MEAD from IBC ROOT BEER? --Is this a good idea?

In our investigation into Frankenbrews, we decided to grab some IBC Root Beer and make MEAD from it! Was this a good idea?
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs (.68 kg) Wild Flower Honey: amzn.to/3PNhBLE
108 fluid oz (3.19 liters) IBC Root Beer: amzn.to/45Uyfi9
10 grams Fermaid O: amzn.to/463dW26
1pk Lalvin EC-1118 yeast: amzn.to/3EOcFzW
Additions:
Back Sweeten with Erythritol to gravity reading of 1.042: amzn.to/3Lyg1Lf
42 grams Priming Sugar
Additional Yeast
How to Bottle Your Brew: • How to Bottle Homebrew...
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Star San: amzn.to/3rqDGq4
Our Favorite Pitcher: amzn.to/3rhjFlX
Stirring Paddle: amzn.to/3RzBuY6
Hydrometer Kit: amzn.to/3Lzy4Re
Baster: amzn.to/3RyLbWO
Scale: amzn.to/3RyyI55
1 US Gallon Carboy with Airlock: amzn.to/457v7yd
Stainless Steel Funnel: amzn.to/3rqDNC0
Half Sheet Baking Tray: amzn.to/3tbq8iy
1 Gallon Wide Mouth Fermenter: amzn.to/460pqUb
Auto Siphon: amzn.to/462J2qF
Belgian Tasting Glass: amzn.to/3EO9QPk
Bri's Pen: amzn.to/3RyAIud
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#brewtube #hardrootbeer #rootbeer

[@Sir_Lobo]

Ironically I got into mead and homebrew looking up sarsaparilla and alcoholic root beer and eventually stumbled upon your channel even though I don't think you had a Root beer meadat the time. So this is a full circle moment for me.

[@trashcatlinol]

Wild. I got here looking up how to make vinegar from trash. Wasn't disappointed.

[@michaelsowa9294]

I am excited to see ya'll do a root beer mead, because I had the same idea and today I bottled mine. What I did was use sassafras (safrole free) and vanilla extract in secondary fermentation. Here are my notes: Start Date: 8/27 Honey: 3 lbs, Yeast: Red Star Premier Blanc (full packet) OG: 1.130 9/9: 12 oz Pappy's Sassafras Tea Concentrate and 1 oz vanilla extract added SG on 9/9: 0.996 SG on 9/17 (pre-backsweetening): 0.996 Added 1/3 cup of sugar to 100 fl oz mead Pasteurized 140 degrees for 25 minutes Post-backsweetened SG: 1.006 FG on 9/24: 1.006 ABV: 16.74%

[@RichardJune]

I had promising results when I tried molasses and then adding wintergreen with a touch or anise. It's really easy to go overboard with anise though

[@Max_Snellink]

16% holy moly ❤ my Saffron went 15% and is so bright yellow it's other worldly.

[@michaelsowa9294]

@@Max_Snellink it actually got as high as 18% as it went full dry to 0.996, before backsweetening.

[@bluehaze2001ify]

Wonderful note taking

[@billbucktube]

Thanks for your recipe. Sounds good!

[@FSDraconis]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this. But if you are mixing a liquid into a powder that tends to clump. The trick is to mix much less liquid first to create a paste mixture, then slowly continue to add liquid in to make your slurry. This is the same trick when mixing corn starch for gravy, or other cooking techniques.

[@sunchildl2152]

This FrankenBrew is directly in line with my interests, love it! Looking forward to further experiments with carbonation

[@CitySteadingBrews]

More to come!

[@BrandonChennault]

I started laughing when you said 42 grams...I knew exactly what you were referring too..😂😅 I love it when you throw out quotes in your videos. Thanks for all you guys do in your videos. FANTASTIC!!!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks for watching... and getting the jokes!

