Sassafras/sarsaparilla root beer recipe?

[Masterjuggler]

@Crazy8- how much starsan would you use for a 16.9oz bottle? If I need 1oz per 5gal, then I need 0.025oz, or 0.15tsp (or less than 1/4tsp). Do I just measure half way of a 1/4tsp per bottle and fill the rest with water? It seems like it would be hard to get a spray bottle to coat the inside of the bottles.

 

[Taz420NJ]

Has anyone here kegged and forced carb this recipe instead of using yeast ? I'm thinking of using gelatin to clarify in a carboy then rack to keg and then force carb.

I'm interested as well.. I'm not big on yeast carbonation in soda period.. Now that I've got almost everything together for my postmix soda gun system, I'm thinking of putting in a root beer tap as well.. The bar gun that I bought already has a port that's tainted with root beer, so I may try making and kegging syrup, but IMO even postmix with freshly made syrup can't touch kegged root beer out of a tap..

 

[Crazy8]

@Crazy8- how much starsan would you use for a 16.9oz bottle? If I need 1oz per 5gal, then I need 0.025oz, or 0.15tsp (or less than 1/4tsp). Do I just measure half way of a 1/4tsp per bottle and fill the rest with water? It seems like it would be hard to get a spray bottle to coat the inside of the bottles.

To be honest, when I sanitize, I do everything all at once. So I will pour the sanstar into my ale pale along with my measuring cups, funnel, etc. Then I will start filling the bottles one by one with the stuff in the ale pale. After I have those all filled then I use 1 gallon of it to fill my brew pot. Then I will usually dump the stuff in the pot back into the ale pale and the same with the bottles and use all of that to fill my carboys and 2 liter bottle(s). So I say all of that to say, the only measuring I do is the Sanstar that I initially put into 5 gallons of water. Hope this helps some how.

 

[Masterjuggler]

Actually, I think it does help me. You reminded me I need to sanitize my pot too, so I can just pour that into my bottles. Thanks.

 

[Masterjuggler]

Just tasted my second batch of root beer, and it tasted just like my last one... Like feet.

The only thing I can think of that I did wrong this time was I used sassafras that was dug up in the summer. I guess I'll have to wait until the winter... Crap.

Do you just hoard sassafras in the winter and hope it'll last the rest of the year?

 

[pkrath84]

I used "summer" sassafras and mine came out fine.

 

[Crazy8]

Well sadly Sassafras doesn't grow up here in the frozen tundra of Minnesota so I order mine online. But as I have stated before, based on what I have heard and of course results may vary, that Sassafras harvested in the summer has all of its sap in the branches and twigs. In the winter the sap moves down to the roots and stays there. I have no personal experience with harvesting Sassafras but based on my findings, if you harvest in the summer then take from the branches. If you harvest in the winter, then take from the roots. Of course you also have the option of buying online if all else fails.

 

[Masterjuggler]

I did buy my sassafras online, but the guy digs it up fresh. If I order it in the summer, it will be dug up in the summer. Where do you order it that you know it will be dug up in the winter?

 

[Crazy8]

I did buy my sassafras online, but the guy digs it up fresh. If I order it in the summer, it will be dug up in the summer. Where do you order it that you know it will be dug up in the winter?

Well I don't really know anything like that. I was using the summer/winter info as if you were harvisting it yourself. I always order from Mountain Rose Herbs or Herbco.com

 

[Masterjuggler]

Well the guy is harvesting it as it is ordered. It says so on his ebay listing (dug on the day of shipping it says), and the roots I got definitely had that "just dug up" look to them. I would have ordered from Herbco, but the guy was selling 2 pounds of roots for $15 with free shipping. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SASSAFRAS-R...711?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e1f4edff

So whether it's me or the guy digging it up, it's still in summer.

I've been thinking that the batch I just made didn't really taste "bad", more like it just didn't taste "right". If my last batch tasted like feet, this one tasted like feet that were just cleaned.

It may be that the sassafras just isn't strong enough, but I really can't identify what flavors are there and what aren't. I'll have to try making a half gallon batch without sassafras and see if that changes anything. Or maybe I should try doubling the sassafras. I'm not sure.

 

[Crazy8]

Well the next possible option is to maybe buy from a source online and see if there is a difference in taste. I know it is more expensive at other places outside of ebay, but I would think those that grow for the sake of harvesting, especially in a controlled farm like environment, would likely produce a superior product. Plus Im also a believer in "you get what you pay for". I can say that many have had great success with the recipes I have posted and many have loved how they have turned out. Not sure where that foot taste would be coming from but things like this is where we try new things and experiment.

