floydlloyd
New Member
Hello all,
I get requests all the time from colleagues, friends, family etc. for my root beer recipe, so thought I'd share it here also, in case someone is interested.
The end result is a complex flavor that develops as you drink.
The descriptions people give while drinking a bottle evolve from ...
"this is different ... hmmm ... spicy, yet creamy ... yet lightly flavored"
to
"Wow that was really tasty, refreshing, complex yet simple" etc.
They try to guess the ingredients which leads to a nice discussion on how it was made, and how even though it doesn't taste much like A&W or Hires etc. it is definitely root beer, and in a very high percentage of opinions much more satisfying than any other commercial root beer they've had.
From your ChefTap recipe collection:
Lloyds Old School Root Beer
photo by me :rockin:
Not the same as the big name brand commercial root beers but has its "roots" in the original recipes from way back. I've modified the proportions to impart more of the modern flavor people expect because I like it too
For excellent, brown, bale top bottles (500 mL), look into Hacker-Pschorr beer from Germany http: //www.hacker-pschorr.ca/en-CA/our-beersMakes 8 QUARTS
Ingredients
8 QUARTS distilled / filtered Water
3/4 CUP powdered Sarsaparilla
1 1/2 CUP dried Sassafras Root Bark
6 TBSP chopped, dried Licorice Root
3 TBSP chopped, dried Dandelion Root
2 TBSP chopped, dried Burdock Root
10 HEADS Star Anise
4 TBSP crushed Juniper Berries
2 3 INCH Cinnamon Sticks
4 Cloves
8 TBSP Light to Medium Molasses
6 Vanilla Beans OR 8 TBSP Pure Mexican Vanilla Extract
24 DROPS Pure Wintergreen Oil (to taste)
5 CUPS Pure Cane Sugar
1/4 TSP Champagne, Wine, or Brewers Yeast (in order of recommendation)
Instructions
1. Put all solids into blender / food processor and chop until consistency of oat bran / whole wheat flour.
2. Bring 4 QUARTS distilled / filtered water to a boil, add chopped solids from blender, stir, cover, remove from heat, add drops of pure Wintergreen Oil to taste and let steep for 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, wash and sanitize bottles and bottling equipment. Strain root-infused liquid through fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into large pot; discard solids (or keep them for a root beer smelling kitchen!)
4. Add remaining 4 QUARTS distilled/filtered water, sugar, and molasses and stir until sugar and molasses are completely dissolved. Top things back up to 8 QUARTS with distilled / filtered water if necessary. Cover and let cool to room temperature. 75 degrees is the best but slightly cooler/warmer is fine. (letting it sit overnight is fine too if you run out of time ... I know because I almost always start too late in the evening
5. Stir in yeast, cover, and let proof for 15 MINUTES. (You can also create a yeast starter with 1/4 cup 75 degree water and 1 tsp of the sugar. Stir till sugar dissolves then add yeast and stir gently then proof for 15 minutes) Using ladle and funnel fill each bottle to within 2 INCHES of top. Cap bottles and set aside to ferment at room temperature for at least 36 HOURS or up to 72 HOURS. (Check carbonation by opening bottle. If after 36 HOURS root beer still needs more carbonation, allow remaining bottles to sit for additional 24 HOURS. Repeat checking process until desired carbonation is achieved. (Recap bottles after checking carbonation and they'll be fine, give the tester bottles longer before refrigerating to make up for the lost gas from opening)
6. Place bottles in refrigerator and allow to chill for at least 2 DAYS. Serve. (Bottles can remain refrigerated for up to 5 WEEKS.) For excellent, brown, bale top bottles (500 mL), look into Hacker-Pschorr beer from Germany http://www.hacker-pschorr.ca/en-CA/our-beers
Lloyd B
Vancouver
BC
Canada
[email protected]
Additional info
Cane sugar I usually buy at Indian food stores.
I've been going to Galloway's on 6th in New Westminster for years, for odds and ends like this. They have all the ingredients. I would go online to save a few bucks but decided to support them as they are local and still a "small" business.
herbs roots etc. supplies in lower mainland BC Canada
Galloway's has wintergreen leaves that could be used but you'd have to experiment with quantity as I chose the oil route in my recipe.
As for the wintergreen oil ...
Galloway's only have a "pure Wintergreen Oil" brought in by a Burnaby BC Canada company and listed as for external use only BUT, I have decided to use it, as it is extracted by a steam infusion/distillation process as opposed to a solvent based process. Nothing is added and it is not diluted.
I spoke with the owner, who contacted the producer for me, and we confirmed that distillation IS the process.
I am not a Medical professional .. blah blah blah, but feel that compared to the sheer amount of crap my body takes in just through the food supply these days, (Chevron wastewater watering crops in California etc. California crops watered with Chevron wastewater ) a few drops of oil produced in this way is the least of my worries. I could not find a consumer sized supply of food grade oil in a timely fashion so am going with this.
Wintergreen Oil I've chosen to use page 43
100% Pure Canadian botanical oils. Free of water, alcohol and dilutents
poison.org blurb on kitchen surprises
Oil of wintergreen is another name for methyl salicylate, a relative of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Small amounts are safe to use as flavoring agents, but the bottle MUST be locked up, where children cant get to it. Small amounts of oil of wintergreen, like small amounts of aspirin, can poison children. Because oil of wintergreen is rapidly absorbed, children can become dangerously ill very quickly.
Its important to keep safety in mind even when using ordinary kitchen ingredients. Use only recommended amounts in recipes. Lock up ingredients that might be harmful if children swallow too much. And, as always, call the Poison Center right away if you suspect that someone has swallowed too much of anything. Even though youre baking or partying, the experts at the Poison Center are there to answer your phone call and help you through any poison emergency. Call 1-800-222-1222 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Have fun with it, tinker with the recipe etc. I kept thinking someday I'll modify the recipe again in the pursuit of perfection but after 50 or so batches we've decided that we love it the way it is.
It is so good that we have taken to having it with certain meals and I always take a bottle or two to work.
Last edited:
