# Soda Water



## Amber Fluid (30/3/11)

I have read through some searches with regards to making Soda Water but would like a few things clarified please. The searches I come up with are:
Here Here and Here

However, some of these are contradictory in the sense that some posts say by using tap water you get a harsh taste and some say it is fine.
I need to dedicate a keg for Soda Water and the idea is to keep it gassed and run off a couple of 2L PET bottles and add some cordial to them for taste. It seems really straight forward but I would be more comfortable if someone could indicate I won't have any issues if I:
Just use tap water then carbinate the keg to 35-40psi, dispense to said PET bottles with some Cottees (or other) flavoured cordial then cap and place in the fridge.
Is it as simple as that or am I think there may be something more than I have missed somewhere?

Thanks in advance


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## [email protected] (30/3/11)

Amber Fluid said:


> I have read through some searches with regards to making Soda Water but would like a few things clarified please. The searches I come up with are:
> Here Here and Here
> 
> However, some of these are contradictory in the sense that some posts say by using tap water you get a harsh taste and some say it is fine.
> ...



http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=870

I'm not a big fan of non beer bevarages but I saw these which might make the job even easier.


Or for a little cheaper
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/CARBONATOR-CAP-CARB...=item4aa8adb7fa


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## Amber Fluid (30/3/11)

Yeah I am aware of the Carbonator caps thanks but still need to know if I can create Soda Water using standard tap water as mentioned with plain cordial for flavour or am I going to get a harsh taste as a result?


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## unrealeous (30/3/11)

Amber Fluid said:


> Yeah I am aware of the Carbonator caps thanks but still need to know if I can create Soda Water using standard tap water as mentioned with plain cordial for flavour or am I going to get a harsh taste as a result?


You should be fine - I use sydney water unfiltered - throw a bit of magnesium and calcium to taste, and its great. SHMBO loves it.

Give it a try. It's water after all - so if you find it hash, dump it and what have you lost but a bit of time and gas?


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## bradsbrew (30/3/11)

Amber Fluid said:


> Yeah I am aware of the Carbonator caps thanks but still need to know if I can create Soda Water using standard tap water as mentioned with plain cordial for flavour or am I going to get a harsh taste as a result?



I use water straight from the tap. I have found it tastes terrible for the first week or so but then settles down and is really good. I have just put it down to the gas bringing out the salty flavour with a bit of carbonic bite whilst it is gassing up. I dont know what it is but it is good after a week.

Cheers


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## [email protected] (30/3/11)

Amber Fluid said:


> Yeah I am aware of the Carbonator caps thanks but still need to know if I can create Soda Water using standard tap water as mentioned with plain cordial for flavour or am I going to get a harsh taste as a result?



Sorry, I was just trying to save you making 20l at a time and thought these might make the process a bit easier and save you a lot of gas, if you wern't aware of these. 

I guess it really depends on the tap water where you live. I know in Sydney I prefer the taste of tap water to most bottled water variaties.


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## Airgead (30/3/11)

Amber Fluid said:


> Yeah I am aware of the Carbonator caps thanks but still need to know if I can create Soda Water using standard tap water as mentioned with plain cordial for flavour or am I going to get a harsh taste as a result?



I use plain old Sydney tap water. No additions. Works just fine.

Cheers
Dave


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## Malted (30/3/11)

Amber Fluid said:


> I have read through some searches with regards to making Soda Water but would like a few things clarified please. The searches I come up with are:
> Here Here and Here
> 
> However, some of these are contradictory in the sense that some posts say by using tap water you get a harsh taste and some say it is fine.
> ...



You have not said whether you plan on running a dual regulator? A single gas regulator with a line spliter or gas manifold would overcarb your beer. That sort of soda water pressure is about 3 times higher than what you would want for your beer. Be jasus you'd be scaring me if you said you won't have kegged beer, just the kegged soda water! Be gone with you demon of this forum, I denounce thee! But if you are running a dual reg, all is forgiven and did you buy it or make it - I'd like to know more.


