Brewing Master » Brewing Equipment » smirnoff ice?
smirnoff ice?
Question:
Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some.
These "malternatives" would be near impossible to make at home. Most only use 2% of the total volume in beer, and the rest is "flavorings". So to get you started on a 5 gallon batch, first make 13 ounces of beer, and blend the rest of the 5 gallons with flavorings…. Cheers, Mike
Response:
Magneato, don’t get upset with the information you are being presented. The negative opinions you are experiencing come from homebrewers with many years and several batches under their belts. While these opinions are certainly deserved and respectable, they are geared towards those with their level of experience, not towards your own. They are only trying to save you some heartache & I agree with Bregent’s suggestions.
Actually, the post he found on google had one piece of the puzzle I’ve been thinking about. I’ve been toying with the idea myself, and not because I think it’s a cheap way to make hard lemonade, but for the same reason I homebrew. I wanna tinker with it, and make something even a little better. So, what I had been thinking about was using ultrafiltration. But that google posting reminded me about the use of finings to strip color and flavors…not a bad approach, and probably easier to do than ultrafiltration, though I have most of the equipment for that already. I’m not so sure that body would be an unpleasant thing, though, so I don’t know if I’d go the complete route described for zima with enzyme addtions and all. But a good mash at say 147-148F might get enough conversion to produce a reasonably dry, but not too dry, base. I’m not out to get it the cheapest possible way, and I don’t want to use a process that’s too different from the one I already use. Anyway, mash low, then following fermentation, finings with lots of bentonite and granular AC, followed by simple filtration (say 1-5 micron). Maybe I’ll try it… Regards, Mike Sharp – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You can try to brew yourself a hard lemonade type drink. There are a few references to it which can be found on Google. I made one myself and found the product to be dry. Additional measures need to be taken when undertaking a second attempt, as suggested in the current thread Mike Dixon has going about his overly dry brew. In the meantime, I’ll let my bottles age & sweeten with sugar upon serving as neccesary. If you do get into homebrewing, continue to use this resource. It’s the best one out there, IMO, but you should augment this information with a good basic homebrewing textbook. You’ve already found google, which is great for viewing the archives of past discussions on this forum. Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some. -Marc
Response:
Well, curiosity got the better of me…again. Here’s a link to the ATF labeling requirements for "Malt Beverages" with an excerpt below. http://www.atf.treas.gov/alcohol/info/issues/malt_beverages.pdf 94-1 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR MALT BEVERAGE PRODUCTS Materials used to treat brewing water are not classified as brewing adjuncts and must be unobjectionable under laws and regulations of FDA. Malt beverages must be made with 25% or more malt. Malt beverages must be made with at least 7.5 pounds of hops per 100 barrels. I take this to mean that drinks like Mike’s Hard actually have hops, at least in the brewing/fermenting phase. Ok, maybe 7.5 lb per 3100 gallons isn’t much…That’s what, less than a quarter ounce in a 5 gallon batch! I’m sure the hop volatiles are removed by filtration later. And by comparison, I guess that makes a Coors drinker a Hophead! Regards, Mike Sharp – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – says… Yes, I think most of us remember that thread and many others like it. But is it really worth it to make this stuff from malt? By the time you’re done, it will be easier, cheaper and probably just taste better if you use a neutral spirit rather than fermenting malt and then filtering. The reason that the folks at Coors, Seagrams, Smirnoff, Jack Daniels, etc use malt is to avoid media restrictions on hard liquor beverages. If they could, I’m sure they would much prefer to sell you a premixed coctail based on vodka that they could easily make taste the same as ‘Ice’. The reason they don’t is because of legal restrictions. If you want to try it just to satisfy your curiousity, fine. Otherwise, you’re better off just kegging a giant mixed coctail. Actually, I think the restrictions on advertising distilled spirits are self-imposed. They are, which is why some groups are claiming that the industry should not be self regulating. But Why would it be easier for them to make a beer, distill it, and then dilute it back to beer concentration? Wouldn’t it make more sense, and cost less, to go the malt beverage route in the first place? The way I understand it is that malt is more expensive than other sugar sources. I always assumed the malt beverages were labeled that because they contain more than 5% alcohol. My meager understanding is that the label is required for any beverage in that range, no matter how it got there. In other words, Mickey Big Mouth is malt liquor because of it’s alcohol content, and Mike’s Hard is a malt beverage because of _it’s_ alcohol content as well (5.2%). I don’t think so. Almost all beer is 5%ABV. I don’t remember the labelling requirements for malt liquors, but they are well in excess of 5%. I don’t think that these alcopop beverages are labelled malt beverages because of their ABV, but because of some other requirement – self imposed or otherwise.
