Alcoholic/Exploding Soda

While I've been brewing beer and mead for several years, I'm brand new to soda brewing. I've successfully done both a half gallon of ginger ale and a half gallon of cola. I've chosen a half gallon batch because it seems to be the perfect amount to fill a six pack of glass bottles. Before I get to my question, here my simple recipe I've been using...

- 8 cups water
- 1/2 tablespoon soda extract
- 1 cup sugar
- Lalvin EC-1118 champagne yeast

1. Pour 4 cups water into pot and bring to temperature to dissolve sugar. Once sugar is dissolved remove from heat.

2. Add remaining 4 cups water to help bring temperature down and mix well.

3. Mix in 1/2 tablespoon soda extract.

4. Once liquid is well mixed and at proper temperature for yeast, add a pinch (I found out they make a measuring spoon in the increment of "a pinch) of yeast for each bottle. In this case it will be 6 bottles, so add 6 pinches of yeast to the liquid and gently stir making sure there are no clumps.

5. Use a funnel to transfer liquid into 6 sanitized bottles and use a capper and caps to seal them.


Now, here comes my question. The source of this recipe recommends storing the soda in a cool dark place for at least 4 days to achieve carbonation. It says for best aging, leave for 2 weeks then refrigerate to halt fermentation. My question is, if I were to leave these bottles in a room that's dark and always 60°-70°F, do I need to worry about them fermenting to an alcoholic level or exploding? Is 6 pinches (which according to my research is .378 of a teaspoon) of yeast going to be enough to ferment out all of the 1 cup of sugar plus any sugar contained in the extract? Will the sugar be too much for such a small amount of yeast after a while? I'm just worried about continuous fermentation happening in a sealed bottle. I brew a half gallon of soda at a time due to limited refrigerator space. Once a six pack is ready to refrigerate, I can usually only fit 2 bottles at a time.

I'd appreciate any advice and guidance. Thanks and happy brewing.

I tried soda once and only once. I did a test bottle using plastic bottles and it was a gusher within 24 hours. Too scared to try it again but I would think 4 days would be way too long.

It depends on the extract being used, but in my experience it might take root beer 4 days to get fully carbed (but not always!) but something like ginger ale with some lemon juice added can get explosive in 24 hours!

Always, but always, always use plastic soda bottles. Put them at room temperature and the minute they get firm, put them in the fridge. Otherwise, yes, you will have alcoholic bottle bombs.

Do you remember what your sugar to liquid to yeast ratio was? The part I'm not sure about is if you have a little yeast with a lot of sugar, will the yeast keep reproducing and fermenting or will it "run out" with sugar still remaining?

Maxtro said:

Do you remember what your sugar to liquid to yeast ratio was? The part I'm not sure about is if you have a little yeast with a lot of sugar, will the yeast keep reproducing and fermenting or will it "run out" with sugar still remaining?

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No, it doesn't matter.

If you have even ONE yeast cell, it can reproduce to ferment ALL of the sugar in a solution.

The sugar is for flavor; if you want to have a less sweet soda use less sugar. I always decreased the sugar, as I don't like things very sweet.

That's why the soda is refrigerated when the plastic bottles are hard- to slow/stop fermentation.

You have to refrigerate or it will explode and kill you.

But also, you're using too much yeast. You could use a pinch for the whole batch. Even 1/4 tsp should get you there. Unless you like the yeast flavor.

My mom made root beer that we kept in a cabinet for a few months. It got more and more explosive as time went on. It would blow the flip tops off the bottle when you opened it.

I think she realized she was giving her kids alcoholic root beer, and that was the end of it. Now hard root beer is all the rage. Not Your Father's, Coney Island, etc.