Making Brewed Root Beer
Boil and infuse the aromatic ingredients to create your flavor base. In a medium sized pot, add 1/4 ounce (7.08 g) of sassafras root bark, 1/4 ounce (7.08 g) of birch bark, 1/4 ounce (7.08 g) of sarsaparilla root, 1/8 ounce (3.54 g) of dried licorice root, a 1 inch (2.5 cm) piece of ginger, and 1 split vanilla bean. Pour 2 US quarts (1.9 L) of water into the pot, and then bring it to a boil. Wait for the bubbles to just begin rising to the surface, but don’t keep it boiling after that.
Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to infuse for 2 hours. After it’s reached a boiling point, remove the pot from the heat and place the lid onto it. Leave it to cool down and infuse for a 2 full hours. Steep the ingredients in the mixture without stirring them.
Filter the liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Place the sieve over a container you can put the mixture into, and pour it through the filters. Once in the container, add an additional 2 US quarts (1.9 L) of filtered water, and stir thoroughly until it’s mixed together. After adding the extra water, allow it to cool to 75 °F (24 °C). Be sure to clean the container you’re filtering the mixture into beforehand with soap and hot water.
Add molasses and yeast to the mixture and let it ferment for 15 minutes. Stir in 2 cups (470 mL) of molasses and 1/8 teaspoons (0.6 g) of active dry yeast into the root-infused liquid and place a cover on it. Set it aside, and allow it to ferment for 15 minutes.
Pour the root beer into clean, dry 1 litre (34 fl oz) soda bottles. Use a funnel when adding the root beer to the bottles to avoid spilling. Fill the bottles to 2 inches (5.1 cm) below the cap to allow for a pocket for the carbonation. Clean out the bottles with warm soapy water, and allow them to air dry before pouring the root beer in them.
Leave the bottles out at room temperature to ferment for 12 hours. Screw on the lids of the bottles tightly, and set them out on your kitchen counter or table overnight to allow them enough time to ferment. Set the bottles upright instead of laying them on their sides.
Chill the homemade root beer for 2-5 days to increase its flavor. After letting them sit at room temperature, place the soda bottles in your fridge to cool for several days. After 5 days, the yeast will have broken down the molasses for a milder flavor with a slight alcohol content. For a stronger molasses taste, remove the root beer from the fridge after 2 days.
Open the root beer bottles carefully before serving. Gas will have built up inside the bottles that may cause the root beer to erupt out if you shake it too much while opening it, or open it too quickly. Wait for the gas to stop hissing before continuing to turn it. Once you have it open, serve your root beer over ice. To store, simply place the lid back on the bottle and secure it tightly again. Drink the remaining root beer within a couple of days of you opening the bottle to enjoy it before it goes flat, or loses its flavor.
Making Root Beer with Extract
Mix cold water, sugar, and root beer extract in a large pitcher. Use 4 US quarts (3,800 mL) of cold water, 2 to 3 cups (470 to 710 mL) of sugar depending on how sweet you’d like your root beer, and 3 tablespoons (44 mL) of root beer extract in a large pitcher. Stir the ingredients together until the water and extract have mixed well, and the sugar is fully dissolved. Taste the mixture to see if more sugar or extract needs to be added.
Cool the drink down with dry ice. Drop 1 to 2 pounds (0.45 to 0.91 kg) of dry ice chunks into the pitcher and mix it together with a spoon to cool it down and keep it from sticking to the bottom. Upon contact, the root beer mix should bubble, and the dry ice fog will spill over the side of the pitcher. Wear insulated gloves or use tongs when handling the dry ice. Add the dry ice to the pitcher in a well-ventilated room to avoid inhaling its fog.
Continue stirring until the dry ice is mostly melted. Use the spoon to continually keep turning the ice around in the pitcher, cooling down the root beer. Keep this up until the dry ice is nearly dissolved, which should take around 10-15 minutes.
Serve the root beer with a ladle. Be careful to avoid placing any remaining large pieces of dry ice in the cups so others won’t burn themselves with it. Feel free to enjoy in front of a leaf-strewn yard, an open fire pit, or while greeting trick-or-treaters on Halloween.
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