Root beer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Root beer is a beverage also known as Sarsparilla outside of North America. Root beer, popularized in North America, comes in two forms: alcoholic and soft drink.
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[edit] Ingredients
The soft drink version of root beer is non-alcoholic and is generally made using root beer extract or other flavored syrups diluted into carbonated water. This version constitutes about 3% of the American soft drink market.[1]
The alcoholic version is made by fermenting a solution of root beer extract and sugar with yeast. Typically [1] this will yield a beverage with about 0.4% alcohol. The extract may contain a variety of flavors. Bark from the roots of Sassafras tree is the typical flavor in root beer. It can be complimented with other flavorful ingredients, for instance vanilla, cherry tree bark, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, artificial sassafras root bark flavoring (the natural form is mildly carcinogenic), nutmeg, anise, and molasses among other ingredients in some cases including caffeine.
Many local brands of root beer exist, and homemade root beer is made from concentrate[2] or (rarely) from actual roots. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic root beers have a thick and foamy head when poured.
An extremely easy recipe for making home made root beer[3] calls for adding a cup of table sugar to a 2 liter soft drink bottle, adding 1 Tablespoon of root beer extract and 1/4 teaspoon of yeast (either live bakers or brewers work), capping securely, and letting sit for 24-48 hours at room temperature until the bottle feels hard. IMPORTANT: when the bottle feels hard, move into a refrigerator to chill or it becomes an explosion hazard after a week or two (depending on the temperature).
The resulting brew has a slight yeasty taste in the first week or so of refrigeration.
[edit] Traditional use
Root beer is a traditional beverage and herbal medicine. Throughout history, the beverage was often alcoholic, usually around 2%. As a medicine it was used for treating cough and mouth sores. Commercially prepared root beer was developed by Charles Elmer Hires on May 16, 1866. He presented root tea powder at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial exhibition. In 1893 he began selling bottled carbonated root beer. There was an upsurge in the popularity of root beer in the United States during the period of prohibition in the early 20th century as local breweries resorted to brewing non-alcoholic root beer since alcoholic beverages were outlawed.[2]
[edit] Commercial soft drink brands
- A&W Root Beer — Cadbury-Schweppes
- Barq's — Coca-Cola
- Boylan Bottling Company
- Carter's
- Dad's Root Beer — Hedinger Brands, LLC
- Fanta
- Faygo
- Dr.Fitz's
- Frostie
- Frostop
- Grandpa Graf's
- Hank's
- Henry Weinhard
- Hires Root Beer
- Hosmer Mountain Root Beer
- IBC Root Beer — Cadbury-Schweppes
- Jones Soda Root Beer
- Mug Root Beer — PepsiCo
- Railroad Root Beer
- Ramblin' Root Beer — Coca-Cola, Replaced in mid-1990s with Barq's
- Route 66 Route Beer — Route 66 Sodas, LLC
- Sarsi — Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc.
- Shasta
- Stewart's Fountain Classics — Cadbury-Schweppes (Winner, 2006 World Cup of Root Beer)
- Sprecher Root Beer
- Tommyknockers - When under the right lowlight, this brand glows in the dark.
- Vess
- White Rock Root Beer Sioux City
- Zuberfizz
[edit] Commercial brands
Traditional root beer brands include:
- A-Treat Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Abita
- Barqs root beer
- Barrelhead — Cadbury-Schweppes
- Blumers
- Bundaberg Root Beer — Australian brand of brewed drinks
- Fitz's
- Frozen Run
- Goose Island
- Hank's Root Beer
- Henry Weinhard's Root Beer
- Myers Avenue Red root beer [4]
- Old Dominion Root Beer
- Natural Brew Hand Crafted Draft Root Beer contains sweet birch, licorice root, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, clove, anise, wintergreen, and vanilla
- Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer - PA regional brand specializing in red birch beer.
- RICHardson Root Beer
- RipSaw Root Beer - A Michigan root beer bottled in Alpena by The Fletcher Street Brewing Company.
- Route 66 Root Beer
- Saint Arnold Brewing Company - Texas regional brand, made with cane sugar [5]
- Snapple
- Sprecher Brewery
- Thomas Kemper
- |Tommyknocker's
- Triple XXX
- Virgil's Root Beer — Reed's, Inc.
The Samuel Adams brewery also produces an alcoholic variety in its Brewer/Patriot sampler pack. It is flavored with herbs, spices, honey, and molasses.
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Quarantiello, Laura E. The Root Beer Book. 96 pages. Limelight Books: 1997. ISBN 0-936653-78-7.
- ^ Kim Severson,Real Men Drink Root Beer, San Francisco Chronicle, April 28, 1999
[edit] External links
- The Rootbeer Brothers For the Love of Root Beer.
- anthony's Root Beer barrel Reviews of 321 different brews
- Spike's Root Beer Ratings and Reviews Reviews, photos, and ingredient information on different brands
- Root Beer World History and photos of over 2000 brands, with recipes and discussion forums
- Condensed information about root beer from the Home Brewers Digest 1991-1994
- Root Beer Brands - RootBeer.net
- Eric's Gourmet Root Beer Site Reviews of gourmet root beers, those in glass bottles.
- Luke's Root Beer Pages
- [6] Fankhauser's EASY recipe for homemade root beer
- Root Beer In The UKde:Root Beer
et:Kali es:Cerveza de raíz eo:Radikbiero fr:Root beer la:Cervisia radicalis ja:ルートビア sv:Root Beer
