Ever wondered what a "sarsaparilla" is while watching classic cartoons/westerns?
Well, I wanted to know myself. I did manage to try one from a local grocery store(which I will review in the future), but I wasn't satisfied. Why? It tasted too much like root beer to me, and so i decided to make my own Sarsaparilla without using the same ingredients that would be used for root beer(sassafras, licorice root, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, wintergreen, clove, etc.).
It turned out really well, and this, along with my cream soda, has been my tastiest soda to date.
It's a short list of ingredients, and I'm finding with certain things this is best.
3 tbsp. Sarsaparilla(about 1 oz.)
1x 6 in. Vanilla bean-cut into many small segments
3 Cardamom seed pods
2 cups of sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1/8 tsp. Ale Yeast
1 gallon of water.
Bring 1/2 gallon of water to a boil in a stock pot with Sarsaparilla, vanilla bean and cardamom.
Let simmer about 20 minutes. Stir in the honey, and then remove from heat. Let steep another 20 minutes, covered. Stir in 2 cups of sugar until dissolved, then add 1/2 gallon of water to the brew. Let cool to 90 degrees.
Scoop about a little bit of brew water out into a small glass or coffee mug, add yeast and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
While letting the yeast get to work, strain the brew into another vessel. Add yeast, stir well, and bottle.
Remember to stir your brew as you bottle to ensure the most even distribution of yeast.
Bottle and let sit for about 36 hours(more time for cooler climates, less time for hotter climates).
The resulting brew was sweet, herbal, slightly spiced(from the cardamom), and very refreshing.
My daughters enjoyed the soda quite a bit, and a friend's children also each drank a bottle with no complaints. I didn't strain my batch incredibly well, so I got a few swigs that resulted in root pieces in the mouth, but it's not unlike getting some "tea shake" in your mouth if you're a loose-leaf tea brewer.
Sarsaparilla is entirely different than any root beer you've ever had before, and making it for yourself will allow you to experience it as an entirely new entity separate from it's more popular cousin.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Did you use Green Cardamom seed pods like for tea, or black ones normally reserved for seasoning?
ReplyDeletegreen cardamom seed pods.
ReplyDeletesarsaparille extract or root and bark
ReplyDeleteroot and bark-dried and chopped-obtained from my local tea supply store.
DeleteHave you had any issues with bottles exploding? Would a bit less ale yeast help in that aspect?
DeleteBottle exploding is a sign of a lot of yeast. You can either reduce the amount of yeast or refrigerate earlier to make the yeast hibernate before there is too much carbonation.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteshould this be refrigerated, does it go bad? and are glass bottles recommended or should i use something more flexible?
ReplyDeleteIt needs to be refrigerated after the carbonation is right, which can be up to a week or more depending on temp, and it will probably go bad after a month, but it probably won't last that long anyways. :-)
DeleteIs a glass container useable?
ReplyDeletewould active dry yeast work?
ReplyDeletedo you know anything about brewing soda in a keg?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the incredibly late reply. Dry yeast will work, but it will be "bready" and a bit more sour and leave a lot more sediment in the bottom of the bottles. I know nothing.about kegs.
Deletehow much will this brew?
ReplyDeleteIt works out to roughly 10.5 12 Oz. bottles. I usually use the "half" bottle as a tester. The other 10 are for.consumption. :)
DeleteYou can also get roughly 7-8 500ml bottles out of this, and just under 2 2liters.
Thanks so much!!! All of the questions I wanted to ask have already been asked and answered! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLizzi
Ricky,
ReplyDeleteI am a professional brewer and the owner of a small brewery. Two cups of granulated sugar and a small amount of honey will produce a mixture that is at a specifica gravity of about 1.035. Adding ale yeast to a mixture of this nature will result in a final gravity of, most likely, about 1.010.
The result of the yeast eating these sugars will be a very highly carbonated bottle (and possibly a bottle bomb (please google "brewing, bottle bomb" as they can be extremely dangerous)) as well as a drink with an alcohol content of approximately 3.5% by volume. That isn't far off from the 4.5% ABV of beers such as Bud Light, etc. A 16 ounce glass would be the rough equivilent of a 12 ounce can of beer.
The only varying factors of how much alcohol would be in this recipe would be: length of time the mixture was left at room temp and length of time before it was consumed. If you are letting these sodas sit out for about 36 hours, you ARE producing alchohol but the yeast will not finish consuming all of the sugars and therefore you'll have something short of the 3.5% ABV.
