How to Brew Root Beer and Ginger Ale

Chuck  says:
3 years ago

They do, at least the ones my brother and I brewed, have a yeasty taste which is one of the reasons (in addition to lack of time) that I prefer to buy soda from the store. But it is fun to brew a batch or two of your own soft drink. Thanks for the comment.

Chuck  says:
2 years ago

Wendy, thank you for the comment. The only recipe I have is the one published above. I never heard of putting raisins in the bottle when making rootbeer however, I did know a fellow once who told me that he used to toss a raisin in the bottle when making cranberry wine. Although, he never explained why he did it.

When I made this as a college student with my younger brother, we also had to use glass bottles (we used 1 gallon jugs) because there were no plastic bottles in those days either. Frankly, we made the root beer a couple of times for the fun of while we were making wine (also for the fun of it). I never particularly cared for the end product as it had a distinctive yeasty taste and I much prefered to drink the store brought product instead. The same with the grape wine that my brother and I made - it also had a yeasty taste. Although, the cranberry wine (using Ocean Spray Cranberry juice) had a very good taste as did the grape wine that I made with a neighbor a few years later - in that case, instead of a package of yeast and a can of frozen grape juice concentrate, we used real grapes and let them naturally forment using the yeast that grew naturally on the skins of the grapes. Though not award winning quality, the wine that we produced was decent tasting.

Chuck  says:
2 years ago

Anon, If there is an air leaking sound from the cap, it probably means that the cap is either not on tight or that it doesn't make a good seal when screwed on tight. So long as you can hear air leaking out there shouldn't be any problem with the brew becoming contaminated (assuming the jar was clean when you started and there were no contaminating bacteria in the jar or mixture when you stared) as the pressure on the inside is greater than the outside which is why air is leaking out and not being sucked in. However, if this changes and air gets sucked in you do risk contamination (which will probably either be visible with mold floating in the mixture or a bad smell or taste that will prevent you from drinking it and becoming sick).

If you let this continue to sit with the air leaking out will probably be a flat tasting rootbeer. The air that you hear escaping from your bottle is carbon dioxide which is being released by the yeast acting on the sugar in the mixture. If you have a tight seal on the bottle this gas cannot escape and will dissolve in the rootbeer giving it its fizz. If the gas is allowed to escape rather than dissolve in the mixture there will be no fizz. Also, when the gas dissolves it creates a condition that kills the yeast and stops the fermentation process (the converting of the sugar to alcohol) giving you not only a fizzy drink but one whose alcohol content is near zero. Allowing the air to escape and the fermentation process to continue will result in a rootbeer tasting wine (assuming that it does not get contaminated with air coming in) rather than the rootbeer soda you are expecting.

As to how long you should let the rootbeer stand before opening, about four days to a week should be sufficient (but chill it first before opening as stated in my article above) to produce rootbeer. Of course, this assumes that you have an air tight seal that keeps the carbon dioxide in the bottle. Finally, if the bottle you are using is glass rather than plastic, then be careful if you do get an air tight seal that it doesn't explode as happened to me one of the times I made rootbeer using a glass bottle.

Chuck

dreadpal  says:
2 years ago

Really fun hub. Thanks for the info. I've always wanted to try this. I've made wine and my son has brewed many batches of beer, but never root beer. This is pretty simple, though, so may be worth a try for the fun of it!

Nick  says:
2 years ago

The raisins are there so you know when it's ready since you can sqeeze a glass bottle to check the pressure. Raisins will float when the drink is carbonated.

JeffM  says:
2 years ago

Is there any way to make this as a completely alcohol free concoction? My first guess is no because of the key ingredients required for making it. I love Vernor's ginger ale and would love to try making a batch of homemade ginger ale but don't drink anymore. No big deal if it's not possible. I will say it was an interesting hub, nonetheless.

Chuck  says:
2 years ago

JeffM & Garrett, Thank you for visiting my HubPages and for leaving your comments.

The answer to both questions is 'No'. The fizz in the homemade soft drinks is the result of the carbon dioxide gas being given off by the fermentation process being dissolved in the liquid. As I said in the article, the alcohol content is minimal but the beverage does contain alcohol.

