How to Make Root Beer

A classic, all-American beverage, root beer has come a long way since colonial times. It was a popular 'small beer', a good beverage for women and kids alike. Now nearly every state in America has its own root beer brand. Its unique flavor comes from the root of the sassafras tree or the sarsaparilla vine. While there are many brands available, root beer is a simple beer to brew at home. In this article, we look at how to make root beer at home with two simple recipes.

Homemade Root Beer

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar (use more if you want sweet root beer)
• ¼ teaspoon powdered baker's yeast or dry champagne yeast
• 1 tablespoon root-beer extract
• 8 cups water

Equipment

• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• 2 liter plastic bottle
• Funnel

Directions

Place the funnel in the bottle. Pour the sugar into the bottle. Add yeast. Shake the bottle to mix the yeast and sugar. Pour in the root beer extract. Fill the bottle half full with water, rinse the funnel and root beer extract tablespoon into the bottle. Remove the funnel and swirl contents in the bottle till dissolved. Fill the bottle to the top with water, leave 1 inch space at the top. Screw cover on tightly. Keep the bottle at room temperature for about 4 days, until the bottle feels hard like an unopened soda bottle. Store in a cool place where the temperature is below 65°F (18°C). Before opening, chill in refrigerator. Loosen the cap slowly while opening to allow gas to escape. You can also make root beer using herbs and spices, instead of extract.

Things to Remember

• Do NOT use glass bottles, as pressure builds up while fermenting and the bottle might explode.
• Watch the temperature, do not keep bottles at room temperature for more than 4 days.
• Serve root beer well chilled.
• Baker's yeast is available at any grocer's store under baking section.
• Champagne yeast and root beer extract like Zatarain or Hires can be found in wine making or home brew stores.
• Do not substitute artificial sweeteners for sugar.
• A sediment of yeast will collect at the bottom of the bottle, which is turbid. Pour finished root beer to another container to get rid of the sediment. This is called decanting.
• Place ice cream in a mug and pour root beer over it to make a root beer float.

How to Make Root Beer With Dry Ice

Ingredients

• White sugar, 6 cups
• Cold water, 3⅓ gallons
• Root beer extract, 1 (2 ounce) bottle
• Dry ice, 4 pounds

Directions

Mix sugar and water in a large cooler. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the root beer extract. Place the dry ice in a cooler and cover with lid. Do not put the lid on very tightly. Leave the mixture alone for an hour. This recipe yields approximately 4 gallons of root beer. While handling dry ice, use gloves and do not allow children to handle it. You need to release the pressure in the cooler every 15 minutes. Keep the cooler outside or in the kitchen sink to avoid a mess. This variant method to make root beer is great for large outdoor barbecues or any other gettogether.

Root Beer Facts

• Original name was root tea, it was changed to gain popularity.
• Sassafras root induces cancer, so artificial flavorings are used instead.
• Cookies, cakes and even shampoos can be made with root beer.
• Root beer is a herbal medicine, used for cough and mouth sores.
• Most popular brands of root beer are non-alcoholic.
• Charles Elmer Hires created root beer in May 16, 1866. He started selling it bottled in 1893.
• Both sarsaparilla and root beer have sassafras root. There's no actual difference between them.
• 1 can of root beer (12 fl oz) has roughly 150 calories.

Chilled, foamy and tangy flavored, root beer is an ideal companion for all sorts of food and occasions. It's a popular beverage with burgers or hotdogs. Different people can have a different taste with root beer. Some find it too sour or bitter, some sweet. But one taste of it is often enough to hook you to it. It has an extremely low alcohol content (0.5%), and hence, is safe for kids to consume. Weight watchers should exercise moderation because like beer, it can pile on pounds and give you a belly. So the next time, you are planning a get together, avoid just getting soft drinks, and impress your guests with your brewing skills by serving up cold, tall mugs of root beer.