Response:
But Why would it be easier for them to make a beer, distill it, and then dilute it back to beer concentration? Wouldn’t it make more sense, and cost less, to go the malt beverage route in the first place? The way I understand it is that malt is more expensive than other sugar sources.
I wonder what the minimum level of malt is in order to be called a ‘malt’ beverage? I’d also bet that there’s a market out there of people who believe that malt beverages aren’t ‘hard liquor’ but the the same drink made with 5% Everclear (or equivalent vodka) is. It wouldn’t suprise me if the main reaons thahese products exist is to advertise the prime company (Stoli, Jack Daniels, etc) to support flagging bottle sales of the hard liquor. The self imposed ban on advertising broke back in 1997, but shifted to media outlets. Many liquor started advertising, but many television stations wouldn’t run the ads until after 9:00 pm. Liquor, like food, is best advertised around dinnertime, when you’d _want_ some, not at 9:30 when you’ve _had_ some. bob.
Response:
Based on everything I’ve read, these are definitely malt based beverages and not made from hard liquor. They would not be able to advertise and market them if they were.
They are made with a small percentage of actual beer 2-5% of the total volume, and the remainder comes from "flavorings". Remember that flavorings often contain alcohol (vanilla for example). Cheers, Mike
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Based on everything I’ve read, these are definitely malt based beverages and not made from hard liquor. They would not be able to advertise and market them if they were. They are made with a small percentage of actual beer 2-5% of the total volume, and the remainder comes from "flavorings". Remember that flavorings often contain alcohol (vanilla for example). Cheers, Mike
I’m finding this a bit hard to believe, especially in the context of Mike’s Hard lemonade. The "other natural flavors" part must mean lemon juice/citric acid and the like. But where else would the alcohol come from, if not beer? Surely not the flavorings. They couldn’t add enough flavoring to get the alcohol up to 5.2%. It would take 1 1/2 oz of a flavoring with 40% alcohol to achieve this. Even if vanilla was an ingredient in a drink, it couldn’t be THAT high! And rarely, if ever, do you see real vanilla as the flavoring in a "Vanilla Flavored" food product. One can account for the alcohol in vanilla and other flavorings that require a solvent, but not lemon juice. Now, what I _could_ believe is that they make a high gravity wort, perhaps as high as 14%, and dilute it after fermentation and filtering to 5.2%. So maybe 30% of the beverage starts out life as something you could call beer, the rest is water and "other natural flavors"…Whatever they do, you can be sure it’s done a particular way because it’s most efficient. In other words, once you take in the capital costs, refrigeration, etc., if high gravity wort costs less than brewing to the final alcohol content, then that’s what they’ll use. I wouldn’t be surprised if the wine coolers aren’t made with wine, either, and rather start out life as beer. But I don’t really have any info on that. And, *yuck*, I don’t think I _want_ any, either! ;^) regards, Mike
Response:
says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve never seene Mike’s Hard Lemonade advertised as Malt beverage. thought it was Vodka beverage. Paul Oh, I hate to admit this, but I have one in front of me right now (it’s amazing the things you’ll drink when you run out of homebrew…) Anyway, it says, right below the logo/name: 5.2% Alc/vol Lemon Clear Malt Beverage With other natural flavors. But, the labeling might be different in other countries, such as Canada, where it is made (at least where mine was made). I really would be surprised if any of the pre-packaged drinks actually used distilled spirits. It almost _has_ to be more expensive. But even if it was made with vodka, it’s possible the strange labeling laws would require the use of the word "Malt" due to the alcohol content.
Based on everything I’ve read, these are definitely malt based beverages and not made from hard liquor. They would not be able to advertise and market them if they were.
Response:
<snip But, the labeling might be different in other countries, such as Canada, where it is made (at least where mine was made). I really would be surprised if any of the pre-packaged drinks actually used distilled spirits. It almost _has_ to be more expensive. But even if it was made with vodka, it’s possible the strange labeling laws would require the use of the word "Malt" due to the alcohol content.
Ditto. Who among us has not had a european lager with "ale" or "malt liquor" curiously printed on the label? *Phonics for spammers….it works!
