tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post5933443936000429237..comments2024-02-23T15:34:32.816-05:00Comments on The Mad Fermentationist - Homebrewing Blog: Carbonating Water: Making Seltzer at HomeThe Mad Fermentationist (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-53617891148361953962023-03-08T23:39:40.565-05:002023-03-08T23:39:40.565-05:00Thanks for this write. I’ve always wondered if it’...Thanks for this write. I’ve always wondered if it’s worth the hassle to boil the water before kegging so it might lay longer…and I’m also wandering how long tea would last if I purge the head space and used 2-3psi, just enough to get it to seal the lid. I don’t mind the minimum about if bubbles in tea…and I could also use nitrogen to push the tea. Optimus Primehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04171026907089801766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-56906005631968253992022-10-12T16:34:57.748-04:002022-10-12T16:34:57.748-04:00Just wanted to throw my experience into the ring h...Just wanted to throw my experience into the ring here in case it will help anyone:<br /><br />Been brewing beer for years and just recently took a stab into the world of making sparkling seltzer at home and after several batches I can solidly say that both myself and my family are overwhelmingly pleased with the results.<br /><br />We decided to just go with regular, unfiltered tap water and we fill each keg with some ice (to keep the temp as low as possible to have the c02 absorb more quickly into solution) and then fill with the water on top of that.<br /><br />If we're just going with regular seltzer, we throw it on the gas at about 30 psi for roughly a week until it's fully carbed or we can shake the keg for about 15 minutes if we need it sooner. Once the carbonation is at the proper volume we jack the gas back down to 10 psi to serve.<br /><br />If we want it flavored, we go with flavor extracts and add them directly to the keg to taste from the dropper. This was the hardest thing to dial in properly over time.<br /><br />Roughly, we found that about 7-8 drops per 12 oz of sparkling water was where we felt the flavor should be at for each extract we tried (but it's all up to your personal preference, obv) which led us to around 400 drops per 5 gallon keg of water and once we figured out how many drops were in a normal, full suctioned 'pull' from the dropper we dosed the kegs accordingly. For us, we would get ~25 drops per 'pull' so it came out to 16 full 'pulls' per keg of extract, but of course YMMV.<br /><br />Pro tip - If you're waiting for the keg to carb over time and keep tasting it to see where it's at as it goes along, don't be alarmed if the flavor is a tad sharp at first. Once it's fully carbed the flavors meld and even out nicely.<br /><br />Hope this helps someone out who's on a similar sparkling water journey, and good luck to you all!<br />Joshua Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-21931676172071508662022-05-10T12:27:04.553-04:002022-05-10T12:27:04.553-04:00Do u want them having so much sugar Do u want them having so much sugar Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-62664886429772956662021-12-15T20:11:47.329-05:002021-12-15T20:11:47.329-05:00I have added tap water to 5gal keg and hooked Co2 ...I have added tap water to 5gal keg and hooked Co2 at 32psi. The water temp in the keg is at 22c. Reading the carbonation chart it says to get 2.4 carbonation level at 22c i will need 32psi.<br /><br />I have tried a shake method and using quick carb pump and carb stone but no co2 is dissolved in my water. Anything i'm not doing correctly?Sangahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09036928167727036067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-52167825499032246122021-08-22T23:32:55.129-04:002021-08-22T23:32:55.129-04:00I've had this web page saved on my phone since...I've had this web page saved on my phone since January and it took a long time for a filter that I can run through a hose to arrive. We must have spent $200 on soda stream cylinders this year and I never would have thought of this. Finally have the water kegged and chilled next to the beer with a dedicated tap and line and just purchased a secondary regulator so we can run the beer too. Looking forward to it and very grateful for the article. Gary in NZAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18238350484015740909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-23706614518006083442021-07-25T11:15:21.310-04:002021-07-25T11:15:21.310-04:00You'll need to leave it at high pressure or th...You'll need to leave it at high pressure or the water will eventually become less carbonated as you pour it. Nothing wrong with less carbonated water if you prefer it that way though!The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-71589789440964541992021-07-23T11:08:27.062-04:002021-07-23T11:08:27.062-04:00Hey thanks for sharing this! I was wondering how ...Hey thanks for sharing this! I was wondering how long you leave the keg hooked up to the CO2 at 30PSI. Can you eventually lower it to 12PSI and leave it like that? Thanks!Sparklingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-12996989697339569262021-04-21T08:28:32.429-04:002021-04-21T08:28:32.429-04:00Maybe once a year I'll run StarSan through the...Maybe once a year I'll run StarSan through the keg/line. Never had it cause flavor issues. The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-51949372381191813382021-04-18T22:06:00.389-04:002021-04-18T22:06:00.389-04:00Do you use star san or any other keg sanitizer or ...Do you use star san or any other keg sanitizer or cleaners? Trying to see if that no rinse sanitizer will affect the taste of water. ItsMehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11212979199536053525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-34302296335166091292021-04-14T11:14:11.943-04:002021-04-14T11:14:11.943-04:00No, we go right from the filter into the keg. With...No, we go right from the filter into the keg. With the low-oxygen environment in the keg we've never had issues with microbial growth or anything.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-86374744014387816172021-04-13T19:44:42.121-04:002021-04-13T19:44:42.121-04:00Do you think it is necessary to first boil the wat...Do you think it is necessary to first boil the water before kegging it?Optimus Primehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04171026907089801766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-24442863952835727342021-01-24T14:45:32.680-05:002021-01-24T14:45:32.680-05:00I have a dual regulator that can output different ...I have a dual regulator that can output different pressures. One side goes to a manifold for the beer at ~12 PSI and the other goes directly to the keg of carbonated water. You certainly could do a line of secondary regulators for each keg if you'd prefer.