Root beer 54587 226017626 2008-07-16T13:37:32Z Textor 723004 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225894099 by [[Special:Contributions/141.156.130.187|141.156.130.187]] ([[User talk:141.156.130.187|talk]]) [[Image:Rootbeerfoam2.JPG|thumb|200px|right|A glass of root beer with foam]] '''Root beer''', also known as [[sarsaparilla]], is a carbonated [[beverage]] originally created from [[sassafras]]. Root beer, popularized in North America, comes in two forms: [[fermentation (food)|alcoholic]] and [[soft drink]]. == Ingredients == [[Image:barqsrootbeer.JPG|thumb|200px|right|A can of root beer.]] The soft drink version of root beer is generally made using extracts or flavored syrups diluted into [[carbonated water]]. It is not as widely popular as other soft drinks, such as [[cola]], and constitutes only 3% of the U.S. [[soft drink]] market.<ref> Quarantiello, Laura E. ''The Root Beer Book''. 96 pages. Limelight Books: 1997. ISBN 0-936653-78-7. </ref> The [[fermentation (food)|alcoholic]] version is made by fermenting a solution of extract and sugar with yeast. Typically this will yield a beverage with about 0.4% alcohol, compared to more than 4% for most regular [[beer|beers]].<ref>[http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/ROOTBEER_Jn0.htm Root Beer<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Root beer extract may contain a variety of flavors,coming from the wide range of ingredients. Bark from the roots of the [[sassafras]] tree was the typical flavor in root beer historically, and is the primary flavor most individuals associate with the beverage. It is slightly red at times. Sassafras bark was banned by the [[FDA]] in 1960 because of the [[carcinogenic]] properties of its constituent chemical [[safrole]]. A safrole-free variety is now used, with some claiming that it has a weaker flavor than the pre-1960 variety.<ref>[http://www.foodreference.com/html/artsassafras.html Sassafras - Food Facts - Food Reference<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Acacia#Food uses|Acacia]] is also used. There are hundreds of root beer brands in the [[United States]], produced in every [[U.S. state]],<ref>[http://www.root-beer.org/modules.php?name=Brands RootBeerWorld.com - Yellow Froth Pages<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and there is no standardized recipe. The primary ingredient, artificial sassafras flavoring, is complemented with other flavors, common ones being [[vanilla]], [[wintergreen]], [[cherry]] tree bark, [[liquorice|liquorice root]], [[sarsaparilla|sarsaparilla root]], [[nutmeg]], [[anise]], [[molasses]], [[cinnamon]] and [[clove]]. Homemade root beer is usually made from concentrate,<ref>[http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/ROOTBEER_Jn0.htm Root Beer<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> though it can also be made from actual herbs and roots. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic root beers have a thick and foamy head when poured, often enhanced through the addition of [[yucca]] extract. == Traditional use == [[Image:RochesterRootBeerBarrel.JPG|thumb|right|Antique root beer dispenser. The barrel would hold a block of ice which would cool carbonation coils at the base in the days before refrigeration.]] Root beer was a traditional beverage and herbal medicine. Throughout history, the beverage was often mildly alcoholic mixed with ginger. As a medicine it was used for treating cough and mouth sores. Commercial root beer was developed by [[Charles Elmer Hires]] in 1866. Hires presented root tea powder at the 1876 [[Centennial Exposition|Philadelphia Centennial exhibition]], and in 1893 he began selling bottled, carbonated root beer. His choice of a name seemed unfortunate at the time, as the word "beer" drew the wrath of the [[temperance movement]]. However, Hires had his product tested by a laboratory, and trumpeted their conclusion that root beer contained less alcohol than bread.<ref>[http://eatyourhistory.blogspot.com/2005/05/invention-of-root-beer.html Eat Your History: Invention of Root Beer<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Hires Root Beer|Hires's root beer]] became the "Temperance drink"—among other slogans. There was an upsurge in the popularity of root beer in the United States during the period of [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] as local breweries resorted to brewing non-alcoholic beverages.<ref>Kim Severson,[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/04/28/FD92580.DTL Real Men Drink Root Beer], ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', [[April 28]], [[1999]]</ref> Root beer was at its most popular in the period during and after prohibition, and has since declined in popularity as the [[soft drink]] market has been taken over by brands such as [[Coca Cola]], [[Pepsi]] and [[Dr Pepper]]. Today, root beer is often mixed with ice cream as a root beer float. == In popular culture == {{trivia|date=July 2008}} Root beer is the favorite beverage of the comic strip character [[Dennis the Menace (U.S.)