Please tell me why I'm crazy: homemade sparkling limeade

I have been making my own limeade for a number of years, and now that I've finally got a 3-tap kegerator, I'm interested in putting some limeade on tap.

So I guess my first question is, are there going to be any problems with me putting a sugary beverage on these lines and force carbing it in the keg? i.e. problems with spoilage, etc. I have already been investigating balancing issues and purchase some of those epoxy mixer swizzles from McMaster, which will hopefully help resolve any issues there. I currently only have one secondary regulator, but have triple regulator on the way so I will be able to serve different pressures on each tap.

The other issue that worries me is, will I be able to swap out the limeade keg for beer without having to replace the lines? Naturally I will be cleaning the lines out in between kegs, but I'm still a bit worried that the sugar and lime flavor will permeate the lines and affect the beer. Anyone have experience with this?

I don't think you'll have any problems with spoilage (after all, it's being refridgerated), but you definitely don't want to use the same lines. I don't think lime flavor will come out of the lines. It might, but I have some beer line that my friend used for rootbeer and even after soaking, cleaning, sanitizing, the beer comes out tasting of root beer. It's probably more an aroma thing, and maybe root beer is worse for that then limeaid.

Of course, you could use that line for cream ale afterwards (or worse, Bud Light) and have it pre-limed for your drinking pleasure!

I don't know what your setup is like, but I bought my line for soda at McMaster-Carr instead of using the beer line from the homebrew store. (I found the link here on the forum- in a thread called something like "A solution to the plastic taste" by Kal). That line was about $.15 a foot at the time, and I use 30 feet for dispensing soda. It's more rigid, so it just curls up on top of the keg. You'd still have to change out the line at the tap to change back to beer, but that's not a huge deal.

Thanks, yooper!

Which line do you get from McMaster? I've been looking at their beverage line stuff, but they have a ridiculous selection. I have a friend who says he swapped out all of his vinyl stuff for silicone lines to remove the plastic taste.

weirdboy said:

Thanks, yooper!

Which line do you get from McMaster? I've been looking at their beverage line stuff, but they have a ridiculous selection. I have a friend who says he swapped out all of his vinyl stuff for silicone lines to remove the plastic taste.

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I can't remember! I got the link from here at HBT, so I'll do a search and see if I can find it. It was cheap, and more rigid than regular beer line, and it worked great.

How about posting your limeade recipe...ive been craving it recently

Well I haven't made larger batches of it before, and for smaller batches I usually just wing it because I've been making it for so long. So, I'm going to have to play it by ear and make adjustments as I go on this one. Also, I've got no idea how it's going to affect the flavor by being carbonated. I suspect I will have to tone down the lime a bit.

I promise to post back my recipe once I've made this batch and tried it out.

Limeade (or just lime soda) can be made pretty easily. Juice 3-4 limes and a lemon for about 8-12 ounces of juice. Put into small sauce pot, and add 8-12 ounces of white cane sugar. Take to boil over med heat (be sure to watch as sugar likes to boil over), and continue low boil for 10 minutes.

Cool and put into a container. I use a swing top bottle or a beer bottle with a cap that is just barely crimped so it snaps off and on.

To make a soda, just put 1 to 1.5 oz in a glass with about 8 oz soda water. Add ice (or tequila ) as necessary.

To make a soda, just put 1 to 1.5 oz in a glass with about 8 oz soda water. Add ice (or tequila ) as necessary.

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Having soda water on tap eliminates the line-taste problem.

Not sure why it took me so long to figure out to just keep soda water on tap, and mix a drink as needed. I now have lemon, lime, chocolate and simple syrup ready at most times. The simple syrup is nice to have as you can make up fizzy juice drinks, cream soda, etc. to taste and on a whim.

We dabbled with various kegs of pre-mixed soda. Rootbeer was usually drank quickly, but is a ***** due to the flavor and aroma it leaves behind. My natural orange cream soda (recipe elsewhere on this forum) was good, but the OJ tends to turn nasty after a few weeks, and it leaves flavors and aromas that rival the rootbeer .

Chocolate syrup? Are you using something premade or making this syrup on your own? If it's your recipe, please post it.

Thanks!

It's really up to you what you use. Store bought syrup would work, you'd have to adjust to your tastes. We personally are looking to reduce high fructose corn syrup in our food and drinks, so I make my syrups from scratch with cane sugar.

The recipe is usually simple: cocoa, sugar, water and some vanilla. You make a simple syrup (1-2 parts sugar to 1 part water, ounces work best) first and add the other stuff.

I used the recipe here and it flavors the soda well at 1-1.5 oz per 8-12 oz glass. The only critique of this recipe is how thin it is in body. Flavor is good though, and it mixes easily.

For a great treat, add a splash of cream or a couple of scoops of ice cream!

Thanks for the recipe! I've been making a bunch of citrus/ginger based sodas, but have yet to make a chocolate one.

coolaid, lemonade, etc powder can be gotten in bulk (to make 6 gals and pre-sugared) and at about 5 psi they are pretty good. the slight carbonation gives it some bite.