Hi,
I've got a pretty good handle on steeping and brewing but I've never done root beer. I've done a lot of searching on google and most of the recipes are extracts. I'd like to try my hand at something a little more homemade. I'm not against using sasparilla, wintergreen, or any other ingredient. I just want it to taste great.
I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on rare ingredients, but I'm assuming I'll need to get online for some of this stuff. Indianapolis doesn't have much here.
Please help me make a recipe, and offer suggestions for online venders that supply such ingredients.
I suggest that you first try the simplest recipe and then work your way to increasingly complicated recipes until you find one that suits your taste. That way, you won't waste money buying ingredients that you don't need. In my experience, a combination of equal parts sassafras, wintergreen and sarsaparilla are adequate.
From old books at
https://archive.org/details/texts :
--------------------------------------------------
A TREATISE ON BEVERAGES OR The Complete Practical Bottler
BY
CHARLES HERMAN SULZ, Technical Chemist and Practical Bottler
COPYRIGHT, 1888. BY C. H. SULZ & OO.
Root-Beer Essence. Ottawa or Otaki Root Beer.
Oil of sassafras, wintergreen, anise, of each three fluid drachms. Cut with pumice and sugar in a mortar and gradually dissolve in nine fluid ounces of alcohol of 95 per cent, then add by degrees nine fluid ounces of water. To
this essence various additions are made to suit the taste. Extract of
liquorice root or of wild cherry bark, extract of ginger, capsicum, solution
of citric acid, etc., are the usual admixtures, and then the essence or
"extract" as erroneously called is made to sail as Ottawa, Otaki, etc.,
root-beer extract.
Root Beer.
Take of molasses three gallons, add to this ten gallons
of boiling water. Let this stand for two hours, then pour into a barrel,
and add: powdered or bruised sassafras bark, one-half pound; wintergreen
bark, one-half pound; sarsaparilla root, one-half pound; fresh
yeast, one pint. Water sufficient to make thirty to thirty-five gallons.
Let this ferment twelve hours, when it can be drawn off and bottled.
Instead of using the barks, the root-beer essence may be used for flavoring.
Another formula is: five ounces sassafras: three ounces wild
cherry bark; four gallons of molasses; five ounces allspice; five ounces
wintergreen bark; one to one and one-half ounces of hops, and the same
quantity of coriander seed. Pour boiling water on these ingredients, and
let them stand twenty-four hours; strain, then add one to two pints of
yeast and enough water to make thirty gallons. The next day draw off
and bottle.
--------------------------------------------------
KRAMER'S Book of Trade Secrets FOR THE Manufacturer and Jobber
BY
ADOLPH KRAMER
1905
SIOUX PUBLISHING COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, Sutherland, Iowa
Root Beer Essence
1 oz. Oil of Sassafras.
3/4 oz. Oil of Wintergreen.
3/8 oz. Oil of Anise.
1/8 oz. Oil of Cloves.
3 3/4 oz. Oil of Alcohol.
4 oz. of Water.
6 ozs. Caramel.
If bitterness is needed, add tincture of
quassia, 1 oz.
Root Beer Extract
1 pt. Fluid Extract of Sarsparilla.
2 ozs. Fluid Extract Calamus.
4 fl. drs. Oil Sassafras.
1 fl. dr. Oil Wintergreen.
1 fl. dr. Oil Anise.
1 pt. Alcohol.
Water to make 1 gallon.
Caramel to Color.
Mix the caramel with 2 pints water, add
the fluid extracts, then the oil previously
mixed with the alcohol, and finally
enough water to make one gallon.
Root Beer
Boiling water 5 gals.
Add Mollases 1 1/2 gal.
Allow to stand 3 hours, then add:
Bruised Sassafras bark 1/4 lb.
Wintergreen bark 1/4 lb.
Sarsparilla root 1/4 lb.
Fresh Yeast 1/2 pt.
Water enough to make 15 to 17 gallons.
After this has fermented for 12 hours it
can be drawn off and bottled.
Root Beer
Pour boiling water on
Sassafras 2 1/2 ozs.
Wild Cherry bark 1/2 ozs.
Allspice 2 1/2 ozs.
Wintergreen 2 1/2 ozs.
Hops 1/2 oz,
Coriander seed 1/2 oz.
Mollases 2 gals.
Let the mixture stand 1 day. Strain
and add Yeast 1 pt.
This beer may be bottled the following day.
Root Beer Extract
Tincture of Ginger 12 ozs-
Extract of Vanilla 12 ozs.
Oil of Sassafras 4 ozs.
Oil of Wintergreen 2 ozs.
Oil of Anise 1 oz.
Oil of Orange 1/4 oz.
Oil of Cloves 1/4 oz.
Alcohol 1/2 gal.
Simple Syrup 3 1/2 gals-
Tincture of Soap Bark 4 ozs.
Salicylic Acid 1 dr.
Caramel 1 1/4 gals.
Water q. s. to make up to 6 gallons.
Dissolve the oils and the salicylic acid in
in the alcohol; mix the syrup, water and
caramel and add the other ingredients.
