Hard Root Beer recipe

[nettekdl]

Quick question on this stuff, I've been brewing for years but this is my first attempt with bottling with residual sugar so i don't totally understand one thing. I bottled a 1 gallon batch this morning and put one in a coke bottle to test when carbonated but after about 4 hours the pet bottle is already firm. How firm do I let it get? There is no way this carbed that fast is there? I really would hate to have bottle bombs as this stuff I'm sure is one sticky mess

 

[EelRiverBottomsBrewing]

I had a batch carbed like 6 hours later. I bottles it too soon. Your yeast was probably still very potent when you bottles. Open up one if your bottles and see how carbed it is

 

[nettekdl]

Well I did 4 weeks primary and 10 days cold crash so I don't think I bottled it too soon but looks like I'll throw it in the fridge tonight to halt it where it is

 

[Ike]

Quick question on this stuff, I've been brewing for years but this is my first attempt with bottling with residual sugar so i don't totally understand one thing. I bottled a 1 gallon batch this morning and put one in a coke bottle to test when carbonated but after about 4 hours the pet bottle is already firm. How firm do I let it get? There is no way this carbed that fast is there? I really would hate to have bottle bombs as this stuff I'm sure is one sticky mess

Between a batch of this and a couple of sweet ciders, I've had a BEAR of a time getting the plastic bottle thing to work out for me. I've had the same results: the plastic bottle gets time-bomb, don't-want-to-even-jiggle-it hard, and when I check a glass bottle: nothing.

SO, I may do a plastic bottle in the future, but for my next batches I'm going to only use it as an indicator of when to start checking glass bottles. Someone here (it was in a cider thread, I think) suggests popping a top every day or so once you think things are starting to carb up; THEN, if the glass bottle you just checked is still flatter than you want, a quick re-cap shouldn't allow TOO much CO2 to escape from solution. That bottle then gets marked (or maybe has a different color cap at that point) and rotated to the back, and not "tested" again until it's drank. In this way, no one bottle is uncapped too many times leading to false results and flat bottles.

 

[jetmech_63]

I just finished carbing a 3 gallon batch, followed recipie exactly and used fermentap root beer extract... The extract sucks. The malt base is great but be warned, I used almost a whole bottle of the extract and it still doesn't taste like a good root beer flavor. Not enough anise and licorice flavor, just a subdued sasparilla flavor and not much wintergreen either. Any suggestions for my next batch? Gnome! Mccormicks? Help....

 

[fur_252]

Has any tried to use this extract?
http://www.annapolishomebrew.com/en/sprecher-root-beer

Thinking of making high OG of 4 gallons then stabilize and then dump this liquid extract in to make 5 gallons .....any thoughts??

 

[fur_252]

Found extract cheaper:
http://www.homebrewing.org/Sprecher-Rootbeer-Soda_p_740.html

 

[zagbrew]

If I am making a five gallon batch, how many packets of Nottingham?

 

[captbonez]

I bottled this today and had the separation issue. (before I even finished bottling I realized it was a problem.

3 gallon batch
7 days in a primary and another 6 in secondary, used McCormick extract. Only deviation to original recipe was I used extra light extract instead of just light extract because it was what i had on hand.

Any ideas on the cure for the separation issue yet? tasted good going into the bottle and am looking forward to the complete product.

 

[Ike]

SO... Google led me to this site:

http://www.northwesternextract.com/manufacturing-of-soft-drinks/

Where the most relevant info seemed to be:

"The flavoring ingredients used in making soft drinks must be water soluble allowing them to completely disperse throughout the drink with no separation. Flavors are supplied in two forms:

Extracts – The flavoring oils and compounds are dissolved in alcohol and water. Normally this form of flavor will produce a clear type of soft drink. Examples are lemon-lime [Seven-Up type], ginger ale and cream soda.

Emulsions – Using various types of food gums, the flavoring oils are suspended in aqueous solution. Homogenization is used to stabilize the oil in water compound. The proportions and mechanics are critical in order to prevent the oil from rising to the top or settling to the bottom of the finished drink. Citrus flavored drinks such as orange and grapefruit use this system and produce a cloudy type drink."

Looking at my bottle of Zatarain's "Root Beer Concentrate" I see it lists a bunch of chemical stuff, "artifical and natural flavors," and alcohol.

Looking at my bottle of McCormick concentrate, it lists a bunch of chemical stuff, "natural and artifical flavors," and two different gums.

While this may suggest the two concentrates might behave differently, it seems proof on this thread has been conclusive that they both settle out.

Now that I have firm temperature control, I'm going to try another small batch. I'm going to probably do the double-extract version (i.e. malt extract AND root beer extract) and do everything I can to clean it up before bottling such as using whirfloc and a bit of time in secondary.