Response:
I’ve never seene Mike’s Hard Lemonade advertised as Malt beverage. thought it was Vodka beverage. Paul
Oh, I hate to admit this, but I have one in front of me right now (it’s amazing the things you’ll drink when you run out of homebrew…) Anyway, it says, right below the logo/name: 5.2% Alc/vol Lemon Clear Malt Beverage With other natural flavors. But, the labeling might be different in other countries, such as Canada, where it is made (at least where mine was made). I really would be surprised if any of the pre-packaged drinks actually used distilled spirits. It almost _has_ to be more expensive. But even if it was made with vodka, it’s possible the strange labeling laws would require the use of the word "Malt" due to the alcohol content. Regards, Mike Sharp
Response:
says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes, I think most of us remember that thread and many others like it. But is it really worth it to make this stuff from malt? By the time you’re done, it will be easier, cheaper and probably just taste better if you use a neutral spirit rather than fermenting malt and then filtering. The reason that the folks at Coors, Seagrams, Smirnoff, Jack Daniels, etc use malt is to avoid media restrictions on hard liquor beverages. If they could, I’m sure they would much prefer to sell you a premixed coctail based on vodka that they could easily make taste the same as ‘Ice’. The reason they don’t is because of legal restrictions. If you want to try it just to satisfy your curiousity, fine. Otherwise, you’re better off just kegging a giant mixed coctail. Actually, I think the restrictions on advertising distilled spirits are self-imposed.
They are, which is why some groups are claiming that the industry should not be self regulating. But Why would it be easier for them to make a beer, distill it, and then dilute it back to beer concentration? Wouldn’t it make more sense, and cost less, to go the malt beverage route in the first place?
The way I understand it is that malt is more expensive than other sugar sources. I always assumed the malt beverages were labeled that because they contain more than 5% alcohol. My meager understanding is that the label is required for any beverage in that range, no matter how it got there. In other words, Mickey Big Mouth is malt liquor because of it’s alcohol content, and Mike’s Hard is a malt beverage because of _it’s_ alcohol content as well (5.2%).
I don’t think so. Almost all beer is 5%ABV. I don’t remember the labelling requirements for malt liquors, but they are well in excess of 5%. I don’t think that these alcopop beverages are labelled malt beverages because of their ABV, but because of some other requirement – self imposed or otherwise.
Response:
I’ve never seene Mike’s Hard Lemonade advertised as Malt beverage. thought it was Vodka beverage. Paul – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In other words, Mickey Big Mouth is malt liquor because of it’s alcohol content, and Mike’s Hard is a malt beverage because of _it’s_ alcohol content as well (5.2%).
Response:
Yes, I think most of us remember that thread and many others like it. But is it really worth it to make this stuff from malt? By the time you’re done, it will be easier, cheaper and probably just taste better if you use a neutral spirit rather than fermenting malt and then filtering. The reason that the folks at Coors, Seagrams, Smirnoff, Jack Daniels, etc use malt is to avoid media restrictions on hard liquor beverages. If they could, I’m sure they would much prefer to sell you a premixed coctail based on vodka that they could easily make taste the same as ‘Ice’. The reason they don’t is because of legal restrictions. If you want to try it just to satisfy your curiousity, fine. Otherwise, you’re better off just kegging a giant mixed coctail.
Actually, I think the restrictions on advertising distilled spirits are self-imposed. But Why would it be easier for them to make a beer, distill it, and then dilute it back to beer concentration? Wouldn’t it make more sense, and cost less, to go the malt beverage route in the first place? I always assumed the malt beverages were labeled that because they contain more than 5% alcohol. My meager understanding is that the label is required for any beverage in that range, no matter how it got there. In other words, Mickey Big Mouth is malt liquor because of it’s alcohol content, and Mike’s Hard is a malt beverage because of _it’s_ alcohol content as well (5.2%). Regards, Mike Sharp Regards, Mike Sharp
Response:
WeeeEEEeeell… I was more looking for a recipe for makeing 5 gallons of it. it says it’s a malt beverage, so it should be possible to make it? but thanks ;-D
Depends on your definition of "possible". Basically you can make a beer, and then filter the crap out of it so well that you strip out colour as well as flavour, essentially leaving just alcohol and water behind (You need a really tight filter for this, I’m not sure if you can even get them easily without going into the "commercial" realm). Then you add artifical flavouring to make it taste like smirnoff ice, Zima, or whatever your favourite "trendy" malt-beverage of the week is. I doubt you’ll find many people here who have the equipment to do this at home, or the desire. I’m not even sure it’s possible to do at home. It’s probably going to be much easier to just buy it at the store than try to make it yourself. John. — *** John P. Kolesar *** *** Head Administrator, Monty Python’s Flying Talker ***
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My wife was also not a tremendous beer fan when I started brewing (she now thinks IPA’s are perfectly acceptable) There’s a few other really nice recipes that she might like that taste more like … well … beer. You might want to try a rasberry wheat beer with very little hops and a pound or two of honey. morebeer.com also carries a honey ale that is very mild. Best of luck with SWMBO. r/ Dave
