Root Beer, Sarsaparilla or Birch Beer.

[cneil]

Dose any one have a recipe for Root Beer, Sarsaparilla or Birch Beer?
I want to try making some.
I am sure the old style home made stuff would be better that most of the store bought.
There are a few of the connoisseur brands, but they are expensive and hard to fine.

I also want to make some Ginger Ale.
The place where I bought my favorite brand, Idris Hot Ginger Beer, just closed.

Root Beer, Sarsaparilla and Birch Beer all go back to before the American Civil War, thou there heyday was during probation as a replacement for Beer.

These are fine vintage drinks.

 

[BellyTank]

Sarsaparilla-
strangely enough, I used to sell it in London...
the soft drink...although it's nothing like the American variety.

The 'old days' Sarsaparilla and Birch beer, as you would have had in the US had a couple of ingredients that wouldn't pass muster today, due to toxicity.
I believe Sassafrass oil was one of them.

Sarsaparilla was a 'male' tonic, Sarsaparilla root is supposed to give you some 'manly' powers.

I remember getting Sarsaparilla and Root beer as canned soft drinks in NZ when I was a kid.

We have Idris Ginger Beer here in Denmark as well as one or two others-
I love the stuff.

There are numerous recipes to be found on-line for making Ginger Beer-

In case you haven't seen any home brewing recipes, here are a few various-

http://www.leeners.com/rootbeer.html
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-00,root_beer,FF.html
http://www.greydragon.org/library/brewing_root_beer.html

B
T

 

[boomerchop]

Hot ginger beer?

I have enjoyed ginger beer since I first tried it in Greece back in the early 90's. It isn't particularly easy to find in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA, though I did bring some back from a vacation I took last year. I haven't heard of Idris HOT ginger beer. Is that referring to spicy hot or served hot?

BT, I opened your links to recipes. I'm hoping to find a ginger beer recipe there. Thanks!

Paul

 

[jdjs]

Traditional Style

Hi

Try http://www.greydragon.org/library/brewing_root_beer.html

The recipe is the real thing (bit too strong for most tastes). There is always the Hires extract, but it takes a little hunting in many areas; it has the recipe on the box.

 

[cneil]

HOT Ginger Beer

I have enjoyed ginger beer since I first tried it in Greece back in the early 90's. It isn't particularly easy to find in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA, though I did bring some back from a vacation I took last year. I haven't heard of Idris HOT ginger beer. Is that referring to spicy hot or served hot?

BT, I opened your links to recipes. I'm hoping to find a ginger beer recipe there. Thanks!

Paul

HOT Ginger Beer
the hot refers to the spicy. I wasat a scottish games on May 10th. one year and it was 100 degreas. Heat and Wool, not a good combination, I boght a can of my favorite Idris HOT Ginger Beer, and drank it at "Room Temp", It burned all the way down! This stuf is good, but must always be dranked Cool.

 

[cneil]

Dr. Chase, 1869 Root Beer Recipe

This recipe is from 1869, it probaly repersents what was being made in the 1860's.
This is the Closest recipe I have found yet.
I know Anis or Licoris was also a popalor ingerdent
(I do not like the taste of Licoris , so I would leave that out)
Vanellia is another popalor ingredant.
Molases or raw cain sugar for a correct taste.

ROOT BEER
from http://www.COOKS.COM

1/2 oz hops
1/2 oz burdock
1/2 oz yellow dock
1/2 oz sarsaparilla
1/2 oz dandelion
1/2 oz spikenard roots
oils of spruce and sassafras
2 or 3 tbsp. of yeast
2/3 pint molasses or 1/2 pint white sugar

For each gallon of water to be used, take hops, burdock, yellow dock, sarsaparilla, dandelion, and spikenard roots, bruised, of each 1/2 oz; boil about 20 minutes, and strain while hot, add 8 to 10 drops of oils of spruce and sassafras mixed in equal proportions, when cool enough not to scald your hand, put in 2 or 3 tbsp. of yeast; molasses 2/3 of a pint, or white sugar 1/2 pound gives it about the right sweetness.

Keep these proportions for as many gallons as you wish to make. You can use more or less of the roots to suit your taste after trying it; it is best to get the dry roots, or dig them and let them get dry, and of course you can add any other root known to possess medicinal properties desired in the beer. After all is mixed, let it stand in a jar with a cloth thrown over it, to work about 2 hours, then bottle and set in a cool place. This is a nice way to take alternatives, without taking medicine. And families ought to make it every Spring, and drank freely of it for several weeks, and thereby save, perhaps, several dollars in doctors' bills.

Dr. Chase, 1869

Submitted by: CM

 

[Nathan Flowers]

I drink Blenheim Ginger Ale, which is quite hot. It's made about 30 minutes down the road from me, and is definitely an acquired taste.

http://www.beveragesdirect.com/products/blenheim/

http://www.scencyclopedia.com/blenheim.htm

 

[BellyTank]

Sassafrass and Birch oils are poisons/not for internal use...

All the herbs/roots can be got from here:

www.baldwins.co.uk

all but the spikenard root- thats if you cannot obtain it locally.

B
T

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I love ginger beer. The only one I have seen here is Reed's extra ginger brew, which I think is great.