As to the root beer and other soft drinks sold in stores, that does not contain alcohol as that is made by injecting the carbon dioxide into the liquid and not relying on a fermentation process to produce the carbon dioxide.

Thanks again to both of you for your comments. Chuck

betty, Texas  says:
2 years ago

love it, im an alchoolic ya know!!

arrow sheds  says:
2 years ago

I am going to have to try this with my son, he loves root beer! Nice job

beer  says:
2 years ago

mmmm beeeeer

Chuck  says:
2 years ago

jones88 - I wouldn't recommend this as my brother and I originally used 1 gallon glass jugs and that is what exploded. Instead of a 1 gallon glass jug, why don't you simply tripple the recipe and use 3 two liter soda bottles?

Dave Saunders  says:
18 months ago

I love root beer. I think I might be brave enough to make my own. Thanks for the hub.

Chuck  says:
17 months ago

DonnaCSmith - thank you for visiting my Hub and for your comment. As to using sassafras root, that used to be the way to make root beer and sassafras tea (boiling the root or maybe the bark in water to make an herb tea with sassafras). However, I would check this out further before going ahead with using sassafras root because, when I was doing background research on the history of root beer, I recall seeing some articles on the web warning about health dangers associated with sassafras.

I didn't include information on sassafras in the article since root beer extract has been bottled and sold commercially by Hires and others since the late 19th century and can be found in most grocery stores. Prior to selling the commercially bottled extract on store shelves 19th century pharmacists used to mix and sell the syrup on request. Also, all of the 19th century recipe books that I checked called for using syrup to make root beer.

Finally, while ginger root can usually be found in grocery stores, one has to go looking for sassafras in the woods. Also, ginger extract is not as common in stores as the root beer extract and one must either go to a specialty store that deals in brewing supplies or go on the web to find the ginger extract. Cook books from the 19th century forward also contain recipes for ginger ale using both the extract or the ginger root itself.

Thanks again for visiting my hub.

barnabybear  says:
17 months ago

My brother made Ginger Ale once and the bottle exploded LOL.

Thanks for an interesting hub. :)

market solution  says:
15 months ago

Your hub brought back memories of making root beer as a child. We always had homemade root beer every Friday night. I had forgotten. Oh, and I also experienced the mess of exploded glass bottles. It was a huge mess - with glass flying for nearly 20 feet and sticky root beer all over the library and books. UGH!

Chuck  says:
14 months ago

Brad, thanks for the comment. As to your question, I am not sure. The cooling will slow down or stop the fermentation as yeast, like most bacteria, need a warm environment in which to grow and function.

However, it has always been my understanding that it is the dissolving of the carbon dioxide, which is a byproduct of the fermentation process and which is what gives the root beer its fizz, that causes the acid level in the mixture to rise and this is what kills the yeast thereby stopping the fermentation.

When you make the root beer, be sure to make it in a plastic bottle. I also recommend that you not mail it to the person you are giving it to and when transporting it, place the bottle inside a picnic cooler or other container that will contain the liquid in the event the bottle splits and leaks. I also would not let it sit in a hot area (like a car in Arizona during the summer) and would suggest to whoever I was giving it as a gift to store it in the refrigerator. You might also want to cool it in a refrigerator before opening since if the drink is warm it might fizz out over the top when you open it.

Maybe some other reader can provide a more complete answer for this.

Thanks again and good luck.

Chuck

mattyboy  says:
13 months ago

After digging around a little, i found that bread yeast may be contributing that yeasty flavor in your brews. Try a champagne, montrachet or ale yeast(not a lager yeast) and say goodbye to yeast bite:)

luna5  says:
12 months ago

This brings back old memories of bewing batches of root beer as a kid. We used glass quart botltles and made up 5 gallons or so every few months ( never had any explode). I still have the bottle cap crimper and stores still sell the caps ( Agway for one) ! I have bottles from a local soda manufacturer that still uses the old fashoined refillables-they are much thicker than current glass "recycleable" ones. Part of the process that was deemed critical was sterilizing the bottles with boiling water to avoid contamination( I don't imagine that plastic would work due to the temperatures) . We stored the filled bottles on their side until we needed some and then to the refrigerator in the upright position so the yeast products settled to the bottom. I found a recipe that ( as I remember) is exactly waht we used here:http://www.greydragon.org/library/brewing_root_bee

tourmaline2777  says:
12 months ago

I love root beer! Definitely would like to try brewing my own.