|Dennis The Menace]]. Dennis is known to have a private stash of root beer, revealed in strips where he is ill with cold or influenza &mdash; diseases for which the treatment includes "lots of liquids" &mdash; much to the exasperation of his mother to whom liquids mean water (which Dennis can accept) and orange juice (which he hates). [[Snoopy]] (the beagle of [[Peanuts]]), in his persona as WW1 Flying Ace, is also known to enjoy root beer. In ''[[The Secret of Monkey Island]]'', root beer is used as a [[ghost]]-vanquishing agent (and is said to go well with vanilla [[ice cream]]) and, indeed, is the instrument of the demise of the game's main enemy. In the [[Nickelodeon (TV Channel)]] cartoon "[[Catscratch]]" the main characters' favorite beverage of choice is root beer. In the episode "King Of All Root Beer" the cats fight over who will be the "king of root beer" and participate in the fictional brand Burpo's root beer parade. In the episode "Slumber Party" the cats crash Human Kimberly's slumber party in order to enjoy some of the root beer she buys at the local soda shop. [[Image:Dorosh 0004.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Canadian root beer containers of a variety of brands.]] [[Image:Dorosh 0005.jpg|right|300px|thumb|U.S. root beer brands in Canadian containers.]] ==Partial list of brands== * [[August Schell|1919]] * [[A-Treat Bottling Company|A-Treat]] * [[Abita Brewing Company|Abita]] - Louisiana regional brand, made with local cane sugar * [[A&W Root Beer]] &mdash; [[Cadbury-Schweppes]] * [[Barq's]] &mdash; [[Coca-Cola]] * [[Barrelhead]] &mdash; [[Cadbury-Schweppes]] * [[Bawls#Bawls_G33K_B33R|Bawls G33k B33r]] * [[Berghoff Beer|Berghoff]] * [[Bickford's Australia|Bickfords]] Sarsaparilla (Australia) * [[Joseph Huber Brewing Company|Blumers]] * [[Boylan Bottling Company]] * [[Bundaberg Brewed Drinks|Bundaberg]] Root Beer &mdash; Australian brand of brewed drinks * [[Carter's]] * [[Cruz Blanca Root Beer (Costa Rica)]] * [[Dad's Root Beer]] &mdash; [[Hedinger Brands, LLC]] * [[Dog n Suds]] * [[Dr. Fitz's]] * [[Fanta]] * [[Faygo]] * [[Filbert's]] * [[Fitz's]] * [[Frostie Root Beer]] * [[Frostop]] * [[Frozen Run]] * [[Goose Island Brewery|Goose Island]] * [[Grandpa Graf's]] * [[Hank's Root Beer]] * [[Henry Weinhard]] * [[Hires Root Beer]] &mdash; [[Cadbury-Schweppes]] * [[IBC Root Beer]] &mdash; [[Cadbury-Schweppes]] * [[Jones Soda]] Root Beer * [[Kwitcherbelliachin]] Dorothy Moulter Root Beer, Ely, Minnesota * [[Mason's Root Beer]] - Monarch Beverage Company * [[Mug Root Beer]] &mdash; [[Pepsi]]Co * [[Old Dominion Brewing Company|Old Dominion Root Beer]] * [[Point Premium Root Beer]] * [[Ripsaw Root Beer]] - Michigan regional brand, made with cane sugar. Bottled by The Fletcher Street Brewing Company in Alpena, MI. * [[Smuckers|Natural Brew Hand Crafted Draft Root Beer]] contains sweet birch, licorice root, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, clove, anise, wintergreen, and vanilla * [[Saint Arnold Brewing Company]] - Texas regional brand, made with cane sugar[http://www.saintarnold.com/beers/rootbeer.html] * [[Sarsi (drink)|Sarsi]] &mdash; Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc. * [[Shasta (soft drink)|Shasta]] * [[Sioux City Sarsaparilla]] * [[Snapple]] * [[Sprecher Brewery|Sprecher Root Beer]] * [[Stewart's Fountain Classics]] &mdash; Cadbury-Schweppes (Winner, 2006 World Cup of Root Beer) * Jackson Hole Brewing Company * [[Thomas Kemper]] * [[Tommyknockers (root beer)|Tommyknockers]] * [[Triple XXX]] * [[Vess]] * [[Virgil's Root Beer]] &mdash; [[Reed's, Inc.]] * Zuberfizz ==See also== *[[Root beer float]] *[[Birch beer]] *[[Spruce beer]] *[[Ginger beer]] *[[Dandelion and burdock]] *[[Beer]] *[[Category:Root beer stands]] ==References== <div class="references-small"> {{reflist}} </div> ==External links== * [http://www.rootbeerbrothers.com/ The Rootbeer Brothers] For the Love of Root Beer. * [http://www.rootbeerbarrel.com anthony's Root Beer barrel] Reviews of 321 different brews * [http://www.rootbeerreviews.com/ Spike's Root Beer Ratings and Reviews] Reviews, photos, and ingredient information on different brands * [http://www.thefizzcup.com/The Fizz Cup] Root Beer Floats Made Easy * [http://www.root-beer.org/ Root Beer World] History and photos of over 2000 brands, with recipes and discussion forums * [http://brewery.org/brewery/library/RootB.html Condensed information about root beer from the Home Brewers Digest 1991-1994] * [http://www.rootbeer.net/RootBeerBrands.html Root Beer Brands - RootBeer.net] * [http://www.gourmetrootbeer.com/ Eric's Gourmet Root Beer Site] Reviews of gourmet root beers, those in glass bottles. * [http://www.lukecole.com/Root%20Beer/lukes_root_beer_home.htm Luke's Root Beer Pages] * [http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/ROOTBEER_Jn0.htm Fankhauser's EASY recipe for homemade root beer] * [http://www.root-beer.co.uk/ Root Beer In The UK] {{root beer brands}} [[Category:Root beer]] [[de:Root Beer]] [[es:Cerveza de raíz]] [[eo:Radikbiero]] [[fr:Root beer]] [[la:Cervisia radicalis]] [[ja:ルートビア]] [[ms:Rutbir]] [[sv:Root Beer]]