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 This bottle
is not ready to drink yet.
You
may have to make
this a few times to fine-tune the proportions of sugar syrup,
flavoring, yeast, and time and temperature until you get it to what
works
for you.
Precise measurements and ingredients are only important if you are
trying to brew an exact clone of some other soda, ale or small beer, in
whch case, follow their directions. For home brewing, you only need a
rough guide because you will eventually make it the way that you like
it. You should remember these principles:
The more sugar you put in, the sweeter your homebrew will be.
The longer you let it ferment, the less sweet and more alcoholic it
will be.
Make your own flavorings. To add spices or roots for flavoring,
put the spices and roots into the water and set it over very low, slow
heat for a day or two before using it to mix with sugar. Popular
spices are: nutmeg, clove, licorice root, star anise and ginger.
The sugar can
be from many sources, such as malt extract, corn syrup, golden syrup,
rice syrup and white sugar. (High fructose corn syrup is not
recommended.)
Yeast is best
if it is alive and active, coming from a previous batch. If you have to
start with dry yeast, it may take a while to get going. Making soda in
a "never-ending" fashion, always using the dregs of the last bottle to
start the next bottle, means you only have to go through waiting for
the yeast to wake up once. A bit of
slurry or dough from bread dough if
you make your
own bread dough would work, although yeast designed for
making ale or beer is going to turn out a better product.
A yeast starter is better to start
fermenting. Although dry,
store-bought yeast can be used by mixing it in with the wet ingredients
of whatever you want to make, it is better to start the yeast off in a
liquid and then add it to what you are going to ferment. Beginning with
a yeast starter means your yeast will be alive, active and - most
importantly - hungry, ready to eat and digest - ferment - the sugars
you will be feeding it, and turning it into a healthful fermented food
or drink for you.
https://sites.google.com/site/yankeeharp/fizzydrink
If you have trouble getting a batch
to start brewing, make sure the
room temperature is warm enough and/or add a yeast nutrient to the brew
like whole grain flour, sediment from other
brews, more malt extract or some brewer's or nutritional yeast.
You may find that after you
have been brewing soda for a while and have a strong yeast culture
going, that you will no longer need to add the cream of tartar to get a
good carbonation, and only need the sugar, yeast, flavorings and water.
If
you don't check every day and the soda continues to
ferment longer than necessary to make a soda pop, you will have a
product that is less sweet and more alcoholic; in other words,
the soda will turn to near beer and then to ale. The alcohol can
get much higher than store-bought ale or
beer. If there's enough sugar in it, it can become as alcoholic as
wine. If this happens and you're happy with the alcohol but just don't
like the taste, you can add a little sugar syrup to it to sweeten it to
taste.
Using dry yeast and store-bought
flavoring to make one gallon of soda
Preparation:
dissolve 1/8
teaspoon of yeast in a cup of warm water for about 5 minutes
Mix together:
•1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of
flavoring
extract
•2 1/2 cups sugar syrup
•3 quarts + 1 cup of water
Pour liquid into plastic soda bottles, leaving a few inches of
headspace at the top.
Cap tightly and wait 4-6 days, or until bottle is firm to the touch and
cannot be squeezed.
Refrigerate and drink.
Equipment needed:
2 2-liter or half-gallon plastic soda pop bottle with screw-on lids.
A large 1-gallon bottle with secure fitting cap
Ceramic coffee mug
Ingredients:
Natural extract soda flavorings, such as pekmez, elderberry syrup,
vanilla or store-bought organic flavoring extracts
2 1/4 cups of sugar
Water
1/8 teaspoon dry yeast (wine, ale or bread yeast will all work)
1 cup of warm water (water should feel warm but not hot)
(1 cup of yeast starter may be used
instead dry yeast and warm water)
Dissolve yeast in water and
keep warm while stirring with a plastic
spoon for 5 minutes.
Mix 2 1/4 cups of white sugar, 20 mls (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
of
flavoring extract, the dissolved yeast and enough extra water ( yeast
starter) to make 1
gallon together in the gallon jug.
Shake to mix for about 2 minutes
until the sugar is completely dissolved in the water.
Pour half the
liquid
into each of the two 2-liter bottles, cap tightly and wait 4-6 days.
You can tell how your carbonation is coming along by just squeezing the
bottles. If they get too firm open the cap and let off a little of the
carbonation.
When bottle is firm to the touch and cannot be squeezed, refrigerate
and drink within a few days.
 ..
Truly
Cultured Rejuvenating
Taste, Health and Community With Naturally Fermented Foods
Sacred
and Herbal Healing Beers by Stephen
Harr Buhner
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Brew Your Own Soda Pop