Tim  says:
11 months ago

I brewed some root beer recently using a different recipe. I made it from scratch without the root beer extract.

I'm leaving the bottles semi-unsealed so that the glass won't explode from the carbon dioxide.

It's been fermenting for two days. I tried a little and it was gross. I'm thinking about using a different sweetner (other than cane sugar) and using more vanilla bean.

I saw some comments mentioning a yeasty flavor. I've noticed that. Is there any way to get rid of that? Do we really have to add yeast in the first place? When I was done making it and shook it up, it started fizzing without the yeast...

Ton  says:
11 months ago

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It should be possible to make a totally non-alcoholic version by force carbonating the root beer. Compressed CO2 and the necessary hard ware could be purchased at a home brew store.

You might want to use an artificial sweeter as opposed to sugar. Just in case some wild yeast gets into the mix.

geoalim13  says:
10 months ago

i got a kit to brew root beer this year for christmas and i found that pic of the extract is the same kind i have

ps if you go to www.brewhorizons.net you can get the kit and choose from these flavores:

root beer

sarsaparilla

ginger ale

cream soda

raspberry

orange

spruce

cola

each bottle costs $6.50

pss my kit came witk a 6.5 gallon bottling bucket with spigot, 4 feet of 3/'' fda tubing, spring bottle filler, root beer extract, 18'' stirring paddle, pack of wine yeast, 8 pet 1/2 liter plastic bottles, caps, 2 packs of c-brite cleaner

Chuck  says:
10 months ago

Steven - thanks for the tip about the "Carbonator". This gives people an additional alternative which is always appreciated.

Chuck  says:
10 months ago

Dr. Frankhauser -  since your comment this year was more civil than the one you posted in late December of 2007 I am leaving it up and replying to your claim that what I have written in this Hub is nearly identical to what you had previously posted on your site.  

While I removed the original comment which you posted in late December of 2007, mainly because it was an unfounded attack on my personal integrity. However, I did not simply blow it off but, after a lengthy search of your website, found a link for people to reply to you via email and replied to your accusations privately via email on January 1, 2008.  Since you never replied to that email, I assumed that the misunderstanding had been resolved.

While strongly disagreeing with your original accusation that I copied and plagiarized the material on your site, I honestly have no problem acknowledging that the content I provided in my article above is nearly identical to similar content on your pages, DESPITE THE FACT, which I pointed out in my email, THAT I NEVER SAW AND WAS UNAWARE OF THE EXISTENCE OF YOUR WEBSITE UNTIL I CLICKED ON THE LINKS IN YOUR DECEMBER 2007 COMMENT (WHICH YOU POSTED A YEAR AFTER I PUBLISHED THIS HUB).  

The fact is we both wrote about the same simple process, fermentation, which has been known and used by people since prehistoric times and both of us provided recipes which have been used at least since the Middle Ages and have been available in cookbooks for 150 years or more.  I didn't need to go to your website for the root beer and ginger ale recipes as they are widely available elsewhere both on the Internet and in print.  Go to the flavorings and spice shelf of almost any grocery store and you will find one or more brands of root beer extract each of which is the same size and the directions on each brand's box are almost always identical, word for word, to those on the boxes of other brands.  These directions appear not to have changed much since at least the mid-nineteenth century when drug stores (referred to as pharmacies or chemists in the old books) used to sell root beer, ginger ale and other flavoring extracts to be used in the making of these drinks.  

Anyone who has taken a chemistry or biology course in high school (I took both) has probably been introduced to the concept of fermentation which is simply the action of yeast on sugar dissolved in water.  Down through the centuries prisoners, soldiers and sailors, regardless of their education level or lack thereof, have been able to obtain the basic ingredients  and produce alcoholic beverages regardless of attempts by those in charge to prevent this.  

