Root beer made the old fashioned way...

Hello everyone!

I am gathering everything I need to make root beer the old fashioned way. Here's what I bought so far...

4 - Cornelius soda kegs - Pressure Tested (I know these need to be sanitized before use, so I have to gather that info as well).

12 - 4 oz bottles of Zatarain's Root Beer Extract (each bottle makes 5 gallons - perfect for corny kegs - cost was 2.49 per bottle)

50 - 5 gram packets Red Star Pasteur Champagne Active Dry Wine Yeast (got 50 because I wasn't sure how many I would actually use per batch and only cost me 60 cents per packet). I got this because I read it produced the cleanest tasting soda with minimal yeast flavor.

Now, there's a recipe on the back of the Zatarain bottles and here's what it says:

...

Old fashion method: To make 53 bottles Zatarain's Root Beer. HANDLE WITH CARE. USE ONLY HEAVY GLASS BOTTLES.
Five (5) gallons of lukewarm water, white sugar (three to four pounds according to taste), one (1) bottle Zatarain's Root Beer Extract, one (1) package beer yeast (5 grams) dissolved in a cup of warm water. Mix properly and strain into clean heavy glass bottles. Cap securely. Lay in sun for an hour or two (to help it age and help yeast to rise). Always lay bottles down. Allow to stand at room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours, test one bottle for carbonation and flavor by tasting; if additional carbonation is desired allow to stand additional time and taste again. Refrigerate after desired carbonation is reached.
CAUTION: NATURAL CARBONATION MAY CREATE EXPLOSIVE CONDITION IF IMPROPERLY STORED OR HANDLED.

...

Ok, now with all that out of the way. My desire is to make a keg at a time of this root beer. But not in glass bottles as they say. I want to make it in the corny kegs. So my question is do I follow the mixing instructions by adding the quantities they listed (probably not all the water right away, but maybe 4 gallons then top off in the end with a bit more water ( I know I need to leave a little room in there maybe a quarts worth). Then seal the keg and shake/flip the keg to mix up the ingredients more. Then store away for about a week or two to carbonate.

Then once the proper level of carbonation is reached, how to serve it out? Do I need additional pressure to serve it from the keg using a party tap? Do I need a CO2 tank hooked up to serve it or is there a hand pump that can be used to build up pressure to serve it?

Obviously, I am new to this, so any help would be greatly appreciated. I have 3 eager kids that would love to have this root beer.

Thanks in advance!

If you're kegging, you should get a CO2 tank and regulator. Natural carbonation will not provide enough pressure to serve.

Since you're planning on kegging, I highly recommend force carbonation. Yeast adds a little bit of a "bite" to the flavor, and it also provides a very slight amount of alcohol (that will increase over time, especially in a keg). Of course, you'll need that tank first...

If you have the cornie kegs, you might as well go for the co2 tank and regulator setup. Or you could go on-line or to a LHBS vendor in your area and purchase one of the co2 cartridge chargers that adapts to a ball valve gas-in port. Then you just need a picnic tap and some properly sized food-grade hose to dispense your root-beer. Don't forget the hose clamps or you might have a nasty, sticky clean-up ahead.

Salute!

OH and what type of sanitizer should I be using? I read that Iodophor Sanitizer is the better one to use for cleaning out my kegs... do I need a brush for scrubbing them as well and do I soak them for any length of time? Thanks!

Get ya some oxiclean and/or boiling hot water.

kanielb1 said:

Get ya some oxiclean and/or boiling hot water.

Click to expand...

Which is a good cleaner but not a sanitizer. Oxyclean for cleaning, Iodophor or Star San for sanitizing.

You can naturally carbonate, but unless you can chill the kegs to 35F or so, they will continue to ferment.

You'll need a CO2 tank and regulator for serving.

You will need a very long party tap for serving. I use 20 feet of 3/16ths tubing for soda. Otherwise, you'll have nothing but foam.

All good advice.

clean with "Powdered Brewers Wash" or OxyClean Free (only use the "free" the other versions have fragrance added which will still be there after sanitizing)

Sanitize with StarSan, Iohophor or commercial no rinse sanitizers (quat-based are best)

DO NOT use yeast to carbonate

Buy a regulator and CO2 tank. Even if you tried to naturally carbonate you'd still need the CO2 to push the Root Beer out of the keg so just do it right from the beginning.

