BrewDemon1 Gal. Hard Orange Recipe Kit - Makes a Wicked-Good 5.0% ABV Batch of Craft Brewed Hard Soda

Or, it didn't come out as I expected. I followed the instructions, but didn't get the results.It was flat, & powerful. It didn't have a crisp orange taste, nor was it carbonated. I believe it could have been mixed better after bottling, but the instructions were clear not to shake it.I wasn't concerned that there wasn't a fresh orange soda taste, or that there was a potent alcohol mix inside. What bothered me is that is didn't carbonize. So I wasn't sure if it was safe enough to consume.I opened both bottles & they got a little zesty, but not soda kind. One two liter I added 3 tablespoons of flavoring, the other, four. I wasn't sure how it would taste & with the instructions saying "to taste" is kinda broad.I will say that I brewed this in another home brew container. One that I have been using for a very long time, & have been successful with. I don't see how that mattered.I did use a manual carbonizer & added 5 tablespoons of sugar to a quart of Demogorgon hard soda. That helped, & it was nice, but I wasn't sure if it was safe, so dumped it.I may try a smaller batch of "regular" soda in the future & see how that works. That will determine if I continue with this or not. I believe I can still update my Amazon reviews, so would look to doing that if I buy this again, after some success.I may also try using quart/liter bottles the next time. I have 24 of them, but they all had beer in them at the time I was making the Demogorgon soda.If you feel adventurous, go ahead & give this a try. There are more reasons why this didn't work. Mainly the sugar needed to be mixed, as the bottles both popped open when unscrewed, & a week later, had a bit of fizz to them.OH STAINS! Be sure careful what you pour this in to! It's like tomato sauce in that it will stain everything it touches.