Want real rootbeer - Page 5

Curtis2010 · 12-26-2011, 05:09 PM

And why, oh wise self-appointed moderator, should I do that when the subject of this forum is making root beer?

**r2eng** · 12-28-2011, 03:36 PM

I think what he means is that you have a recipe: This soda forum would benefit from your recipe being it's own thread, so your recipe isn't buried in another thread... I would second the motion!

Looks really interesting!

**msa8967** · 12-29-2011, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curtis2010

I just brewed an awesome root beer and thought I would post here for the benefit of those looking for a good recipe. This is for 5 gallons for forced carbonated root beer (you could of course easily adapt this to naturally carbonate).

The end result has a rich creamy head with very long retention, creamy mouth feel, and is not overly sweet as can result if using sugar rather than DME.

Ingredients below:

8oz Cara-Pils
8oz Flaked Oats
1lb Light DME
1 Bottle Root Beer Extract (qty may vary by supplier)
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Brew Steps:

Bring 1 gallon of water to 160 and add grains (I put mine in a grain bag which makes them easy to remove). Steep at 155 for 30 minutes (do not boil). Remove grains.

Add DME and mix well. Bring water back up to 160 and hold for 30 minutes (there is no need to boil this stuff...just need to pasteurize and mix well).

Transfer to keg (our whatever your gear dictates) add extract (again no need to boil an extract you just drive off flavor components). Top up with with cool clean water. Force carbonate at approximately 26PSI at 45F.

Pic attached of the end result -- rich, creamy and yummy!

You could also adapt this to brew a "hard" root beer by upping the gravity with DME. I have a small 1-liter test batch of this approach brewing now. I brought the OG of this test batch up to about 1.060 with DME and pitched a generic dry brewer's yeast by Coopers.

Is the 1 lb of DME enough to provide the sweetness of a soda pop? I usualy use about 3-4 lbs of brown/cane sugar mixed for the 5 gallon recipes that come with extract rootbeer kits. I have got to try this next time i kick the RB keg.

Curtis2010 · 01-24-2012, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r2eng

I think what he means is that you have a recipe: This soda forum would benefit from your recipe being it's own thread, so your recipe isn't buried in another thread... I would second the motion!

Looks really interesting!

OK. Be happy to post it on a new thread also.

Curtis2010 · 01-24-2012, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msa8967

Is the 1 lb of DME enough to provide the sweetness of a soda pop? I usualy use about 3-4 lbs of brown/cane sugar mixed for the 5 gallon recipes that come with extract rootbeer kits. I have got to try this next time i kick the RB keg.

It is quite "dry" for a root beer, but you could of course adjust the sugars to get the level of sweetness you want. DME will give you more of a malty sweetness and more body. Refined sugars -- more sugary sweetness and less body.

It all comes down to personal preference. I consume almost no processed sugar. As a result, processed sugar tastes really nasty to me. Also, I don't like overly sweet beverages.

This recipe produces a root beer with a nice creamy body and mouth-feel, but I think you could adjust it to be sweeter w/out lightening it too much. I think the key is to sweeten it just enough to suit your tastes without lightening the body too much. Bumping up the cara-pils and/or oats a bit might help offset the lightening effect of the sugar addition.