Hello from Columbia Missouri

[fiddup_is_a_middup]

What up everyone, Just found the site. Lets Brew

 

[disaffected]

Greetings, and welcome to the forum. Looks like you've been brewing a bit recently already. Root beer too. How different is that from grain beer?

 

[fiddup_is_a_middup]

Its accually non-alcoholic, Just Root beer.

 

[disaffected]

What I meant was, how does the brewing process for root beer differ from the brewing process for beer? Do you steep or boil sassafras roots or shoots or bark to make root beer? Use additives, spices and flavorings for example? Is there any conditioning or aging that takes place?

 

[fiddup_is_a_middup]

I just used a kit for this one (first go at it.) the kit i bought was just the extract. I mixed that with 4 gallons of 70 degree water with corn sugar and yeast, then immediatly bottled. don't know how it will turn out, but next time I am gonna find the sasarilla roots on my dads farm and give it a try that way.

 

[Brewtopia]

I've used the root beer extract before. I substituted the corn sugar for dark brown sugar and added two whole vanilla beans (split). Then I kegged and force carbonated. The results tasted great. The brown sugar makes for a much richer flavor.

 

[fiddup_is_a_middup]

cool I might try that next time. I really like the vanilla bean idea

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Don't use Sassafras roots. They were found to be carcinogenic and have been banned as a food product. The leaves are ok, but they probably taste different.

Sarsaparilla is OK though.

 

[fiddup_is_a_middup]

Don't use Sassafras roots. They were found to be carcinogenic and have been banned as a food product. The leaves are ok, but they probably taste different.

Sarsaparilla is OK though.

Isn't everything "carcinogenic" these days?

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Oil of sassafras - FL/ADJ, BAN - Illegal for use in foods 189.180

Oil of sassafras, or safrole come primarily from sasafras bark and the bark of the sasafras root. It hasn't been used legally in root beer for 30 years.