Root beer is a carbonated soft drink that pairs well with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and some cherries. It’s a common sight at children’s birthday parties. Perhaps that’s why most people associate root beer with a classic soda float.
Sure, its frothy tip closely resembles a beer head, but that’s not exactly where this refreshing beverage got its name.
This article delves into the origins of root beer, its name, and ingredients. You will also learn how it differs from other root-based beers.
Read on to learn more about root beer.
What is root beer?
Modern, commercially-produced root beer is usually sweet, foamy, carbonated, and non-alcoholic. It’s often made with artificial sassafras flavouring since the US Food and Drug Administration banned the sassafras root for its carcinogenicity.
While root beer was once, as its name suggests, brewed from roots of plants, commercially-made versions no longer have roots in it nor is it considered to be a healthy option. As mentioned, companies use artificial flavours to mimic the taste of the sassafras root without actually using this banned ingredient. Years of experimentation and brewing have brought about the sweet and carbonated brew that you know and love.
History of root beer
Long before the Europeans set foot in the Americas, the natives were already brewing sassafras-based beverages for culinary and medicinal purposes. European culinary practices were eventually applied to the production of these sassafras root beverages, creating a brew similar to what you now call root beer.
It’s also believed that root beer evolved from small beer-brewing practices in Medieval Europe and colonial North America, where water was unsafe for drinking and often made people sick to the stomach. Brewed drinks such as tea and beer were the healthier option.
In colonial America, settlers used all sorts of roots to emulate the bitter taste of beer. They brewed local crops along with beverages like the small beer. That’s where the term root beer began. However, this soda drink was yet to be called a beer and was only known as a root-based drink.
A pharmacist named Charles Hires decided to market his brewed root tea as beer. He figured it would be more popular among Pennsylvania coal miners. After it was marketed commercially in the 1880s, it began to be known as root beer.
After that, commercially-made root beer started to be sold in stores around the 1840s. The drink was initially marketed as a syrup rather than a beverage. Soon after Hires made his root beer mix, pharmacists started adding carbonated water to it. And that’s how it ended as the frothy delectable root beer we know and drink today.
The traditional method
Some of the earliest known root beer recipes date back to the 1860s. Old-fashioned root beer is earthy, healthy, and bold yet sweet. It was made with real roots, herbs, berries, and spices.
While there are several variations of traditional root beer brewing, one specific method involves cooking syrup from water and molasses.
The syrup needs to sit for about three hours to cool down before it can be combined with root ingredients such as sassafras roots, sassafras barks, and wintergreen. Yeast is then added to this healthy mixture and left to ferment for 12 long hours. Once it is ready, the beverage is strained and rebottled for the second fermentation process.
For this particular recipe, you end up with about 2% alcohol content. Of course, this can be altered to produce a drink with higher alcohol content.
What is root beer made of?
Commercial root beer is produced worldwide. Much like traditional brewing methods, there’s no standard recipe. However, the primary ingredients of the modern version are always the same everywhere. You need filtered water, sugar, artificial sassafras flavouring, and other complementary flavours.
Aside from artificial sassafras, companies may also use vanilla, liquorice root, wintergreen, nutmeg, cherry tree bark, acacia, cinnamon, honey, sweet birch, anise, and sarsaparilla root.
What’s the difference between root beer, sarsaparilla, and birch beer?
Root beer, sarsaparilla, and birch beer are common types of non-alcoholic beer. There’s a fine line between these three beverages. While these drinks tend to have slightly similar tastes, they vary greatly in terms of ingredients.
Sarsaparilla root is an ingredient used in both a root beer and sarsaparilla beverage. The difference is that the sarsaparilla drink only contains one flavouring ingredient – the sarsaparilla itself. A root beer is more of an adulterated version of the sarsaparilla root beer. It may contain a combination of roots and other components such as cinnamon, clove, and wintergreen.
As for birch beer, while it may have a slightly similar taste to a regular root beer, the beverage consists of a completely different set of ingredients. Its primary ingredient is birch oil. It’s extracted either from the roots, twigs or bark of the birch tree. Other than that, this beverage doesn’t contain root extracts similar to the ones used in root beer or sarsaparilla.
Bundaberg Sarsaparilla photo from bundaberg.com
Australian root beers
Now that you know what root beer contains and tastes like in other parts of the world, it’s time to explore Australian root beers.
Bundaberg is nearly synonymous to root beer in the land down under. This brand’s brew is very fruity and sweet. The beer’s bite is mellow and sour while the head has a decent amount of frothiness to it.