[@BoSoxJunky09]

I'd love to see you guys make you're own root beer and then make that into mead. there are tons of recipes online for making your own root beer, and I've seen some channels do it and then add a spirit to it, but I've always been curious how it would be if made into its own kind of alcohol. Even that "hard sodas" that were a fad, were good, but they were sweetened drastically... would much rather see you guys try it! it would be super cool!

[@LordWiseWolf]

5:01 now I just want that with a few massive scoops of ice cream and my childhood dream will be complete.

[@kh73068]

The " Toxic" substance in Root Beer is called safrole, and I recently watched another video on Root beer and you would supposedly need to drink 32 cans a day to be toxic, reminiscent of the sweet n low stir that caused the banning of Saccharin as cancer causing. The amount consumed daily was ridiculously large as well

[@vgamedude12]

I'd rather have safrole than sacharrin to because at least it's a plant extract that can be consumed by natural means and had a tradition of use behind it.

[@teddybear5150]

I know that taste ! 😂 I made a batch of Mr. Root Beer and forgot about it for about 3 months. It came out with an ABV of 15% and needed a lot of back sweetening to make it drink able. Grate stuff, but next time I'll keep a closer eye on it.

[@tomnickell1155]

Years ago I made a batch of Mr. Root Beer but my father in law and I drank most of it shortly after it was ready. Good stuff!

[@jeremyshearer]

What’s up my brew fam

[@fartsonbasketball9206]

I love how this Chanel is fun AND informative. I always learn something new with every video you guys post. Thank you for being so awesome!!!! ❤

[@alexcan669]

I absolutely loved this video. I was actually thinking of doing something similar but using malt soda. To me carbonation tends to become more difficult when it hits around 10 percent abv or more. So I tend to leave my initial OG around 1060 or so and I also don’t let it in conditioning for too long I feel that makes the yeast fall dormant

[@usagi-sama8595]

I love your videos! I love how you explain the chemistry behind the process. I get "Alton Brown" vibes when I watch you guys work, and I love it! Thanks for all of the work and effort you put into your videos!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Wow, thank you!

[@mattdolly7463]

The original flavoring of root beer drinks, was extracted from Sassafras tree roots. Sassafras roots have a chemical called Safrole, which is used to create extacy(MDMA). Probably why it's no longer in root beer.

[@Mr762guy]

Love the Frankenbrews. Lots of fun & inspiration. 😁👍🏻

[@russellfredrick6519]

Y,all are the best! One of the most entertaining channels on KZbin for sure. Keep up the good work.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Wow, thanks!

[@chrisclark4799]

Sassafras root and or root bark is what the root beer flavor comes from if you're interested. You also get file powder from the dried leaves.

[@Timothy_Smith]

If you are getting the vanilla and caramel notes from this, I think it would be amazing to age it with a bit of french oak.

[@stevejankowski8921]

My wife has picked up supplies and tonight I’m going to put it together. She didn’t find IBC but we have used Frost Top for some time. Its ingredient list shows it’s made from sugar and honey. Think it may work. If that doesn’t work my next choice would be Sprecher. They have an interesting story. Micro brewery that got into soft drinks to increase their footprint. Thanks for all you share. I’ve got four brews started and the last out is almost consumed!

[@NerdyyNate]

This is funny, I have been looking for a regular root beer recipe to try and you guys do this! Might have to try it after I find a good root beer recipe.

[@xxx_madman_xxx5868]

Wow, I've been coming up with a root beet recipe but not using rootbeer as in the soda I've been looking at the rootbeer base and then making a hard carbonated rootbeer I just haven't developed the confidence or the courage to actually attempt it this will be the first brew that I came up with my self that might actually work as intended thanks to this channel as soon as I work up the sand to actually do it ill update this comment to let you know how it turns out. I love rootbeer and I have access to wild sassafrass trees and most of the other ingredients to make it shy the vanilla bean should be interesting a learning experience one way or the other

[@reclaimtheframe]

I have some root beer extract I don't have plans for, time to try something similar to this.

