Lemonade - What Yeast? -opinins Please-

[kario]

Howdy all,

For those with little patience, the question is.....what yeast would you use for an alcoholic lemonade?

For those interested in how I'm doing it, read on.

I'm in the process of making an alcoholic lemonade (being interrupted by work).

I've read lots about it and have adopted bits from here and there, this is what I've done so far.

Ingredients:
2kg Dex
500gms Lactose
25 Backyard Lemons (about 4kgs)
1 Tablespoon Pectinase (10 gms ish)
15gms - Yeast Nutirent
Yeast?

1. Boiled water and dropped whole washed lemons into it, bring back to boil (5 ish mins), empty water and rinse with cold. (This is one I was told by a limoncello maker to extract the bitter oils out of the skin)
2. Peel lemons, keep peels (in a sanitised container)
3. Chop as much as possible of the pith away and discard (another source of bitter)
4. Run the lemons through our juicer (the type you put the whole fruit in and it separates the juice from the pulp). This yielded 1.3ltrs of lemon juice and 1.5kgs of pulp.
5. Added 2ltrs of water and skins to the juice. Poured 100ml warm pectinase /watersolution over the pulp then bagged it and dunked it into the same pot. Mashed at 50degC for 15 mins. (I opted for this temp cause I've read/heard that boiling the juice kills the flavour)(also, pectinase doesn't like it too hot)

That's as far as I got before I had to come to work.

I was tossing up weather or not to call in late to work and put it all into the fermenter and seal it up (my preference) but my conscience got the better of me. I stuck the pot in the fridge and will put it down tonight.

I tasted some of the wort/juice and it tasted good. Just like lemon juice, hardly sour and only the slightest hint of bitterness. A good start. (am now pondering weather or not to reduce the amount of lactose)

I have three types of yeast sitting at home, US-05, WB-06 and Nottingham.

Going by my own judgement and (little) experience, I would go the WB-06 wheat beer yeast, thinking it will add a touch of spicy, fruity character.

I'm after opinions from others on the yeast. Opinons on any other aspect also appreciated.

Tonight, I will be removing the pot form the fridge,pouring it into the fermenter and adding enough hot water to bring it to 22ish deg (the temp my basement ferments at). Then add yeast nutrient and then sprinkle yeast...I'm not planning on rehydrating at this stage.

Cheers.

 

[kario]

bump

 

[Dazza88]

Any would work. Sweetness in lemons will totally ferment out , lactose comment

 

[kario]

anyone else before I put this down?

 

[kelbygreen]

maybe a wine yeast??? I have not made one so not sure really. If it turns out please report back as I might put one down for shmbo

 

[kario]

UPDATE:

This turned out ok! SG-1.036, FG-1.008

EXCEPT FOR....

The ever-so-slight bitter twang at the end....a small range of people who tried it didn't mind it....but I wanted an 'alcoholic Solo' result, mainly for SWMBO....with that in mind, it was also, a touch dry. Colour is perfect, just like Solo.

I proceeded to open all the bottles and chuck in two Sugarine* tabs into each 650ml tally. This seems to have countered the bitterness (unless it's just the few weeks bottle age) and has put the sweetness spot-on.
Only now, they're a little low on carbonation for my liking....actually, exactly like Solo!....but I'd still prefer a little more carb. Again, some of my samplers are asking for more!
I might crack a few again and add some sugar to carb them up again for myself.

So to sum up, this will be the recipe I put down next time...I feel it should be spot on.

Ingredients:
2kg Dex
Min. 25 Lemons...the more, the better.
1 Tablespoon Pectinase (10 gms ish)
15gms - Yeast Nutirent
US-05 yeast

Procedure:
1. Boil water and drop whole washed lemons into it, bring back to boil (5 ish mins), empty water and rinse with cold.
2. Thinly peel lemons, keep peels (in a sanitised container)
3. Juice lemons as best you can,throw the rest away. Stay right away from any pith!
4. Add skins to the juice.
5. Pour in 100ml warm pectinase /watersolution and stir.
6. Top up to 20L with water.
7. Pitch US-05 at regular pitching temps. Ferment as cool as possible (18C) 10-12 days.

8. Prime @ 9-10gms/ltr

9. Depending on taste, add 4 Sugarine* tabs per tally or 2 per stubbie when bottling (for an 'almost' soft drink level of sweetness).

I'll update again after I've made it this way. If I feel it's good enough, I'll put it on the recipe db.

* I used to be against artificial sweeteners, but after trialling it here and not personally being able to pick up anything off-putting (nor did my samplers), and for all the trouble involved in sweetening naturally, and considering sweetening with lactose excludes those that are lactose-intolerant.....I don't mind using artificial sweetener for this

 

[Kranky]

I'd avoid using any of the lemon pith to avoid bad flavours. Peel the lemons so it all comes off then scrape the pith off the skins with a small sharp knife.

Alternately peel the lemons with a peeler or very sharp knife but avoid the pith. Put the lemons in boiling water and let them cool. Cut the lemons in half, scrape out the lemon and then boil the lemons and their outer skins with your sugars. Cool it in your sink, strain it into your fermenter and top up with water. Add your yeast. Keep in mind with your sugars that if you want sweetness in your final product you will want to use something the yeast wont eat all of.