The brand uses a genuine family recipe to brew their beer. Other than real sarsaparilla roots, their beverage contains liquorice root, vanilla beans, and molasses. That gives the beer a rich dark colour and thick flavour.
Can root beer make you drunk?
Of course, if it has enough alcohol content in it. Commercially-produced root beer doesn’t always have alcohol in it, so you won’t become intoxicated after guzzling a few bottles. You may feel bloated – but not drunk. However, if that slight buzz is what you want to achieve, you can always purchase alcoholic root beer or brew your own.
In America and the United Kingdom for example, you will find Bundaberg Root Beer on the shelves of supermarkets, whereas in Australia and New Zealand you will find Bundaberg Sarsaparilla.
Root beer is made using sugar, yeast, water and spices. The big kicker is that root beer typically isn't allowed to ferment, so this beer is usually kid-friendly, though they can be made with an ABV similar to that of craft beer or brewed without alcohol for a sweet, refreshing treat.
Root beer, sarsaparilla, and birch beer are common types of non-alcoholic beer. There's a fine line between these three beverages. While these drinks tend to have slightly similar tastes, they vary greatly in terms of ingredients. Sarsaparilla root is an ingredient used in both a root beer and sarsaparilla beverage.
Both beverages are named after their distinct differences in ingredients when they were first made. Sarsaparilla was made from the Sarsaparilla vine, while Root Beer, roots of the sassafras tree.
The Roots. Right, so you know the primary difference lies in the roots used to make the two beverages. One uses, obviously, ginger root. The other uses sassafras.
Root beer made by the traditional process contains 2% alcohol, but sometimes, more alcohol may be added to make it a stronger alcoholic drink. It was classically made from the root bark of the sassafras tree or vine of Smilax ornata (sarsaparilla), which imparts it actual flavor.
Root beer is a soda because it is a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage, but it is not considered a cola because it does not contain the extract of the Kola nut, which many would consider to be a requirement to be a cola style soda.
Today's root beer is simply a flavored soda. However, root beer was originally made much like a grain based beer. And some recipes even called for hops. Root beer was a brew, just like a beer, but whether you think it can correctly be called beer may depend on how you view the origins of the word.
The “root” in the name of Hires' concoction came from its main ingredient, the sassafras root. Hires changed the name of his product from “tea” to “beer” sometime before the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. It's likely that he changed the name to make the beverage more appealing to the working class.
Most root beers produced today are flavored primarily with a combination of vanilla and wintergreen, along with small amounts of ginger, licorice, anise, juniper berries, and dandelion, explains Portable Press. To this list of flavorings, BlackTailNYC adds cherry tree bark and nutmeg.
A lot of people wonder what real root beer is made out of, well, it's actually quite simple. It can be made with a combination of sassafras bark and roots, vanilla extract, anise oil (derived from star anise), licorice root, nutmeg and wintergreen.
It was determined that, despite being a soda, root beer is considered the safest soft drink as it rarely contains the harmful acids found in most sodas, which lessens its impact on teeth.
While no standard recipe exists, the primary ingredients in modern root beer are filtered water, sugar, and safrole-free sassafras extract, which complements other flavors.
It consists of sugar, yeast, water, and flavorings of choice, left to ferment for natural fizziness. And though the FDA has eliminated sassafras from commercial use, it's apparent that plenty of people still reach for sassafras to get the authentic, traditional root beer flavor they crave in what they make at home.
Is drinking ginger ale good for your kidneys? Although ginger is a kidney-friendly seasoning, drinking market-bought ginger ale regularly is not good for your kidney due to its high sugar content.
The name root beer may imply that the soda contains alcohol or is fermented like beer; however, neither is the case. It was the sassafras root and sarsaparilla root that provided the flavor for the soft drink for decades until the FDA banned sassafras as an ingredient in packaged foods, per Portable Press.
Not Your Father's® Root Beer has a subtle alcoholic taste and a 5.9% ABV to give it a balanced and smooth character that appeals to craft beer enthusiasts and nonbeer lovers. The alcoholic root beer is sweet with spicy and silky tasting notes.
Although root beer is generally caffeine-free, some varieties may contain a small amount. In particular, the brand Barq's is notable for its caffeine content. The regular variety contains around 22 mg in each 12-ounce (355-ml) can.
Barq's /ˈbɑːrks/ is an American brand of root beer created by Edward Barq and bottled since the beginning of the 20th century. It is owned by the Coca-Cola Company. ... Barq's.
