# Any Sugary Liquid That CAN'T Be Fermented?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sugary-liquid-that-cant-be-fermented/825046>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 25, 2018, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sugary-liquid-that-cant-be-fermented/825046 "2018-11-25T09:44:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sugary-liquid-that-cant-be-fermented/825046/21 "2018-11-28T13:06:55Z")

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> [@Balance](#):
>
> I have successfully fermented commercial soft drinks into alcoholic beverages, including Coca-Cola containing sodium benzoate. (I’m not sure if the root beer I fermented used the preservative.) It may interfere in some cases, but it clearly doesn’t entirely prevent fermentation.

Chemistry and biology don’t typically have binary switches. It’s an inhibitor, along with sorbate, which is even stronger. But yes, people who are trying to do it have even fermented colas, with the added challenge of low pH.

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**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sugary-liquid-that-cant-be-fermented/825046/22 "2018-11-28T13:22:01Z")

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> [@bump](#):
>
> Huh… and I always thought it was because honey was so sugary that yeast would just be dehydrated by it, rather than be able to ferment it.

I think both the acid and dehydration explanations are true. The reason you’re not supposed to give honey to children less than one is it may contain bacterial spores, especially _C. botulinum_, that their immune systems cannot cope with.

OTOH, the stuff is acidic. Ages ago I read of experiments done by the Honey Growers Association (or whatever it is called) to see if honey could be substituted for sugar in baked goods. With complete replacement the acidity would interfere with the rising, whether yeast or quick. Just how acid a batch of honey is varies and by measuring the pH and countering it with sodium bicarbonate 100% replacement was successful with nice, moist cakes and sweet rolls.

Unfortunately, the average home kitchen has no way to determine the pH so the recommendation was that the honey replacement be limited to 25%.

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sugary-liquid-that-cant-be-fermented/825046/23 "2018-11-28T14:08:44Z")

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> [@Ludovic](#):
>
> The Coca-Cola was cursed.

That’s bad.

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**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sugary-liquid-that-cant-be-fermented/825046/24 "2018-11-28T16:28:56Z")

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> [@Ruken](#):
>
> Chemistry and biology don’t typically have binary switches. It’s an inhibitor, along with sorbate, which is even stronger. But yes, people who are trying to do it have even fermented colas, with the added challenge of low pH.

Of course. I’m just offering an example to demonstrate that liquids containing it don’t necessarily fit the OP’s “CAN’T be fermented” criterion. They can, there are just some extra obstacles in the way. (And they’re much less likely to ferment on their own.)

> [@Ludovic](#):
>
> The Coca-Cola was cursed.

Nah, it just needed aging. 😃

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