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some. -Marc
Response:
Magneato, don’t get upset with the information you are being presented. The negative opinions you are experiencing come from homebrewers with many years and several batches under their belts. While these opinions are certainly deserved and respectable, they are geared towards those with their level of experience, not towards your own. They are only trying to save you some heartache & I agree with Bregent’s suggestions. You can try to brew yourself a hard lemonade type drink. There are a few references to it which can be found on Google. I made one myself and found the product to be dry. Additional measures need to be taken when undertaking a second attempt, as suggested in the current thread Mike Dixon has going about his overly dry brew. In the meantime, I’ll let my bottles age & sweeten with sugar upon serving as neccesary. If you do get into homebrewing, continue to use this resource. It’s the best one out there, IMO, but you should augment this information with a good basic homebrewing textbook. You’ve already found google, which is great for viewing the archives of past discussions on this forum. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some. -Marc
Response:
Ok all you smart-alecs… I took derric’s advice and found this link on google in case anybody else is interested: http://groups.google.com/groups?q=smirnoff+group:rec.crafts.brewing&h… =&ie=UTF-8&selm=thfco1hl0ks6d6%40corp.supernews.com&rnum=1 guess i coulda researched more before i posted, but oh well. -Marc
Yes, I think most of us remember that thread and many others like it. But is it really worth it to make this stuff from malt? By the time you’re done, it will be easier, cheaper and probably just taste better if you use a neutral spirit rather than fermenting malt and then filtering. The reason that the folks at Coors, Seagrams, Smirnoff, Jack Daniels, etc use malt is to avoid media restrictions on hard liquor beverages. If they could, I’m sure they would much prefer to sell you a premixed coctail based on vodka that they could easily make taste the same as ‘Ice’. The reason they don’t is because of legal restrictions. If you want to try it just to satisfy your curiousity, fine. Otherwise, you’re better off just kegging a giant mixed coctail. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – WeeeEEEeeell… I was more looking for a recipe for makeing 5 gallons of it. it says it’s a malt beverage, so it should be possible to make it? but thanks ;-D 560 oz 7-up, 80oz Smirnoff Vodka 
Sorry… you wanted 5 gallons…
Response:
WeeeEEEeeell… I was more looking for a recipe for makeing 5 gallons of it. it says it’s a malt beverage, so it should be possible to make it? but thanks ;-D
560 oz 7-up, 80oz Smirnoff Vodka Sorry… you wanted 5 gallons…
Response:
Ok all you smart-alecs… I took derric’s advice and found this link on google in case anybody else is interested: http://groups.google.com/groups?q=smirnoff+group:rec.crafts.brewing&h… =&ie=UTF-8&selm=thfco1hl0ks6d6%40corp.supernews.com&rnum=1 guess i coulda researched more before i posted, but oh well. -Marc
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – WeeeEEEeeell… I was more looking for a recipe for makeing 5 gallons of it. it says it’s a malt beverage, so it should be possible to make it? but thanks ;-D 560 oz 7-up, 80oz Smirnoff Vodka Sorry… you wanted 5 gallons…
Response:
Tastes like a vodka collins to me. Don
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I don’t know what it taste like so I can’t recommend an exact recipe, but start with a neutral spirit like vodka diluted to 5% and then add the flavoring.
Response:
WeeeEEEeeell… I was more looking for a recipe for makeing 5 gallons of it. it says it’s a malt beverage, so it should be possible to make it? but thanks ;-D
It is a malt beverage, but by the time they are done filtering it, it’s really not – all of the malt flavor and body is removed. As I understand it, the reason malt is used is a simply a legal issue. Since the malt flavors are removed, you can make it from any 5% alcohol solution and then add back the flavors you want. I don’t know what it taste like so I can’t recommend an exact recipe, but start with a neutral spirit like vodka diluted to 5% and then add the flavoring. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some. -Marc 8oz. 7-up + 1oz. smirnoff vodka…
Response:
Thank you ;-D -Marc
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some. There have been several similar threads recently with some serious answers. You may want to search for them on google in the newsgroups area and see what you can turn up… Derric
Response:
Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some. -Marc
Response:
Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some. -Marc
8oz. 7-up + 1oz. smirnoff vodka…
Response:
WeeeEEEeeell… I was more looking for a recipe for makeing 5 gallons of it. it says it’s a malt beverage, so it should be possible to make it? but thanks ;-D
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some. -Marc 8oz. 7-up + 1oz. smirnoff vodka…
Response:
Anybody know how to brew smirnoff ice? My local brew shop hasn’t a clue, and it would make it lots easier for me to spend more money on brewing equipment if I could make my wife happy by makeing her some.
There have been several similar threads recently with some serious answers. You may want to search for them on google in the newsgroups area and see what you can turn up… Derric