soda next to beer.

[Dave11980]

So the corny kegs are actually for soda right? How hard would it be, and what would be required, to have soda next to my beer using an extra corny? Has anyone thought about or tried something like this? I'm no where close to being ready to keg but I figure if I can offer up a soda dispenser with my kegerator I have a better chance of getting the wife to sign off on it eventually.

 

[tonkota]

That much soda will rot your teeth! 5 gallons of soda?

 

[brewmonk]

i'm drinking my gingerbeer now

 

[malkore]

soda needs WAY more carbonation than beer. 30psi and 22 feet of tap line would get you normal soda pop CO2 levels and balance it back out for dispensing.

So you really need a secondary regulator(s) to accomodate this kind of setup. plus soda is usually ice cold...homebrew isn't (or shouldn't be)

 

[Hammy71]

Many people on here have had luck with carbonating crystal lite or koolaid to make a fruit soda of sorts. Can easily be done and I imagine the SWMBO or kids would love it.

 

[centralpabrewer]

I did this, and it was a big mistake. Last spring I bought a new freezer, and four new perlick taps. My thought was to have 3 beers on tap for me and the wife and root beer on tap for the kids. If I had it to do over again, I would have done all beer. The root beer smell will get into everything. This year I have to replace all my lines, rebuild my three way regulator with new diaphrams and replace the seals in all my perlck taps. Not to mention I cannot get the rootbeer smell out of my keezer.

Don't do it man...Don't do it!

 

[Shooter]

Soda in a corny keg?!!?? You, sir, are a visionary!

 

[slakwhere]

I did this, and it was a big mistake. Last spring I bought a new freezer, and four new perlick taps. My thought was to have 3 beers on tap for me and the wife and root beer on tap for the kids. If I had it to do over again, I would have done all beer. The root beer smell will get into everything. This year I have to replace all my lines, rebuild my three way regulator with new diaphrams and replace the seals in all my perlck taps. Not to mention I cannot get the rootbeer smell out of my keezer.

Don't do it man...Don't do it!

will this really be an issue if you always use the same keg/line for soda?

 

[centralpabrewer]

I always used the same line, same tap, same keg. Yes, it will be an issue.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

Getting cola smell out of 2 liter bottles is a PAIN. It's to the point where I only use green 2 liters now, the citric soda smell washes out pretty easily.

I would imagine running cola through your lines and taps would make it almost impossible to ever get the smell out. I guess if you totally dedicated one set of lines and a tap to the cola, it would not be too bad. You just won't ever be able to run beer though the cola set up.

 

[david_42]

My approach is to make soda water and use concentrates for flavoring. The soda water is in the kezzer, along with my hop stash. The homebrew sits in a conditioning cabinet along with the secondary regulators. Lines run into the kezzer, so I have all the taps in one place. There's room in the kezzer for hard cider when I have some around.

 

[Brickout]

What if you were to have each keg (1 beer, 1 soda) on it's own co2/reg, stored in the same kegerator, and each using it's own tap on a dual tap tower?

 

[rshortt]

Are you guys saying that by having soda on the same CO2 lines as beer will get the soda smell through all of the lines?

 

[centralpabrewer]

That is exactly what I am saying...That is what happened to me.

 

[lschiavo]

I have never had any problems. I have a fridge setup that holds 4 cornies. One is always soda. So far rootbeer and cherry. This is a dedicated keg but I share the regulator and distribution block with the beer. The carbonation is set to "beer" as I only have a single regulator but the soda carbonation is ok. I have never noticed any soda flavors in any of my beers. Maybe I have just been lucky so far?

 

[Homercidal]

I made Birch Beer before I got my faucets and it was fine. There was a good amount of foaming unless I turned the serving pressure WAY down, but the smell did not stick around after a good PBW soak. I've used the keg for beer after that.

 

[KhellendrosXS]

Ive never had a problem with root beer (or other soda) smells getting anywhere but the line and keg that are specifically dedicated for them.

I use a separate regulator and single line for carbing my soda since I run it out at 25-30 PSI.

 

[slakwhere]

Ive never had a problem with root beer (or other soda) smells getting anywhere but the line and keg that are specifically dedicated for them.

I use a separate regulator and single line for carbing my soda since I run it out at 25-30 PSI.

are your regulators inline or on a Y? i could see the regulator keeping back gassing of root beer flavored air under control.

 

[lschiavo]

are your regulators inline or on a Y? i could see the regulator keeping back gassing of root beer flavored air under control.

I have a distributor with check valves (just though of it). I am sure this helps.

 

[KhellendrosXS]

are your regulators inline or on a Y? i could see the regulator keeping back gassing of root beer flavored air under control.

I have my setup like this


Tank -->Regulator for beer -->Regulator for soda

The beer regulator has a single hose coming off into a 4 way manifold with a check valve for each line

The soda regulator has the check valve mounted right below the set screw and then the line comes off from there and goes to the QD.

 

[Brickout]

So something like this would be perfect.

 

[bendavanza]

Yes you want a dual regulator and check valves are a must. I serve homeade ginger ale on one of my faucets, at beer pressure, and it is flat for soda but still tasty and people like it. Be aware that Root beer smell penetrates plastic.