“Soda in one hand, confidence in the other.”
The aforementioned quote is indeed a bubbly truth, however, Can soda expire?
All sodas come with a ‘best before date and not a ‘use before’ or ‘expiry date’ which means that they don’t get expired. With that being said, Let us first understand what exactly is soda water and how does soda expiration works.
What Is Soda?
Originally made with sodium bicarbonate, soda or soda water is fizzy water used for mixing with alcoholic drinks, fruit juice, coolers or to consume alone.
How Long Is Soda Good For?
How long does soda last can be defined by bottle status if it is opened or unopened? With that being mentioned, unopened diet soda can be consumed within 3 months after the expiry date while your regular sodas can be consumed within 9 months.
How Long Does Soda Last Once Open?
Once the soda bottle or can is opened, it should be consumed within 4 days as it’s the maximum time when the soda will stay good. Also, it is highly recommended to keep the opened bottle of soda in the refrigerator.
How to Tell If Soda is Bad?
In the case of unopened soft drinks, if the bottle is damaged, leaky, bulging, rusted or severely dented discard the drink.
But usually, the first thing to go bad with any soft drink is the loss of CO2 aka the carbon dioxide which makes the soda fizz when you pour a glass. While this type of soda will taste flat, it is not harmful to drink a soda whose bubbles begin to diminish and then eventually disappear.
You can also look for typical signs of spoilage that have the least chances of happening like an off odor, or color change but it’s always better to check, isn’t it?
We have collected some data and found the most frequently asked question on sodas. All those questions are mentioned below with their detailed answers. Don’t forget to check it to complete your soda-related knowledge.
How to Store Soda To keep Frizz Fresh?
Soda as a fizzy drink is always fun to consume and the best part is that you keep the frizz fresh by storing it cleverly. After all, the frizz is the carbon dioxide which is lighter than air and hence disappears in no time in the air. And that can be done by:
- If the bottle is opened and the soda is still left to consume, you can simply transfer the soda to the bottle with the lid. Moreover, some people have experimented with the can of Mountain Dew or sprite that actually worked for 2 liters of soda fizz.
- Another way of storing it fresh can be by simply covering it tightly so that the carbonated air doesn’t get released.
Picking up these ways to store the soda can keep the fizz of the carbonated drink for 2-3 days after opening.
How to keep soda from going flat in a can?
Who doesn’t face the problem of sodas getting flat? Especially the ones that are already opened. To deal with this problem, you can just get the Fizz Keeper cap, which adds pressure to carbonated drinks by pumping air inside that helps keep the dissolved gas from leaking out.
Or, to keep a dissolved gas in a solution longer, you must store the soda in the refrigerator so that it can stay as cold as possible because the cooler it is, the better it will keep. This is also why the cold soda or soft drink is so much harder to chug when it’s chilled.
What does it Mean if a Fresh bottle of Soda is opened and Found Flat?
If you open a new bottle of soda and find no frizz in it, it is clearly evident that the seal has been compromised and chances are the soda is already exposed to the air and spoiled. Thus, it is recommended not to consume the soda as they are only best in taste and enjoyable to consume until it has frizz in it.
Is It Bad to Drink Expired Soda?
Not Really! expired soda can also be consumed for a period. But you will experience a change of taste in expired soda as its flavor and carbonation decrease eventually. An expired soda, although safe to drink, goes through a slight change of taste once its due date is gone.
So, whenever you think about what not to do with expired sodas? You shouldn’t at least be worried about consuming it.
Well, coming back to the QNA, it will guide you in the storage needs and other details of the soda so check them all out.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why does flat soda taste bad?
This is because the carbon dioxide dissolved in water forms carbonic acid has a sharp taste and the sugar added in soda is mainly to offset this sharp taste. When the soda goes bad, it loses its CO2 and without carbonation, there’s no carbonic acid, which is why the flat soda tastes too sweet or bad.
2. Can soda go flat if unopened?
Yes, unopened soda can go bad too. That is exactly why they come with a ‘best before date. After the duration of this date is over, the soda can eventually lose its carbonated contents and go flat.
Usually, an unopened soda goes flat within 6-9 months in a pantry or a fridge.
3. How to Extend Soda Shelf Life?
Storing the soda in a plastic bottle at a temperature less than about 72 degrees F increases the shelf life of the soda.
4. How Long Do Soft Drinks Last?
Below is a tabular representation that will help you in understanding the different shelf lives of different soft drinks depending on their conditions and place of storage.
| Name of drink | Condition | Place of storage | Life past expiry date |
| Coca-cola | Sealed | Pantry | 6 to 9 months |
| Coca-cola | Sealed | Refrigerator | 6 to 9 months |
| Diet coca-cola can | Opened | Pantry | 1 day |
| Diet coca-cola can | Opened | Refrigerator | 1 day |
| Pepsi bottles | Opened | Pantry | 1-3 days |
| Pepsi bottles | Opened | Refrigerator | 2-5 days |
| Diet Pepsi | Sealed | Pantry | 6-9 months |
| Diet Pepsi | Sealed | Refrigerator | 6-9 months |
And now you are in complete possession of all the knowledge to drink, store and save your sodas and soft drinks.
Stay tuned for more useful information on your favorite foods and drink.
Conclusion:
So, luckily, there’s no such thing as an expired soda. It comes with a best before date and is completely safe to drink past that date. Also, there are several ways to save your soda from going flat and increase its shelf life too. But on the other hand, if you prefer coffee instead of soda, you might wanna know more about kahula