Lets talk Soda FAQ!

I've had soda on hand for SWMBO since day 1 of my Keezer. I have been using 2 litre bottles, and filling the kegs with those. I've played around with soda enough to know it's a completely different world from beer, both in bottles and in kegs. Home made soda is what introduced me to bottle bombs for the first time, and is also what got me into brewing some 9 years ago. So, I think we should gather up everyones Bits of wisdom and make a FAQ sticky.

What I know:
1. Soda will seem very flat at 12 PSI! You'll need a separate regulator and a lot (how much) of hose for a good pour.
2. A home made, bottle carbed pop will explode if you leave it at room temp long enough.
3. 2 Litre. Bottles will taste fine if you keg them. Make sure they are cold before you dump them carefully into the keg.


Anyone else think this is a good idea?

I think this is a great idea!

My thoughts:

• Soda is only limited by one's imagination!
• Recycling 20oz soda bottles is a great way to serve smaller portions than 2L bottles
• It is normal to have a layer of material in the bottom of the bottle
• Bread yeast does work, but brewer's yeast is better. (I bet kegging is the best for flavor)

Good job BK!

testing 123

Letting soda ferment out completely will result in something dreadful.

I think any soda faq should cover the different methods of making soda. I make mine directly in 2L bottles and consume them that way, it works for me because I only make soda on-demand, as it turns around in about 24 hours. No bottle bomb risks, easy sanitation, easy in general.

The Blow Leprechaun said:

I think any soda faq should cover the different methods of making soda. I make mine directly in 2L bottles and consume them that way, it works for me because I only make soda on-demand, as it turns around in about 24 hours. No bottle bomb risks, easy sanitation, easy in general.

Click to expand...

How do you make it? Please?

1) Kegging soda is the way to go if you can, no need to worry about root beer grenades.

2) If you have to add sugar to partially carbed soda (i.e. it's not sweet enough), then don't just dump the sugar in the keg or you will have a root beer volcano (personal experience).

3) Making soda can be a good way to sell the SWMBO on more kegs. I lost one keg to soda babe, and I'm low. Chicompany is having a sale on 4 kegs right now and it would be cheaper in the long run for me to get more than one.

Im pretty stoked to try making some soda, getting some more cornies in this week and with the baby on the way Id love to be able to make some more family friendly beverages.. even though drinking beer makes me more friendly to my family..

Nikobrew said:

even though drinking beer makes me more friendly to my family..

Click to expand...

Especially the In-Laws!!

Displaced MassHole said:

Especially the In-Laws!!

Click to expand...

Funny thing is my mother in law is my favorite beer taster.. "are you gonna make it extra fizzy for my Mom?" She's the reason I force carbonate to my liking.. then crank it up a tad for another day "Throwing in some extra hops for Mary"

When its my folks it turns to "Im gonna make another gin n tonic" .. gotta get drunk quicker with them around.

planenut said:

How do you make it? Please?

Click to expand...

1) Sanitize an empty two-liter soda bottle. Rinse and empty.

2) Dump 1-2 cups of sugar into now empty bottle, depending on how sweet I want it to be. Add 4 teaspoons of lemon juice (for acidity), and whatever flavoring I want.

3) Top bottle nearly up with clean water, shake to mix everything and dissolve at least most of the sugar, then add 1/4 teaspoon of bread yeast.

4) Set on counter at room temperature with the cap tightly sealed until the bottle is hard when squeezed. Place in refrigerator for a few hours til the yeast settles out, then drink!


Alternatively, you can heat the water and cool it to dissolve any flavor elements or sugars into it. I've found it mostly unnecessary to do this, but you can.

Does anyone else just keep a keg of water carbonated?
I just get the flavored syrups from the coffee shops or institutional food store and the kids make their own recipes. Just spritz with home made carbo wasser and Voila'... Soda!

luvmy40 said:

Does anyone else just keep a keg of water carbonated?
I just get the flavored syrups from the coffee shops or institutional food store and the kids make their own recipes. Just spritz with home made carbo wasser and Voila'... Soda!

Click to expand...

I would do that if I kegged. I grew up calling that method Italian soda... not sure why I called it that.

So is it a no-no to bottle carb in glass bottles?

MFDave said:

So is it a no-no to bottle carb in glass bottles?

Click to expand...

Absolutely a no-no. There would be no way to ensure even carbonation, and to be able to judge carbonation level. Plastic is the only safe method, if you're bottle carbing.

Is there a way to carb in plastic and then transfer to glass? I'm just curious.

MFDave said:

Is there a way to carb in plastic and then transfer to glass? I'm just curious.

Click to expand...

The problem is that if you can't force carbonate (like in a keg), you need to use yeast to bottle condition.

And if you use yeast to bottle condition, you'd need to somehow stop the yeast to keep them from fermenting all the sugar.

