Beer Forum

OK you are probably going to tell me what a dumb idea that this is.
I got a wild hair yesturday and decided to experiment so I through this together.
4.5gal filtered water
10 cans lemonade concentrate
1lb lite DME
2lbs cane sugar
.5oz yeast energizer
1oz yeast nutrient
1pkg Cote des blancs wine yeast
OG 1.072
It's been 24 hrs and nothing. I'm thinking that the citric acid is too much for the yeast. I have some other yeasts that I have washed an ESB and Cream ale that I could make a starter and pitch. Or should I just write this one off?

Try a starter using some of your lemonade mixture diluted 50/50 with water. It will cut in half any preservatives and get the yeast acclimated to that environment.
Also EC-1118, and Nottingham yeasts are good for something outside of the normal PH range.

bj

bj_braggot wrote:Try a starter using some of your lemonade mixture diluted 50/50 with water. It will cut in half any preservatives and get the yeast acclimated to that environment.
Also EC-1118, and Nottingham yeasts are good for something outside of the normal PH range.

bj

Im not sure I would do that. I wrote the guys at wyeast about making a starter for mead yeast and they told me to use beer wort casue it has the best medium for propigation due to all the minerals and stuff. They said Definately do not use honey. They use beer wort for making wine yeast too. So im guessing it would be the Hard Lemonade stuff.

I always use the base must for the starter properly fed with nutrient and well shaken. Beer - malt, Cyser - honey, Ginger Ale - simple sugar. So my choice would have been the Lemonade.
In this case the yeast was either dead or the must is inhibiting growth so I was thinking of it like a stuck fermentation.
Be a shame to toss it without trying everything first.

bj

You just need to get the ph above 3.5(some will work as far down as 3.3). Use calcium carbonate, or w/e. I think there are a few different things you can use to get the ph up a little.