[@racingking22j]

i appreciate your videos and take your time to teach! i commented on another video the other day saying i was going to start my own brews with my wife because of your videos! well, i got 3 or 4 other friends of our oldtime friends to actually start brewing and have a meet up after our brews are done to compare and take notes for what we all like for later brews! keep up the good work!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Cool!

[@timvallier9701]

Yes!!! I needed this. I have been toying with the idea of a root beer mead for a while now but was worried about all the points you mentioned. I was thinking about just using the syrup or a flavoring. So excited to see how this turns out so I can try it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I tried the syrup years ago, this is far superior.

[@timvallier9701]

Interesting and great to know thank you for the tip. You guys are amazing!

[@CarlPapa88]

​@@CitySteadingBrewsI thought about trying the $20 Amazon Root Beer concentrate.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I did it years ago, imo this is far better.

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Yes it’s a tough one. I actually made a what we call Mexican coke wine. And it turned out real good and I have a little pressure keg and came out great.

[@chriselias1720]

I love root beer so im really excited to see this

[@paulsnowdon4765]

A couple notes... with my carbonated meads (a braggot) sometimes they took months to carbonate, you may need to give it more time. Also when i was growing up and recently with Icing water enhancers i always had a rootbeer option more like a kool-aid and not carbonated. It is good stuff.

[@BjornLeifrDagr]

Mostly unrelated to this video but not sure if you guys have ventured into this realm or not so I thought I'd pitch the idea. I play a game called Valheim where you can make your own mead and they have their own, granted rather loosely interpretable, mead recipes. Most of them include items that don't actually exist but the 2 that came to my attention as ones you can are below: "Tasty Mead" Ingredients needed: Honey x10 Raspberries x10 Blueberries x5 You can adapt this recipes as well by adding some dandelions to it to make it a healing mead but I don't imagine 1 part flower to 15 parts berries will make hardly any difference. That's how I interpreted this recipe meaning 10 parts honey to 10 parts raspberries and 5 parts blueberries but maybe I'm WAY off base. Long story short, adding this video to your list of ideas may bring in new people to your community that would love your videos and to try your hobby. I know I've been watching a ton of your videos and am currently looking to get into mead making because of your channel.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have done recipes from Elder Scrolls a couple times. Thing with video game recipes is... they aren't designed for making th thing in reality, it's just designed for a game.

[@BjornLeifrDagr]

@CitySteadingBrews So I've spent the last day plowing through your catalog of videos and I feel WAY more prepared to start fermenting. Going to a local store Friday to get my starter kit. I prefer to shop local where I can. You 2 are outstanding. Reading back now, 3 parts berries to 2 parts honey sounds absurd. With your experience, do you ever see something like that working? I obviously wouldn't start with it but if the recipe I posted is anywhere near possible, I'd like to try it at some point. I also love your merch store. I especially love the "why be a princess when you could be a shield maiden" shirt. Makes me sad I'm not a woman but I'll surely be getting stuff there in the future regardless!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@BjornLeifrDagr probably want some water in there.

[@BjornLeifrDagr]

@@CitySteadingBrews hahaha fair point 😂 I'm sure after my first dozen batches of more standard recipes that I'll find a way to adapt that so it at least doesn't kill the yeast or stall. In due time.

[@maillewvr]

Through William's Brewing, I bought 2.5 gallon kegs that I used to carbonate beer. The nice thing about it was that it fit in my home refrigerator.

[@anthonylauderdale1250]

And the easy rip pack is why I LOVE Lalvin!!!!

[@GaBiggunn]

Your channel was why I started making meads. I love alcoholic root beer and will be making a root beer mead now. Have you thought of using a soda stream or other mechanical carbonater to carbonate your brews?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have a gallon keg that we are experimenting with.

[@Sir_Lobo]

Can't wait till Bryan finds smart glasses, rings and watches and the calculator functions on those 🤣 the "calculator, that my teacher never said i'd have" lines will be interesting

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Ehh, I have checked them out... but I keep my phone so close... seems like a waste :)

[@j_lemy]

​@@CitySteadingBrewsWe're talking 10 years from now. Back when smart phones became a thing, everyone was saying "Meh I have a computer at home, why would I need a computer in my pocket?".

