The Zima Challenge

A co-worker and I decided to initiate what we call "The Zima Challenge" - an effort, using standard homebrewing techniques, to replicate the (in)famous alcopop Zima.

The rules I am holding myself to are as follows:

1. Don't buy any new equipment
2. Use ingredients available to an homebrewer
3. For the love of Pete, don't make more than a gallon

Today, I brewed.

I assembled my ingredients:

1 Gallon of water

3 1/4 cups of sugar

Then came the most difficult step - I brought the water to a boil and added the sugar:

This took a great deal of concentration, and one beer.

 After letting the sugar boil for about half an hour, I cooled the solution to 80F:

This required another beer.  Being patient is hard.

 Then added the zest of one small lime:

Mmm, limey goodness.  Not Kate Winslet, unfortunately.

 Next came some dry ale yeast and a vigorous shaking to mix the yeast in and oxygenate the syrup (honesty prevents me from calling it wort):

 
It was already fermenting nicely a few hours later:

Further updates will be posted as we go along - I anticipate about a week in the first jug, then a second week to clarify, another 2-3 weeks for bottle conditioning and carbonation.

Something that didn't occur to me until the Mrs. asked me today is this:  Who is going to drink it?

That's a good question.  A very good question.  Anyone here in Austin that remembers what Zima tasted like want to be a guinea pig?