Homemade Root Beer

by John
(Michigan)

I wanted to try making some homemade root beer and I surprised myself with how great it tastes. The first thing you have to do is find a local brewing store. This might sound odd to some, but I find that the best root beer is made with concentrate bought from a specialty store.

You then want to make sure that you follow the instructions on the bottle, but most recipes are pretty similar.


I boiled 5 gallons of water, and added 4 pounds of sugar to it. I used pure cane sugar for this process, but you can use some other options if you like. Once the sugar was completely dissolved, I added the root beer concentrate.


After this step I got a heat-resistant bucket and poured the sugar/water/flavor mix into it. Make sure you pick a bucket that can handle the warm liquid, but some metals are not recommended, so watch for this. Also make sure that the bucket can be covered. Once the mix is in the bucket, check the temperature.


Ideally it should be around 75 degrees F. When it's at the right temperature, add a package of ale yeast to the mix.


The fermentation period lasts about 12 hours and in this time the yeast is in the bucket eating the sugar and adding a bunch of carbonation to the mixture. Once this process has subsided, you can start bottling your homemade root beer.


I got some bottling supplies from the brew store to help with this process. This kept the task clean, and also exposed the root beer to air as little as possible. I used large plastic bottles for bottling so I could keep track of how firm they were getting. Glass bottles may explode if filled to far or if too much carbonation builds up.


The bottles sat in a warm area for a couple days, and then went into the fridge. Once the plastic bottles sat in the fridge for a few more days they felt firm, which indicated that they were ready to drink.


Making your own homemade root beer is a very rewarding experience. You can create a very tasty treat that you can share with everyone. Just be sure to drink it quickly so it doesn't go bad.