Sodamaking Documentary

Home brewers!

I am a filmmaker developing a Sodamaking documentary, and I am seeking council with a few of the most knowledgeable and dedicated home brewers on here.

Weeks ago, I pitched an idea for a Sodamaking documentary to a production company that has now asked for my work. I’ve been working on this project for quite some time. However, I have a problem. I don’t feel the final script conveys the true, exact Sodamaking process in as much detail as I’d like, in the way I’d like-- which means it’s not true to you, home brewers. There does not seem to be a single book devoted purely to Sodamaking-- and there are parts of the process I just could not fill in by reading the forums on here. Forums only give you so much before you need direct answers.

I've made my own soda when I was younger, but unfortunately, I know nothing about home brewing except from IncrediBREW in Nashua, NH, Beer Wars (Documentary), or the HomeBrewTalk forums. This is where I need your help.



1. Send me your homebrewing stories! I want to know about the best and worst times you've experienced SOLELY because of your pursuit to home brew. Were you plagued with production problems? Competition? Bad chemistry? What issues did you encounter home brewing for the first time? I welcome all factual accounts, from production to distribution. You can send it to [email protected]. I will read every single one of them (even if I can't respond to everyone, I will be able to bring a light to a few of your stories). Thank you in advance for sharing them with me. It means a lot.

2. Insights on the step by step process of making soda. I’d really love to meet those who can answer any question about any part of the Sodamaking process. The more experience you have, the better. The more mistakes you've made, and learned from, the better. The more kinds of soda you’ve made in your life, the better. I want to know what went wrong and how it made you a better Sodamaker. Together, we’ll go through the project, piece by piece, making sure everything is correct and where it should be. I want homebrewers to see this project and say “THAT’S SO TRUE!”, because those moments are what make it worth it.


3. I want to create a soda to sell in conjunction with the project. WHY NOT? Let’s sell the project AND the soda at the same time. I do have an idea for a soda, a happy accident I made years back that was met with praise, but I need help developing and refining the formula. Plus, I want to learn to make some awesome soda.

I’d like to speak with soda makers but if you’re a beer maker with stories of the business, don’t hesitate to chime in!

 We're all in this together. Ultimately, this project is about the home brewer's fight (and right) to see their drinks receive the acclaim they deserve, the shelf space they need, the taste they desire, and satisfaction of the process. If you can help bring this mission to light, I thank you all the more!

I am extremely grateful for your assistance. I don't want to do you wrong, home brewers. This project is my brain child. It means a lot to me that I get this right. This show is about you, so let's make it with you. Your honesty, your insights, will only put us closer to where we want to be.

Sincerely,
Nick Cammilleri
[email protected]


www.nicktc.com

This thread was approved by HomeBrewTalk Der Administrator, TxBrew on Sept. 7, 2011.

There is a book you can have a look at here. I've done a bunch of recipes from this book, all good, and in it the author speaks a bit about the process. He talks a fair bit about different yeast, sugars, origins of recipes, etc.

Go for the old style fountains like: http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Soda-Fountains-Around-the-USA
Lots of the odd mixes. Which reminds me that I need to use up the last of my hibiscus syrup.

johnnyspade said:

There is a book you can have a look at here. I've done a bunch of recipes from this book, all good, and in it the author speaks a bit about the process. He talks a fair bit about different yeast, sugars, origins of recipes, etc.

Click to expand...

Johnny,

Downloaded the book today. I'll check it out... Thanks!

Stephen Creswell's book would also be a good read for this.

I would definitely be interested in this, I'll email you later.

As a beer maker, or Homebrewer, I must say I thing you've missed the target on a few things. I am pretty sure homebrewers don't really experience "production problems", or "competition" because they aren't in a business. It's illegal to sell, or even to distribute in some areas, home brewed beer. Homebrewers aren't allowed to seek out "shelf space".

There may be some good info on the probrewers website though. And of course, sodamakers are in a completely different category, legally speaking.

You might look for a few people who seem especially into sodamaking, or who has a LOT of experience in making beer, maybe even some who have gone pro and request an interview. Sometimes the give and take of an actual discussion can help the process.

Homercidal said:

As a beer maker, or Homebrewer, I must say I thing you've missed the target on a few things. I am pretty sure homebrewers don't really experience "production problems", or "competition" because they aren't in a business. It's illegal to sell, or even to distribute in some areas, home brewed beer. Homebrewers aren't allowed to seek out "shelf space".

There may be some good info on the probrewers website though. And of course, sodamakers are in a completely different category, legally speaking.

You might look for a few people who seem especially into sodamaking, or who has a LOT of experience in making beer, maybe even some who have gone pro and request an interview. Sometimes the give and take of an actual discussion can help the process.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads-up, Homercidal. To clarify, this thread is for Sodamakers. I am looking for those who've made their own soda, and attempt to take it to the next level, going full-time or making a profit. I've spoken to many indy companies, but need a more personal, 'man-to-man' perspective.

Thank you to the half-dozen people who've written to me already about their experiences. I'm grateful for your time and knowledge.

I'm sure there are small batch or independent soda makers out there. Garrison here in Nova Scotia is a beer brewer making their own soda. Not a small batch brewer by any means but interesting to see a major beer company branch out. They make a chocolate soda that's damn good.

If you're looking for small soda companies start with this guy, he knows all their is to know about soda.


http://www.sodapopstop.com/home.cfm

I went to Galco's several years ago during a vacation in southern California. This guy has serious passion about soda. I rolled out of there with a shopping cart full of all different kinds of soda pop I'd never even heard of before.
I will visit this place every time I'm in LA.