Home Distiller

Hi,
I have been experimenting with different types of soda to see if it would be possible to distill them. I tried coca-cola, Dr Pepper, and A&W Root Beer.

I poured 50ml of soda into individual flasks. I put 1/4 of a teaspoon of yeast with the soda. The root beer and dr pepper both fermented.

For the Coca-cola, I read an old post that you may need to but need to put baking soda to allow fermenting. So, I made a 50ml batch with and without baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. Neither fermented...

Has anyone tried to make soda washes?

I find that quite fascinating. But I guess soda is just fizzy sugar water.

Dr Pepper fermented?

Cokes probably full of various preservatives, and no idea what kind of pH level it is at initially.

I can't imagine it being very cost effective to make a wash this way.

I have seen first hand where a bag of soda concentrate sells for a buck at rest auctions. It would be worth while, but why would you use the soda for a wash?

Maybe use the soda to help cut the final product when drinking it...

I would imagine the PH on Coke is fairly low. That stuff will eat your stomach lining and the shingles off your house.

Probably need to do a litmus check on the Coke and add a bunch of sheet rock dust to it (AKA Calcium Carbonate)

Sounds really nasty to me.

If you're curious about taste that's one thing; if you're just into it to make a cheap wash so you can get drunk then you're not of the same mindset I am.

I am curious about the taste. It would be more of novelty, making only a few liters. I hadn't thought if using just the syrup for soda machines, ill have to check into that.

My pal's father in law makes hooch from Gatorade.

I have no interest in making it, but I suppose I'd try a sip if someone offered.

found this short discussion on the same topic (well, for fermenting, not distilling).

http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/sho ... eadid=4597" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

There is also U-tube video of some guy fermenting coke. He had to add a bunch of baking soda to make it work.

there are bunches of you tubes on distilling the coke. Notice all of them are using them are using a beaker, saran wrap, and plastic tubing.
BAH!

too true, but they do show how to get it going...they supply the recipe, you supply the intelligence

thanks i will check out the youtube videos and see if it is truly possible

If there using baking soda,it would cause problems if distilled.

wineo wrote:If there using baking soda,it would cause problems if distilled.

What kind of problems would the baking soda cause?

Using baking soda on a stripping run{1st run}will produce ammoina and it will react with the copper/materials in your still and make the booze undrinkable.

Given that he just wants to increase the pH, there must be a alternative thats going to be ok to distill.

Chalk for instance?

It is not the baking soda itself that is the problem, it is the increased pH. It doesn't matter what you use to raise pH. If it goes above about 6 (from memory) then you can get the problems Wineo described.

Also, high pH will not always cause a problem, only if there is excess ammonia-based nutrient left over after the ferment has finished.

First post here... and have been reading up for the last 4 months. Thanks alot to all the wise folks here!

I was just looking at thus thread http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4112 and was going to try a Pepsi wash for my bokabob mini to make a neutral; I've made birdwatcher's recipe (for sugar wash) with very good results.

I'll try this wash soon, as I have some extra bottles of Pepsi that everyone forgot about, and I was about to dump out.