THAT SAID: my guess is it will still settle out. BUT, if I do use whrifloc and secondary in order to minimize the amount of non-root-beer-flavoring sediment in the bottle, I'm guessing a nice GENTLE back-and-forth rolling of the bottle before pouring will bring it all back into solution long enough for me to drink it.

 

[fixer2u]

Took a crack at this one this weekend. But am tweaking it a bit.

5 gallon batch.

---Primary---
16 oz brown sugar
16 oz lactose
5 pounds light DME
Nottingham Ale Yeast

Boil DME, brown sugar, and lactose with 3 gallons of water for 20 min.
Added some Irish Moss the last 15.

Cooled with my immersion chiller

Pour in primary.

OG was 1.12!! Brew Toad calculated 1.102.

I will let this go a week and see where the gravity is at.

I plan to stabilize in the secondary and add 5 vanilla beans which are soaking in Everclear right now, plus cold crash it for another week.

---At Kegging---
Boil 1 gallon of water and add:
27 oz wildflower honey

1 gallon Sprechers Rootbeer syrup.

This should take me up to 5 gallons.

I am a bit worried about that high starting gravity though. Hopefully the Nottingham can handle the alcohol. in the 3 gallons it is in I should be at 10.4%, but once I add the remaining 2 gallons of liquid, I will be at 6%.

 

[fixer2u]

So checked my gravity today and I was down to 1.032. That puts me at 11.55%! Gave it a taste and it had quote the after burn. Decided to get it to secondary today. I boiled the honey into a gallon of water, added some potassium sorbate to it, then added it and the vanilla bean mixture to the secondary. Racked the rocket fuel onto it and put it right in the keg fridge to let the rest of the gunk settle out. Gave it another taste too and mmmmmmm, nice rootbeer flavor with a hot aftertaste. Should be around 7% now. Will let it sit a week at 37 degrees then see how clear it's looking.

 

[TheMarkWhite]

Subscribing. Is this the all grain version you guys are using?
If not, can someone post it?

Also has anyone tried both extract and all grain? Pros/cons? Likes Disklikes?

I did a 5 gallon all grain batch
7Lbs 2 row
2 Lbs light brown sugar.
1LB lactose

Then at kegging added
5oz root beer extract
1 oz. vanilla extract
1.75Lbs honey

 

[gicts]

Not your Father's is good, but I can't justify paying $16 a gallon!!

This is what I'll be doing today

 

[easymode]

Let me know how it turns out compaired to NYFR. I've tried several variations and each time I get horrible separation. Lose all RB flavor to the bottom slush separation.

 

[fixer2u]

I am getting the horrible separation as well.... I have to shake my keg each time I pour myself a glass. It is so so tasty though!

 

[easymode]

I don't understand how some people don't have any separation problems. It blows my mind. I don't even know how "not your fathers root beer" is able to do it.

It's really inconvenient to have to shake up something that's carbonated every time you want to drink it

 

[bolus14]

What root beer extract are all of you using, seems like those without the problem aren't using McCormick or the other major brands, might need higher quality "pure" extract.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

I just kicked my keg of hard root beer and separation was a definite issue. The first pour or 2 was like thick chocolate, then 50 or so glasses of super clear root beer, then chocolate again for the last 2 pours. I used the old fashioned root beer soda pop extract, which I'm quite sure is where I went wrong.

 

[easymode]

I used McCormick and got separation.

 

[Ike]

I used Zatarain's and also had it separate.

 

[easymode]

I used zatarain's at first as well. Got huge separation. There has to be something causing it.

 

[fixer2u]

What root beer extract are all of you using, seems like those without the problem aren't using McCormick or the other major brands, might need higher quality "pure" extract.

I am using this
http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/store/details.php?prodId=202&category=6

I got the separation as well.

 

[easymode]

Does ANYONE have a recipe for this where they have brewed it multiple times and NOT experienced separation?

If so, can you please share it step by step, in every detail?

 

[Edmond2wallst]

I have never home brewed anything and I was hoping to try this because I love root beer.

Can I have a step by step direction on how to brew this?

How does the gallon test back work, I don't understand the primary and secondary, is there ever an addition of waters?? The ingredients don't seem to make a gallon of liquid ??

 

[bolus14]

I have never home brewed anything and I was hoping to try this because I love root beer.

Can I have a step by step direction on how to brew this?

How does the gallon test back work, I don't understand the primary and secondary, is there ever an addition of waters?? The ingredients don't seem to make a gallon of liquid ??

Given that many are struggling with getting a consistent product with this recipe I don't know that I would start with this. Essentially doing a 1 gal batch would just mean divide all ingredients by 5.

