I've tried a couple of batches of root beer so far with little luck. My first batch was WAY too strong with the sassafras flavoring I bought. It tasted more like root-beer candy than a classy root-beer. My next batch I tried honey as a sweetner - TERRIBLE!! The honey completely took over the flavor and I couldn't stomach it.

My main question revolves around making a root beer that I could someday sell. I know that throws out sassafras root, and I'm sure there are a lot of other things I should know. I plan to purchase the equipment to force carbonate as soon as I have a good flavor.

Does anyone know how breweries do it? Do they actually use natural ingredients in each batch, or do they come up with a flavor and have a 'flavor house' chemically immitate it for commercial reproduction?

I was really excited about making root beer, but have been disappointed by my first couple of attempts. Any suggestions for making a good root beer without using a concentrate or picking limbs and roots? I don't know...maybe that's what I need to do???

Thanks for the help!

See my post here:
http://www.root-beer.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=134

Natural ingredients usually include essential oils and chemicals isolated from essential oils by fractional distillation. Almost all commercial rootbeers contain methyl salicylate in the form of sweet birch oil which you can buy. Another ingredient is safrole free sassafras oil, but I think there are legal difficulties obtaining it in the USA, because a principal constituent, heliotropin, is a controlled substance because it can be used to make the psychotropic drug, ecstasy. Heliotropin is also a constituent of natural vanilla. All good imitation vanilla contains heliotropin, but I have read the labels of many brands of imitation vanilla and all are missing heliotropin. Maybe, the legal red tape for purchasing heliotropin is too much for many manufacturers. I suspect the vanilla like accent of A&W rootbeer might be heliotropin.

My favorite rootbeer of all time was Fanta Rootbeer which is no longer available except maybe at soda fountains. It had a good, solid, distinct flavor. When it was available, the label said that it contained all artificial flavoring. I wish I knew the identities of those flavorings. Anyway, if I remember correctly, Fanta is owned by the Coca Cola Company which also makes Barg's Rootbeer. The Fanta Rootbeer recipe is probably sitting idle in some vault.

The only way I know to make it naturally carbonated is to ferment it. You would need a beer, ale or wine yeast. Bread yeast would work but not well and not taste very good. My Grandma used to make Root Beer, pretty strong and very good.