Since I started making wine early this year, my kids have been fascinated with the wine making process. They often ask to help and I always oblige. My 9-year-old daughter especially likes corking, labeling and putting on the shrink caps. Sadly, this is all the enjoyment that she gets out of wine making (dad will not let her taste).
Several weeks ago, I discovered a way to let the whole family enjoy creating and drinking their own homemade beverages: root beer. That’s right, the all-American soft drink. The process is simple, inexpensive, and loads of fun. And, we were able to make gallons of the best quality root beer for only pennies a bottle.
The recipe that we used is fairly simple: Water, sugar, yeast, and root beer extract (purchased from Fine Vine Wines). If you would like to make root beer from scratch, try the Internet. There are dozens and dozens of recipes out there. The original root beer formula created by Charles Hires was made from 25 herbs, berries, and roots. Many of the ingredients used in root beer are very difficult to locate and can be expensive. Some are so hard to find you would be climbing mountains in Calcutta to locate some of them. For example, Sassafras root, a main ingredient in root beer, is banned in the United States because it contains carcinogens that are at the very least harmful to lab rats. Modern root beer uses artificial flavors. Needless to say, the extract was an easy decision for me.
To get started with making your own root beer using extract, you will need the following:
- Primary fermentation bucket with spigot (for mixing and bottling) - If you are going to use your wine primary fermentation bucket (as I did), you may want to consider something. Root beer WILL leave a strong smell behind when you are done with the primary. I did not notice the taste being transferred to my next batch of wine, but more delicate tastes may detect it. If you don’t want to chance it, a dedicated bucket may be in order. Use your own judgment here.
- Long mixing spoon – The same spoon you use to mix your wine must.
- Sugar – Most would recommend using ordinary cane sugar. The recipe calls for eight cups. The beauty of this is that you control the sweetness. I have yet to experiment with using brown sugar or artificial sweeteners. However, I have read that these are acceptable substitutes.
- Yeast – Carbonation is created naturally in root beer just as it is in home brewed beer. Some of you are fortunate enough to have a forced carbonation system. In that case, skip the yeast. But if you ask me, using yeast to create carbonation is half the fun of making your own root beer. Most would recommend Champaign yeast for its mild flavor and smooth carbonation. My first batch of root beer was made with ale yeast. Somewhere I read that ale yeast dies when it reaches a certain pressure in the bottle. I can honestly tell you, the pressure at which ale yeast dies is far above the maximum pressure tolerated by my glass beer bottles. Ale yeast will also give you a slightly yeasty flavor. Despite this, I still prefer ale yeast because it has afforded me overall better success than Champaign yeast.
- Water – From 1 to 4 gallons of filtered or spring water depending on how much soda you want to make. Before jumping in and making 4 gallons, make sure you have room in your refrigerator for it. Your root beer will NEED to be refrigerated whether you are ready to drink it or not.
- Soda Extract – Fine Vine Wines carries a variety of soda flavors to try. Along with root beer, George carries Cola, Cream Soda, Ginger Ale, and Birch Beer. In case you’re wondering, birch beer and sarsaparilla are both forms of root beer. I intend to try them all.
- Soda bottles – Most would recommend using used plastic soda bottles to store your root beer. The advantages are that they are cheep and safe for kids to handle. I made the small investment of glass bottles and a bottle capper. I prefer glass bottles because they keep the root beer colder longer and they allow me to regulate the amount of soda my kids are drinking.
The process starts by sanitizing the primary fermentation bucket, spoon, and bottles. I know you are tired of hearing it, but cleanliness here is critical. There will not be a significant accumulation of alcohol and therefore the mix is highly susceptible to contamination.
Next, mix the sugar, water, and extract in the primary bucket. I used the stovetop to warm up a gallon of water to help dissolve the 8 cups of sugar I was using (the recipe calls for 2 cups per gallon). Malto Dextrin may also be dissolved in the mix. Malto Dextrin gives root beer its foamy head. It is optional. Malto Dextrin does not affect the taste of the finished soda.
Make a yeast starter: A cup of warm water (95-100 deg.), tablespoon of sugar, and the yeast of your choice sprinkled on top. After about 5 minutes, stir the starter and add it to the primary. Stir vigorously. Leave the lid off of the bucket. You will not need it.
Now you are ready to fill your soda bottles. Fill the bottles leaving about an inch of headroom. If you are using plastic soda bottles, screw the caps on tightly. Glass bottles are capped using crown caps. Check for leaks.
As you fill each bottle from the spigot, make sure you are stirring your mix OFTEN. This ensures the even distribution of yeast that tends to settle to the bottom. Our first batch was not stirred quite well enough. As a result, we had some bottles that were fizzier than others. We had a lot of fun poking fun at those that got one of the “bad” bottles. However, we did get a little tired of cleaning up the mess afterward.
Now, comes the hard part. Not because the task is necessarily complicated or physically taxing, but because it involves patience. After securely capping the bottles, store them at room temperature for about a week for the carbonation to develop. To be on the safe side, I would recommend bottles be stored in plastic tubs until they are ready to be transferred to the refrigerator. A busted bottle can make an awful mess (trust me).
Carbonation will develop faster in warm environments and slower in cool environments. After a few days, you will want to monitor how much carbonation has developed in order to avoid over-carbonation. If you are using plastic bottles, carbonation can be monitored by simply squeezing the bottle. A well-carbonated soda will be firm like a store bought soda. If you are using glass bottles, you will need to open a bottle and give it a taste test. When your root beer is adequately carbonated, move ALL of it to the refrigerator. Refrigeration will stop the yeast activity and prevent exploding bottles due to over-carbonation.
The kids are very proud of their root beer creation; they often invite friends over to enjoy the root beer they made themselves. And, in case you worry (like me) about giving alcohol to your children, scientific test have found that root beer made through natural carbonation contains ~.35 - .6% alcohol. Your kids would have to consume about a gallon and a half to get the same alcohol as one 12 oz. beer.
My wife had a great idea. This fall, she wants to throw my daughter a root beer party for her birthday. As an activity, partygoers will bottle, cap, and label their own bottles of root beer with labels they decorate themselves. Then take them home with instructions.
Finally, if root beer is not your thing, you may want to try cream soda, ginger ale, cola or birch beer, all extracts available through Fine Vine Wines. Enjoy.
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