 

[Ike]

Given that many are struggling with getting a consistent product with this recipe I don't know that I would start with this. Essentially doing a 1 gal batch would just mean divide all ingredients by 5.

ACTUALLY, the recipe listed in the first post of the thread is for one gallon.

 

[easymode]

For all of those that have been getting separation issues, what is the alcohol content in the final batch?

I have a hunch. I wonder if we are setting the alcohol content too high. I was drinking age not your fathers root beer yesterday, because I can't get my badge to work properly because my badge taste better, and I noticed it did not have above 6% alcohol. Other similar hard root beer's function around the same percentage. When I was brewing my dear it was always between eight and 10% alcohol. I was drinking age not your fathers root beer yesterday, because I can't get my badge to work properly because my badge taste better, and I noticed it did not have above 6% alcohol. Other similar hard root beer's function around the same percentage. When I was brewing my dear it was always between eight and 10% alcohol.

I'm going to try brewing another batch this week but trying to keep the alcohol content around 6% and see if I get any separation

 

[Raenon]

For all of those that have been getting separation issues, what is the alcohol content in the final batch?

I have a hunch. I wonder if we are setting the alcohol content too high. I was drinking age not your fathers root beer yesterday, because I can't get my badge to work properly because my badge taste better, and I noticed it did not have above 6% alcohol. Other similar hard root beer's function around the same percentage. When I was brewing my dear it was always between eight and 10% alcohol. I was drinking age not your fathers root beer yesterday, because I can't get my badge to work properly because my badge taste better, and I noticed it did not have above 6% alcohol. Other similar hard root beer's function around the same percentage. When I was brewing my dear it was always between eight and 10% alcohol.

I'm going to try brewing another batch this week but trying to keep the alcohol content around 6% and see if I get any separation

Wait, what?

 

[itsnotrequired]

when i was brewing my dear, i didn't give a damn

 

[txstatebobcat26]

I started the recipe from page 2 (5 gallon) on sunday. I had a couple issues.

I have never used dry yeast but i did re hydrate it and pitch. for some reason ferminatation didnt start at all. I checked it monday morning, nothing. monday afternoon, nothing. so i went and got an additional yeast pack and pitched again. seems to have kicked things off. Fermentation is underway but not as explosive as some of the other posts.

my OG was 1.064. does that sound about right here?

i did 5 lbs light DME, 1 lb dark brown sugar, 1 lb lactose.

thoughts? I cant figure out why my first yeast pitch was a dud.

 

[easymode]

Wait, what?

WhT got you confused?

 

[Raenon]

WhT got you confused?

Yer name might be easymode, but that post was definitely hard mode.

 

[LoneTreeFarms]

Yer name might be easymode, but that post was definitely hard mode.

my guess is he did talk to text and didn't go back and re-read it. stupid autocorrect functions.

 

[easymode]

my guess is he did talk to text and didn't go back and re-read it. stupid autocorrect functions.

😳
Did Siri screw up my dictation again? I'll go back and reread it when I get home and repost what I said. Sorry about that

 

[easymode]

Updated: sorry for dictation errors

For all of those that have been getting separation issues, what is the alcohol content of your batch?

I have a hunch. I wonder if we are setting the alcohol content too high. I was drinking not your fathers root beer yesterday and I noticed it did not have above 6% alcohol. Other similar hard root beer's are around the same percentage. When I was brewing my beer it was always between 8% and 10% alcohol.

I'm going to try brewing another batch this week but trying to keep the alcohol content around 6% and see if I get any separation.

 

[Ike]

I'm going to try brewing another batch this week but trying to keep the alcohol content around 6% and see if I get any separation.

I was thinking of doing the same thing, but for the sake of overall flavor rather than fixing separation. It will be an interesting test of your hypothesis, though.

This may be one very small case where bottling is better than kegging. My plan is to brew a couple gallons; if the bottles separate again I'm just going to move forward with pasteurization anyhow... I'm betting a GENTLE back-and-forth inversion of the bottle a couple times before opening will re-mix everything. Any flavors brought on by putting the yeast back in solution will probably be overridden by the extract.

 

[deanktenor]

Hi all. Looking to try this recipe, but kegging is not an option. So, would I add the "at kegging ingredients (sugar water, honey etc.) as a secondary, or just at bottling? Thanks!

 

[deanktenor]

Sorry I just saw my answer on post 241. I've never added this much at bottling. Excited to try it!

 

[deanktenor]

Hi guys. I started my brew around noon on Sunday. Within a few hours the Nottingham Yeast was doing its thing and it was bubbling like crazy. Around 5 pm today (Monday) I noticed it had slowed significantly, to about one bubble every 30 seconds. Does this sound like stalled fermentations anyone? Any thoughts on how to kick it up if necessary?