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Which botanicals are used to make Root Beer?
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Teotzlcoatl
Root Beer Fan
Root Beer Fan


Joined: Sep 23, 2009
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:34 pm    Post subject: Which botanicals are used to make Root Beer? Reply with quote

"Root Beer" Ethnobotanicals-

+Main Ingredients+

Aralia nudicaulis ~ "Wild Sarsaparilla" or "Rabbit Root"
Aralia racemosa ~ "American Spikenard"
Sassafras albidum ~ "Sassafras albidum" (Roots)
Smilax regelii ~ "Sarsaparilla"
Smilax glyciphylla ~ "Sweet Sarsaparilla"
Piper auritum ~ "Root Beer Plant" or "Hoja Santa"
Glycyrrhiza glabra ~ "Liquorice" (Root)
Glycyrrhiza lepidota ~ American Wild Licorice" (Root)
Gaultheria procumbens ~ "Wintergreen" (Leafs and Berries)
Betula lenta ~ "Sweet Birch" (Sap/Syrup/Resin)
Betula nigra ~ "Black Birch" (Sap/Syrup/Resin)
Betula papyrifera ~ "Paper Birch" (Sap/Syrup/Resin)
Prunus serotina ~ "Black Cherry" (Bark)
Picea rubens ~ "Red Spruce"
Picea mariana ~ "Black Spruce"
Picea sitchensis ~ "Sitka Spruce"
Taraxacum officinale ~ Dandelion
Nardostachys grandiflora and/or Nardostachys jatamansi ~ "Spikenard"




+Spices & Additives+

Arctium lappa ~ "Burdock" (Root)
Pimenta dioica ~ "Allspice"
Vanilla planifolia ~ "Vanilla"
Trigonella foenum-graecum ~ "Fenugreek"
Myroxylon balsamum ~ "Tolu Balsam"
Abies balsamea ~ "Balsam Fir"
Hordeum vulgare ~ "Barley" (Malted)
Myristica fragrans ~ "Nutmeg"
Juniperus communis ~ "Juniper" (Fruit or "Berry")
Cinnamomum zeylanicum ~ "Cinnamon" (Bark)
Cinnamomum aromaticum ~ "Cassia" (Bark)
Syzygium aromaticum ~ "Clove"
Coriandrum sativum ~ "Coriander"
Foeniculum vulgare ~ "Fennel" (Seed)
Zingiber officinale ~ Ginger (Root)
Illicium verum ~ "Star Anise"
Pimpinella anisum ~ "Anise"
Humulus lupulus ~ "Hops"
Mentha piperita ~ "Peppermint"
Mentha arvensis ~ "Wild Mint"
Mentha spicata ~ "Spearmint"
Hypericum perforatum ~ "St.John's Wort"
Althea officinalis ~ "Marshmallow"
Ceratonia siliqua ~ "Carob"
Saccharum species ~ "Cane Sugar" & "Molasses"
Apis species ~ "Honey"




+Foam/Froth+

Quillaja saponaria ~ "Soapbark"
Manihot esculenta ~ "Manioc" or "Yuca" (Root)



Is there anything I'm missing? Any plants?
  

Last edited by Teotzlcoatl on Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:05 am; edited 4 times in total
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I want to make a 100% organic root beer directly from the botanicals (not extracts or anything like that) which I grow myself... does anybody have any tips?

BTW, I can sell Sassafras plants to anybody who might want one!

I have an entire grove of Sassafras in my yard with some tree reaching over 30 feet in height!
  
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kguske
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Joined: Jun 27, 2003
Posts: 349

PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like you're well prepared...
_________________
Bottoms up!
Kevin Guske

So heres a tribute toast with root beer in hand to you and the many mugs of suds along your happy trails. --Charles Wysocki, artist and root beer fan, 1928-2002
  
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ya but I need lots of help! I've never done this before!

And I need to know if I'm missing ANY plants EVER used for making root beer or something like root beer?
  
