Hard Root Beer recipe

[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?