In a plastic 2L bottle, you stick it in the fridge. You know when to do it because the bottle gets hard.

In glass bottles, you can't tell when it's fully carbonated, and you'd need to keep all of those bottles refrigerated. Even then, I've found that my soda works very, very slowly in the refrigerator still, so I wouldn't want to store anything in glass long-term.

The Blow Leprechaun said:

The problem is that if you can't force carbonate (like in a keg), you need to use yeast to bottle condition.

And if you use yeast to bottle condition, you'd need to somehow stop the yeast to keep them from fermenting all the sugar.

In a plastic 2L bottle, you stick it in the fridge. You know when to do it because the bottle gets hard.

In glass bottles, you can't tell when it's fully carbonated, and you'd need to keep all of those bottles refrigerated. Even then, I've found that my soda works very, very slowly in the refrigerator still, so I wouldn't want to store anything in glass long-term.

Click to expand...

Been homebrewin for a few years now and discovered that freezing wine after the primary fermentation period will kill 99% or the yeast. The secret is to get a really cold freeze. I use a small chest deep freeze and just drop the 2 liter bottles in. I imagine the same technique would work for soda as well. Getting the carbonated drinks cold won't hurt the carbonation at all I dont think.

I'm just now getting into soda making so i'll give it a try and let you folks know. I would imagine if it works as well for soda as it does for wine it'll greatly increase the long-term storage of soda.

Additionally. you can decrease the amount of actual sugar used and substitute some non-sugar sweetner (like stevia) so that the yeast run out of food earlier and you have the non-fermentable sweetner left in the bottle. I've been doing that for wine for about a year now. We used to buy Stevia from GNC but we're starting to grow our own now.

I have wunder-bar system, so I have a keg of carbonated water in the keezer that feeds into the wunder-bar as well as a syrup pump and a box of diet coke syrup. I am also going to start making my own cream soda syrup as soon as I can nail down the recipe. Then I'll recycle one of the bags in a box with my other syrup pump and have two flavors.

I keep the keg in the fridge at 30 psi. I have one carbonating outside the fridge at all times (we go through it quick) that I try to keep at 40 psi, but even if you had it at 30 it would be closer to ready when you swap it for the empty.

so how long are we talking for the line. 10 foot is way too short. is 20 enough?

jonp9576 said:

so how long are we talking for the line. 10 foot is way too short. is 20 enough?

Click to expand...

I used about 30 feet for soda, carbed at about 30 psi, maybe a bit more. I don't remember exactly.

I bought the line from Mcmaster Carr (found it here in a thread about not having plastic taste in the line) and it was about $.15/per foot, I think.

wow, 30 feet just seems like to much line

I'm pretty happy using a standard 6' beer line for ROOT BEER - 20psi tastes/feels pretty good to me.
Maltodextrin would be my addition to the faq - really helps out the mouthfeel of the rootbeer.
I'm only on my second keg, sasparilla tastes better than rootbeer to me, birch will be the next keg.

-OCD

The Carbonator Cap works great if you are really serious about soda and you do not want to use up a keg for water.

Also restaurant supply places carry snow cone syrups that have directions for making soda on them. Not all restaurant supply houses require you to have a business. GFS market place has many locations and you can just walk right in.

i make my own

take 1 regular plastic 2L bottle cap (same size as reg 12 and 20oz bottles)
drill hole in center making sure you dont ruin the blue cap gasket
trim rubber gaskets from mag wheel tire stem so they are both flat
insert stainless mag wheel tire stem with one gasket on top
screw down using supplied nut

voila

the nice part is that it can be used to fill co2, check bottle pressure with a regular tire gauge, and can be completely taken apart and serviced (valve stems etc.)

I've been lurking around this forum for about 3 months now, never signed up and posted something until today.

to pitch my 2 cents (or a dime) on the Soda Talk, some things i've learned:

If you can afford to force carb, do so. yeast is problematic when you aren't using it to make alcohol.

If you cannot afford a Tank and regulator, make your own... well, kinda: CO2 Generator
It's at least worth the experiment.

Have other hobbies: Wine making can turn the above into a 2 for one process (just make sugar wine, use the escaping CO2 to carb up your sodas, then add flavor to your wine base.) learn about making extracts and use your own for sodas, look into soap making, Beer Soap could work... maybe...We're looking into it.

Look for flavors everywhere, I also want to know if an avacado soda would work... quickly to be followed by Tomato Soda, jalapino Soda and Tortilla soda..

Tell everyone your horror stories and pass on what you learn from them (don't use coconut milk in a soda) there, now YOU wont be tempted.

Soda is more incentive to making a Beer-Gun than beer is..

When you get around to buying a CO2 canister and regulator, remember this: you can keg without kegs: Cheap 3 Liter Kegs

combine that with your beer gun and start a business.

Alright so i'm culinary student (almost finished with my degree) and I'm thinking about trying soda as a hobby. I had a few questions that would probably clarify some stuff for new comers and myself.

