lemonade priming question

[WeaseL]

ok im used to priming beer, bottling....and being done. But ive got a recipe for hard lemonade that is pretty much a wine(doesnt use malt), that is carbonated. So my question is....How would i prime AND sweeten the end result without making a bomb? i would like to have it semi sweet and be done fermenting so i dont have to worry bout it blowing up, and also be primed just right. but if i sulphite..i cant prime, since there wont be any yeast to prime with. So if i just add 5oz of dextrose like i do my beer, im afraid my lemonade out of secondary wont have any sweetness, even though i sweetened to taste. But if i sweeten to taste plus what i add for priming, then thats putting a timer on the bottle right? wont it just keep eating sugar til its out, then when i go to open even a chilled bottle, it'll shoot 10 feet in the air, plus not be as sweet as i'd like? jeez im confusing myself, i did a search but all the hard lemonades recipes uses malts, and you dont usually see people talkin bout sweetening beer, hehe. So.....i know there has got to be a way, but im still new to this and i hope you guys dont mind answering. i was reluctant to ask on what is pretty much a wine recipe, but when it comes to priming it...you guys ought to know better then the wine crowd. i just wanted a carbonated lemonade that didnt have a malt or yeasty profile. thx for the advice in advance.

[kevin]

Sorbate kills the yeast in wine and for something like hard lemonade I think you might want to bottle in champagne bottles they are a heavier duty bottle than standard beer bottles.
You would probably need to add some yeast to each bottle then some sugar just prior to capping.

Carbonated wine can be dangerous so besure to wear glove and goggles when handling.

[HogieWan]

I may be wrong, but I think lactose will sweeten and is not fermentable. So, you could sweeten to taste with the lactose, and ten prime with dextrose.

[WeaseL]

hey yeah the lactose sounds like it may work, that way the lemonade will always have the sweetened lvl i want and the present yeast can only eat the priming sugar. i might have to try that. thx guys

[P-Train]

So I guess the recipe didn't give you details on the installation?

Can you give us the recipe? I would love to to try a hard lemonade...

(But only after I see what your results are)


:D

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by P-Train
(But only after I see what your results are)

or, better yet, a taste of the results

[WeaseL]

this is the recipe that im following from a member on a wine forum that i frequent. this is CREWFAN's recipe, im sure he wont mind me posting it. my questin initially was after i prime according to this recipe, how can i acheive sweetness and full carbonation to boot. But lactose was mentioned as a sweetening tool, then prime as normal for carb. Im just uneasy that someone that drinks it will be lactose intolerant and well....you know... can i safely have both? sweetened to my liking plus all the carb i need? heres the recipe...

Hard Lemonade – Bottle Carbonated – 8% ABV

Wine Ingredients per Gallon
2 cans frozen juice concentrate (lemon, lime, orange, etc.)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
½ to 1 cup sugar
3 quarts water
Juice from 3 lemons (Optional – place zest in nylon bag)
Note: NO PECTIC ENZYME – PULP IS GOOD!
Note: NO TANNIN
Yeast: Lalvin 1118 (or other Champagne)

Start Yeast
Place ½ cup of 104°F tap water into a large glass or clear measuring cup (early AM).
Sprinkle packet of active dry yeast, Champagne variety, onto the water and cover glass with clean towel to avoid airborne contamination.
If after ~5 minutes there is still dry yeast floating on the water, stir gently.
Allow yeast to rehydrate for 20-25 minutes.
Add ¼ tsp yeast nutrient and ½ tsp sugar to another ½ cup tap water at room temp.
Add dissolved yeast nutrient and sugar to the hydrated yeast and recover.
Yeast should be actively fermenting before addition of juice.

Instructions
Remove frozen concentrate from freezer and place on counter to thaw (early AM).
Boil ½ of sugar in water & add to Primary.
Add room-temp concentrate to Primary.
Add lemon juice. For more zing, zest some of the lemons and place in nylon bag.
Add yeast nutrient.
Add water and mix well.
Measure SG & correct for temperature. Target is ~1.060 as this will give ~7.8% PA. Add more sugar (dissolved in a minimum amount of water) to adjust. Using 1 cup sugar per gallon should give an SG of ~1.075 à 10% PA.
Place Primary in a warm place – 75-80°F.
Add ¼ cup of this mixture to the actively fermenting starter. Wait ½ hour and repeat 3 or 4 times.
When the Starter shows signs of active fermentation, pour over a spoon at the surface of the liquid in the Primary. This will keep most of the yeast on top of the primary where there is more oxygen.
Let Primary sit overnight.
Actively stir/aerate Primary the next morning.
After a few days of active fermentation, check the SG. If ~1.04, move to Secondary, top up and fit airlock.
Allow to ferment to dryness (SG 0.990). This should take a few weeks. Note that the hard lemonade need not clear – this is hard lemonade, not wine.
Siphon hard lemonade off of lees into bottling bucket. Bottle now if not carbonating.
If carbonating, dissolve 20-26 grams sugar per gallon (3/4 to 1 cup corn sugar per 5 gallons) in a small amount of warm water and add to bottling bucket.
Mix well.
Fill bottles.
Place bottles at room temp (~72°C) for 2-3 weeks to allow for carbonation.
Chill.
Enjoy!