Debating on trying Cola with a Porter

[SinnFullHooch]

Was just curious if anyone has ever tried replacing some water in wort with cola adding additional sugars and flavors. I'm debating on trying a porter or a brown ale with this.

 

[RainyDay]

I'm not sure i'd replace much of the water with a cola, but in a small amount, I wonder what kind of flavors and fermentables it would add. My only concern would be adding a bunch of nasties (preservatives, 'caramel coloring', high fructose corn syrup, and 'natural flavors') to a delicious brew.

Side note, I recently found out that the butt hair of a beaver (100% serious here people) is just one example of an FDA approved 'natural flavor' for food items. That alone would make me not want to do it.

 

[BigEd]

Ugh. The flavor from a commercial soft drink will probably not transmit to a beer unless you use a ton of it. Colas are citrus based (bergamot, lime, orange, lemon) with some brown spice and vanilla. My guess is if you actually want some of those flavors in a porter it would be better to add them directly in their original forms.

 

[FarmerTed]

I brewed Jamil's dark English mild last spring, and bottle conditioned a 6 pack with whole foods cola and with Virgil's root beer (3 bottles for each soda). I used ~10 mL of soda per 12 oz bottle, which gave me somewhere around 1-1.2 vols of CO2 (in addition to what was still in the beer after primary). I probably would go higher next time, like around 15-20 or so mL's per bottle for a better carbonation level. The cola stood out a lot; much more than I expected. The root beer mostly added a cinnamon and spicy note. I probably liked the root beer better. The cola version just tasted like someone put cola in my beer, and a lot of it, lol. I used whole foods cola because they were out of Virgil's Cola, and because it uses cane sugar and real kola extract. If I were you, I'd just do the same thing I did and bottle condition with whatever soda(s) you want to try, and possibly vary the level of soda/carbonation in some of the bottles. 10-15 mL in a 12 oz (355 mL) bottle has more impact than you would think. Most sodas list the amount of carbohydrates or sugars on the side of the can, so you can get an exact measure of how much you add. They're also sterile, so you don't have to tool around with boiling them.

 

[KISS Brew]

You might try blending beer with cola first, and then decide if it's a good idea.

My gut reaction? Sounds terrible.

 

[SinnFullHooch]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I was in my truck drinking a pepsi and thinking of my next recipe and had the Idea. The citrus base is a good Idea. Thanks

 

[FarmerTed]

I don't think it's a terrible idea; I like a good cola myself. I just wouldn't use coke or pepsi, but get a higher quality cola like Virgil's.

 

[SinnFullHooch]

I will give it a try thanks, I always like experimenting with flavors and can never leave a recipe alone, LOL.

 

[OldWorld]

No don't do it...If you want to obtain classic cola flavor of spicey soda like character try using some dried Sassafras and Indian Sarsaprilla. It works great....don't be skimpy...2 ounces of each will really perk up the dark roasted malt profiles.

 

[kaboom133]

I've made cola myself with some decent success. Lately I've been tossing around the idea of adapting a cola recipe into a beer recipe. Cola is full of things that translate well into beer: Vanilla, cinnamon, citrus, nutmeg, and coriander. I use caramel color in my cola, but some crystal malt would solve both this and the sweetener issue. I add food grade gum arabic to my cola to thicken it, Swap in some body-adding malt instead and you're good to go. I would keep any malts past this and hops simple; there will be enough complexity from all the other ingredients.
A good cola recipe is easy to find, I based mine off of one I found in a google search.

 

[FarmerTed]

Exactly; people throw vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and coffee beans into beer all the time. I don't see what the big deal would be with using some form of cola in the right beer. It's too bad you can't just buy the nuts; at least, I've never been able to find them.