Could we share some info on soda/root beer making?
Suppliers,
Processes,
Carbonation level?
Tom???
Or is this proprietary info.
I’ve seen a lot of “adult” sodas for sale over the last few years. Like, less sugar, more interesting flavors. I think there’s a market for it. My favorite flavor is cucumber.
I use a hot fill process for all of the sodas, I make a sugar/water solution and fill the kegs, then chill/carbonate. Some flavorings go in during the boil if they need that for extraction, some I wait until after it is chilled and carbed to preserve the delicate volatiles.
As we expand I might look at switching to carbing in our carbonation tank (that I only use as a HLT now) and cold filling. For now though I am not making enough per batch to use the 4 bbl tank, I typically only make about 20 gallons at a go.
I carbonate at 24 psi and 40F, for about 3.5 volumes of CO2. It would be nice to have a little more flexibility, but I’m going with something that should be good in a variety of sodas.
Sorry for the delay, I was swamped with stuff for the kids birthday and now I’m sick. 
I must admit, I’m lazy and have only used the syrups to make root beer. The kids love it, and I don’t drink much soda so I’ve not been tempted to make it from scratch. Yet.
I’m intrigued by the idea even though I don’t drink a lot of soda anymore. There’s a local brewery that I believe just received their licenses to brew but has been producing and selling soda for the past couple of years while they have tried to get their brewery put together and licensed. They started off as homebrewers so I’m sure they would be open to share some info, especially since it is unlikely you would compete in the local market with them. They are Armadillo Ale Works out of Denton, TX. Not sure if their website is up yet but google should uncover a facebook page or email.
As a caveat, I have not tried any of their beers or sodas, so I have no idea how good their products are.
I thought that we would add some soda taps in our remodel tap room.