Coca-Cola Pre-Mix Question

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I_B_Mongo

I_B_Mongo

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So I recently scored a pallet of Coca-Cola pin-lock kegs. I picked them up directly from the distributor. Anyway, while I was letting the gas out of all of them, I noticed one of the kegs was still half full (or half empty...depending on how you look at it).

My question is, can I put the keg under pressure and drink it? If so, what pressure and how long of a line do I need to use? I've never done a soda before, but plan on trying it out. Just thought it would be nice to have some Coke on tap since I had it anyway.

Thanks!

I_B_Mongo
 
Soda is usually carbed around 30psi or so, but that keg is more than likely filled with coke syrup and it's gonna have to be diluted. I have no idea what the ratio is for that or if that stuff is still good.
 
Actually, the tab on the keg said it was pre-mixed and the expiration date wasn't for another year.
 
I think that in most areas, corny kegs haven't been used in a LONG time. I wouldn't be surprised if that pallet of kegs might have been sitting in the back of a warehouse for years.

edit: typed too slow. If the date says it's still good, give it a taste and see!
 
Well then cool it down hit it with at least 30psi for a few days and see what you end up with. Keep in mind that running soda through your lines usually means they need to be replace before you use that keg for beer. Sometimes the smell and aroma of the soda can't be washed out of the lines no matter how hard you try.

What conditions were the keg stored under? I'd be a little leery if it wasn't kept cold the whole time, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't try to re-carb it and give it a taste.
 
I worked for Coke right out of High School. To Coca Cola people, "Pre Mix" is the route. Some trucks go to convenience stores, some to super markets. The "Pre Mix" routes had only kegs on their trucks, went to restaurants, movie theaters, anywhere that "Pre Mix" was sold.

The cheap managers would have more water than syrup. I don't know how you can mix it though, I loaded trucks, never put the systems together. I worked at a burger joint and remember opening the kegs to fill the "syrup tanks" as we called them.

Syrup tanks is what your kegs used to be. Same gadget using a different name.
 
Well, since you're going to force carb, maybe you can just add water to the keg, shake it good to mix it and then try serving it through a cobra tap? That way you won't pollute your beer lines and taps with soda.
 
Displaced MassHole said:
Well then cool it down hit it with at least 30psi for a few days and see what you end up with. Keep in mind that running soda through your lines usually means they need to be replace before you use that keg for beer. Sometimes the smell and aroma of the soda can't be washed out of the lines no matter how hard you try.

What conditions were the keg stored under? I'd be a little leery if it wasn't kept cold the whole time, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't try to re-carb it and give it a taste.
Click to expand...
Soda kegs aren't typically kept cold. Cold comes from cold plates.


Also, I know of several small restaurants and c-stores that still use kegs.
 
I do remember something else. We would clean those taps, plastic nozzle would come off. Around the edge of the inside of the nozzle is where the carbonated water flowed, inside the plastic nozzle is where the syrup would flow. This is the reason (I can't remember why) they called it "Pre Mix." The soda was always cold out of the tap, even though none of the equipment or lines were refrigerated.

I would go with something along the lines of carbonated water in a glass, then a couple of tablespoons of syrup until you find a happy concentration.
 
Stuntmantoo said:
I worked for Coke right out of High School. To Coca Cola people, "Pre Mix" is the route. Some trucks go to convenience stores, some to super markets. The "Pre Mix" routes had only kegs on their trucks, went to restaurants, movie theaters, anywhere that "Pre Mix" was sold.

Yes the product in there is syrup. It is somehow mixed with Carbonated water that is adjustable. The cheap managers would have more water than syrup. I don't know how you can mix it though, I loaded trucks, never put the systems together. I worked at a burger joint and remember opening the kegs to fill the "syrup tanks" as we called them.

Syrup tanks is what your kegs used to be. Same gadget using a different name.
Click to expand...
Pre-mix is the exact same product that is bottled. It is not syrup. Soda kegs were/are used in some post-mix systems though, depends on the fountain.
 
OK, here is an idea. I am no scientist, but if you run water from the city and some how carbonate it with CO2, I am thinking that is what made the soda cold. Wasn't ice cold, but pleasantly cold.

1) Concentrated Syrup is in the tank (we call them kegs)
2) You have to introduce Carbonated Water (lots) to syrup (few tablespoons per glass)
 
Stuntmantoo said:
OK, here is an idea. I am no scientist, but if you run water from the city and some how carbonate it with CO2, I am thinking that is what made the soda cold. Wasn't ice cold, but pleasantly cold.

1) Concentrated Syrup is in the tank (we call them kegs)
2) You have to introduce Carbonated Water (lots) to syrup (few tablespoons per glass)
Click to expand...
The soda was chilled with cold plates, it still is and you can buy them on ebay if you want to setup a pre-mix fountain.
 
mullenite said:
Pre-mix is the exact same product that is bottled. It is not syrup. Soda kegs were/are used in some post-mix systems though, depends on the fountain.
Click to expand...

