# Brewing Sarsparilla Or Other Softdrinks



## gonzo (8/8/06)

Has anyone actually tried using these kits ive seen them at my local HBS 
Im going to bu the Vodka Lemon, and the Sarsparilla any tips yes i do like both drinks


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## Tseay (8/8/06)

If you can get hold of it, the May edtion of BYO has a feature on Root Beer. Unfortunately you can't download it from the web site.
Might be of interest.
Cheers


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## Uncle Fester (8/8/06)

Gonzo said:


> Has anyone actually tried using these kits ive seen them at my local HBS
> Im going to bu the Vodka Lemon, and the Sarsparilla any tips yes i do like both drinks




I'm not sure which kit you refer to. I have done the "old fashioned" sars before, with 2kg brown sugar.

Kicked like a mule, but suffered from the saccharin aftertaste ofthe artificial sweetner. If you subbed the saccharin for a heap of lactose maybe????

Also took 6 months to carbonate in the stubby.


Not too bad to drink 18 months down the track....

Festa.


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## gonzo (8/8/06)

i think it is the old style sarsporilla kit


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## doglet (8/8/06)

I did a sarsparilla kit once and couldn't drink it as there was a strong sulphur smell before I could get the glass to my mouth. I suspect it was the yeast as I've never encountered sulphur in my other brews after fermentation. Lemonade kits are also too artificially sweet for me.


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## gonzo (8/8/06)

i started it although not any activity yet from the airlock after 4 hrs

thats using the kit sweeteners , 1kg sugar, 250g of lactose and 1.5 pks of the artifiical sweetener that comes with


What should i do with the lemonade its colony west brand it comes with the concerntrate and 2 little packages that are said to be nutrients one looks like some sort of salt or sugar not sure 

how can i use the lactose for this i still have 250g


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## Murray (8/8/06)

I would be interested if anyone has any experience with making sarsparilla or horehound beers from roots and fermentables without kits.


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## mike_hillyer (8/8/06)

I'm fermenting some oranges and about to do lemons. I'm trying beer and champagne yeast.

I've done the cider, lemonade and ginger beer kits. The colony west kits are good, I must do the Coopers. I found a batch of Brigalow cider after two years and the beading was fine like champagne and it was quiet drinkable (before aging it was very sickly). None of them are a patch on beer but good when you eat or when you have non beer drinkers visit.


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## gonzo (9/8/06)

does anyone know where i can get the bourbon and cola mixer in newcastle charlestown beer and gear dont have it was up there yesterday.

Anywhere else ive pm mark from MHB just waiting on a reply


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## sog (12/8/06)

keep it real said:


> I've done the cider, lemonade and ginger beer kits. The colony west kits are good, I must do the Coopers. I found a batch of Brigalow cider after two years and the beading was fine like champagne and it was quiet drinkable (before aging it was very sickly). None of them are a patch on beer but good when you eat or when you have non beer drinkers visit.



Yeah, the Brigalow cider takes a looong time to condition, and the saccharine adds to the immature sickly taste. I found the William Tell kits produce a more drinkable cider in less time and the addition of 1 litre of quality pear juice to the fermenter gives a less tart flavour (dedided to try this after reading "contains pear juice" on the Strongbow label).

I've done many Brigalow ginger beers with the addition of a 15g packet of ground ginger from the supermarket spice bar. They are a great (but dangerously deceptive) summer drop and, yes, a great alternative for nor beer-drinkers (Dog help them). I have my first Cooper's ginger beer in the fermenter now and can't wait for summer to roll around - spicey thai meals and ginger beer all around.

I've never tried a sars but thought that a good experiment in a 5-litre wine fermenter would be using the real sars concentrate cordial with the American Indian's head on the bottle. It's quite pricey and hard to find but it makes a beautiful non-alcoholic sars with soda, so with the right yeast should ferment nicely.
Anybody suggest what "the right yeast" may be?
Anybody know where to get the cordial?
Anybody tried similar?


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## barls (12/8/06)

i make a mean honey ginger beer with the coopers/morgan can also dont mind the country brewer ginger beer kit.


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## Hubby (12/8/06)

Murray said:


> I would be interested if anyone has any experience with making sarsparilla or horehound beers from roots and fermentables without kits.


It's very hard to get ingredients for authentic recipes (eg sassafras, wintergreen etc) - some of which are now declared dangerous or are not available in Aust. Also, the recipes vary a great deal and it's hard to locate ones which are not "best kept secrets". I dabbled in a sarsparilla but it failed miserably.

The best I've been able brew was a ginger beer which was very similar to the Bundaberg one of years ago before they changed the recipe. I'm trying to get a copy of a very old recipe book from my relatives (circa early 1900s) when they had a softdrink factory in Townsville. I'll post some recipes if I ever get them  

Do a Google for "root beer" and have a gander at some of the recipes from: Cat's Meow 3


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