Strange experiment with cola

[Friendless]

G'day,

Having a problem that I don't understand. Can somebody help me understand please?

Just as an experiment I decided to try making an alcoholic cola using a commercially made soft drink from the supermarket. After waiting until the supermarket had 2L bottles on special for about $1.50 I bought 10 bottles. Put the contents into my fermenter with an additional 2kg of sugar and a small sachet of sweetener from the local homebrew shop. Stirred it all up to disolve the sugar and get rid of most of the CO2, then put in the yeast from a Coopers Stout kit and put on the lid with the airlock.

After three days, there was still no sign of fermentation so I put in more yeast thinking the original yeast might have been a bit old at 4-6 months. Now another 5 days later there is still no sign of fermentation and I don't know why. I don't think its a temperature thing since a batch of stout has fermented nicely in the fermenter next to it during the last week.

One theory I have is the commercial products contain a preservative that kills off the yeast before it can do anything. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything on the cola label indicating that it had preservative added to it.

Anyone have a clue for me?
Am I wasting my time and money with commercial cola?

[Oliver]

One theory I have is the commercial products contain a preservative that kills off the yeast before it can do anything. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything on the cola label indicating that it had preservative added to it.

friendless,

I think you've just answered your own question here.

I'm looking at a can of Coke now, and it contains food acid (338). This is phosphoric acid. According to several pages I found on Google, it is used as a preservative. I reckon your cola may have had some preservative in it, either phosphoric acid or something else.

Dogger Dan, can you help our further?

Oliver

[guest1]

Friendless,
As Oliver says, food acid will do in your yeasties. The other point to bear in mind is- can you imagine what Coke would taste like if you took all the sugar sweetness & caramel flavours out & replaced them with alcohol? It may have been unpleasant to say the least.

There was a thread on the AHB website (can't find it right now) about making beer using Coke to replace some (all?) of the sugar...apparently it works, maybe becuase of the dilution of 1 bottle of Coke in 20 litres of wort?
Also apparently it was drinkable, too!

[Merlin]

when I want alcoholic cola, I just add bourbon

[Longbeach Brewer]

Have made an alcoholic lemonade from a kit before. It's just sugar, flavour, nutrient and yeast. Apparently they do different flavours (including cola) the lemonade one turned out like a dry two dogs. The missus has been adding cordial to it when pouring for an extra dash of flavour... The kit came from NZ, and you can pick them up from the odd HB shop around the place...
Good luck!
Chris

[Hrundi V Bakshi]

I'm looking at a can of Coke now, and it contains food acid (338). This is phosphoric acid. According to several pages I found on Google, it is used as a preservative. I reckon your cola may have had some preservative in it, either phosphoric acid or something else.

I am not Dogger, but humbly offer my opinion.

Phosphoric acid is an excellent sanitiser. "One Shot", "Iodophor" and straight othophosphoric acid are commonly used to clean dairies, breweries, hospitals.... works wonders on yeast and intestinal flora too, I believe.

Mmmm Coke. As a good cowboy Aussie mate once said to me, "Get that into ya!".

However, Coke Porter has been made.

[Friendless]

Okay ... thanks to the information supplied by you guys and a little more googling, it seems that trying to ferment commercial cola is a waste of time and money. I'd go so far as to say that trying to ferment any commercial soft drink will be a waste of time and money. (

It looks like phosphoric acid (food acid a.k.a. flavouring) has properties toward yeast other than merely lowering the PH of the solution. Those properties mean that fermentation isn't going to happen - the yeast is killed.

As a result, I have 20L of extremely sweet, flat, cola that I don't know what to do with. I suspect it will go down the drain this coming weekend, unless a better idea comes along. Another result is that I've learned something completely outside of expectations.

Thanks for the input, guys. Much appreciated.

[Dogger Dan]

1. The pH is to low to start a fermentation, that is why there are no common preservatives in it like pottassium sorbate/ sodium benzoate because nothing can grow in it anyway.

2. There are no neutrients in it to get a fermentation going either

Sorry to take so long to get back to you

Full marks to all those who identified the acid as being an issue

Oh, I have a Root Beer recipie if any wants it. It invoves Sasperillo which has been identified as a carcinogenic.

Dogger

[peterd]

Dogger,
I would like your root beer recipe please. And I am not the least bit worried about more carcinogens in my body: my theory is, the more you have, the more time they spend battling each other for dominance, leaving peaceful lil' ole me and my body cells to get on with other business unfettered.

peterd

[Dogger Dan]

Peterd,

You have been warned

Root Beer,

3 quarts (2.9 L) brown molasses
2 oz Sassafras bark (reportedly carcinogenic)
2 oz Sarsparilla
2 oz wintergreen
1/2 oz licorice bark
1 vanilla bean
1 lb honey (it wouldn't be a Dogger recipie with out)

add herbs, roots, spices and honey to 2 gallons boiling water and turn off heat. steep with lid on for 4 hours.

strain , transfer to keg, chill , and carbonate (non alcohol type).

toss in some yeast if you want, ferment, bulk prime and bottle. May need to add lactose to add some sweetness.

Never done this myself, couldn't find all the ingredients.

where is the cola guy now?

Dogger

[beermeister]

Dogger

It's funny, a few weeks ago I was thinking about making a root beer and I thought that you would have a recipe...

So that material is carcinogenic, hey? Didn't the native Americans (native Canadians?) use it for medicinal purposes?

PS Used honey in a brew for the first time recently (Coopers dark ale) bottling it tonight, can't wait for the results.

BM

[Dogger Dan]

The US claims it is.

Thank Charlie Pap for the recipie.

Dogger

[beermeister]

Well, we'll take the American advice then - just as we did about the WMD in Iraq

[Dogger Dan]

One day they may be right you know. Its just law of averages


Dogger