Post Views: 340

Homebrewing is currently all the rage on TikTok, and shockingly, one trend involves turning soda into wine. While it’s true that you can ferment just about anything with a high sugar content, the soda-to-wine pipeline is questionable (and an even worse idea than putting wine in a SodaStream). Despite this, the concept of fermenting something in a jar like a science experiment is enticing some to give it a go. Brave TikTokers have succeeded with flavors like Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper, but many question whether the result is even worth it.

Home wine making can be risky for the unskilled. If you miscalculate the quantity of yeast, you might experience significant bloating and gastrointestinal pain. Moreover, your wine could get contaminated by bacteria. Although the bacteria produced during the fermentation process via TikTok’s method might not make you sick, it certainly won’t enhance the taste. Many seasoned winemakers will add sulfur dioxide to their wine to fend off such growths.

One hazard of trying to make pruno-style soda wine, like one Reddit user suggested, is the potential for exposure to a lethal toxin produced by harmful bacteria. Fermenting fruit juice, sugar, and other pruno ingredients like honey can result in botulism, which can be deadly. To avoid this, never put fresh fruit or honey in your soda wine; sterilization is essential. Clean all your gear with no-rinse sanitizer or rubbing alcohol, and consult an expert fermentation guide before you venture into this on your own.

Sans pruno technique, Golden Hive Mead on TikTok demonstrates the soda wine process with a liter of Dr. Pepper and a gallon-sized jar. They eliminate as many gas bubbles as possible because carbonation destroys yeast — the necessary fermenting agent. A gradual pour with vigorous stirs helps decrease some of the osmotic pressure, but ultimately, what you’re concocting is yeasty, flat soda (which does not sound tasty). Besides, an acidic pH doesn’t support healthy yeast. Adding baking soda to balance the acid is one solution, but there are still preservatives in soda, like sodium benzoate, that will prevent the yeast from reaching its full potential.

Soda also lacks the natural tannins that make wine deliciously bitter. Sure, you can add yeast and nutrients, but there’s really no way to add the amino acids, aromatic compounds, and phenolic compounds that support yeast populations in actual wine. So be warned, fermented soda will not have the same body and flavor as your favorite wine. According to Golden Hive Mead, you could end up with a sweet flavor, but they note that it’s not the greatest-tasting wine. While it attains a decent alcohol percentage after a few weeks, the taste won’t be comparable to mixing grape soda with a glass of red wine. You might as well skip the hassle and make a risk-free wine-and-cola cocktail instead.

Read the original article on Mashed