bluefoxicy

Recipes 

I heard you can brew root beer but it's got a 0.5% alcohol content or something. Curious.

Does it taste like the stuff they jerk out at the Stewart's stand down the street?

Ditto for ginger ale.

CoalBrew

Recipes 

I've brewed a batch with my kids from a simple extract kit that has you add sugar. It was fair to bad... I need to work on it. I'm not sure what percentage you can count on, alcohol wise, but just knowing there is yeast and sugar involved it has to have some. The key is to allow the yeast to eat just enough sugar to carbonate the drink. As soon as it has, refridgerate the stuff to dormant the yeast. I don't know much but hope that helps.

Brew-Happy

Recipes 

I can speak for ginger ale. It doesn't taste much like the cheap stuff you buy at the store. It tastes BETTER!

You can control your ginger:sugar ratio to make a really sweet ginger ale (not for me) or a strong spicy ginger ale (yay!)

Mostly, make a simple batch and keep notes. Then adjust how much ginger and sugar you use. Then take more notes.

Finally, add spices and other adjunct to make new flavors.

The alcohol is negligible and I can't taste the yeast for spicier ginger ale.

__________________
Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 2003!!! Whoop!

HarvInSTL

Recipes 

Root beer will have a small percentage of alcohol if you use yeast to carbonate it with.

So if that is a concern you have two options.

1.) Bottle your root beer into 2litter bottles and use a carbonater/home made carbonation cap to carbonate them.

2.) Keg it.

Step #1 is normally the cheapest and for the most part pretty easy if you purchase the carbonater caps. But I would build them rather than purchase them.

Step #2 is the easiest. I fill the keg with water, carbonate it and then add the sugar and root beer extract. Shake the hell out of it and you are good to go.

As far as what extract is good, I've only used Gnome (for both my root beer and my cream soda) and have been very, very happy with it!

Homemade carbonator caps.

__________________
Primary: Cherry Vanilla Melomel, Blueberry melomel, Orange Cranberry Melomel, Port, Orange Blossom Muscat, Dubbel, Golden Strong

Secondary: 9/9/9/-My version, Carbernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Raspberry Melomel

On deck: Tripel, 5 day IPA Squared, White Russian Imperial Stout

Live in Saint Louis, MO? Then check out www.stlbrews.org and www.garagebrewers.com

Homercidal

Recipes 

There will be some minute alcohol, but if it's done right, it won't be noticeable. I made some birch beer with the kids and ended up with exploding bottles, and looking back at it, probably a fair amount of alcohol. I liked it. Well, the flavor was ok, but it was fun.

Doing it again, I'd do it differently. For one, I now have a co2 system, so I can keg it. Second, I'd probably try Gnome kits. The one I used wasn't as good as I expected, and the cream soda we made was pretty bitter too.

Just remember to keep it cold and you won't have to worry about alcohol.

bluefoxicy

Recipes 

Second question, what is the legal limit for open bottle alcohol content in my jurisdiction XD I'm sure it'll take gallons of this stuff to hit the alcohol present in one beer, the cops might not care or might not know though if I'm driving down the street with a soda bottle.

Also I got some rootbeer from the market today and it tasted kind of like bread. o.o;

Philip1993

Recipes 

I just made some (foce carb'd) and it was great. A little too much bite after carbonation, so I'm going to drop it down a few volumes.

As for alcohol content, N.A. beer is 0.5% and cannot be sold on Sunday In Ga. I expect the cops reaction would depend more on the mood, etc. than law

__________________
OdorDestroyer.com - Pet odor removers and related products.

sterling214

Recipes 

I have seen recipies that use dry ice to carb rootbeer. I would imagin you swould have to be very carful to keep it from exploding.

wilbanba

Recipes 

hydrometer readings will give you ABV if you are concerned about it

thats better...

david_42

Recipes 

Open container? I doubt the soda would be tested unless you BAL was over the limit & you tried to use "It's just root beer." as a defense.

I make a keg of birch beer occasionally. I rarely see it for sale.

__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

"I would like to die on Mars, just not on impact." Elon Musk