 

[Kranky]

As for yeast US05 is fine, it's what I use.

 

[kario]

I'd avoid using any of the lemon pith to avoid bad flavours. Peel the lemons so it all comes off then scrape the pith off the skins with a small sharp knife.

Alternately peel the lemons with a peeler or very sharp knife but avoid the pith. Cut the lemons in half, scrape out the lemon and then boil the lemons and their outer skins with your sugars. Cool it in your sink, strain it into your fermenter and top up with water. Add your yeast. Keep in mind with your sugars that if you want sweetness in your final product you will want to use something the yeast wont eat all of.

My sentiment exactly.
I've found you can peel thinly enough without taking any pith with an average peeler.
Yes, that's why most advice is, to use lactose for it's non-fermentabilty....however, being half as sweet as sugar, you would need 1-2kgs or more for a 'sweet' lemonade....I just don't like the thought of that much lactose in it, not to mention the cost.....and anyone who is lactose intolerant drinking it.

 

[breakbeer]

I brewed a hard lemonade recently & now I'm just waiting for it to finish fermenting, made it for the fiance's party on Satdee but it's still fermenting away at a rate of one bubble every 20 seconds. I'll be kegging it & trying my hand at forced carbination, just so it's ready in time.

I only used the zest from about 8 lemons & the flesh (with ALL pith removed) of about 30 but I'm thinking I should've used more zest.

Easiest way to remove the pith is to chop each end off the lemon & put it on an end you've just chopped off, then just slice the skin & pith from top to bottom, leaving only the flesh.

Probably wont be sweet enough for The Lady's liking so was gonna add 1/2 bottle of Bickfords Lemon Juice cordial just prior to kegging it

I used US-05 yeast and 5gm of yeast nutrient

 

[kario]

I brewed a hard lemonade recently & now I'm just waiting for it to finish fermenting, made it for the fiance's party on Satdee but it's still fermenting away at a rate of one bubble every 20 seconds. I'll be kegging it & trying my hand at forced carbination, just so it's ready in time.

I only used the zest from about 8 lemons & the flesh (with ALL pith removed) of about 30 but I'm thinking I should've used more zest.

Easiest way to remove the pith is to chop each end off the lemon & put it on an end you've just chopped off, then just slice the skin & pith from top to bottom, leaving only the flesh.

Probably wont be sweet enough for The Lady's liking so was gonna add 1/2 bottle of Bickfords Lemon Juice cordial just prior to kegging it

I used US-05 yeast and 5gm of yeast nutrient

yeah, I removed the pith in the same fashion, but feel there is still enough in there to impart the bitterness.....yes, you probably should have used more rind.

Adding the bottle of bickfords will only serve to feed the yeasties with more sugar and continue the fermentation.....unless you're going to refrigerate the keg down to under 10C....if so, will one bottle be enough? If you want it soft drink sweetness levels, you need about 70-80gms sugar per litre. I'd just dump castor sugar into it at that rate.

 

[breakbeer]

Adding the bottle of bickfords will only serve to feed the yeasties with more sugar and continue the fermentation.....unless you're going to refrigerate the keg down to under 10C....

I'll be chilling it well below 10C & it will stay that way until emptied, so not too worried about the fermentation continuing.

 

[peterlonz]

I am now drinking my first alc lemonade & it's pretty sound as far as taste & sweetness goes.
I posted my recipe modified from two which I found here; as bloody usual I can'even now find my own post!!
My experience/ recommendations:
1) don't use lactose, it's quite unnecessary instead back sweeten with apple juice to taste. If you can't keg recommend sweetening as you pour with cordial. I violently am opposed to artificial sweeteners BTW.
2) Use only lemon juice & zest, forget about slicing & dicing, avoid the pith, cut lemons in half & squeeze out the juice with some mechanical aid or juice extractor.
3) Pasteurise your wort which will comprise only lemon juice zest & however much dextrose you choose to use. Mine worked fine for a 15 minute exposure to 80 C.
4) For a 23 litre brew I used 3 litres of juice which I now consider a bit too much because the taste is strongly lemon & although it tastes good your belly advises "that's a lot of lemon juice". Suggest 2 litres maybe 2.5 max.
5) For reasons now beyond memory I used as fermentable only 2 Kg of Dextrose. The result is too low in a ABV. Recommend 3 Kg dextrose.
5) Nutrient & Yeast: use 2 sachets of nutrient ( 8 - 10 grams). The yeast I now think best is a champagne yeast, use 2 sachets or maybe US-05 as the second sachet. Be warned the yeasts will be slow to start (3 days in my case) & very slow to ferment out compared to beer. I tried to keep my ferment temp between 20 & 24 C. Actually mine never finished, I just said to hell with it we are kegging today. As I said the result is clean, sound, not too sweet, but but strongly flavoured lemonade.
6) Final comment: I would not do this unless the lemons were free (my case). I used 4 litres of cloudy apple juice to back sweeten (no preservatives, colouring, or added sugar), the resultant drink is cloudy & I doubt that will settle out, maybe use clear apple juice?