First,
When using a carbonation cap (home made in my case) can any c02 canister be used? For instance I'm using the same c02 bottle from when i use to play paintball way back. I hooked it up with a remote and bought some attatchments and it seemed to work on the water (waiting on results as I write)

When carbing the general procedure is?
So far what I've gathered is:
Fill 2L with desired liquid
Secure Carb cap
Chill
Infuse with c02
Shake vigorously to combine
(Im a guy who needs signs to know when things are done so I figured the c02 was emulsified with the water once I stopped shaking and very tiny bubbles still clung to the sides of the bottle and rose slowly in the water continuously)
then let sit in the refridgerator for 15-20 minutes
serve.

let me know if i got that right

note: just checked my finished product and I got cold water that smelled like c02 but tasted like water.

and maybe a suggestion for future reference. A lot of waters that come out of the tap are pretty unsanitary considering that there are a lot of chemicals in the cleaning process. Maybe okay to drink right away but maybe not alright for long term bottling. Especially when certain minerals and metals react with acids which seem to be contained in most of the purees in the recipes you guys use.

I like the FAQ idea for soda.

What do people do to make "Diet" soda? Does anyone use Splenda to sweeten it? If so how much?

Thanks!

Joe

MTBREWDOG said:

What do people do to make "Diet" soda? Does anyone use Splenda to sweeten it? If so how much?

Thanks!

Joe

Click to expand...

I made a batch of rootbeer with a friend with a splenda/sugar mix. The package says the ratio for sugar replacement. We used that and it tasted good.

What are people using for faucets for soda? Right now I have a picnic tap hooked up, but I would like to put a real tap on the door for soda. Forward sealing the only way to go? Do you cap the faucet? Thanks!

stainless or plastic is best for soda due to the higher co2 volume. high levels of carbonic acid in the presence of copper alloys, like brass, can be toxic......

the best faucet for soda is a cornelius pre-mix valve, but they're over $100 new.... kegman.net is a source for new ones. kegkits.com advertises used ones for $29, but they're not a reputable company to do business with.... chi company has used ones for $61.25, that's probably the best source at the moment.....

the cool thing about the cornelius valve is that it has an adjustable compensator, which means that you don't need 20 feet of line to serve soda.

rodd said:

I made a batch of rootbeer with a friend with a splenda/sugar mix. The package says the ratio for sugar replacement. We used that and it tasted good.

Click to expand...

I am using a picnic tap at the moment. Could you share the ratio the package gave you? My package does not seem to have it.

Thanks!

Mcduff said:

I am using a picnic tap at the moment. Could you share the ratio the package gave you? My package does not seem to have it.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I don't have the package anymore, but I did a google search and found this:

This is for the Splenda/Sugar blend. The ratio for straight Splenda is lower.

Looks like you use 1/2 of what the recipe calls for. Mine seemed a little too sweet for my tastes, possibly because I kegged so no yeast to eat any of the sugar, so when I do it again I will do less. Enjoy!

rodd said:

I don't have the package anymore, but I did a google search and found this:

This is for the Splenda/Sugar blend. The ratio for straight Splenda is lower.

Looks like you use 1/2 of what the recipe calls for. Mine seemed a little too sweet for my tastes, possibly because I kegged so no yeast to eat any of the sugar, so when I do it again I will do less. Enjoy!

Click to expand...

Awsome information! Thank you!

conpewter said:

I have wunder-bar system, so I have a keg of carbonated water in the keezer that feeds into the wunder-bar as well as a syrup pump and a box of diet coke syrup. I am also going to start making my own cream soda syrup as soon as I can nail down the recipe. Then I'll recycle one of the bags in a box with my other syrup pump and have two flavors.

I keep the keg in the fridge at 30 psi. I have one carbonating outside the fridge at all times (we go through it quick) that I try to keep at 40 psi, but even if you had it at 30 it would be closer to ready when you swap it for the empty.

Click to expand...

Do you mind starting a thread on your wunder-bar setup? I just picked up one on eBay and I am trying to plan out my system. I have 8 syrup pumps with it and a carbonator pump.

The Blow Leprechaun said:

The problem is that if you can't force carbonate (like in a keg), you need to use yeast to bottle condition.

And if you use yeast to bottle condition, you'd need to somehow stop the yeast to keep them from fermenting all the sugar.

In a plastic 2L bottle, you stick it in the fridge. You know when to do it because the bottle gets hard.

In glass bottles, you can't tell when it's fully carbonated, and you'd need to keep all of those bottles refrigerated. Even then, I've found that my soda works very, very slowly in the refrigerator still, so I wouldn't want to store anything in glass long-term.

Click to expand...

What about pasteurizing the glass bottles? Would the heat cause the bottles to explode if they have reached a decent level of carbonation? Would it alter the taste significantly?