New to Soda, Please help!

I made my first batch of root beer today using Wintergreen leaves, Indian Sarsaparilla, Sarsaparilla Extract, 8 cups of sugar and a tsp of coopers ale yeast. Some questions came up and I hope someone can help me with this. I've done a handful of beer brews and this was much simpler.

1. Should I not use the same equipment (i.e bottling bucket, grain bag, tubing) for doing soda as I do for my beer. After I cleaned my Bottling Bucket the smell was still very strong. I'm hoping that dissipates over time.

2. Is this whole issue using glass over stated. I don't have room in my refrigerator for 5 gallons of root beer. I guess i could run down and grab some bag ice and cool them down pretty good and just leave them in the garage. Outside temps are running 35-50F right now.

3. Pitching temps really matter here? I pitched at 91F. Didn't think about it till after I pitched. I guess i could of grabbed the wort chiller and brought it down.

4. Kegging this stuff? Separate kegs devoted to soda? There stainless steel and I cant imagine it would matter. I read it somewhere online that it does....


Thanks for the help.

Jay

The bottling bucket is pretty much shot. There is really pretty much no way to get the flavor out of plastic. It can be so bad that in commercial systems it can permeate into the other flavors.

For the kegs if you change all the rubber parts you will be fine.

Jaybrew226 said:

1. Should I not use the same equipment (i.e bottling bucket, grain bag, tubing) for doing soda as I do for my beer. After I cleaned my Bottling Bucket the smell was still very strong. I'm hoping that dissipates over time.

2. Is this whole issue using glass over stated. I don't have room in my refrigerator for 5 gallons of root beer. I guess i could run down and grab some bag ice and cool them down pretty good and just leave them in the garage. Outside temps are running 35-50F right now.

3. Pitching temps really matter here? I pitched at 91F. Didn't think about it till after I pitched. I guess i could of grabbed the wort chiller and brought it down.

4. Kegging this stuff? Separate kegs devoted to soda? There stainless steel and I cant imagine it would matter. I read it somewhere online that it does....


Thanks for the help.

Jay

Click to expand...

1. Root beer seems to permeate everything. I do use the same equipment for soda (like ginger ale) but never for root beer!

2. Not overstated. If you have a family or plan on serving the soda to children, glass grenades are deadly serious. Use plastic bottles, only. And the soda MUST be refrigerated when the plastic bottles are firm. The yeast doesn't "know" when you think it should stop, so it must be put in the fridge to stop it. If you don't have room for 5 gallons of bottles of root beer, make a one gallon batch. I often mix rootbeer up in a 2 quart pitcher, and pour it into PET soda bottles. Let them sit out for 3 days or so (until firm) then put them in the fridge. Or keg it.

3. No, 90 degrees is fine. I don't like that yeast strain for soda, though. I'd use a neutral tasting yeast, like Red Star Champagne yeast. I use about 1/4 teaspoon of champagne yeast in a gallon of soda, more or less.

4. I have one keg for rootbeer, just because you can never get the smell and taste out of the rubber o-rings. Also, with serving line. Soda is at a much higher psi than beer, so it needs a longer line. And the smell/taste never comes out, so I have 30' of line wrapped around that keg, and dispense it with a picnic tap. The regulator is 30 psi for soda, in the fridge.