Getting Coca Cola syrup bag, need answer!

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MagicMike

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Hey there,

Haven't been posting in a while ever since I have been enjoying my wonderful yet simple carbonation system which consists of a co2 tank, an adapter and a metal carbonation cap.

I'd figure I would do an updated thread and first off thank Kevin for his help in the post process of setup up. I have a friend who just opened up a Restaurant here in Oshawa and was very nice of him to give me a bag of Coke straight from the manufacturer where he buys from.

I know here in Canada is not like the U.S where you can walk into a Costco and pick up a bag of your favorite name brand syrup bag and off you go, here it's more of "who you know" type of deal. Anyways as fortunate as I am receiving this wonderful bag of syrup I wanted to ask on this thread how much is needed to properly give the right amount of flavor to my carbonated water?

The only 2 things I can work off is either (a) Same method of calculations that from the SodaStream instructions and (b)Pour tbsp at a time until I get the right texture.

Can anyone tell me from experience what the suggested dose is per Litre, thank you.
 
The 5 gallon bags that are used in the US are mixed at a 1:5 ratio with carbonated water (so a 5 gallon bag would make 30 gallons). So to make 1 liter of soda you would need 167 mL of syrup and 833 mL of carbonated water. (Although of course you could also make several bottles with different ratios and see what you like best. But 1:5 is standard.)
 
Wait a second, would a 1:5 ratio mean that a 5 gallon bag would make 25 gallons of pop? and not 30? 5*5=25... how did you get the extra 5 gallons in there with a 1:5 ratio? thanks
 
I think he means 25 gallons of carbonated water plus 5 gallons of syrup = 30 gallons of soda
 
Also, since you asked this question on a homebrew forum, it's probably worth mentioning that soda is usually carbonated to a higher level than beer. If you've force-carbonated beer before you know that you generally aim for 2 or 2.5 volumes of CO2, depending on preference and beer style. Soda is usually carbonated to 3 or 4 volumes. You can look up the required CO2 pressure for a given temperature and desired CO2 volumes using a chart like this: http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

It sounds like you're pressurizing directly in the bottles, but if you have a draft setup you'll also want to use a longer length of tubing for soda than for beer, due to the increased pressure. (If you use the same length, the pressure of the liquid will drop too quickly and you'll get foaming.)
 
Thanks but this chart is for beer, right now atm I am only considering doing soda for now. Thanks though I guess a chart for soda isn't needed?
 
I don't think it really matters. The equilibrium is between the CO2 in solution and the CO2 pressure in the headspace. It's a property of the CO2, not really the liquid (beer and soda are both mostly water, after all). The only problem with that chart is that it doesn't go high enough if you want a highly carbonated soda -- the highest pressure listed is 30 psi. But you can at least get a sense of the relationship between temperature, pressure, and dissolved CO2.
 
How about shelf time? How long can I store the bag of syrup before it goes bad? Will it last longer if I bottle thr syrup in a container and store it in the freezer? thank you.
 
Its best to keep it in the bag. What happens is that the bag "deflates" as its used. Thus no air or bacteria or mold will have a chance of getting in. If you put it into other containers it can get moldy despite preservatives. Id go by the best by date.
 
The commercial one I think it 3-4 months use only. I would assume they give it that date because if it's only sold to restaurant they won't expect for them to keep a bag for so long without having to order more if they are selling pop.
 
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