When I was in college my brother and I tried our hand at making wine, root beer and yogurt.  This was back in the 1970s when the Internet was a Cold War military project that was little known to the general public and totally off limits to the public.  My point is that this is a simple and widely known process, the description of which can be found in countless places with little variation in the wording.  One only has to take a tour of a winery or brewery (and I have visited a number of them in both the U.S. and Europe) where the guides describe the fermentation process using basically the same wording as you and I used. The same is true for the recipes.  I got my original recipe for root beer from the same place where you probably got your original recipe - from the instructions on the box that contained the bottle of concentrate.  Since I assumed, as you probably did as well, that the majority of my readers were interested in trying the process rather than producing it as a standard drink for the household, I adjusted the recipe to produce a smaller output just as I have done with many recipes when there has been a need to produce more or less of the item for a particular meal.  

Also, as I explained in my article above, having had experience with some of my glass bottles exploding when my brother and I tried our hand at making root beer, I recommended  that people use plastic soda bottles rather than glass - unfortunately plastic soda bottles with screw on caps were not available in the early 1970s which forced my brother and I to use the next best thing which was gallon glass jugs with screw on caps.  Since the advent of the plastic bottles recent authors, including the McCormick Company, a box of whose root beer concentrate I have next to me as I write this.  Among the things listed under CAUTIONS:  on the side panel of the box are: "Plastic bottles are highly recommended for bottling homemade root beer.  They are easily checked during fermentation to determine the firmness of the bottle.  We recommend that you NOT use glass bottles."

Given a recipe that contains 4 ingredients and a simple preparation process, it is difficult to describe it in a manner that is different from the way hundreds of thousands of others have described it.  

One can alter the quantity of each ingredient, as you and I (and many other recent authors) have done, but we have very little leeway in altering the proportions of the ingredients.  The only ingredient that is variable is the flavoring.  One either uses the ingredients, proportions and process and gets the desired result or omits or significantly alters something and spoils the end product. 

As far as the ginger ale is concerned, I simply directed my readers to follow the root beer recipe and substitute either ginger ale concentrate or grated ginger for the root beer concentrate.  You, on the other hand, provided detailed, step by step, instructions on a separate page of your site.  I am sure that you are unaware of, let alone copied, the recipe for Ginger Pop (a common name in the Northeastern U.S. for soda) that appears on page 272 of "Jennie June's American Cookery Book" by Mrs. J. C. Corly and published by the American News Company in 1866.  However, with the exception of cream of tarter, your ingredients are identical to hers and your description of the process, while longer and more detailed than hers, is basically the same.  Here is a link to the page on Google Books: http://www.google.com/books?id=QodUCl0V9LEC&prints

As I stated above, I have no trouble acknowledging that you and I both wrote about the same thing and I do not dispute your claim that you created your site and published your material some years before I published my article.  Your material is also far more extensive than mine and provides more in depth information than mine.  However, while your site was written to educate people on food chemistry, I wrote mine in response to a far simpler request that had been submitted to the managers of HubPages  who, in turn, had presented it to those of us writing on the site as a topic to answer.  The was for instructions on how to make root beer and ginger ale.  I responded to the request with both instructions for making these two beverages and also provided some additional background information on the history and process behind them.

In addition to letting your comment above with its links to your site stand, I have also added your links to the link module in my article above along with additional links to Google Books containing recipes for these drinks and descriptions of the fermentation process.  

Finally, while appreciating the link on your website to this article, I would ask that you remove the accusation that accompanies it which claims that I copied your site without permission.

Chuck Nugent

Chuck  says:
7 months ago

Tony - while brewing your own soft drinks can be fun, it is time consuming which is probably why most people don't brew their own instead of relying on commercially produced soft drinks.

In my Hub http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-make-a-Pizza-at-Hom I provided a fast and easy way to make a very good pizza at home. While it is very good and I enjoy it, even I find it easier to simply stop at a pizza take out on my way home from work and pick up a ready made one than come home and make one myself.

Thanks again for the comment

Chuck  says:
7 months ago

joel - Yes, you can substitute other flavors besides root been and ginger ale extract when using the above recipe to make your own soft drinks. Some flavorings, like orange, can usually be found in most grocery stores (usually in the baking asile) while a much wider selection can be found in brewing or winemaking supply stores or on the Internet.