[@rick.d]

Really good vid, thanks!

[@jackloparo9091]

Very interesting! I might have to try this! Or maybe cream soda or birch beer

[@eingames9931]

And here I am drinking a "Real Sugar" mountain dew. It must have stuck in only some markets. Edit- reading the label more closely, it does not specify cane sugar. But it does taste different from the fructose version.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Interesting.

[@Yo-Da-Action]

Not to point fingers or to start anything... I found Mexican/ Hispanic soda is made with sugar and tastes better, in my opinion ...

[@eingames9931]

@@Yo-Da-Action not to continue anything or such... That product does not make it to my neck of the woods. While I would try and compare the products, I have only heard of them through extensive grapevines.

[@louiel8711]

Try adding the yeast to the main batch, mix the priming sugar separately the osmotic pressure from high sugar content can kill the yeast. Great video thanks.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Oh for priming? I guess that is possible though it wasn't very long.

[@louiel8711]

@@CitySteadingBrewsthe owner of my local brew store told me that when I was a beginner brewer in 2018. He also said 1 tsp per gallon of priming yeast. It was your videos that got me started brewing back then so many thanks.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

In this case though I checked it out... we had no more than the equivalent of 1.5-2 lbs of sugar in a gallon in there, so... definitely not high enough to harm yeast.

[@Bam_Like_Dat]

Root beer brew!!! Hells yeah!!! 😊

[@orionsfall8532]

I've been considering picking up a Drinkmate to let me bottle things still and carb on demand when serving. Seems easier and more useful than getting into kegging at the 1gal batch size. Would be perfect for this situation. Great honest video as always! The HHGTG reference was icing on the cake.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have been testing a 1 gallon keg.

[@owenheckmann6962]

First time caller here. Big fan of your videos (you guys got me into mead making) How do you guys come up with these ideas? I just finished bottling Skeeter Pee a few weeks ago and it is very good.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We just go from what people request and our own ideas.

[@CarlPapa88]

​@@CitySteadingBrewsThis is the way.

[@pathukavalar]

The best couples therapy activity if you like wine and mead.

[@kedricwilliams5287]

Of course! I want to do a root beer. And yall do it before me! Lol keep on brewing yall are the best!

[@theshrocknpiper2685]

That sounds delicious!!

[@ahorowitz15]

Modified starches are added primarily as a thickening agent. It is mostly to help with the mouthfeel of the root beer. Because it thickens the liquid, it does coincidentally help with bubble formation and retention, so it does help with the head. That’s technically a side effect though.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I knew someone would know :)

[@hotdogtdog]

This is fun. I can tell you guys that your videos are awesome.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks so much!

[@hotdogtdog]

I usually fast forward on other videos. Not yours.

[@hotdogtdog]

I watched the video on extraction of the "illegal " chemical from saparilla. It is only toxic in levels outside of reasonable consumption. Like 4 gallon a day.

[@hotdogtdog]

Safforol is the toxin

[@FFDfirechef]

Love your lessons ....... Do believe I'll have to give this a try.

[@Arqanault]

I used to watch you a few years ago, and somehow I got unsubscribed. Glad I found your channel again and resubscribed!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Welcome back!

[@RimWorldRimmer]

The hitch hicker guide reference almost made me spit out my brew

[@arvetis]

Yeast are also clear, as an optical microscope will show you. They look whiter than sugar because smaller clear grains diffuse light more.

[@tammyrobinson5438]

Hey, Tammy and Jeff here and we love your channel. Back in the day we use to brew beer and mead and we used corn sugar to carbonate our brews and it worked great. Have you checked into corn sugar instead of cane sugar for carbonation? Thank you for your channel. It’s our crack. lol. We have just started brewing mead again and used y’all’s beginners mead recipe and it’s going great. Also, just brewed the ginger beer and I’m so excited that’s it’s fermenting like crazy. Thank you

[@wysestone]

I've been waiting forever to see someone try this with rootbeer and glad it turned out so well for ya'll. Should try again with different brands... Dads, Barqs, and A&W I think would bring varying nuances.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We present the ideas. There's not a lot of reasons for us to try every iteration of style of root beer but that is certainly an option to tailor this to your own tastes. If I drink root beer, it's almost always IBC so that's why we chose it. Not all companies make a version with sugar either, as most use high fructose corn syrup.