I run my soda regulator at 45psi and use 20 ft of 3/16th tubing which gives a decent pour.

The Root Beer will permeate everything plastic and you won't want to ever use the beverage hoses for anything else. You probably will want to change the o-rings on the kegs too if you ever want anything other than root beer in them.

Suggestions:
I use 4 lbs sugar and 20 oz honey when I make the zatarains concentrate, I like it better than the all cane sugar version.

I also keep a keg with plain water at 45 psi. My wife really likes soda water and this is way cheaper than buying the stuff.

I use 2 litre soda bottles. Simple recipe:
2 cups Sugar
1 tblsp Zatarains
1/16 or a hair more tsp of Nottingham or whatever ale yeast happens to be handy.
Fill bottle with luke warm tap water, put cap on tightly
Shake vigorously
Put bottles away in a safe place, after 3-5 days check bottles, if they are hard when you squeeze them you have carbonated rootbeer, put the bottles in the fridge and enjoy when cold.
AP

I made Root Beer for my son's graduation party this spring. It was a big hit, I was worried we'd run out before everyone that wanted a glass could get one. Point is, home made RB is great, make more than you think you need.


A lot of good advice here. Subscribed.

I have noticed using the 2-liter bottle method that there is yeast in the bottom of each bottle. This is nasty stuff. I also noticed that during the 3-4 days I have these bottles sitting, the yeast "changes" the taste of root beer slightly and gives it a bit of an alcoholic beverage taste (of course without all the alcohol content). My kids like the "Root Beer Kool-Aid" method better than the yeast based soda I have made thus far. You really have to be careful after you open the bottles made with yeast that you don't stir that stuff up in the root beer you plan to drink. Though the root beer is good, it's the yeast flavor my kids aren't to thrilled about. So here's my recipes so far...

2 liter bottle w/yeast
-------------------------
1> Using a funnel pour 2 cups of sugar into a sanitized 2 liter bottle.
2> Add 1/8 tsp Champagne Yeast (I used Red Star Champagne Yeast)
3> Add 1 Tbsp of Zatarain's Root Beer Extract
4> Fill half way with water that measures a temperature between 95 and 110.
5> Cap and shake vigorously to fully dissolve the sugar and yeast.
6> Open and fill almost full (leave a bit of air at the top) with more water between 95 and 110 degrees.
7> Cap and store for up to about 3 or 4 days. Make sure you check for firmness each day.
8> When firmness is reached place in fridge for 24 hours to chill.
9> Drink and enjoy.

(Just don't stir up the yeast in the bottom - made that mistake the first bottle I made this way).

Root Beer Kool-Aid
-------------------------
1> Using a gallon container (milk jug variety work great), fill with 2 cups of sugar.
2> Add 1 and 3/4 Tbsp of Zatarain's Root Beer Extract.
3> Add about half full with warm water, cap and shake to dissolve the sugar. You can use cold water, but I used warm to help dissolve the sugar faster then added ice cubes and shook again to chill it.
4> Fill to the top with cold water.
5> (optional step) leave in fridge for at least 12 hours for full flavor experience.
6> Drink and enjoy, I know my kids do.

I have to make a gallon of this everyday now since my three kids drink it from the time they get home from school and it's gone before bedtime.


I hope this helps. I have yet to make any in a keg. I am worried about the yeast getting stirred up by the CO2 line and all, but I will be attempting it sometime in the near future. I will update this thread with my findings.

Nice thing about the 2 litre bottles is the little depressions in the bottom where the yeast settles. After a couple days in the fridge the yeast gets pretty compacted down there and I dont worry about it getting stirred up, of coarse I can see with kids it might be a different story. I like to try different yeasts with my rootbeers, all the different ale yeasts and Champagne yeasts, wine yeasts. So far the best I have found, personal taste, is Nottingham, with Coopers a close 2nd. I am off carbonated sodas for awhile, dieting, I am down to 220 from 250 since June. Another 20-30 to go and I will be back onto my rootbeer, maybe with a sugar sub.
AP

I have to chime in in support of force carbonating if you're using kegs anyway. It's ridiculously easy. Water, sugar, extract, keg, done. 15 minutes worth of work and a week or so later and you have yummy draft root beer.