 

[pkrath84]

I'll add to this by mentioning that the sassafras I received was so pungent that after opening the packaging and rinsing in the kitchen sink...the whole house smelled (heavenly) strongly of root beer for a week. Also, I've made pain Sarsaparilla soda on my first attempt, so with my roots in particular, there was a night and day difference with the sassafras roots used.

Maybe I just got lucky with my timing though. Looks like we used the same supplier, too.

 

[Masterjuggler]

Yeah, the only difference was I ordered mine unwashed, so I paid $15.

I remember when I was drying my sassafras and de-barking it, it stunk up my house to the point of being a little nauseating (and keep in mind I love the smell of sassafras). In fact my oven still smells a little bit like sassafras, even though it's been a few weeks. The rest of my family was ready to kill me LOL.

 

[Crazy8]

Yeah I love the smell of my house after I brew. Its absolutely sweet and wonderful. Its a great thing.

 

[scobysurfer]

My attempt at brewing your recipe Crazy8 with some modifications, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f95/first-hard-root-attempt-feedback-433656/#post5533344

 

[BaconZd]

^Its REALLY good stuff!

My only problem has been hunting down sassafras bark. It's unavialable everywhere including amazon right now, everone's out. I just bought 2lbs of fresh dug/cut sassafras on ebay... Anyone have experience with the fresh root? How much to use?

Thanks!

I have always heard of using a whole piece of root but if you want to be exact you can chop it up and measure a quarter cup that way

 

[Masterjuggler]

I finally started another batch with the new sassafras I got (half gallon batch). I'm not sure if I made it quite right because I must have boiled it on too high a flame, and by the time I added the sugar, there was only half of the quart that I put in. I just added a quart and a half to bring it back up to a half gallon.

What I'm really posting about is I thought you guys would be interested to know, I tried using a piece of a cotton tee-shirt for the filter instead of cheese cloth, and it worked great. I can see through my root beer after pouring it through the tee-shirt twice. It started filtering more slowly as it collected crap from the brew, but I just used a few pieces of cloth to keep it going.

 

[Masterjuggler]

Well I just tasted my latest batch after getting the new sassafras, and it still tastes funny. Slightly better than before, but still feet-y.

What else could be causing this? I can take out or replace some ingredients and try again, but I have no idea what I should start with.

I had someone else taste it, and they think the yeast could be the problem, because they've seen yeast smell like this before. Could that be the problem? I have some normal active dry yeast I can try instead of the champaign yeast.

 

[Crazy8]

I dont recall with out going back to look, which Ill admit Im a little lazy to do right now, but are you using the exact recipe I posted up or have you made alterations to it? If you have made changes, could you post what you're working with and I will take a look at see what I can do for you.

 

[Masterjuggler]

I used the exact recipe (a half gallon batch though, so I cut all ingredients in 4) and the directions you posted here.

The only thing I changed from those instructions/recipe is I put the yeast in the bottles instead of the pot, and I used vanilla extract instead of flavoring. I also haven't tried adding salt yet, but I don't think that's the problem.

 

[Crazy8]

So lets do this. Ill see if I can alter this to a more updated version of what I have.

Ingredients:
8 Qts. Water
24 oz. Honey
3 Star Anise (I no longer use)
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 cp. Sarsaparilla
1/4 cp. Sassafras
2 cp. Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla Flavoring - I feel the vanilla flavoring gives more "vanilla flavor" than the extract does. Experiment with this to get the amount of vanilla flavor you like.
1/4 cp. Chopped Raisins
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 oz. Juniper Berries (50) <---This might be the culprit to your issue so start here. Once I took these completely out I noticed I didn't have a "funk" in my brew anymore.
1/4 tsp. Champagne Yeast (1/8tsp/ gal)

Try those updates and see how that works out. Again, those juniper berries might be causing that for you so I would start by removing those. I had a weird funky flavor I was picking up in the background and once I got rid of the juniper berries all was good and tasted much better.

Let me know how this goes for you.

 

[Masterjuggler]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I used the instructions from the thread I linked to. The recipe is the one at the beginning of this thread. I could have sworn I linked the beginning of this thread too, but I must have only linked the other one.

 

[Crazy8]

So then just so I understand you correctly, you are using the recipe in this thread on post #7 which was my first reply in this thread correct?
If that's the case then this is the recipe I posted...

Ingredients:
8 Qts. Water
24 oz. Honey
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 cp. Sarsaparilla
1/4 cp. Sassafras
1 1/2 cp. Brown Sugar (only use light brown sugar)
2 tsp. Vanilla Flavoring (not extract)
1/4 cp. Chopped Raisins
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Champagne Yeast (1/4tsp/ gal)

I will be honest. I am not sure why you are getting the flavors you describe. This has been a pretty solid recipe. It also doesn't have the juniper berries which was my first guess based on my experience with them. Maybe one thing to try would be to cut back on the Sarsaparilla root. That might be the next possibility of where you could get feet from. lol Your tongue, obviously different than mine, but smell your roots and you might be able to pick up what I am talking about in that Sarsaparilla root. So maybe cut it back to 1/8 cup and try that.