[@19dmanning69]

Sprecher Root Beer Carbonated Water, Glucose Syrup, Maltodextrin, Raw WI Honey, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Sodium Benzoate (As a Preservative), Phosphoric Acid, Quillaia/Yucca Extract, Sodium Chloride, Natural Caramel Color.

[@GermanBrew]

I made last year a Braggot with malt beer (a beer for children without alcohol and sugar included). It really taste nice. A little bit like a stout an ended with 9%abv To get out the co2 I heat it in a pot 😂 a lot easier without a lot of foam.

[@dhudach]

Yet another very cool recipe. I'm watching and going crazy as you are adding the sugar and yeast for bottling. I'm thinking this is nuts because I had two bottles of mead that popped synthetic corks about a month after pasteurizing, sitting and bottling. I did what I thought I needed to do to prevent fermentation and cork pop surprise happened anyway. I attribute my misfortune to a combination temperature being too low during pasteurization and/or not enough time in the bath. And you added ingredients to promote fermentation. I'm trying to understand this and figure it out and then at 42:00 you said it - you are using bottles that are made to hold carbonation. Well, that's why it's important to watch the entire video. It also means that you are not glossing over the important details. Thanks for a great video and a super cool recipe!!

[@KernsJW]

May seem odd, but I started doing carbonation with some yeast from the first fermentation cake. I wash it and feed it a bit to keep it happy. Then put it in the fridge until I am ready. When about ready, liven it back up to make sure I have a healthy strong active crew ready to work for me. You could give that a try or at least proof your yeast to make sure it's alive and at 13%+ alcohol, I feel it's best to have a strong colony to survive an environment with alcohol. As for the floaties, a strong carbonation makes it hard to remove it easily. I put a screen top on some bottles where it was a bit heavy. It works pretty well. Been natural carbonating in large containers and then bottling after to help cut it down. You have to do the measurement pretty accurately or the fizz bites your tongue. Granted, if the large vessel isn't chosen well you could have a danger on your hands, so going small is a simpler, less expensive choice unless one is comfortable with using plastic.

[@lordofthenotes]

If you were looking for Throwback for Mountain Dew, it may be rebranded under "Mountain Dew Real Sugar" still is a bit difficult to find though. loved the video.

[@barrytdrake]

New product: City Steading shorts (clothing, not video), with a cell phone pocket labelled, "The teacher said I would never have this with me." I loved the video! My partner sounds interested in it too, so I may be making this soon!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

LOL, that's funny. Missed you at the Hangout!

[@llewdis]

So tempted to try this with Birch Beer….

[@b9brutality]

My SCA group I was originally with 20 years ago, used to make Dew Mead. Used the Mountain Dew syrup and like 2.5-3 Lbs of honey/ gallon. Talk about pushing the ABV of the yeast. Stuff hit you like a ton of bricks, but tasted like Dew and was SWEET!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Hmm... that's an interesting idea.

[@drewtusgaming3740]

Wire whisk in a power drill is my favorite tool for oxygenation, i bet it works well for degassing soda too

[@scottboyle4596]

Hey guys - Scott here. Since it came out too sweet and didn’t carb, make a 3/4 mead, 1/4 carb water and I bet you get a 10% root beer you would love. I’m trying this

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Could do that, but I'm going to force carb it.

[@smoochysmoochy7267]

Brian. That was so mean😮 I LOVE IT!!😂😂

[@smoochysmoochy7267]

People piss u off so bad....I FEEL U😂😂😂

[@CitySteadingBrews]

What did I do?

