Old Fashioned Root Beer

Classification: root beer, historical, 1910s, soda

Source: Thomas D. Feller (thomasf@deschutes.ico.tek.com) Issue #930, 7/22/92

This was from Excellent Recipes for Baking Raised Bread, from the Fleishman Company, 1912. I have never tried this recipe...always used extract from the local homebrew store.

Ingredients:

1 cake, compressed yeast
5 pounds, sugar
2 ounces, sassafrass root
1 ounce, hops or ginger root
2 ounces, juniper berries
4 gallons, water
1 ounce, dandelion root
2 ounces, wintergreen

Procedure:

Wash roots well in cold water. Add juniper berries (crushed) and hops. Pour 8 quarts boiling water over root mixture and boil slowly 20 minutes. Strain through flannel bag. Add sugar and remaining 8 quarts water. Allow to stand until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in a little cool water. Add to root liquid. Stir will. Let settle then strain again and bottle. Cork tightly. Keep in a warm room 5 to 6 hours, then store in a cool place. Put on ice as required for use.