Summer shandy sugar question

[JawBrewski]

Hey y'all, I am brewing a summer shandy for the first time (a little late in the year but in Texas everyday is summer). I got it mostly figured out except for the sugar ratios when bottling. I plan to use homemade lemonade when I get to bottling for flavor. With my current homebrew setup I will be bottle conditioning. I am trying to figure out the best way to have sugar for sweetness with the lemonade without over carbonating the beer. I've been advised that sticking with a standard table sugar to water ratio for the priming solution would be best while using lactose to get the sweetness. I am now trying to figure out a good beer to lemonade ratio and how much lactose to use as I have not used it before. This is a five gallon batch. Any suggestions? Instead of making homemade lemonade would getting zero sugar lemonade do the trick?

 

[J A]

The OP is a friend here in Austin. I gave him some basic guidance but I know that some of you guys ( @Yooper , @Bigbre04 , @Ozarks Mountain Brewery , @Sunfire96 , among many others) may have specific experience with this style.
Discuss!

 

[Yooper]

Hey y'all, I am brewing a summer shandy for the first time (a little late in the year but in Texas everyday is summer). I got it mostly figured out except for the sugar ratios when bottling. I plan to use homemade lemonade when I get to bottling for flavor. With my current homebrew setup I will be bottle conditioning. I am trying to figure out the best way to have sugar for sweetness with the lemonade without over carbonating the beer. I've been advised that sticking with a standard table sugar to water ratio for the priming solution would be best while using lactose to get the sweetness. I am now trying to figure out a good beer to lemonade ratio and how much lactose to use as I have not used it before. This is a five gallon batch. Any suggestions? Instead of making homemade lemonade would getting zero sugar lemonade do the trick?

I think you’d have a real risk of bottle bombs unfortunately and pasteurizing the bottles is also very risky. The only thing I can think of is use unfermentable sugar or fake sugar to sweeten the lemonade and then prime as usual. So sweeten the lemonade to taste and carb up as usual.

 

[Bigbre04]

to add to yoopers statement. this is the answer(splenda or sucrolose or something)

You will blow those bottles up. shandies have to be stored and kept cold and preferably in kegs where there is very little risk of them blowing up. Commercial examples are all pastuerized and they still likely toss metabo at it.

the alternative would be to bottle the beer and then serve it and mix it on the spot with cold lemonade.

You could also get lemonade flavoring that is sugar free.

 

[Limey]

Not sure if this helps but the classic British "Shandy" is half Bitter and half "lemonade" mixed at the bar! I put "lemonade" in quotes because what the Brits call lemonade is actually closer to Sprite or 7-Up!

Like Bigbre04, I would suggest not bottling the "shandy". Bottle the beer and mix the shandy when you pour the beer!

 

[Sandy Feet]

What about brewing a Bitter with some lemon in it and fermenting it? I have mashed a lemon in a Saison, and it works. I know there might be some PH issues, but that might not matter too much for a lower alcohol beer. If you want to get it on the sweeter side, you can mash higher too.

 

[Brew Cat]

My father in law who fought and learned from the Brits in Africa during the war would mix 7up in his beer on a hot day
I always thought it strange but now I see it is available in bottles. If you look around the Internet you can find out how to pasteurize it using real lemonade
That fake sweetener is gross as well as unhealthy
I think @dmtaylor does it with back sweetened cider

 

[dmtaylor]

I think @dmtaylor does it with back sweetened cider

I don't know how much lemonade I would add per unit beer, perhaps 50/50?

But as for sweetening with lactose, I certainly have an opinion: Try 3/4 pound lactose per 5 gallons. Scale up or down as needed, but that is a great starting point in my experience with sweetening various beverages. Ignore anyone who says "lactose is not sweet". I mean, it's not super sweet, but in a large amount like this, yes it is. It would not be wrong to add 1 full pound per 5 gallons if you have a super tart shandy or love sweetness.

 

[Bigbre04]

I don't know how much lemonade I would add per unit beer, perhaps 50/50?

But as for sweetening with lactose, I certainly have an opinion: Try 3/4 pound lactose per 5 gallons. Scale up or down as needed, but that is a great starting point in my experience with sweetening various beverages. Ignore anyone who says "lactose is not sweet". I mean, it's not super sweet, but in a large amount like this, yes it is. It would not be wrong to add 1 full pound per 5 gallons if you have a super tart shandy or love sweetness.

lactose isnt really that sweet! lol

Also it makes my stomach upset so that would be a no go for me.


The alternative is to add lemon juice after the fermentation is done?? i have done that many times. the sweetness is tougher.

 

[Zambi]

I'm another one that would brew beer, then mix with sprite according to anyone's liking.
Or carbonate your own lemonade, though that would be much easier with CO2

 

[Bigbre04]

I'm another one that would brew beer, then mix with sprite according to anyone's liking.
Or carbonate your own lemonade, though that would be much easier with CO2

hey you could make hard carbonated lemonade to mix it with! back sweeten with splenda to taste!