[@heartproblems2727]

Always knew you were a pair of Zarkin Froods...lol. thanks for another great recipe.

[@MrAcuta73]

An interesting direction to take....why not? Glen and Friends channel a year or 3 ago spent a bunch of time "brewing" a home made root beer extract. Not going to link it, probably can't. But DEFINITELY worth a look-see if rootbeer brews are something you want to try out. My son and I did a root BEER (it really was more of a beer that included roots) years ago when I was just getting into this hobby. It was pretty bad, but still drinkable. Burdock root can REALLY take over if yer not careful, NOT in a good way. LOL

[@rossborgwardt1036]

I had a blueberry hydromel that didn’t bottle carbonate for me. I ended up putting all the bottles into a 1 gallon mini keg and forced carbonated it. It worked great! I highly recommend using a little mini keg if you can get your hands on one. Only problem with them is they are small. So you have to refill them more often! 🤣

[@Fish2Eat]

I've found 2 things that cause carbonation failures, abv above 11% and letting it sit dry for too long. Anything I want to consistantly carbonate I keep below 9% and bottle as soon as it reads dry, I want the yeast on the edge of dormant. I mostly do ginger beer so if it's a bit cloudy it doesn't bother me. Having said that the brews clarify to almost champagne clear in the bottle over time, although there will be sediment at the bottom.

[@JacobOphir]

I’m right there with ya bro 😎, “Forty-two,” said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.

[@nekobat1962]

I laughed so hard when you said 42!

[@mikewanner556]

Makes me want to try this with the Flat Cheerwine I have in the Pantry!!!! 😀

[@joelthemole3020]

Great videos! Just wanted to point out I have heard you mention specific gravity and sweetness a couple times, but keep in mind when you step outside sucrose that changes. Sucrose and erythritol weight per cup are pretty similar (I am seeing about 200g vs about 192g), but erythritol is perceived by most humans as only around 70% as sweet as table sugar. So adding a pound of erythritol and a pound of table sugar to a gallon of water will provide the same specific gravity, but the erythritol solution is going to taste significantly less sweet.

[@keithmcauslan943]

This week I looked up recipes for a Root Beer mead. One of the original roots was Sasafrass, the new healthier root is Sarsaparilla. The creator said he went to 1.142 because the spices needed that much sugar. My thought immediately was use half of each of the spices. don't use 3 Tablespoons of ground ginger for example use 1, you can then cut the Honey by a third also. So when I make that I am definitely using some level less of the spices and honey to get the same rations but lower ABV.

[@monker4697]

Yes, the original "Root Beer" was made with sassafras root. Then there was a study that shows the extract contained safrole and in a large dosage caused cancer in mine or rats. So, that ingredient became illegal to use. But, understand that it is only "dangerous" in LARGE quantities . Other studies have been done since that show in lower quantities that no cancer occured. So, if you drank dozens of 2 liters of sassafras root beer a day, yeah, it's dangerous. If you drank a few cans a day, you would be fine. In fact, I would argue that the sugar is probably more unhealthy than the safrole.

[@drthmik]

Sarsaparilla ALSO contains Safrole which is what got sassafras banned

[@zacharylasher1891]

Love the new vid ! Question, I was wondering why you don't just to the hydrometer right into the pitcher /wide mouth fermentation vessel? I'm pretty new to this and was just curious.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It is too long.

[@RebelCowboysRVs]

Hard root beer was the first thing I ever fermented. I used a mix. Never crossed my mind to use off the shelf root beer.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I've had the mix... this was better imo.

[@PatrickBuckles]

great vid. cant wait til I see the mystery of the co2 resolved so I can copy pasta

[@stephenhegarty6179]

I have a suggestion for the fermaid-O clumping up ……a frothier and it adds aeration and breaks the clumps up 👍🏻

[@julietardos5044]

IME, there is no reason to break up the clumps. I add my Fermaid O right at the end, clumps and all, and it always has dissolved by the next day. This way, the nutrient gets to the yeast more gradually, which is a little better than all at once. Sort of like in between adding all at once and a full-on TOSNA.

