Brew Better Soda at Home

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Today, commercial root beer extract is made with imitation sassafras, which is sassafras root extract with the safrole re moved. Several brands are on the market. Most home-brew shops carry "Rainbow Homebrew," which has a good flavor. Another good extract is Zatarain's, a New Orleans company; this one includes birch and spruce oils. One bottle will make 4 to 5 gallons of root beer.

Yeast. Several different kinds of yeast can be used for brewing, but ale and champagne yeast are the best choices. Both types dissolve well and won't leave the unattractive clumps that bread yeast does, although bread yeast will serve the purpose if it's what you have on hand. Nutritional yeast will not work because the yeast cells are no longer active, and lager yeast is best avoided for the opposite reason: It can over-carbonate your soda.

Sweeteners. Most soda recipes call for sugar, but consider experimenting with different sweeteners. Honey is a delicious alternative to sugar, or use a mix of honey and sugar. Even no-calorie sweeteners, such as the herb stevia, can work, and for those who want to limit sugar intake this approach can be a lower-calorie option. The trick is to use just enough sugar to carbonate the soda and then to make up the difference with the no-calorie product. This method may still require using a substantial amount of sugar: Half sugar and half sugar equivalent is a good starting point.

(If anyone uses stevia for brewing, please write to us at "Country Lore. " We would love to share your recipe with other readers. — MOTHER)

CONTROLLING THE CARBONATION

Soda-making is a relatively simple process, so when problems arise they usually fall into two categories: too fizzy or not fizzy enough. For soda that isn't fizzy enough, the easiest strategy is to leave the bottles sitting at room temperature for an additional day or two. As a last-ditch effort to save a batch that shows no signs of fizziness after a few days at room temperature, add an extra pinch of yeast.

Overcarbonated soda is a bigger problem. Keep in mind that homemade soda is almost always more carbonated than store-bought soft drinks. As long as you use plastic bottles instead of glass, overcarbonated soda isn't dangerous, but it can make quite a mess if the bottles burst. Always open soda bottles slowly, and if in doubt, open them outside. If you plan to let your soda carbonate in an especially warm room, consider reducing the amount of yeast in the recipe by half because yeast goes crazy in a warm environment.

Most importantly, always keep bottles of carbonated homemade soda in the refrigerator. Don't leave full, or nearly full bottles of soda in a warm area, and if you do, remove the bottles' caps.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print