extract root beer.

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JuiceyJay

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I want to start making rootbeer and I came across some extract "kits" and I was wondering if after it is done fermenting and bottle carbonated can it be stored for a while (weeks-months) for conditioning without the worry of bottle bombs as long as I stove top pasturize when the desired carbon level
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/

do the extract recipes taste alright?
 
Not to steal the thread but I also would be interested in this. Would be nice to make root beer and ALWAYS have some on hand and not have to drink it before it becomes to carbonated or to alcohol-y. But theoretically if you think about this, it seems like it would work for us. See, the yeast is what carbonates. When yeast eats sugar it produces CO2 and alcohol.

With us root beer brewers our fermentation time period is very short. I typically am done after 3 days. The in the fridge it goes. At this point the yeast is not fully dormant, but slowed down quite dramatically. Well if you were too REALLY heat up the bottles to 190 degrees or cold crash in a freezer this should kill the yeast for good and hopefully leaving you with a perfectly carbonated bottled beverage. The best part is you can always have it on hand and ready to enjoy.
 
Crazy8 said:
Not to steal the thread but I also would be interested in this. Would be nice to make root beer and ALWAYS have some on hand and not have to drink it before it becomes to carbonated or to alcohol-y. But theoretically if you think about this, it seems like it would work for us. See, the yeast is what carbonates. When yeast eats sugar it produces CO2 and alcohol.

With us root beer brewers our fermentation time period is very short. I typically am done after 3 days. The in the fridge it goes. At this point the yeast is not fully dormant, but slowed down quite dramatically. Well if you were too REALLY heat up the bottles to 190 degrees or cold crash in a freezer this should kill the yeast for good and hopefully leaving you with a perfectly carbonated bottled beverage. The best part is you can always have it on hand and ready to enjoy.
Click to expand...

I've done it with cider and have some in bottles in the closet that have been in for about 2 months without bombs, wondering if it would work for root beer or if it even really needs it
 
Well I'm no expert, but I would say if you wanted to keep root beer around that long, that yes you would need to do that. As long as the yeast is alive, its going to consume the sugar which in return will create alcohol and CO2. Which means that you will run risk of bottle bombs.
 
The only safe way to stabilize a sweet, 'carbonated in the bottle' beverage is to pasteurize. This is assuming you are using all fermentables.

Can you find the balance of bottling when your SG hits a specific point and maintaining the sweetness from a non-fermentable source, bottle carbing from that bit of residual sugar and not have to pasteurize? Sure, but what is the magic number? I've bottled as a SG hits 1.003 many times with cider, wine, water kefir, kombucha and achieved bubbly goodness, sweetening with xylitol, splenda, stevia, blends of the ones just mentioned. It should work with root beer, someone needs to experiment & find out what works. But if you want sugar-sweet you need to pasteurize.
 
JuiceyJay said:
I want to start making rootbeer and I came across some extract "kits" and I was wondering if after it is done fermenting and bottle carbonated can it be stored for a while (weeks-months) for conditioning without the worry of bottle bombs as long as I stove top pasturize when the desired carbon level
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/

do the extract recipes taste alright?
Click to expand...

I have used the Sprecher Root Beer concentrate. Now thats easy to make but you need to force carbonate in kegs as they add to the syrups sodium benzoate. It is fantastic tasting root beer but $$$. Worth a splurge once a year for the kids.
 
This is a two-fold post. I have brewed a few batches of root beer and birch beer using slenda, yeasties won't eat, and with extracts containing sodium beznote. All the batches were bottle conditioned, fizzed up quite well. I have also kept a bottle of my first batch in my basement, without pasturizing, with no signs of a soda bomb. Out of all the people who drank them said there was a slight diet taste. I simply added the equal amount of splenda, with just enough sugar to carbonate the bottles. So it appears that the yeast does stop once the natural sugars ar gone. What I do not understand is why I am able to use an extract that has sodium benzonate in it and still have it bottle condition.
 
Sodium Benzoate acts as a fungistatic in acidic conditions. Sprecher uses a combo of Phosphoric Acid and Sodium Benzoate. Its an acid condition, yeasties will die (unless you have changed the intracellular pH above 5). If you want to bottle condition go old school or use extract without Sodium Benzoate.

Extract from Northern Brewer widely available (but not as good as the Sprecher)
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/review/product/list/id/583/

This ones is old school from scratch
http://www.chow.com/recipes/10681-chow-root-beer

Good Luck
 

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