Lemonade Kit Problems,

[Ester Trub]

Ok, so I have two questions here

I just bought a 'Colony West' Lemonade kit from LHBS. On the front it says the ingredients, which are lemon essence, citric acid, sodium cyclamate, yeast nutrient, lactose and brewers yeast.
However, upon opening I find it only contains 4 items. 2 baggies of white stuff, a bottle and the yeast.
Before brewing, I rang the LHBS and asked if it should contain more stuff, but they said all the packs only contain those 4 things. Assuming that the rest of the ingredients are all mixed together, I put the brew down, adding 2kg of sugar, and starting the yeast with some sugar in warm water for a couple of hours, as per the instructions.
But the ferment never started! I decided to pitch some more yeast 3 days later after checking SG readings, but still, I can't get this to ferment!

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should do?
And can anyone confirm that Colony West Lemonade kits only have those 4 items inside the pack?

Thanks

 

[TheEvilPenguin]

Newbie here, and I don't have any experience with this kit, but I do have a few suggestions that have helped me:

1. Make sure your fermentation vessel is completely sealed
2. Take Hydrometer/Refractometer readings over a couple of days and look for any changes

Airlock activity usually indicates fermentation, but lack of airlock activity doesn't necessarily mean no fermentation. Gravity readings are the sure-fire way of telling.

Other than that, maybe both batches of yeast were bad? I've had some very slow starts from old yeasts before but never had any that wouldn't do anything.

 

[Swinging Beef]

Is there carbon dioxide forming in the liquid?
That means some kind of fermtation is going on, doesnt it?

 

[bum]

ET, I can't help you with the number of items there should be but I do have an observation/question or two if you don't mind. Even if things are missing you've got water, sugar and yeast, right? No missing ingredient should stop this fermenting - might make it awful but won't stop it fermenting. How certain are you that the yeasts you have pitched are viable? When you started the yeast in water how warm was it? And did it foam/swell up? Incidentally, the sugar is not 100% necessary here either. Some might even say detrimental (just as many say it is essential so I wouldn't think of that is the problem).

 

[Ester Trub]

ET, I can't help you with the number of items there should be but I do have an observation/question or two if you don't mind. Even if things are missing you've got water, sugar and yeast, right? No missing ingredient should stop this fermenting - might make it awful but won't stop it fermenting. How certain are you that the yeasts you have pitched are viable? When you started the yeast in water how warm was it? And did it foam/swell up? Incidentally, the sugar is not 100% necessary here either. Some might even say detrimental (just as many say it is essential so I wouldn't think of that is the problem).

True, but I have read somewhere that when making lemonades there is something about acid content (???) or something.... that might affect the yeast.
The first yeast I pitched into about 200ml of 28C water for about 2 hours or so and it did foam / swell up. The second yeast I pitched straight into the fermenter with some yeast nutrient.

Something I have noticed is that the lemonade is carbonating in the fermenter, which actually leads me to believe that some fermentation might be going on, and that the carbonation is affecting my SG readings. However, there is no trub that I can see on the bottom of the fermenter and no krausen.
I don't know what's going on. It's all a bit wierd.
I think I might leave this for a few more days, take a sample and leave it to go flat, then I'll take another SG reading and see what it says.
Will post my results when I check.

 

[Ester Trub]

Whoah.
Was just looking up the ingredients on the interwebs and found this:

sodium cyclamate
n.
An artificially prepared salt of cyclamic acid, formerly used as a low-calorie sweetener but now banned because of the possible carcinogenic effects of its metabolic products.

Maybe I shouldn't be drinking this stuff at all!?

 

[bum]

Dude. It says "possible". HTFU.

Just kidding but the word possible does imply that this one batch wouldn't kill you. Not worth worrying about it, of course, just tip it if you're concerned.

Your acidity point is probably a good one in general but I reckon that the kit makers have probably dumbed the process down a lot and wouldn't make the mistake of selling something some noob (not you) might cock up on that level. But of course that statement is pure assumption.

 

[Ester Trub]

Dude. It says "possible". HTFU

Yeah. I've put worse carcinogens than that into my system over the years.
I'll still drink it if it contains alcohol!

 

[Hatchy]

Sorry if I'm slightly off topic here but would it be a viable option to chuck several kilos of diced lemons into a fermenter with water & dex & chuck some yeast on top? I'd like to not have to buy mixers for vodka so this may be a viable solution. I'm sure that would be less carcenigenic than the ciggies I'll be smoking while drinking it. My ginger beer goes brilliantly with red bundy when I feel like a rum, I'd love a home brew vodka mixer & I have a lemon tree.

 

[Swinging Beef]

So.. a number of days have passed.. any change to gravity or flavour?

 

[kabooby]

I wouldn't expect you to get a krausen. Krausen is made up of yeast and protiens. As C02 rises up during fermentation the protien gets a lift and stays on top with the yeast. I wouldn't expect any protien in lemonade. This is the same reason beer will have a head but lemonade doesn't.

Kabooby

 

[Ester Trub]

Ok, so this lemonade did ferment out after a looong time.
Finished at 1.003 But with a terrible chemically taste that I'm hoping will go away with time.
I won't be buying this again though.
Next time I'm making lemonade from scratch.

 

[benmick6]

They are all the ingredients that are supposed to be in the kit. Ive had a go at the colony west ginger beer and lemonade. The gb turned out okay but i had problems with the lemonade. The instructions say to give it a stir every now and then when fermentation slows down. I did this for over 2 weeks and in the end it just stopped fermenting alltogether and the sg was no where near the ball park and smelt awfull. It ended up being used as drain cleaner. Ive been thinking about trying again. If it ended up tasting like it did when i mixed it i would make it all the time.

cheers ben

 

[skb]

OMG .. I just tasted my 'Colony West' Lemonade after one month ... disgusting !!! I mean really really disgusting, it will be headed for the bin, Never again..