... to my Brewing Soda page.

Making Sodas

Making soda is easy, fun and all natural. You can make sodas from roots, fruits, herbs, and nuts with the addition of sugar and water. Root Beer for example is one of the most popular sodas to make and there is really nothing to it. Root beer is made with sassafras root, blend of spices and herbs, boiled with water and a variety of sugars (cane, molasses, honey and brown sugar). That's it! The fun part is taking a recipe and making it to your own liking...hand crafted soda! Soda making is a lot different from beer and wine as you can taste the product as it is cooking. That way you can adjust your recipe as you cook it up. You don't have to wait 2 weeks to several for fermentation to make changes. 

Sodas can be made using scratch recipes or by using those little extracts kits. I'm not going to bother giving you instructions for extracts because you might as well learn the art as it was intended.

The big problem is getting the carbonation right for your soda. Your two most common choices are bottling using natural carbonation or kegging with CO2

The equipment that you need is pretty close to what you need for home brewing beers, here is the list:

• Brew Kettle

• Mixing Spoon

• 5 Gal Bottling Bucket w/spigot

• 48 12 oz Bottles

• Bottle Capper

• Crown Bottle Caps

Making Sodas:

• Dissolve Champagne Yeast in a cup of warm water (90º F) let stand 5 minutes or longer to dissolve, mix thoroughly before adding it to your mixture.

• Add the roots, fruits, herbs, and nuts to two quarts of water. Use the tea bag method or a hop bag to contain the roots, fruits, herbs, and nuts. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.

• Add the desired amounts of sugar plus 2 additional quarts of water and mix. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and add the Yeast mixture.

• Add warm water to bring level of liquid up to the correct amount desired.

• Mixture can be tasted. More or less sugar to suit your taste.

• Fill sterilized bottles within 1 to 2 inches of the top depending on the type of bottles used. Seal with a hand capper or resealable caps. Bottles not sealed properly may become sour and will be flat.

• Lay bottles on their side to check for leaks. Age 3 to 4 days at room temperature. Then store in cooler, dark place. Total Aging at least a week - 2 weeks improves flavor as natural carbonation takes place, a slight yeast deposit will form on the bottom. When serving pour carefully as to leave the yeast deposit. This is not harmful in any way but sometimes gives an off flavor.

Note: The yeast is added for one purpose, to carbonate. Yeast added to the soda mixture will multiply and eat the sugars creating carbon dioxide and trace amounts of alcohol.

Kegging your Soda:

To me, kegging is soda the best way to do it. By using a 5 gallon stainless steel keg you can eliminate the whole yeast process, plus you have carbonated soda ready to drink in just 3 days.

If you notice any problems, or have any suggestion on how I can further improve this site, please feel free to send me an e-mail [12 November 2006].