Force carb in keg then long term glass bottle storage?

[Dionysos911]

I've been a homebrewer for years and am thinking of getting into soda making. I already have keg setup that I plan to use to force carb the soda. After it's carbed I would like to bottle it in standard 12oz brown beer bottles and keep at room temp indefinitely.

Since there's no alcohol in it I'm wondering the best process to do this safely. I will likely purchase a counter-pressure filler for the process.

Any tips?

 

[MrFoodScientist]

I would recommend a counter-pressure filler, or the BMBF

I would not recommend room temp, though. It's a gamble. I frequently force carb then bottle in glass because I usually bottle carbonated water on syrup, cap, then shake. I get more flavor variety out of a single keg, better carbonation than just mixing with syrup in a glass, and no extensive clean up on the keg or lines. Some flavors will last ok at room temp while others have not. After 1 bottle bomb and a number of yeasty flavored gushers, I abandoned the practice of room temp storage.

Bottling this way even with force carbonation opens you up to wild fermentations. The risk of such is dependent on the raw ingredients and your sanitation practices.
I would be willing to bet that your sanitation practices are not lacking, so probably no real issue there. You do however have the product open to the ambient air between filling and capping where there is risk of contamination from wild yeasts. Commercial sodas contain chemical preservatives to stabilize them for ambient shelf storage, and many people tend to take that for granted. So keep that in mind if you give these away to friends.

If ambient shelf storage is an absolute deal breaker for you, look at the cider forum for tips on pasteurization or start thinking about adding a preservative.