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## QldKev (30/3/11)

Maybe the difference is the different water supplies around Aust?

It's not a big investment, just do-it and find out for 'you'.

I run a water keg on my inside kegerator, I use water from our kitchen sink filter and just gas it up at serving pressure; nothing fancy and everyone loves it. My wife loves it with the lime cordial that you normally make lemon/lime bitters from. Some people claim a beery smell if you share lines with beer, she doesn't touch beer at all and has never complained. It is a bit shaper in taste for the first week until the carb level has properly balanced, but I only ever let it carb up (as per all my beer) at normal serving pressure. 

Maybe I should swap taps with the water, could be a good way to clean out my other taps :icon_chickcheers: 

QldKev


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## stux (30/3/11)

QldKev said:


> Maybe the difference is the different water supplies around Aust?
> 
> It's not a big investment, just do-it and find out for 'you'.
> 
> ...



I run a soda water keg for SWMBO as well.

I fill it up with filtered water from the kitchen then just hook it up at serving/carbing pressure. Seems fine.

My wife likes it with cordial, or sometimes she uses it to water down my chewyier beers 

Real soda water should be at a higher kpa, but she seems to like the slightly effervescent effect you get at 90kpa (2.5 volumes?), makes it seem more refined anyway!

The biggest trick is to not allow a beer line to back flow into the keg!!! The entire soda keg will taste of beer/cider.

I like to cycle the soda keg through each of my taps... seems to cleanse the lines nicely.


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## dougsbrew (30/3/11)

i use brissy tap water, however i run it through one of those 2 stage filters you get at big w for 100 bucks. 
throw in 4.5grams of bicarb and .5 gram table salt to a 20 litre corny keg, bronco sitting on top. 
put a little cordy of your choice or soda stream cola in cup and fill with soda water. initial charge to keg 
i hit with about 40 psi(chilled water) shake vigorously for up to 10 minutes. you wont over carb like beer. 
sitting in fridge, when the pressure gets down to around 10psi, hook up q-connect gas to 20 psi. 

edit- bicarb helps to raise the ph as the charging of co2 makes it acidic.


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## katzke (31/3/11)

If your water is fit to drink then the soda water should be also.

Just remember plain soda water does not taste very good. That is why they dump loads of sugar in soda pop.

Only thing I can add is it takes lots of hose to balance a soad keg. If you try to serve with a short hose and high presure you will blow most of the fiz out of your water.


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## Parks (31/3/11)

katzke said:


> If your water is fit to drink then the soda water should be also.
> 
> Just remember plain soda water does not taste very good. That is why they dump loads of sugar in soda pop.
> 
> Only thing I can add is it takes lots of hose to balance a soad keg. If you try to serve with a short hose and high presure you will blow most of the fiz out of your water.



I disagree with your entire comment. Soda water is great, refreshing, fizzy and is only good for you. You don't lose carbonation like you do with beer where it all gets lost in the head. I run a soda keg on 300kpa and 50cm of hose onto a bronco tap with no dramas.

My only advice is not to try to pour into a glass as you can only get about half in there. Do exactly as you were going to and fill 2L bottles, but do the soda before the cordial.


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## shadders (31/3/11)

Parks said:


> I disagree with your entire comment. Soda water is great, refreshing, fizzy and is only good for you. You don't lose carbonation like you do with beer where it all gets lost in the head. I run a soda keg on 300kpa and 50cm of hose onto a bronco tap with no dramas.
> 
> My only advice is not to try to pour into a glass as you can only get about half in there. Do exactly as you were going to and fill 2L bottles, but do the soda before the cordial.



definately agree with the soda first comment. Nothing worse that cordial head squirting out of the bottle. I've used Brissy tap water (unfiltered) and tank water. Tank water was marginally nicer but not enough to justify carrying 20L up a flight of stairs. Tap is right next to the beer fridge. Maybe I've just got a wrecked pallette from years of abuse.

