Old Fashion Homemade Root Beer

Today, I am joining with the fun gals over at Gooseberry Patch. They are rounding up lots of goodies and good ideas to make your summer, a summer your kids will not forget!

Make this summer special. Make some memories!

Old Fashion Homemade Root Beer

The kids love doing this, but will need a little help. 

We make Homemade Root Beer every 4^th of July, at family reunions and all the major family cookouts during the summer.  The boys (ages 7 to 15 y/o) have also demonstrated how to make root beer for college continuing education classes and centennial celebrations.   
 It is always a big hit!

You will need:

A large, clean ice chest (none metal)

A large wooden or plastic spoon

Ingredients:

1 2 oz. bottle McCormick’s Root Beer Concentrate (extract)

5 lbs of sugar (we cut this to 4 lbs.)

5 gals of Spring Water

Dry ice - approximately 3 to 4 lbs.

DO NOT allow children to handle dry ice!

Pour Root Beer Extract into your ice chest.  Add sugar and spring water.  Stir until sugar begins to mix well with water and extract. 

(We let all the younger kids help add the ingredients and help stir.)

Gently add dry ice.  You will need to stir until most of the dry ice melts. 

(This is when we let the big kids take over, reminding them to stir carefully and to not allow the dry ice to come in contact with their hand.)

The dry ice will melt in about 20 minutes.  Once it is nearly all melted (you can remove the last few pieces (chunks) of dry ice if you wish), and the 

Root Beer will be icy cold and ready to serve!

McCormick’s Root Beer Concentrate can be found on the spice isle in most Wal-Marts.

You can also order Root Beer Concentrates, along with a number of other soft drink concentrates from Lehman's.

Enjoy!

Cheryl

                 

                                   

Old Fashion Root Beer

Homemade Old Fashion Root Beer

I will gladly share my recipe for homemade root beer. It is very easy and takes less than thirty minutes.

Homemade Root Beer

Ingredients:
1 bottle McCormick’s Root Beer Concentrate (2 oz.)
5 lbs. sugar
5 gallons of spring water
3-4 lbs. of dry ice



Wal-Mart carries the McCormick’s Concentrate and that is also where I buy the dry ice. (I usually cut back some on the sugar, but not too much.)

You will need a large plastic container, something that will hold over five gallons and also allow room for the dry ice to “bubble”. We have one ice chest set aside for making root beer. To stir, I use a very large wooden spoon or you could use a large plastic spoon Do not use anything metal.

Pour first 3 ingredients in the ice chest and stir. When the sugar begins to blend in, add the dry ice. Continue stirring, but do not splash. You do not want the dry ice to come in contact with your skin. *I do not allow the kids a turn at stirring until the dry ice begins to calm down.* As the dry ice melts, it chills and carbonates the root beer. If the amount of dry ice is correct, the root beer will be icy when all of the dry ice is melted. (You should be able to tell when all the dry ice is melted, but be sure and do not allow any dry ice into the serving cups. We have never had an accident with the dry ice, but you will need to use caution.)

Once the dry ice is melted, the root beer is ready to serve. Kids (of all ages) love watching the process as smoke rolls up off the dry ice and the “brew” begins to fizz.

We make this every 4th of July or whenever all the grands are going to be here, as well as for family reunions. Last year, I taught a summer cooking class for kids through the Continuing Education Department at our local university. Making root beer was one of the most requested classes. We also made homemade pizza for the same class! Big hit!



Lehmans carries extracts to make fourteen flavors including, crème soda, strawberry, orange, etc. You will find them listed in the kitchen section, under Homebrew Soda Pop. I think this summer we will also make crème soda and strawberry.



You can also find a recipe similar to the one Sonya mentioned here.

I don’t worry about leftover root beer going flat. If there is any left, I pour it up in one of the empty gallon water jugs. The kids finish it off making root beer floats. You can purchase the equipment to bottle it if you like or you can use the yeast method. We only make it when we are having a *crowd* so leftovers have never been a problem.

I hope you have fun and enjoy!