Making of Root Beer Extract

Root beer was traditionally brewed in kegs.

Root beer, a delicious fizzy beverage made from herbs, roots, bark and sugar, is an American favorite. This soft drink stands the test of time, having been around for an estimated 150 years. Beverage industry leaders Coca-Cola and PepsiCo both have their own brands of root beer, and there are more than 565 other brands on the market.

History

The first root beer on record was invented by Charles Hires, a pharmacist from Philadelphia. Hires was trying to make a new health drink. He introduced his product at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. It is generally accepted that root beer had been around before then, but Hires was the first to market it and make the beverage popular.

Ingredients

The original Hires recipe included birch bark, chirreta, dog grass, ginger, hops, juniper berries, licorice, sassafras, sarsaparilla, sugar, vanilla, wintergreen and yerba mate. In 1960, sassafras was determined to be a mild carcinogenic and the FDA banned its use. Today, most root beers use wintergreen as the main ingredient instead of sassafras.

Making Extract

All types of root beer use a variation of ingredients and measurements of those ingredients. Wintergreen is always the main ingredient in traditional root beers. Roots and bark are washed thoroughly and split to release more flavor. Any woody bits are removed from bark. The roots, bark, leaves and flowers of the herbs are then dried. Once dried, they are boiled together to create root beer extract. This liquid is strained to remove all solids, then fermented to create root beer.

References

• Root Beer Brand Names
• Brewing Root Beer
• Eric's Gourmet Root Beer History