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-45075744763952798312021-01-14T12:14:09.759-05:002021-01-14T12:14:09.759-05:00Hey dude, this video is awesome! I'm not much ...Hey dude, this video is awesome! I'm not much of a homebrewer, but I sure love good beer...and am using your video to set up a beer/water double-tap in a kitchen at our house. Are you carbonating the water and beer from the same CO2 tank? If so, what's the schematic? separate pressure regulator for each line or something?Blake Wavellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04549444153994221917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-65550036140407813122020-09-15T08:07:11.496-04:002020-09-15T08:07:11.496-04:00I've got a 20 lb tank that I use for both beer...I've got a 20 lb tank that I use for both beer and water. Typically lasts me about a year of drinking (two people plus friends). Carbonated water will use roughly twice as much CO2 per keg because it is carbonated and served at ~25 PSI vs. ~12 PSI for beer. So I'd expect half as many kegs of water compared to beer from the same size tank. The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-31202959466816016422020-09-12T23:16:28.028-04:002020-09-12T23:16:28.028-04:00Fantastic website and video. Thank you. Very ent...Fantastic website and video. Thank you. Very entertaining. Question -- what size CO2 bottle do you use and how many 5 gallon kegs of carbonated water can you make? Would you expect the volume of fizzy water to be less than the volume of beer for the same CO2 tank size? I tried looking in the video to see if I could spot a 5 or 10 lb CO2 tank but I could not see it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712983310857357421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-37831237111011876562020-06-14T18:55:39.490-04:002020-06-14T18:55:39.490-04:00A longer (or narrower) serving line to the tap can...A longer (or narrower) serving line to the tap can help to prevent too much CO2 break-out. <br /><br />We haven't dosed in any flavorings to our water, but I don't think that would effect carbonation retention anyway. Generally the most important factor there is the viscosity of the liquid. Water even with salts or flavorings should have similar viscosity as you add so little I would think. <br /><br />Best of luck!The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-42440348432419016472020-06-02T02:14:02.346-04:002020-06-02T02:14:02.346-04:00Really appreciate this video. It was super informa...Really appreciate this video. It was super informative and has given me a nice break during the hot season (I live in Thailand). We played around with this for a bit and had some really successful kegs. However the past few have not been carbonating well. I'm wondering if you have any advice. <br /><br />We have recently added 2g NACL and 2g baking soda as well as some McCormicks flavoring (3-4 teaspoons). Even after force carbonating, sitting in a fridge for 10 days with CO2 at 25psi, the water is really foamy, but doesn't hold any of the carbonation after the foam dissipates. We also have found that some of our beers aren't carbonating well as well so I'm not sure if it is a leak, or too much sodium bicarbonate, etc. The batches that worked well didn't have McCormick's in it. I will try the next batch without to see if that helps. Really appreciate any advice you might have.<br />jmohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04402910431529050468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-2272170650817405512020-04-24T15:34:06.709-04:002020-04-24T15:34:06.709-04:00You'd likely need to add an emulsifier (like s...You'd likely need to add an emulsifier (like soy lecithin) to prevent the oil from separating from the water and floating to the top of the keg. Not something I've tried. Generally water-based flavors are a better bet.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-9670152144643807672020-04-22T20:53:32.406-04:002020-04-22T20:53:32.406-04:00Do you think I can flavor my water with some essen...Do you think I can flavor my water with some essential oils?<br /><br />ThanksChemahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04139553647780191237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-6245460748343301482019-03-15T14:30:29.447-04:002019-03-15T14:30:29.447-04:00I carb my waters through the liquid tube to avoid ...I carb my waters through the liquid tube to avoid manual labor and yet provide agitation at the bottom of the keg.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-91591910514822650922018-12-21T07:27:14.661-05:002018-12-21T07:27:14.661-05:00If you added chalk it may not have dissolved, give...If you added chalk it may not have dissolved, give the keg a shake now that there is CO2 in solution.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-67108328581429694492018-12-19T00:55:00.364-05:002018-12-19T00:55:00.364-05:00Getting some white cloudiness after about 2 days o...Getting some white cloudiness after about 2 days of carbing - will a little time solve that?SoCoBrewernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-50145940476712999532018-11-15T12:02:07.509-05:002018-11-15T12:02:07.509-05:00About 1.5-3 g of chalk per gallon of RO will get y...About 1.5-3 g of chalk per gallon of RO will get you in the same ballpark for calcium and carbonate.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-90905867174722645712018-11-12T22:27:54.300-05:002018-11-12T22:27:54.300-05:00was that about 5 grams worth of chalk you added to...was that about 5 grams worth of chalk you added to the water? how much would you add to ROAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06150486090695540155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-74899813358538811792018-08-18T15:14:08.386-04:002018-08-18T15:14:08.386-04:00I find that I go through so much more fizzy water ...I find that I go through so much more fizzy water than beer!<br />I now have a selection of fruit juices, syrups and chopped up fruit to throw in.<br /><br />Thanks for the mineral profiles on creating specific 'styles' of water, thats a step I haven't taken yet!smallbbrewerhttp://smallbbrewer.comnoreply@blogger.com