Caffeinated root beer

[exploding_monkeyface]

I've got an old 2 1/2 gallon keg I don't use so I thought I'd make some caffeinated root beer to keep on tap.

I bought some Zatarain's extract and some pure caffeine capsules (200mg) to give it a shot. Luckily I decided to test dissolving the contents of the caffeine capsules in water prior to dumping them into the keg with the syrup. I can't get the caffeine to dissolve. It just makes the water cloudy, then eventually settles to the bottom of the glass.

My calculations say that for 2 1/2 gallons I should add 8 capsules to nearly match the caffeination levels of a normal commercial cola. The way the capsules acted in water I would just end up with a bunch of caffeine laying on the bottom of my keg and a bad news caffeine overdose waiting to happen.

Has anyone figured out a way to add caffeine to a homemade soda and keg it?

 

[MrFoodScientist]

Did you try crushing them up before dissolving? How long did you let them dissolve? Do you have a stir plate? What else is in the tablets?

 

[exploding_monkeyface]

They aren't tablets, they're capsules. These are the ones I got. http://amzn.com/B005LQYR9I

I pulled the capsule open and poured the contents into a glass of water and wasn't able to get them to dissolve. The bottle does say that the ingredients are caffeine, gelatine (capsule) and rice flour. Could this be the rice flour that I see not dissolving?

 

[MannyEdwards]

That's puzzling. Caffeine is fairly soluble in water. You should have no trouble dissolving 2g per 100 mL at room temp, never mind 1.6 g in almost 6 liters. Are you sure it's pure?

 

[madshammy]

I found a better option for caffeine, I just bought 1Kilo of Caffeine Anhydrous from Powder City for like $20. My problem is trying to figure out how much to add. I have read a few different opinions on how much to add. I did finely decided on going with .228 grams per 2 liters of soda. From what I read you should dissolve it in warm water. I just dumped my powder in and shook it up. It was Root Beer as well, and it really helped the taste. My next batch I want to just add the powder to the mix while it is still hot and then transfer it to the Keg instead of having to measure out what is left in a Keg and mixing in a 2L Bottle.

 

[Wagemage]

I have bought the powdered caffeine and it dissolves much more quickly in warm water (microwave). Though it does dissolve in calf water with agitation.

However, it is incredibly easy to add too much caffeine with w\o the proper equipment. You should get a digital Scale accurate to to the milligram and calibrate it with each use.

There are plenty of tables out there which tell you how much caffeine is in a soda. Barq's has 23 mg in a 12 oz soda, Mountain Dew has 54 mg. it is easy arithmetic to figure out how much to add from there.

I personally look at other similar drinks and use that as a base for figuring out how much to add.

One final note is that caffeine can be absorbed through your skin, so take appropriate cautions.