some of the preservatives, then added the slurry i reserved for a day in a half-gallon jug. i had bubbling at the airlock within 90min of adding the slurry. this morning i added the raspberry puree... now the color is fantastic and i am hoping for that hard raspberry lemonade type finished product.

i think its a pretty forgiving recipe that each maker can tailor to their ingredients and situation at the time.

 

[arcticsid]

Absolutely agree with you RAW. Can't wait to "taste" your batch. I too have been thinking of the addition of raspberries, or even back sweetening with a raspberry puree. Should be great!

You're right Julie, thats why I refer to mine as Misquito Pi$$, just doesn't seem right calling it Skeeter Pee after I have altered the original recipe.

I can't believe how fast this stuff has grown in popularity in here!!

Pee-on!!

Troy

 

[myakkagldwngr]

I know everybody is saying this is so good, it won't last long. But bottled up, how long do you think it would last?
I've got five gallons in the primary and if that gives me 24-25 bottles, I won't go thru them that fast.

 

[arcticsid]

I would think it would last as long as anyother wine. It might be different because it's a citrus wine. Good question.

 

[Julie]

LOL, it will last as long as your will power. I think most people are saying this because they can't keep out of it. I know when my step son was home last fall, him and I sat down and drank 3 bottles in one night.

 

[myakkagldwngr]

Personally I was just wondering about a few months. I like to switch back and forth with the things I'm drinking. By myself, a bottle a day isn't too bad when I'm doing wine, on the other days a half pint or so.

 

[Torch404]

Has any one managed to age some Pee? Does it improve much?

 

[NSwiner]

Ok now that I have time I'm going to start a Pee I have a WE Vintners Reserve Mezza Luna White thats needs to go to the carboy (I'm a few days past the time it should have been put in because it's at SG - 1.000 instead of SG - 1.010 ) I have been busy with hubby party planning but it's still bubbly fine . The only thing I don't know about is I put a very small amount of french oak chips like 10 grams ,the bag had 30 grams so I'm guessing . Can I still use it or wait until I do unoaked wine ,I never add oak I just put a bit in this one to see how it turned out and if I can tolarate it . I know your going to say I don't need the slurry but thats how I want to go .
Also how long can you leave the slurry in the bucket before you use it again ? Would tomorrow be ok if my day gets off schedule ?

PS
I would strain the slurry and not put the oak in the skeeter pee .

 

[Julie]

Ok now that I have time I'm going to start a Pee I have a WE Vintners Reserve Mezza Luna White thats needs to go to the carboy (I'm a few days past the time it should have been put in because it's at SG - 1.000 instead of SG - 1.010 ) I have been busy with hubby party planning but it's still bubbly fine . The only thing I don't know about is I put a very small amount of french oak chips like 10 grams ,the bag had 30 grams so I'm guessing . Can I still use it or wait until I do unoaked wine ,I never add oak I just put a bit in this one to see how it turned out and if I can tolarate it . I know your going to say I don't need the slurry but thats how I want to go .
Also how long can you leave the slurry in the bucket before you use it again ? Would tomorrow be ok if my day gets off schedule ?

Hi Darlene,

I don't think the oak chips will affect the flavor, you did state that it was a very small amount. I take my slurry and put it in mason jars and place it in the frig until I need it. My last one I just did, I took the jars (I have a quart and a pint) out of the frig the day before I started and it sat for another day before I was ready to use it. So it should be fine but to play it safe if you can put it in the frig until you start that would probably be safer.

 

[rawlus]

hmm. i put my slurry in a 64oz growler with the lid on slightly loose for 36 hrs without issue, it was bubbling away happily in the growler while i was doing other things and letting the lemon/sugar off-gas some of it's commercial sulfiting treatments overnight. so i think the slurry will be fine sitting for a day or two provided it's not too far along now.

as to the oak, i'm going to let someone else chime in, i've only used unoaked slurries so i can't comment on whether slight oak has any effect or not on the final product. im curious to know the answer myself.

 

[NSwiner]

Thanks Julie & Rawlus for your answers .I have a 1 gallon jug I can put it in or plastic juice bottles depends on how much is left on the bottom . I don't know what a growler is . If i can't use it for that I have another wine from scratch that I was going to use cranberry juice in so it might help that along ,so no big deal .

 

[rawlus]

what i call a growler is just a dk amber 64oz screw-top jug used for beer by lots of local microbreweries/brewpubs. they don't sell at retail, just out of the pub/bewery and will fill these jugs from the draft taps, usually with a deposit on the glass jug - take it back to the pub to get your refill. i find them very convenient for alot of wine-related things because they are a half-gallon and replacement polyseal screwtops are easy to find.

 

[NSwiner]

OK I've decided to go ahead and use that slurry with the oak in it today I strained it & put it in a bottle .Since I did a little extra of the sugar & water up I put some in with the slurry to keep it going good until tomorrow when I dump it in the pee I started mixing up today .It seems to be doing good so far .

 

[arcticsid]

Sounds like it'll be just find Darlene. Been a while since I "seen" you. How is your son?
Troy

 

[myakkagldwngr]

I know the orginal recipe called for using a slurry. Why not save the slurry from a batch of Skeeter Pee to use on the next one? And if you were to dry out the slurry from the bottom of the primary, would that yeast still be active enough to start the next batch of Skeeter Pee?