brauhausjoe

Recipes 

I am new to soda brewing. I have been looking around for a Lemon Soda recipe but have not found any. You guys got any good ones? Really looking for the European Lemon drink, but a Sprite or 7up would work as well.

Thanks!
BHJ

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The Blow Leprechaun

Recipes 

I don't have a lemon soda recipe, but I recently made a lime soda (I tend to think of lemon as that ingredient that ruins sprite by perverting my beautiful lime flavor).

I don't know what kind of batch size/process you're planning to use. I made mine directly in an empty 2L soda bottle.

I had some leftover lime extract and lime bitter I had made a while ago for a beer recipe and decided to use them up in this. I used a lot more than I had expected to need, and I still didn't feel like I got enough lime flavor to come through.

Mostly, though, I felt the soda came out flat. If I were going to do it again, I would definitely consider upping the acidity of the soda. Mine had no bite to it. I used 4 tsp of lemon juice in 2 liters, which is sufficient for acidity in my ginger ale, but was not nearly enough here.

I don't think there's any way you're going to pull it off without lemon extract, even if you just make it yourself (lemon zest + vodka for a week or so). After that, just taste it as you add it until it tastes right.

If you'd like, I can dredge out of my memory what I used to create my soda, along with what changes I would make it if I were to make it again today.

brauhausjoe

Recipes 

Cool, thanks for the reply. Should I make a base that I like, for me a kind of lemonade, then carbonate it?

Sorry if it sounds like a stupid question, but I am new to the soda thing. Lots of Mead and Beer, but this will be my first soda.

Thanks.

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The Blow Leprechaun

Recipes 

I go for a pretty minimalist approach to soda making, doing 2L batches and using bread yeast... I want to be able to make it with whatever I have on hand instead of having to make a trip to the HBS to make soda.

If you have the means to force carbonate, then you can absolutely do it that way. I suppose you have to figure out how "Lemon Soda" would be different than "Carbonated Lemonade."

I usually make a general soda base composed of 1-2 cups of sugar, 4 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of bread yeast, whatever flavoring I want, and enough water to fill the 2L bottle.

The lemon juice above is just to give it some acidity. Like I mentioned with my lime soda, I'd really want more acidity if I did it again.

I used something like 4 ounces of lime extract for flavoring, but it was homemade so there's no telling how its potency matches up against a commercial extract.

brauhausjoe

Recipes 

Thanks! That helps me get an understanding of what I need to do. I'll keep messing with it until I get it right When I do I'll post my findings here

Thanks Again.

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wilbanba

Recipes 

i make sima its a swedish/finnish drink usually consumed on or around May 1st to celbrate Walpurgis Night, its classified as a mead but i think its more soda like since honey is no longer used

anyway here is the recipe i use:

peel two large lemons
scrape the white inner rind off and discard
put rinds in a non reactive bowl (stainless, enamel)
slice the lemons as thinly as possible and put in bowl (remove seeds)
add 1/2 cp sugar, and brown sugar
pour 5qt boiling water over
stir then let cool (can put in fridge to accelerate)
add 1/8 tsp hydrated yeast
room ferment uncovered for 12 hrs
bottle with a few raisins in each qt bottle and add a tsp sugar to each bottle
drink when raisins float

MFDave

Recipes 

The yeast won't spoil with it being uncovered? I'm gonna try that recipe. It sounds cool.

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AWESOMESAUCE BREWERY

Primary: Pomegranate Apfelwein, Brandon O's Graff (w/ some slight alterations)
Bottle Conditioning: Die Apple! Apfelwein, Pear Soda (w/ vanilla & cinnamon), Mango Soda, Orange-Cream Soda, Ginger Ale
Awesoming: Die Apple! Apfelwein
Up Next: Cherry Vanilla Cider

wilbanba

Recipes 

hasnt happened to me yet
and ive made it many times
the raisins arent critical just helpful
you can make this with other citrus fruits but lemon seems to retain the most flavor after fermentation for some odd reason
let me know how it goes
just remember to hydrate the yeast for 20 mins before adding to the 'wort'
you can also run some of the peels over a microplane for more intense lemon flavor

HippieCrack

Recipes 

I was just wondering what kind of bread yeast you are using specifically. The one brand I have tried smelled like rotten eggs when the soda was done.

The Blow Leprechaun

Recipes 

Fleischmann's active dry yeast. I do get a sour odor - more sourdough than rotten eggs - but it dissipates pretty quickly.