Can home brewing be fun for the whole family, even the little ones? I think so, and I am doing my best to make it an educational life lesson at the same time. Biology, chemistry, physics, math, the history and culture of food preservation, basic kitchen skills, and respect for alcohol consumption, you name it; home brewing is multidisciplinary and offers a lot of opportunity to spend quality time with the kids and they don't even know they are learning. But, being small as they are, they don't get to [legally] enjoy the fruits of their labor. Actually, with no extra effort at all, you can turn your favorite hobby into one the kids and grandkids can drink and will be begging you to do.
My daughter Mia, 7 years old, loves cooking and food almost as much as I do. Last year for her birthday, she got a soda siphon and a book about the craft of home made sodas. (She also has an entrepreneurial spirit so the gift giver thought Mia could start her own soda stand over the summer and make some money.) This gift coincided with my growing interest in home-produced alcohol. Together, my daughter and I have worked our kitchen magic and made beverages that can please the big ones and the little ones. It's called Root Beer.
Root Beer has been around for a long time, and yes, back in the day it did contain alcohol (about 0.5% ABV) due to natural carbonation. In order for the refreshing elixir (believed to have health restorative properties) to remain sweet, it was inoculated then immediately placed in a sealed container and drank within the first couple days of the start of fermentation, before much alcohol was produced. Commercially sold Root Beer today is non-alcoholic and carbonated artificially. Just like the major adult beverage companies have limited the diversity, healthfulness, and craftsmanship heritage of alcohol consumption (and, in turn, dumbed-down the American palate), so too have the soda companies done the same with drinks suitable for children. And the possibilities for soda are just as diverse, if not more so, than traditional beer. Combine a rainbow of fresh fruit, berry, spice, and herb flavors with the fact that you have control over the sugar, preservatives, and caffeine; and how could anyone interested in home brewing, that also has rug rats underfoot, not consider making home brewed soda?
Here is Mia's recipe for Root Beer:
Ingredients can be collected from the woods (if you know what you are doing), ordered online, purchased at health foods stores like Nature's Way in Greensburg or the East End Food co-op in Pittsburg, or from our local homebrew shop, Montgomery Underground Winery.
2 scant liters Filtered Water
¼ packet Champagne Yeast
1 cup Natural Sweetener like Sugar or Honey
¼ cup Dried Sassafras Root
¼ cup Dried Burdock Root
2 tbs Dried Sarsaparilla Root
1 tbs Dried Licorice Root
1 tbs Dried Ginger Root
Place roots in a tea ball, grain bag, or cheese cloth. Bring water to a boil, add roots and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Dissolve sugar in tea. Allow tea to cool and add yeast. Bottle as you prefer, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. I like to put it in empty, clean, 2 liter plastic soda bottles. Screw cap back on tightly and place in a dark warm place to begin fermentation. You might also want to put it in a closed cooler or somewhere else safe in case it explodes. Allow it to sit for 3-4 days. If you use plastic bottles, check on progress daily. It is ready when the bottle is rock hard. You can store bottles in the refrigerator for 2 additional days if you like but any longer and you will have a bomb on your hands. Open carefully and enjoy.
The above recipe is sure to please the palate of any little tyke, discerning or not. It is fresh, natural, and fun. It even appeals to those of us big kids with a sweat tooth. But, being the "drinkie" (my newly coined word for someone who appreciates all things "drink"; similar to the name "foodie" given to people who spend a lot of time contemplating and practicing all things "food"; i.e. people who watch Food Network daily and collect cookbooks) that I am, I wondered what a real Root Beer Beer (what I now call Root Beer²) would turn out like.
Those of you that tried my first attempt really enjoyed it and that is why I wrote this article sharing the recipe. In fact, my family and friends that have been following me through my home brewing journey insist that this is my best effort to date. But I am certain it can be improved upon and altered to make wonderful, individualistic, and inspired creations. There are literally thousands of herbs, spices and fruits out there that can be experimented with. For instance, you might add some dried dandelion root or petals, licorice root, cherry or birch bark, juniper berries, or winter green leaf. I am getting chills thinking of all the variations. I would love to find a big wild patch of tea berries like my grandma pointed out to me as a kid hiking around cook forest; talk about making this truly a family affair, but I digress.
Just one word of caution, start with a small amount of favor enhancements and work your way up to the perfect addition, maybe even small batches, and keep good records and labels. I've been told that the best thing about my particular ratio of flavored root additions was that it was not too strong. It gave just the right amount of up-front nose and a little bit of root flavor at the very end but it was still just a plain, widely accepted, version of the American Pale Ale, with hops, grains and all.
Alas, I never make the same thing twice, even when cooking, but Root Beer² will always be in the back of my mind. Well, I am going to get inventing on the next thing that will rock your boat (I am already dreaming about what I might brew this coming August when sweet corn is at its peak or even next month when I dig up those carrots that have over-wintered in my garden) while you perfect Root Beer². And would it really be so bad if my daughter had a taste of this?
Root Beer Squared:
1 5-gal recipe (or ingredient kit) of your favorite American Pale Ale
1 tbs dried ginger root
2 tbs dried burdock root
2 tbs dried sassafras root
1 tbs dried sarsaparilla root
Brew Pale Ale as instructed in kit directions, adding dried roots during last 10 minutes of boil.
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