My latest foray into sodafication (hmmm…neat word) was after acquiring a bottle of pomegranate juice concentrate. This juice is a dietary supplement, very sweet and flavorful, intended to be mixed with water or other beverages — so I decided to try incorporating it as a flavoring.
I made a 4-liter batch of cola, using my standard Rainbow cola extract, available at practically any brewing supply house or online. I like to add a small amount of Cream of Tartar, to improve acid balance and aid in carbonation retention. The first batch used sugar and Lalvin EC-1118 champagne yeast, with no other additives. It carbonated quickly, and made a very tasty drink.
Then I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, and decided it was time to try a sugar-free soda. I can’t tolerate aspartame, so Splenda was the next option to try. I know there are other options, including Stevia, but those will have to wait for another batch, and a trip to the specialty store. I can get Splenda at the grocery store.
I made another batch, slightly smaller (I had a handy 3-liter bottle I wanted to use, though I did add another half-liter for a 500ml test bottle) than the sugared batch. In this batch, I substituted 1 1/2 cups of Splenda for the cane sugar in the recipe, except for 3 tablespoons for yeast carbonation. Between that and the small amount of sugar from the pomegranate syrup, the actual sugar in the beverage should be negligible after the yeast has gotten done with it. The base, prior to carbonation, tasted quite good, and I’m pleased with it. We’ll see how it turns out in a few days.
Pomegranate Bubonicola, Regular
- 2 1/4 cups cane sugar
- 1 tbsp Rainbow Brand Cola Extract (adjust to taste)
- 1 oz. Jarrow Formulas’ Pomegranate Juice Concentrate
- 1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar
- 1/2 tsp Lalvin EC-1118 Champagne yeast, bloomed in 1/2 tsp cane sugar and 1/2 cup warm water
My water presents some slight difficulties for yeast, so I use a slightly larger quantity than usual. Adjust for your conditions. If you use bottled water, aeration is highly recommended, or oxygen infusion if possible. I don’t like the results I’ve had with bottled water, so I use my tap water, and adjust the yeast.
The sugar is dissolved in 1 qt hot water in a 1 1/4 gallon spigot-tapped container. Both extracts and cream of tartar are added. Combine thoroughly. Warm water is added to the 4 liter level, then the vessel is closed tightly and agitated for complete combination and aeration. I drew a small amount from the spigot to a disposable cup to taste, adjusted acid and extract levels to taste.
Yeast should be “bloomed” in warm water. I use a small amount of sugar to kick it into high gear. I use Premier Cuvee during the winter because it has a lower fermentation temperature, but in the warmer months, Lalvin EC-1118 or Red Star Champagne is acceptable.
Then add, or “pitch” the yeast, and agitate to combine thoroughly. I let the entire vessel sit for an hour or so, for the yeast to get a good “grip” on the mix, then use the spigot to dispense into clean, sterilized 2 liter bottles.
The Diet version is made precisely the same, except:
Substitute Splenda sweetener for all but 3 tablespoons of the cane sugar. A small amount of real sugar is necessary for the yeast to eat in order to carbonate the liquid. If no sugar is used at all, the yeast will die and the soda will be flat. Of course, if you have a CO2 tank, regulators, and appropriate valves, you can force-carbonate, and do without yeast — and sugar — completely.
The diet version is carbonating nicely, if a tad slowly, on my kitchen table. I will post the results later.
Update: The diet version was flat as a strap. I even put it in the fermenter box — a styrofoam cooler with a Brew Pad heater inside, with a Controller II thermostat keeping it at 75 degrees for 3 days, and it still didn’t get more than a gasp of gas in it. So…
Off to Keystone Homebrew I went, to finally knuckle under and get the force-carbonation system I’ve been procrastinating about. It’s actually a full beer kegging system, including a used 5-gallon Cornelius keg and a picnic tap, but I didn’t need those for this stage. Instead, I needed a couple of Carbonator Caps, a wonderful gadget that lets you carbonate directly in a 2-liter PET bottle (or one that uses the same size cap) by clicking on a Cornelius-style ball-lock quick-disconnect. It included a 5-lb tank of CO2 (the weight of the liquefied gas, not the tank), regulator, hoses, disconnects, even replacement O-rings for the corny-keg…which I will eventually use, but not right now.
After assembly, I tested it with cold tap water and quickly made some fresh seltzer. It works! Huzzah! So I funnelled my soda into a 2-liter bottle (and a handy 1-liter bottle), spun on the carbonator caps, purged out the air, and cranked in 35 psi of CO2. Shake well for a couple of minutes, close the pressure, then shake some more to “scour” the headspace of residual gas. Then I let it sit for a while to settle, whipped off the carbonators, and spun on regular caps. Then let sit some more.
Then pour over ice. OOooooohhhh! Thick, foamy head, lots of fizz, a winner! And the flavor is delightful, even with Splenda sweetener. So two wins — a force-carbonation system and a diet version of Pomegranate Bubonicola!