Email to Booper      

Recipe Categories: booper's HOME PAGE4-Kids Alcohol AltonBrown APPETIZERS BakedGifts BakeSale BBQ BEEF BIRTHDAYPARTIES BREAD BreadMachine BREAKFAST BURGERS CAKESandPIES CANDY Canning CARB_FRIENDLY CASSEROLES Cheesecake COOKIES Cookingfor2 CraftyCooking CROCKPOT DESSERTS DIABETIC DogTreatRecipes EGGS ETHNIC FISHandSEAFOOD Frosting FRUIT GBSRecipes Holiday-TGiving HolidayRecipes HomemadeMixes IceCream JAMSandJELLIES LowCarb LOWFAT MAINMEAL MARINADES MEATS OldFamilyRecipes PartyPleasers PASTA PASTRIES PIZZA PORK POTATOES POULTRY RICE SALADandDRESSING SANDWICHES SAUCES SNACKS SOUPSandSTEWS SummerDesserts SummerDishes VEGETABLES WLSRecipes

Homemade Root Beer

Recipe Link: http://jas.family.go.com/Family/cookbook.app?page=ShowRecipe&pagegroup=bookshelf&recipeID=10536

List of Ingredients




7 cups distilled or purified water
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon root beer concentrate*


Recipe



While it's certainly easier to pick up a bottle at the store, homemade root beer comes closer to the original flavor combination of wintergreen and anise. The hardest part is waiting out the carbonation period. You have to let the bottle sit undisturbed for five days before you can drink it.

Step 1
Measure the water into a glass bowl and heat it in a microwave on the high setting for three minutes. You can also heat the water in a nonaluminum pan on a stove burner until the water is lukewarm. Do not overheat or you will deactivate the yeast. Add the sugar, dry yeast, and root beer concentrate to the water and stir slowly until the sugar and yeast dissolve.

Step 2
Set a small plastic funnel into the mouth of a 2-liter plastic bottle. Use a small cup or ladle to pour the soda mixture through the funnel. Fill the bottle, leaving 2 or 3 inches of air space at the top. Remove the funnel and screw on the bottle cap tightly. (If air leaks out, the root beer will not carbonate properly.)

Step 3
To add the fizz, lay the filled bottle on its side in a warm place and leave it undisturbed for four days. During this time the sugar and the yeast react to form the tiny carbon dioxide bubbles that give soda its fizz.

Step 4
On the fifth day, put the root beer in the refrigerator to chill. It will be ready to drink the following day. As you unscrew the bottle cap, listen for the soft whoosh sound as the pressurized air at the top of the bottle escapes. When you pour the root beer, you should see bubbles on the sides of the glass and foam forming at the top. You'll notice a slight yeasty flavor to your homemade brew, as well as a hint of anise and wintergreen. If the flavor is too strong, just add a small amount of cold water.

Step 5
*Look for the concentrate in the spice and extract section of your grocery store. Or order it by calling the Consumer Affairs department at McCormick & Company, Inc. (800-632-5847).