I'm working on a system at the moment so I can kept a carbed keg outside the fridge with a mini cooling container inside the fridge that is fed by the keg. Then I can free up another tap for beer and just use a bronco for the soda (which all it really deserves). I've actually found running soda water exclusively through one of my cellis results in little shavings of metal coming off the taps and into the water. I thought it was a faulty tap and CB replaced it but after a month it started happening again. Only on the tap I used for soda water. All I could think of was something to do with carbonic acid?


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## Amber Fluid (31/3/11)

Malted said:


> You have not said whether you plan on running a dual regulator? A single gas regulator with a line spliter or gas manifold would overcarb your beer. That sort of soda water pressure is about 3 times higher than what you would want for your beer. Be jasus you'd be scaring me if you said you won't have kegged beer, just the kegged soda water! Be gone with you demon of this forum, I denounce thee! But if you are running a dual reg, all is forgiven and did you buy it or make it - I'd like to know more.



lol nope, not taking presidence over the beer lines that's for sure. Just going to carb it up then once I pour off a few 2L PETS I will reconnect that particular line to beer again. Then when the wifey wants more I just repeat it. I have room in the kegerater to keep the keg cool just haven't got the spare tap to keep it on tap and of course beer comes first. I am not running a dual reg yet but if I get the SWMBO to like the soda water she might let me get one :icon_drool2: I have NRV's on all my beer lines (an overkill I know but....) and I read in one of those links I gave about being able to carb to correct pressure and have your beer at correct pressure by using these valves. BUT... if I do this then I am likely not to get the dual reg I want so am not even going to mention this to the wife h34r: 

I am in Tasmania and there are no issues whatsoever here with our water. So I'll do as most here suggested. i.e. just use tap water. If it seems to taste a bit "funny" I'll add the bi-carb and salt as dougsbrew suggested.

Thanks all for your input. 


Edit: I might eventually just get a pluto and run it from that


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## WadoGoace (9/4/11)

Im voting for water... Soda tends to be make me more thirsty


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## michael_aussie (9/4/11)

Amber Fluid said:


> I have read through some searches with regards to making Soda Water but would like a few things clarified please. The searches I come up with are:
> Here Here and Here
> 
> However, some of these are contradictory in the sense that some posts say by using tap water you get a harsh taste and some say it is fine.
> ...


I just use tap water ... no additives.
The kids and wife love it.
Their only complaint is when it's not carbonated enough.
I cheat and bump up my only reg up to charge up the soda water (carbonated water?) keg, and then disconnect it. I'm looking to have a "proper" dual reg set up, so that I can set the high pressure for the soda water (and ginger beer?) and for force carbonating new kegs.... and the secondary pressure for the serving pressure of the beer kegs.

Once I over-filled a beer keg and ended up with beer in the gas line which ended up in the soda water keg.... they wouldn't drink it???

I'm more careful with how full I fill the kegs.

KEG CLEANING
When I clean my kegs, any kegs I don't need immediately for beer, I fill with water for soda water.
When these "extra" soda water kegs are empty, I put them aside.. then when I need them for beer, I just open and fill with beer (no cleaning). 

A QUESTION
When I make some ginger beer .. should it be "beer pressure" - less than 10 psi ... or "soda water" pressure - approx 25psi???


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## Amber Fluid (9/4/11)

michael_aussie said:


> KEG CLEANING
> When I clean my kegs, any kegs I don't need immediately for beer, I fill with water for soda water.
> When these "extra" soda water kegs are empty, I put them aside.. then when I need them for beer, I just open and fill with beer (no cleaning).




I did a 9L with only water and it turned out fine.

When you're filling your beer like this, have you ever had any infection and how long have you been doing it like this for now?
That seems like an easy way around cleaning, if you've had no problems of course


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