Pre Mix IS the same thing as what is in the can. After it is poured into the cup, and the carbonated water mixes with the syrup. We didn't fill those tanks (we call the kegs) with 2 liter coke bottles. They were like the old milk cartons, twenty five years down the road milk cartons that were made of waxed paper. 4 or 5 would fill the tank, and it would go for almost a week before having to refill it. There was a Coke, a Dr.Pepper, an Orange, Sprite. Separate tanks, but the same water that was carbonated went to all of them. More efficient system that handing someone a bottle of coke. The restaurant makes more money because the system runs at a lower overhead.
 
mullenite said:
The soda was chilled with cold plates, it still is and you can buy them on ebay if you want to setup a pre-mix fountain.
Click to expand...

I never worked on them other than filling them. makes sense though, won't melt the ice and water down the drink before the poor sap can get it in his car.
 
Stuntmantoo said:
Pre Mix IS the same thing as what is in the can. After it is poured into the cup, and the carbonated water mixes with the syrup. We didn't fill those tanks (we call the kegs) with 2 liter coke bottles. They were like the old milk cartons, twenty five years down the road milk cartons that were made of waxed paper. 4 or 5 would fill the tank, and it would go for almost a week before having to refill it. There was a Coke, a Dr.Pepper, an Orange, Sprite. Separate tanks, but the same water that was carbonated went to all of them. More efficient system that handing someone a bottle of coke. The restaurant makes more money because the system runs at a lower overhead.
Click to expand...
No. There is a difference between premix and post mix. The tanks that Coke/Pepsi use/used are/were delivered sealed and the retailer paid a deposit on the tank. On the next delivery the tanks would be counted and the deposit refunded on the invoice (I manage a c-store and our invoices still have a space for tank deposits on them.)

Check out this link from a large Pepsi distributor: http://www.pepsimidamerica.com/consumer/pages/mixDetails.php

It is the exact same high quality product you expect to find in any soft drink packed goods.
Click to expand...

In a pre-mix fountain there is no source for water in the tap. You were working on a post-mix system, most of which use BIB but some use tanks.

If you look at the lid of of a corny keg you'll see the tab where the seal went.
 
mullenite said:
No. There is a difference between premix and post mix. The tanks that Coke/Pepsi use/used are/were delivered sealed and the retailer paid a deposit on the tank. On the next delivery the tanks would be counted and the deposit refunded on the invoice (I manage a c-store and our invoices still have a space for tank deposits on them.)

Check out this link from a large Pepsi distributor: http://www.pepsimidamerica.com/consumer/pages/mixDetails.php



In a pre-mix fountain there is no source for water in the tap. You were working on a post-mix system, most of which use BIB but some use tanks.

If you look at the lid of of a corny keg you'll see the tab where the seal went.
Click to expand...

OK, I am talking out of my @ss again. The restaurant must have been Post, and what I loaded at Coke were Pre Mix. Now that I think of it, they were full going on the trucks. To set up a restaurant you would want to take everything empty and then fill once it was all set up completely.
 
Ok. Thanks for all the feedback! Seems to have created some debate. To help settle the issue, I plan on chilling and carbing the keg. I'll try drinking it from a picnic tap (thanks for the tip ChshreCat!). If it is syrupy I can always bleed out the pressure and try diluting it with carbonated water.
I still have one more question. How long of a line would I need? And do I leave the serving pressure @ 30psi, or dial it back down like you do with beer? (Yes, I realize that was actually 2 more questions!)
 
I work in a place that uses Coca Cola on tap (won't say where - heh.) 60-65psi, 5.2 parts water to 1 part syrup. This is from an Arca Box though.
Dunno if this helps!
 
I_B_Mongo said:
Actually, the tab on the keg said it was pre-mixed and the expiration date wasn't for another year.
Click to expand...

Hit it. I run 35 psi for soda water and Coke is normally a bit higher. I also use 20' of 3/16ths line, any less and it foams like crazy.
 
I_B_Mongo said:
Ok. Thanks for all the feedback! Seems to have created some debate. To help settle the issue, I plan on chilling and carbing the keg. I'll try drinking it from a picnic tap (thanks for the tip ChshreCat!). If it is syrupy I can always bleed out the pressure and try diluting it with carbonated water.
I still have one more question. How long of a line would I need? And do I leave the serving pressure @ 30psi, or dial it back down like you do with beer? (Yes, I realize that was actually 2 more questions!)
Click to expand...

10-15 feet of 3/16" line should work ok, unlike root beer, coke doesn't foam up too badly. you want to keep the pressure at 30 to maintain the proper carbonation level, picnic taps work up to around 50psi so no problems with leaks.

if your keg does contain post-mix syrup, the proper mix ratio is 5 to 1 (5 parts water to 1 part syrup, 5 gallons of syrup will make 30 gallons of soda)

diet syrups mix at a 5.5 to 1 ratio.
 
I_B_Mongo said:
Ok. Seems to have created some debate.
Click to expand...

No debate, sometimes I don't have the proper leverage to pull my head out of my @ss and the people here are very kind. I appreciate the heads up, really....:rockin:

Mullenite, thanks for clearing that up, I wanted to correct all the wrong statements I made, but then the thread would make no sense. So to anyone reading this thread I apologize for taking up your time on my inaccurate posts. I never had heard of PostMix:eek:
 

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