 

[Masterjuggler]

Yes, that's right. The recipe from the first page of this thread (that you just re-posted) and the instructions from the other thread.

I just checked the sarsaparilla. I don't think that's the problem, but I'll try your suggestion. I'll make the batch either tomorrow or this weekend, and I'll report back when it's done.

Just to be sure, what I'm doing is boiling all ingredients for 25min on a boil slightly higher than a simmer, then add the brown sugar and boil for another 5 minutes. Then let it steep to room temp, filter it into bottles, and add the yeast. Sound good?

 

[Keithww]

Ingredients:
8 Qts. Water
24 oz. Honey
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 cp. Sarsaparilla
1/4 cp. Sassafras
1 1/2 cp. Brown Sugar (only use light brown sugar)
2 tsp. Vanilla Flavoring (not extract)
<1/4 cp. Chopped Raisins>
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
<1/4 tsp. Champagne Yeast (1/4tsp/ gal)>

If I am planning on making this to force carb using a Tap-a-Draft is there any reason to include the raisins?, also would I want to cut back on the honey since I will not be using any yeast?

 

[netsecgeek]

If I am planning on making this to force carb using a Tap-a-Draft is there any reason to include the raisins?, also would I want to cut back on the honey since I will not be using any yeast?

I haven't made a batch of root beer yet, but I plan on kegging when I do. I've read where people are mixing it up and force carbing, but I have to think that the yeast is lending to the overall flavor as well--even something clean like champagne yeast.

My plan currently is to ferment for a few days in a carboy, crash, transfer to the keg and carb.

 

[Crazy8]

If I am planning on making this to force carb using a Tap-a-Draft is there any reason to include the raisins?, also would I want to cut back on the honey since I will not be using any yeast?

There is no correlation between the honey and yeast. The honey is added to add another flavor to the brew. You could still cut back on the honey if you so chose depending on your tastes. Unless of course there is any reason that you don't want or shouldn't have to much of it because it will somehow affect your hardware. I don't know if those type of things affect hardware or not since I am not familiar with that type of equipment.

 

[netsecgeek]

There is no correlation between the honey and yeast.

Well, for the 2-3 days you are fermenting, the yeast is eating the honey and brown sugar and reducing the overall sweetness of the root beer (and creating other goodies). So to directly answer his question, if he's not going to use any yeast, then it does make sense to reduce the sugar a bit in the recipe to compensate. By how much? I don't know.

My point above was that I think the yeast will contribute to the overall flavor of the finished product. i.e. It's not just for carbing bottles. But that's just based on my experience with beer. I haven't actually made a root beer yet. Looking forward to using your recipe when I do though!

 

[Keithww]

Well, for the 2-3 days you are fermenting, the yeast is eating the honey and brown sugar and reducing the overall sweetness of the root beer (and creating other goodies). So to directly answer his question, if he's not going to use any yeast, then it does make sense to reduce the sugar a bit in the recipe to compensate. By how much? I don't know. My point above was that I think the yeast will contribute to the overall flavor of the finished product. i.e. It's not just for carbing bottles. But that's just based on my experience with beer. I haven't actually made a root beer yet. Looking forward to using your recipe when I do though!

The real way to determine the sugar used would be to take a specific gravity before and after carbonation. As far as the yeast flavor is concerned I thought most people used champaign yeast which is pretty clean. I use different yeasts to get me different flavor profiles in beer, mead, or wine with soda I thought the point was to have a clean flavor.

 

[Crazy8]

Well, for the 2-3 days you are fermenting, the yeast is eating the honey and brown sugar and reducing the overall sweetness of the root beer (and creating other goodies). So to directly answer his question, if he's not going to use any yeast, then it does make sense to reduce the sugar a bit in the recipe to compensate. By how much? I don't know.

My point above was that I think the yeast will contribute to the overall flavor of the finished product. i.e. It's not just for carbing bottles. But that's just based on my experience with beer. I haven't actually made a root beer yet. Looking forward to using your recipe when I do though!

Oh yeah, I wasn't sure if that's the way you were going with it Yes any fermentable sugar will be eaten by the yeast. So yes you would be correct. If hes not using yeast then he may want to decrease the amount of sweetness. Of course there are people who like sweetness. I have not tried an unfermented batch of root beer yet myself. Maybe next time I brew I will take out a cups worth or something and try that just so I can sample and see what the difference is. Im no curious on just how much "sweet" you lose due to the yeast.