Root beer

I am very new to home brewing, and I am interested in trying something like the following recipe for burdock and dandelion root beer courtesy of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall:

"Ingredients

2 large Burdock roots
2 Dandelion roots
4.5 litres/1 gallon of water
500g/1lb caster sugar
2 tbs black treacle
Juice of 1 lemon
Yeast

Wipe the roots clean and cut off their leaves.; cut the roots into small pieces. Put the chopped roots into a pan with 2.2 litres/4 pints water and boil for 30 minutes.

Add the sugar, treacle and lemon juice to the rest of the water in a large pan and simmer. After 30 minutes, strain off the roots and leave the liquid to cool.

Meanwhile, mix the yeast with some warm water so it starts fermenting. When the root liquid is tepid, add the yeast. Leave it to ferment in the bucket for 3-4 days. Put into bottles and drink after a week."


However, I wonder whether I could use something else rather than burdock and dandelion roots, for instance carrots or sweet potatoes? If so, would the recipe have to be adjusted in some way?

I don't think it would taste the same, but feel free to give it a whirl.

I made something similar to this in the spring. I used only dandilion, no burdock. It is taking a long time to age. Still tastes young at 12 weeks in the bottle. But taste is very promosing. I used demera sugar, not sure how different that is from caster. The dandilion root is VERY bitter sweet potato and carrot would be a compleatly different experience but who knows maybe it'll be awesome.