Root beer

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A glass of root beer with foam

Root beer is a carbonated drink originally brewed using sassafras. Root beer, popularized in North America, comes in two forms: alcoholic and soft drink. The historical root beer was analogous to small beer, in that the process provided a drink with a very low alcohol content. In spite of roots being used as the source of many soft drinks in many countries throughout the world (and even alcoholic beverages/beers, e.g. Ginger Beer and Dandelion & Burdock in the UK), the name root beer is almost unknown outside of the United States and Canada. Most other countries have their own indigenous versions of root-based beverages and small beers but with different names and branding.

Contents

[edit] Ingredients

A can of Barq's root beer.

The soft drink version of root beer is generally made using extracts or flavored syrups diluted into carbonated water.

Commercially, root beer is produced by pumping carbon dioxide into a sweetened extract of a variety of roots. Traditionally, (and today at home) root beer was bottle-fermented by adding a small amount of yeast to the sweetened extract and sealing the bottle. Bottle fermentation produces the required carbon dioxide, and at the same time, makes a small amount of alcohol (0.4%)[1]. Note that 0.4% is less than 1/10th the amount of alcohol in malt beer.

Root beer flavor may contain a variety of flavors, coming from the wide range of ingredients. Bark from the roots of the sassafras tree was the typical flavor in root beer historically, and is the primary flavor most individuals associate with the beverage. It is slightly red at times. Sassafras bark was banned by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1976 because of the carcinogenic properties of its constituent chemical safrole. A safrole-free variety is now used, with some claiming that it has a weaker flavor than the pre-1960 variety.[2] Acacia is also used.

There are hundreds of root beer brands in the United States, produced in every U.S. state,[3] and there is no standardized recipe. The primary ingredient, artificial sassafras flavoring, is complemented with other flavors, common ones being vanilla, wintergreen, cherry tree bark, liquorice root, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, anise, molasses, cinnamon, clove and honey.

Homemade root beer is usually made from concentrate,[4] though it can also be made from actual herbs and roots. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic root beers have a thick and foamy head when poured, often enhanced through the addition of yucca extract.

At least one brand of root beer, Barq's, also contains caffeine although they also produce a caffeine-free variety which is sold in Utah due to demand from the large Mormon community. Also caffeine free Barq's is largely imported to areas of rural Pennsylvania as it is seen fit for Amish consumption.

[edit] Partial list of brands

[edit] IRBD

December 4 is International Root Beer Day (IRBD). IRBD was first celebrated on December 4, 1995 in Venezuela with American root beer imported from Curaçao.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Root Beer
  2. ^ Sassafras - Food Facts - Food Reference
  3. ^ RootBeerWorld.com - Yellow Froth Pages
  4. ^ Root Beer

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Brands of Root beer
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_beer"
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