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is what I'm thinking for my Root Beer...


~~~Name's Root & Bark Beer~~~

Arctium lappa ~ "Burdock" (Root)
Betula lenta ~ "Sweet Birch" (Sap/Syrup/Resin)
Gaultheria procumbens ~ "Wintergreen" (Leaf & Fruit)
Glycyrrhiza glabra ~ "Liquorice" (Root)
Sassafras albidum ~ "Sassafras" (Root)
Smilax regelii ~ "Sarsaparilla" (Root)
Vanilla planifolia ~ "Vanilla" (Fruit)


{Spices & Additives}-

Althea officinalis ~ "Marshmallow" (Root)
Ceratonia siliqua ~ "Carob" (Fruit)
Cinnamomum zeylanicum ~ "Cinnamon" (Bark)
Cinnamomum aromaticum ~ "Cassia" (Bark)
Manihot esculenta ~ "Manioc" or "Yuca" (Root)
Mentha piperita ~ "Peppermint" (Leaf)
Pimenta dioica ~ "Allspice" (Seed)
Syzygium aromaticum ~ "Clove" (Flower)
Saccharum species ~ "Cane Sugar" & "Molasses"
Apis species ~ "Honey"


Any tips?
  

Last edited by Teotzlcoatl on Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:06 am; edited 2 times in total
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aruzinsky
Root Beer Connoisseur
Root Beer Connoisseur


Joined: Oct 13, 2004
Posts: 161
Location: IL, USA

PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:20 am    Post subject: Re: Which botanicals are used to make Root Beer? Reply with quote

Teotzlcoatl wrote:
"Root Beer" Ethnobotanicals-

+Main Ingredients+

Sassafras albidum ~ "Sassafras albidum" (Roots)
Smilax regelii ~ "Sarsaparilla"
Smilax glyciphylla ~ "Sweet Sarsaparilla"
Piper auritum ~ "Root Beer Plant" or "Hoja Santa"
Glycyrrhiza glabra ~ "Liquorice" (Root)
Aralia nudicaulis ~ "Wild Sarsaparilla" or "Rabbit Root"
Gaultheria procumbens ~ "Wintergreen" (Leafs and Berries)
Betula lenta ~ "Sweet Birch" (Sap/Syrup/Resin)
Betula nigra ~ "Black Birch" (Sap/Syrup/Resin)
Prunus serotina ~ "Black Cherry"
Picea rubens ~ "Red Spruce"
Picea mariana ~ "Black Spruce"
Picea sitchensis ~ "Sitka Spruce"
Arctium lappa ~ "Burdock" (Root)
Taraxacum officinale ~ Dandelion




+Foam/Froth+

Quillaja saponaria ~ "Soapbark"
Manihot esculenta ~ "Manioc" or "Yuca" (Root)





+Spices+

Pimenta dioica ~ "Allspice"
Vanilla planifolia ~ "Vanilla"
Trigonella foenum-graecum ~ "Fenugreek"
Myroxylon balsamum ~ "Tolu Balsam"
Abies balsamea ~ "Balsam Fir"
Hordeum vulgare ~ "Barley" (Malted)
Myristica fragrans ~ "Nutmeg"
Juniperus communis ~ "Juniper" (Fruit or "Berry")
Cinnamomum zeylanicum ~ "Cinnamon" (Bark)
Cinnamomum aromaticum ~ "Cassia" (Bark)
Syzygium aromaticum ~ "Clove"
Foeniculum vulgare ~ "Fennel" (Seed)
Zingiber officinale ~ Ginger (Root)
Illicium verum ~ "Star Anise"
Pimpinella anisum ~ "Anise"
Humulus lupulus ~ "Hops"
Mentha species ~ "Mint"
Hypericum perforatum ~ "St.John's Wort"
Cane Sugar
Molasses
Honey



Is there anything I'm missing? Any plants?


Fenugreek doesn't belong in root beer. Have you ever tasted fenugreek? I'd rather put in black pepper than fenugreek.

I have seen recipes with "spikenard" but apparently the name is ambiguous and refers to different botanical names.

Mahlab seeds (Prunus mahaleb) taste almost the same as cherry bark and can be substituted. It can be bought at Only registered users can see links on this board! Get registered or login!.
  
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:50 pm    Post subject: Re: Which botanicals are used to make Root Beer? Reply with quote

Now that is the kind of advice of looking for!

Thanks!

Keep it coming!
  
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The list in the 1st post has been updated... please tell me if I'm missing ANY root beer plants or if there are anything that need to be removed!
  
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It seems that "Spikenard" is Nardostachys grandiflora and Nardostachys jatamansi or Aralia racemosa.

I bet you used Aralia racemosa, because it is Native to North America.
  
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aruzinsky






PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 11:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teotzlcoatl wrote:
The list in the 1st post has been updated... please tell me if I'm missing ANY root beer plants or if there are anything that need to be removed!


I am not sure but I believe that some brands of root beer list "birch syrup" as an ingredient. That would probably be paper birch (Betula papyrifera) syrup which you can buy at Only registered users can see links on this board! Get registered or login!. It tastes similar to molasses but sour.

I suspect that maybe 100 years ago some root beer formulations may have contained Tonka Beans, Dipteryx Odorata, which has more recently been deemed toxic by the FDA (like sassafras).
  
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The FDA is full of it, don't trust them.

Please list every single root beer botanical you can imagine!

I really want to, well... go back to the ROOTS of root beer!
  
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can I brew a root beer naturally that won't have a yeast flavor?

I want it to taste just about like the modern commercial root beers people drink today.

What are the negatives of forced carbonation? Does it require special equipment? Kegs? etc.?

How can I make a 100% organic root beer?
  
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 12:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can anybody give me some tips?

These forums seems slow.

We need more members.
  
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aruzinsky






PostPosted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teotzlcoatl wrote:

Can I brew a root beer naturally that won't have a yeast flavor?


I doubt it.

Teotzlcoatl wrote:

I want it to taste just about like the modern commercial root beers people drink today.


They aren't brewed.

Teotzlcoatl wrote:

What are the negatives of forced carbonation?


I can't think of any.

Teotzlcoatl wrote:

Does it require special equipment? Kegs? etc.?


Is a seltzer bottle special?

Teotzlcoatl wrote:

How can I make a 100% organic root beer?


I believe that you can buy essential oils and flavor chemicals that are certified organic and/or vegan. Some flavor chemicals are produced by partial distillation of botanicals.
  
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Teotzlcoatl






PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent post! Thanks so much!

If anybody has anymore info then keep it coming!
  
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