ELittle
Member
Hi, im looking for source recommendations for root beer extracts. I have found tons of them online, but im wondering if there is a golden standard or some well liked ones out there. Thanks for any help.
Ha! I was in Dublin a few days ago. Damnit. Thanks for the info.
As was I, picking up more root beer extract. They have their own brand. If you decide to try it, make sure you ask at the counter. They have third party extracts on the shelf, but you have to get the root beer extract from behind the counter. They have three different flavors of root beer. I've tried their #2 and #3, both good, but I prefer #3. The #1 extract is their biggest seller. I've got a bottle of that carbonating right now.
Look for Zatarain's root beer extract... very tasty with a bit more mint/spice than Gnome or Fermentap. I made it a few times with brown sugar to give it some body and further flavor.
My Dad used to make root beer with Hire's root beer extract. It was delicious!!!
As was I, picking up more root beer extract. They have their own brand. If you decide to try it, make sure you ask at the counter. They have third party extracts on the shelf, but you have to get the root beer extract from behind the counter. They have three different flavors of root beer. I've tried their #2 and #3, both good, but I prefer #3. The #1 extract is their biggest seller. I've got a bottle of that carbonating right now.
I believe that this extract is now available at the HomeMade Soda company.
That's correct, he sold HopTech off a couple of years back and does the soda business through the web.
That's correct, he sold HopTech off a couple of years back and does the soda business through the web.
I just bought the only book I could find on making Root Beer, and virtually every recipe in it uses sassafras...even his "modern" recipes.
Nearly every recipe I've seen online is similar...the recipe authors all basically say "don't use sassafras, the FDA says it will kill you" and then go on to list a recipe that uses sassafras...for example: http://www.greydragon.org/library/brewing_root_beer.html
Also, if you go to the "kit extract" pages, it lists the main flavors in it, which also contain sassafras: http://homemadesodacompany.com/rootbeer3.aspx
If you know of a good repository of sassafras-free recipes, please let me know!
Brawndo!! :rockin:I'm not even sure if that extract contains actual sassafras. You will note that it contains the "taste" of sassafras. It might also taste like victory to some people and have what plants crave.
I think what you're going to find is that most commercial rootbeers are utilizing wintergreen and most home recipes still call for sassafras. The recipe authors are just covering themselves so that if you do develop cancer thirty years from now from drinking five gallons of root beer a week you can't come back and say you had no idea. If I was brewing up an "authentic" batch of root beer every now and then, I'd probably just use sassafras. I don't really put it on the same level as a recipe that calls for a dram of quicksilver. You know, to aid digestion. Now, where's my laudanum?!!?
I'm pickin' up what you're puttin' down...and if I was just brewing a batch here and there for myself, who cares...however, this is for my kids, who will probably drink a lot of it...and I don't want to have to ration it out for fear they might drink enough of it to have a problem down the road. That's not to say we let them drink soda all day anyway, I just don't want to have to worry about them getting cancer or liver damage from it more than we are already concerned about obesity or their teeth rotting out. Maybe it's nothing...I just don't want to take that chance on me kids, ya know?
I just don't see any recipes that indicate how to replace sassafras with wintergreen, or any other herb. I'm an experienced all-grain brewer, but these roots and herbs are completely new to me, so I don't know how to substitute anything yet...and there is virtually zero documentation, (including the nearly worthless book I just bought) that has a decent written description of the flavors of the various ingredients.
My Dad used to make root beer with Hire's root beer extract. It was delicious!!!
Yeah! My Dad did too!!! Wonder what happened to that brand....
I don't think a lot of modern rootbeer contains sassafras. My understanding is that they use wintergreen flavoring.
Does anyone know where to get safrole-free sassafras extract?
I am just getting into making root beer, and want to make it from scratch with my kids, but my kids are probably going to drink as much or more than I will, and don't want to give them something that could potentially give them cancer at some point.
I have been searching the web high and low, and other than some shady deals on Ebay, I have been completely unable to uncover a reputable source of safrole-free sassafras extract, or even an artificial sassafras flavoring...where do the commercial root-beer manufacturers get it?
Also, does anyone know which or if any or all of the root-beer "kit" extracts are safrole-free or not?
I'm not sure where this keeps cropping up from, but I don't believe that wintergreen is used as a direct replacement for sassafras, but it is a flavor that is commonly used in root beers along with vanilla, cinnamon, dandelion root, burdock root, sarsaparilla root, etc.
Keep in mind that wintergreen oil is one of the precursers to aspirin, which is not good to give to kids either. So pick your poison.
As I understand it, giving aspirin (salicylic acid) to kids is only an issue if they take it when they have a fever (virus), which may cause Reye's Syndrome. It also has a level of toxicity, like just about anything else, including water. However, it is not known to be carcinogenic. It's all about moderation.Keep in mind that wintergreen oil is one of the precursers to aspirin, which is not good to give to kids either. So pick your poison.
Thanks for the link, I'll check it out!If you want to go safrole-free, there are options out there. Pappy's Sassafras tea concentrate is not necessarily widely available, but it's available through their online store as well as Amazon. It being a straight sassafras flavor extract(without the safrole), it's a little different than the average root beer extract which is essentially a cocktail of various flavors
As for wintergreen being a precursor to asprin, I would have to do further research on that. I have found that a number of relatively harmless ingredients are often precursors to some sinister compound. I've also found life to be a precursor to death and recommend that others avoid it at all cost!
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