I purchased a soda making kit the other day and I was wondering did anyone ever make soda the old fashioned way by fermentation? The kit tells me to put the soda extract in water add sugar and yeast and let ferment. My question is how long do you let it ferment and when can you bottle? Also how come the soda does not contain alcohol if you ferment it? I thought any time you ferment sugar you get alcohol.
Anyone ever make soda?
- Thread starter coriasco
- Start date
Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:
smurfe
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2005
- Messages
- 3,625
- Reaction score
- 16
I have never done it the old fashioned way. I do make Root Beer all the time but use the extract that I add to water with sugar and I force carbonate with CO2. I have always wondered myself how you make it the old fashioned way and not get alcohol. I believe you actually do get low levels of alcohol.
Wayne1
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 28, 2008
- Messages
- 273
- Reaction score
- 0
I made root beer from the extract that George sells-http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=9100
You mix the extract, water, and yeast but then you have to bottle it immediately - as it ferments that is what carbonates the bottle. If it ferments in the bucket to dry then it won't carbonate in the bottle.
The trick is that there is a lot of sugar in the mix so that when you bottle it you have to worry about the bottles exploding. I used plastic soda bottles and none exploded. However, I have to open them over the sink - there isn't a volcano but it will make a mess.
I believe another way to do it is, once the bottles are carbonated, to put them in a refrigerator to stop the fermentation - if you have that much refrigerator space.
I recently read about another method that I think I will try next time - bottle in glass bottles - chill and open one starting around 3 or 4 days and wait until they are properly carbonated. Then pasteurize them in a boiling bath - to stop the fermentation. I'm going to use my fruit canning stock pot.
The root beer was very delicious. My wife wanted to make orange soda so we are going to make that next and I'm going to try using some Splenda to see if I can make a "diet" soda.
good luck!!
Wayne
You mix the extract, water, and yeast but then you have to bottle it immediately - as it ferments that is what carbonates the bottle. If it ferments in the bucket to dry then it won't carbonate in the bottle.
The trick is that there is a lot of sugar in the mix so that when you bottle it you have to worry about the bottles exploding. I used plastic soda bottles and none exploded. However, I have to open them over the sink - there isn't a volcano but it will make a mess.
I believe another way to do it is, once the bottles are carbonated, to put them in a refrigerator to stop the fermentation - if you have that much refrigerator space.
I recently read about another method that I think I will try next time - bottle in glass bottles - chill and open one starting around 3 or 4 days and wait until they are properly carbonated. Then pasteurize them in a boiling bath - to stop the fermentation. I'm going to use my fruit canning stock pot.
The root beer was very delicious. My wife wanted to make orange soda so we are going to make that next and I'm going to try using some Splenda to see if I can make a "diet" soda.
good luck!!
Wayne
Wayne1
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 28, 2008
- Messages
- 273
- Reaction score
- 0
oh yes - I forgot - it makes only a very small amount of alcoholwhen you do bottle carbonation. I'm not really sure why - maybe once it is in the bottle it runs out of oxygen and the process stops?? I forget the exact amount of alcohol made but I remember calculating that youwould have to drink about 12 of the root beers to equal one regular beer in terms of alcohol.The root beer had no taste (or effects) of alcohol that I could tell.
Similar threads