ReplyDeleteBut... if these sodas are removed from refrdigeration and left to come up to room temp for any reason, fermentation WILL start up again and the result will be about a 3.5% ABV benverage. As I mentioned before though, the bigger concern is these bottles possibly becoming over-carbonated and exploding due to the resulting pressure (again... please google the situation if it sounds like I am exaggerating).
As a brewer, I typically use about an ounce of sugar per gallon of water to carbonate beer bottles. You're obviously well over that amount and the result could be extreme pressure within the bottles.
If the bottles are put in the refridgerator afer 36 hours (and fermentation stalls due to the temperature) and immediately consumed cold... there isn't a significant risk... although these sodas will still contact some alcohol... maybe 2%... but again, if these are left, by anyone, un-refridgerated for any real length of time, the full 3.5% ABV will result and I would be shocked if a few bottles didn't let go.
Dear Pro Brewer, can you provide your email address? I'd like your advice over email. I'm interested in making sarsaparilla (root beer) that has no alcohol, can store at room temp for a couple years (no bombs) and basically is like any other shelf cola (coke/ pepsi). I have pro brewing equipment (for ale) and dont want the equipment damaged/ gummed up, either.
DeleteI make kefir sodas nearly every week. I use a refractometer and typically see specific gravity go from 1.045 to 1.043 by the time pressure has build up in my tester jars and I move the whole batch to the fridge. I don't think I'm getting anywhere near 2% alcohol. I'm thinking these are pretty kid safe.
DeleteIgnore the naysayers. Do your research and be sure to use plastic bottles. Yes; there are times when you forget to move your soda to a fridge to stop the fermentation process but EVERY big homebrew shop I use carries soda kits with similar instructions to the one above. Doubt me? Go look at NorthernBrewer.com, midwestsupplies.com, etc. All carry soda kits that involve mixing sugar, adding yeast (usually montrachet), fermenting slightly until carbed, then putting it in the fridge with LOTS of residual sugar. Pro Beer brewer -- stick to brewing beer. Do It Yourselfers -- go for it. Just follow the instructions, use plastic, and enjoy from the fridge in a timely fashion.
ReplyDeleteI recommend using Swing Top bottles if you have the cash. Swing Top bottles will never explode, and are made for this type of brewing.
DeleteFYI keggers. I do this all the time. Add correct amount of stabilizer (potassium sorbate) to 5 gallons worth of homemade soda and hook up to gas in your keggerator. the K-sorb will prevent fermentation.
ReplyDeleteDo remember that soda is typically carbonated much more than beer. You may need either a dual regulator or separate gas bottle to carb the soda up enough to be enjoyable.
Also, since you haven't added a preservative your shelf life is only a few months even in the fridge.
If you want room temperature storage you'll have to investigate chemicals I'm not familiar with.
If you're just making it for yourself, family, and friends, it probably wouldn't need to last any longer, and is better for you without preservatives. If you're making it to sell small scale you just have to let your buyers know through labeling, maybe verbally as well that it's preservative free or for immediate consumption or whatever, same as you might for specialty juices.
DeleteWhat's the best place to get all the ingredients?
ReplyDeleteAlso, what's the difference between Ale Yeast and Brewer's Yeast?
ReplyDeleteI am diabetic, cannot have much real sugar or high fruictose corn syrup so wondering if I could make my own with grapes (I know has sugar, but if I do not use too many, could drink it) and Stevia. How would it affect the end result?
ReplyDeleteYou need a certain amount of sugar to d the carnonating for you, but if you make the recipe using Stevia or an artofcal to sweetener, you could run it through a keg or sodastream(or use other methods of carbonation, like a seltzer bottle or by making a syrup concentrate and combining it with seltzer).
DeleteAs for how it would affect the recipe? It would definitely have a different flavors profile. Sarsparilla has a sweet flavor on its own, though, and that will help balance out what I perceive as the bitter flavor stevia adds. You can probably make a carbonated brew with about 3tbsp of sugar/honey(honey is probably a better bet, since many diabetics seem to have less drastic blood sugar spikes with honey).
If you can drink beer or wine, it'll be somewhat similar.
I'm not a dietician by any means, though, so if you wish to try home carbonating with yeast and sugar, please only do so with extreme caution and take the necessary measures to ensure your own safety,and know that I don't honestly know the effects it May have on you or anyone else. Always make sure you're using real honey- not honey flavored corn syrup(unfortunately, this is very common with mass market honey)