Root beer isn't just sweet, it has a distinct and complex flavor that makes it taste almost like a dessert in your mouth, while the carbonation keeps it as refreshing as any other cold soda. Other sodas also have unique flavor profiles, but it's the particular type of sweetness in root beer that sets it above the rest.
If you're looking for a root beer brand that has a memorable taste and zero-calories Virgil's Zero Sugar root beer is the right drink for you. This bottled root beer is sweetened with Stevia which helps take out all the calories and keep the rich and earthy taste of Virgil's brand.
Root beer is healthier than other sodas when you consider the pH level. But this depends on the ingredients in the soft drink and whether it was made with artificial flavoring and acids. Root beer is also healthier than cola.
If your favourite soda is Dr Pepper but you don't have any in your fridge this new trend might be the one for you. According to TikTok you can recreate the taste of the real thing by using 2 ingredients: unflavored seltzer water and black cherry MiO.
Colabier. Putting anything with beer can make some brew enthusiasts shake their heads, but Coca-Cola might be one of the weirder suggestions. It's a trendy mixture in Germany, where it is called Colabier.
After examination of the make-up and ingredients of root beer, researchers found that this type of soda rarely has any traces of citric or phosphoric acid. This makes root beer healthier for teeth when compared to typical colas. Root beer acidity is also much lower than other sodas on the market.
It is no surprise here, but the number one most popular soft drink is hands down Coca-Cola Classic. Manufactured by the largest soft drink beverage company in the world, co*ke is the staple of the Coca-Cola Company. Crisp, delicious, and super refreshing, Coca-Cola Original is an all-time favorite.
It wasn't until the creation of root beer in 1876 that soda began to evolve into a drink option. Cola flavored soda entered the market shortly after in 1881. Dr Pepper was created in 1885 and believed to be the first soda as we know it today followed by Coca-Cola one year later.
Ingredients are: filtered carbonated water and contains 2% or less of each of the following: citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, potassium benzoate (protects flavor), aspartame, potassium citrate, acesulfame potassium, red 40.
Hires Root Beer is a root beer marketed by Keurig Dr Pepper. Introduced in 1876, it is one of the longest continuously made soft drinks in the United States.
But, what most people don't know is that root beer is filled with sugar and other harmful ingredients. Here's why health experts say you should avoid root beer altogether! Ever wonder why your root beer tastes so sweet? It's probably due to the high amounts of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) that's used.
The Lynchburg Beer blends Jack Daniels whiskey with root beer for a refreshing taste that's out of this world. Here's how to make this simple, delicious co*cktail.
A 16.9 ounce, one serving size bottle of A&W root beer contains 64 grams of sugar. To determine the number of teaspoons of sugar, divide the grams by four. In the root beer, there are 16 teaspoons of sugar.
Barq's /ˈbɑːrks/ is an American brand of root beer created by Edward Barq and bottled since the beginning of the 20th century. It is owned by the Coca-Cola Company. ... Barq's.
Root beer is a soda because it is a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage, but it is not considered a cola because it does not contain the extract of the Kola nut, which many would consider to be a requirement to be a cola style soda.
It consists of sugar, yeast, water, and flavorings of choice, left to ferment for natural fizziness. And though the FDA has eliminated sassafras from commercial use, it's apparent that plenty of people still reach for sassafras to get the authentic, traditional root beer flavor they crave in what they make at home.
Also known as a "black cow" or "brown cow", the root beer float is traditionally made with vanilla ice cream and root beer, but it can also be made with other ice cream flavors. Frank J. Wisner, owner of Colorado's Cripple Creek Brewing, is credited with creating the first root beer float on August 19, 1893.
@kingbdogz. "In Australia and New Zealand, an ice cream float is known as a "spider" because once the carbonation hits the ice cream it forms a spider web-like reaction. It is traditionally made using either lime or pink creaming soda."
If you're looking for a root beer brand that has a memorable taste and zero-calories Virgil's Zero Sugar root beer is the right drink for you. This bottled root beer is sweetened with Stevia which helps take out all the calories and keep the rich and earthy taste of Virgil's brand.
After examination of the make-up and ingredients of root beer, researchers found that this type of soda rarely has any traces of citric or phosphoric acid. This makes root beer healthier for teeth when compared to typical colas. Root beer acidity is also much lower than other sodas on the market.
However, root beer contains a lot of ingredients that do not make it a healthy drink for you. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS): It is high in sugar. You would not like to consume it because it can cause weight gain and lead to chronic conditions such as diabetes.
Introduction: My name is Msgr. Refugio Daniel, I am a fine, precious, encouraging, calm, glamorous, vivacious, friendly person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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