[@edwardcunningham6315]

This is why I love city steading brews, what a great idea but who in their right mind would try fermenting root beer? YOU GUYS 😁. I love ice cold Root beer, so now I gotta try it 😊. A couple of comments on the video, I agree with the measurement thingy, a smidge, a pinch, a batch and about dat much, sounds good to me, as long as I can get an SG reading, it should work 😁. Also, I checked the ABV on Red Star and premier classique is rated for the 13-15% range. Try that for carbonation 👍. In closing, if you did finally figure out the question to the answer to the question that was forgotten, then forty-two grams is what started the BIG BANG of evolution. We now have to figure out 42gms of WHAT?😂👍❤️🙏

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We used EC-1118 yeast which is 18% yeast. I believe it's just a bad batch of yeast.

[@ncsupi]

West Jefferson Bottling still does all those brands (Cheerwine, Mt. Dew, Dr. Pepper, etc.), but it is indeed hard to find, even in a lot of NC. Further west in the state increases your chances, though we (Triangle) have some burger/soda shops around that stock them, as well The Fresh Market, and even some Town and Country hardware stores.

[@rossk7927]

When I'm upping gravity with sugar, I just mix the fremaid-o in with the dry sugar. This solves the mix-in challenge for me... i wonder if it would also work with more equal volumes of F-O to sugar, worth a try

[@Judah98]

IBC is my favorite root beer! 😋

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Ours too :)

[@M19pickles]

A science channel (labcoatz) I watch recently did a video on making his own root beer from sassafras (the root they stopped using because it was toxic) he had to extract the sassafras him self because it is not sold to consumers any more. Apparently it is used in about the same amount as wintergreen extract and is about as toxic and you would have to drink a ridiculous amount to have any negative side effects.

[@cottoneyedpho6478]

Hey guys! Thank you for always providing endless entertainment and education! Recently started homebrewing inspired by you. Also, heard Brian mention he's from Northeast PA, whereabouts? I was also born and raised in Northern PA.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Dunmore.

[@qdmc12]

Leave the brew in a warmish, dark place for a year, it may still carbonate. I've had "failed" brews not fully carbonate so I squirreled them away in a refrigerator. Then I opened one a couple years later, it was almost completely dry and very carbonated. It's true that time does indeed heal ALL brews (except botulism). Also, they may not ALL be dead but just mostly dead. "There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead." - Miracle Max

[@CitySteadingBrews]

A year for carbonation is.... yeah, no. LOL. I'll come up with another way!

[@user-wz5gw8ef3w]

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks for watching!

[@perciusmandate]

Sassafras or licorice root are indeed the original flavor components of most root beers. However, today the primary flavoring in many commercial root beers is mainly wintergreen mint and vanilla.

[@madDadMusic]

I 'thought' I tasted wintergreen in some rootbeers...

[@cameroncowie8451]

Hey great video, i have always wanted to do a root beer, and now i will, ❤ You said you want to hear suggestions about carbonation, Heres my 5 cents worth Whenever i do a brew that i want to carbonate i only rack once, into my bottling bucket with my sugar solution present i always take a little lees with me,just a little, its essential to aid in carbonation, dont ask me why Maybe theres some yeast still in suspension, You gotta make that sacrifice, if you lose 1 ounce or 25ml per bottle to sediment, its no big deal Sure it doesnt look pristine and crystal clear and beautiful But if it helps, and you get that pop BULLSEYE My own experience in carbonating meads with your insurance yeast method Time is your friend, keep one back for a year, i bet it carbonates Awesome video Very informative, sending our love from the Uk ❤

[@dogprowilhelm7630]

I.B.C. Root Beer is good and a great choice for a Mead. I would have used Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer for mine and you should try next time for a Mead.

[@lindabell6293]

Credibility check: Mountain Dew is a neurotoxin. In the state of New York, if a long haul trucker has a Mountain Dew spill, s/he is mandated by law to hose down their rig.

