Beer

Pepsi

Cocacola

Heat 3.5 gallons of brew water to approximately 165°F (74°C). Place crushed grains in a mesh mash tun or insulated cooler. Pour the hot water over the grains to reach a mash temperature of approximately 152°F (67°C). Stir thoroughly to eliminate dry pockets and ensure even hydration.

Heat strike water and mash in

Hold the mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Maintain temperature by insulating the mash tun or applying gentle heat if necessary. If you want a drier beer, mash at 156°F (69°C) for 60 minutes.

Rest

Raise the mash temperature to about 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes by adding a small amount of boiling water or gently heating. This halts enzymatic activity and makes lautering easier.

Mash out

Drain the wort from the mash tun into your boil kettle until gravity runs low or you have collected about 5.5–6.0 gallons of wort (target pre-boil volume ~6.0–6.5 gallons depending on system losses). Sparge the grains with the additional 2.5 gallons of 170°F (77°C) water, gently rinsing to collect more sugars until you reach the desired pre-boil volume.

Bring the collected wort to a vigorous boil. Watch for boilovers the first few minutes.

Bring to a boil

When the boil is vigorous, add the bittering hops (0.5 oz Magnum). Boil for 60 minutes total.

Bittering addition

With 15 minutes remaining in the boil, add Irish moss or whirlfloc (1 tsp) and wort nutrient (0.5 tsp) if using. Also add the flavor hops (0.5 oz Cascade) if you want hop flavor at this stage.

Mid-boil additions

With 5 minutes remaining, add the aroma hops (0.5 oz) to preserve volatile hop oils for aroma.

Late aroma additions

At the end of the boil, chill the wort quickly to yeast-pitching temperature (around 65–68°F / 18–20°C for ale yeast) using a wort chiller (immersion, plate, or counterflow) or ice bath. Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving as much trub behind in the kettle as practical.

Top up with sanitized water to reach 5.0 gallons final volume in the fermenter if needed, taking into account boil-off and losses.

Aerate the wort by shaking the fermenter, splashing while transferring, or using sterile oxygen for 60–90 seconds. Rehydrate or prepare your yeast according to the manufacturer's directions (if liquid, make a starter if desired). Pitch the yeast into the cooled, aerated wort.

Aerate and pitch yeast

Ferment at 65–68°F (18–20°C) for an ale. Active fermentation should begin within 12–48 hours. Allow primary fermentation to proceed for 5–7 days until activity slows and gravity has dropped substantially.

Primary fermentation

Optional: Rack to a secondary fermenter for 5–10 days for clarification and cold conditioning. If skipping secondary, extend primary to 10–14 days total before packaging.

Conditioning / Secondary (optional)

Sanitize bottles and caps or prepare a keg. Dissolve 3.5 oz (100 g) priming sugar in 2 cups (about 475 ml) of boiling water, cool, then add to a sanitized bottling bucket.

Sanitize and prepare priming sugar

Transfer fermented beer gently to the bottling bucket on top of the priming solution to mix without aeration. Fill and cap bottles or transfer to a CO2 keg. Expect natural carbonation in bottles at room temperature in 10–14 days.

Bottle or keg

Condition bottled beer at 65–70°F (18–21°C) for 10–14 days, then cold-condition in refrigerator for 24–48 hours before drinking. Kegged beer can be force-carbonated or allowed to carbonate naturally under CO2 head pressure.

Carbonation and conditioning

Sanitize all equipment that will contact wort or beer after the boil (fermenter, siphons, airlock, bottles, caps, etc.) with no-rinse sanitizer according to the product instructions. Good sanitation is critical to avoid contamination.

Pale malt (2-row) - crushed

Crystal/Caramel malt (40L) - crushed

Optional Munich or Vienna malt - crushed

Brew water (good quality, non-chlorinated)

Brew water (additional for sparge)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate) - optional

Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) - optional

Bittering hops (e.g., Magnum, 12% AA)

Flavor hops (e.g., Cascade, 6–7% AA)

Aroma/hop finishing (same as flavor or different)

Liquid ale yeast (e.g., SafAle S-04 or Wyeast 1056) or dry (US-05)

Priming sugar (corn sugar / dextrose) - for bottling

Wort nutrient (optional)

Irish moss or whirlfloc (optional, for clearer beer)

No-rinse brewery sanitizer (e.g., Star San)

Combine 2 cups granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar fully dissolves and the liquid is clear, about 4–6 minutes. Do not boil vigorously. Remove from heat.

Make simple syrup

Stir in 2 tablespoons caramel color (or prepared caramel) into the warm syrup until evenly incorporated. This gives the syrup the characteristic cola color. Let the syrup cool to room temperature (about 20–30 minutes).

Add color

Into a small bowl or jar, combine 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon orange extract, 1/10 teaspoon citrus oil blend (if using), 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/20 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon cola nut extract or caffeine solution (optional). Stir or whisk until homogenous. If you used any essential oils or extracts, ensure they are food-grade and use sparingly.

Combine flavor ingredients

Once the syrup has cooled to room temperature, whisk the flavor concentrate into the syrup until fully combined. Taste a small amount: the concentrate should be noticeably aromatic and slightly tannic but not overly dominant. Adjust small amounts of vanilla or citrus to preference, but keep totals small to maintain balance.

Incorporate into syrup

To assemble a glass of homemade Pepsi-style soda, fill a tall glass with about 1 cup ice (optional). Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the prepared cola syrup per 1 cup (240 ml) of cold carbonated water for a balanced sweetness and flavor. Gently pour 1 cup (240 ml) cold carbonated water over the syrup to preserve carbonation and stir once gently. The recipe's syrup yield should be enough to mix with approximately 4 cups of carbonated water at this ratio.

Dilute and carbonate

Taste and adjust: add more syrup if you prefer sweeter/stronger cola (up to 1/3 cup syrup per cup water) or more carbonated water for a lighter drink. Store any leftover syrup in a sealed container or jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. When ready to serve more, use the same ratio and always use cold carbonated water for best fizz.

Adjust and store

granulated sugar

water

caramel color (liquid or prepared caramel)

fresh lemon juice

fresh lime juice

vanilla extract

orange extract (or orange oil)

citrus oil blend (if available: bergamot/neroli, optional)

ground cinnamon (or cinnamon oil)

nutmeg (freshly grated)

cola nut extract or caffeine solution (optional)

cold carbonated water (club soda or soda water)

ice (optional)

Chill a tall glass in the refrigerator for a few minutes or fill it with ice to cool. If using store-bought cola syrup, have it measured and ready. If you are using bottled carbonated water, ensure it is well chilled as carbonation is best when cold.

Chill and prepare

Add the ice cubes to the chilled glass. Pour in 1 fl oz of cola syrup over the ice.

Assemble

Carefully pour 12 fl oz of chilled carbonated water into the glass over the back of a spoon or down the side to preserve carbonation and reduce foaming. Stir gently once with a long spoon to combine syrup and water without flattening the soda.

Top with carbonated water

Serve immediately so the drink remains fizzy. Optionally garnish with a lime or lemon wedge and a mint sprig.

Serve

Squeeze a lime or lemon wedge into the finished drink for brightness, then drop the wedge into the glass. Clap the mint sprig between your palms to release aroma and add as garnish. Stir briefly and enjoy.