Root Beer Recipes?

[danr]

My son's high school chemistry class is going to brew root beer, and I though I would follow along at home. The teacher is compiling a variety of recipes to give the students ideas to experiment with. Does anyone here have a favorite root beer recipe that they would share with us?

Thanks in advance!

Dan

 

[K5MOW]

I would be very interested in a good recipe.

Roger

 

[DonMcJr]

Root Beer Mead...MMMmmmm!

 

[danr]

If no one here has a suggestion, I will do my own experiment and let you know how it turns out. The thing that I now realize, but had never thought about before, is that the only real fermentation in a typical homemade root beer must be the bottle carbonation. If my sons class were to use a primary fermentation with an airlock before bottling, they would end up with alcohol instead of soda (or alcoholic soda). This might be interesting as a GotMead side project, but probably not a good idea with high school sophomores.

This personal enlightenment raised a significant concern for me, since the teacher asked for donations of glass bottles and brewers yeast for the soda. While I know that refrigeration can make the yeast temporarily dormant, I expect that this would be a perfect recipe for bottle bombs - fill a glass bottle with lots of sugar and some yeast and put a crown cap on it.

I emailed the teacher and suggested that he either force carbonate with CO2 and a keg or use plastic bottles. I do not know what experience folks here have, but I expect unless you get the bottles in the refrigerator at the ideal carbonation, and then keep them refrigerated until drinking, that glass bottles is a recipe for disaster.

 

[crowquill]

You might check this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Root-Beer-Soda-Pop/dp/1580170528/

I haven't made the root beer recipe, but the ginger ale recipe is great.

 

[jkane]

I had too many bad experiences with "natural yeast" carbonation in root beers. I use forced CO2 now exclusivly. Plastic and putting them in the fridge is the way to go, but drink FAST. Yeast does not die in a fridge. It just gets slower. Especially when you are trying to stop it at about 1/2% alcohol only and a lot of yummy sugar left behind for it to nibble on.

Here's my recipe that is very well liked at beer festivals as an alternative for the designated drivers.

The kinds of sugar are less important than the quantity. Substitute cup for cup with whatvyou can find. The malto dextrine is for a creamy head. Get the extract at homebrew stores. I use the "homebrew" brand in the little brown boxes.

Root Beer

2 oz Root Beer Extract
1 oz Sarsaparilla Extract
1/2 cup honey
2 cups Dark Brown Sugar
2 cups Light Brown Sugar
2 cups Raw Cane Sugar Crystals
4 cups White Crystal Sugar
1 cup Malto Dextrin
1/2 teaspoon Black Strap Molasses
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
2 tablespoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Coconut Extract
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
1/2 teaspoon Rum Extract
1 gallon hot water to dissolve the sugar
4 gallons cold water
*
Roll the keg on the floor to mix well.
Chill and carbonate at 30 PSI of CO2 for 3 days.

0% ABV* ;-)

 

[jkane]

As a high school experiement, it's more likely about fermentation, than about the root beer though. When I was a lad, way when , our teacher made us ferment peas! That was disencentive to try and drink the final product. This teacher is encouraging drinking it I think.

Oh yeah, fully fermented root beer taters nasty. Just saying!

Sprecher, here in Milwaukee, makes a fermented root beer beverage. It's actually drinkable. Not sure what their process is. I know they use local honey in their regular root beer though.

 

[pokerfacepablo]

Love the taste of Sarsaparilla extract. Usually mix this with honey and blend of spices including Wintergreen leaves, Cardamom, and vanilla bean. There are instructions that come with the extract and show a couple different ways of brewing. I use empty 2 liter bottles and let the mixture sit at room air for 3 days and then I place in the fridge in the meantime. I only use a small amount of Ale yeast... recommended on the instructions otherwise bottle bomb in the making.

http://www.amazon.com/Sarsaparilla-...78334480&sr=8-6&keywords=sarsaparilla+extract

 

[smertz001]

This sounds like a great science experiment in school. Of course in my grade 11 chem class we were taught how to make cocaine. We used tea leaves and alcohol (removed caffeine) instead of cocoa leaves and gasoline.

So making a little fermented beverage really isn't all that bad (=

Plus, root beer is just awesome and I need to make some to go with my ginger ale and cherry sodas!

 

[kiahuwa]

There are instructions that come with the extract and show a couple different ways of brewing!
2 oz Root Beer Extract
1 oz Sarsaparilla Extract
1/2 cup honey
2 cups Dark Brown Sugar

 

[kiahuwa]

There are instructions that come with the extract and show a couple different ways of brewing!
2 oz Root Beer Extract
1 oz Sarsaparilla Extract
1/2 cup honey
2 cups Dark Brown Sugar

St. Pete gym

 

[danr]

I posted our current recipe on another thread: LINK

 

[ironhelmet]

My son's high school chemistry class is going to brew root beer, and I though I would follow along at home. The teacher is compiling a variety of recipes to give the students ideas to experiment with. Does anyone here have a favorite root beer recipe that they would share with us?

Thanks in advance!

Dan

That's great! I also would like to have a root beer recipe, anyone would like to share? my family loves root beer

 

[danr]

That's great! I also would like to have a root beer recipe, anyone would like to share? my family loves root beer

ironhelmet,

I linked to the recipe that he created in my last post. (I started a separate thread about sassafras.)

If you use his recipe, please be sure to note my typo (tablespoons vs. teaspoons) for the vanilla extract. We made a variation that we like even better that substitutes 2 teaspoons of butterscotch extract for the 5 drops of mint.

Dan