[@RichardJune]

If you pour it through a screen like a mesh calendar, it will both aerate and help remove the carbon dioxide in one go

[@christophermenz4942]

I loved this one. Definitely a fun one to try. I was wondering if you two have ever considered making a wine using cotton candy grapes?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We had planned to this year but the cost for a gallon was a bit too high.

[@Booger414]

I knew I liked this channel, and then you revealed that you know the answer. Now it is cemented! I didn't like the hard root beer that I tried, but I think it was essentially Zima with root beer flavoring. Two questions come to mind watching this video, one is why add table sugar instead of more honey? Two is would a more robust flavored honey, like buckwheat honey, work better with root beer than the more floral ones?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

The sugar was for carbonation not to add flavor. You can use honey but sugar is actually easier on the yeast. I think any nuance to the honey is masked by the root beer flavors tbh.

[@juniusvindex769]

Just subbed. I used to homebrew a few years ago. Not sure what the hell root beer is, but your wife's facial expressions are a blast 🤣👍🏻 In the uk we have alcoholic ginger beer 😍 Which is lush 🤗 You two should be on tv, you are funny af, greetings from Wiltshire England 👏🏻👍🏻

[@CitySteadingBrews]

No root beer in UK?

[@Hooksetfishing365]

During Passover coke and pepsi both put out a real sugar version of several beverages they normally use corn syrup to produce. Best I remember they have special color tops on 2 liter bottles.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeah someone said that. Pretty cool.

[@GrandpasPlace]

sassafras root used to be the main flavor in root beer, but it was deemed to be carcinogenic and band for use in foods. I find it odd how this was found to be carcinogenic at the same time that MDMA (Ecstasy) was hitting the bar scene and the oil from sassafras root is one of the main ingredients in the production of MDMA. That aside, you can always make a metheglin from the constituent spices in root beer. (Sassafras was replaced with sarsaparilla root) If you do, I would love to see it.

[@julietardos5044]

I did that earlier this year. It did not turn out well, and I dumped it. I think the problems were: too much anise, and not enough sassafras and sarsaparilla. If I do it again, I'd like to add each herb in a separate mesh bag so I can pull each out separately when that particular flavor had peaked.

[@shamelessdank]

love your channel, learning a lot from your videos. im thinking about making a parma violet mead next

[@affalada6868]

I grewup south central pa on yhe mason dixon line amish are everywhere. My neighbors were amish very nice people

[@drthmik]

There IS a Sassafras tea concentrate that can be purchased in grocery stores (or on Amazon) that has the toxic compound removed might make for a good mead

[@Jen-iy7lq]

@ 46:00--dang. Maybe that explains my sudden preposterously inept bread and brewing game this past summer where we had significantly higher temps. I'd taken that factor into consideration while purchasing 'raw' (labeled as) honey in the Middle East but never considered that now. Always learning something here!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeah, we've seen too many fails to think it's anything but a heat issue.

[@Jen-iy7lq]

@@CitySteadingBrews That makes me feel so much better! Was planning to get some course certifications in this area and began to question if I really ever really knew what I was doing.

[@julietardos5044]

My mom had a recent issue where her bread yeast (Fleischman's in the packets) failed to proof or raise her bread. I do think it's the heat. Dang climate change!

[@stuartdoig3418]

I'm pretty sure specific gravity is a ratio of density's with the baseline 1.000 being your reference material. Given the reference is water, specific gravity readings will be the same as a density reading (assuming the first line is correct lol).

[@blk_moses3034]

Please do a savory frankenMead.... I am soooo tuned in

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Savory? Such as...

[@PNLT]

Recently naturally carbonated. I'd say like half my bottles carbonated and half didn't. Maybe I didn't mix well but also I noticed that the ones that didn't pop/carbonate when I opened them were ones I left in the fridge for a day to let it cool. So maybe the cold loosened the seal? Not sure.

[@ItzQ5]

I love this idea! :D I’m thinking I might do it with Sprecher’s Root Beer! They make theirs with honey :)