Anyone who’s ever tried this delicious beverage will have wondered what is root beer made of.
Why would it be called beer when it’s not even alcoholic? Do they really use roots to make it? It’s such a ubiquitous part of American life that one can’t help but wonder about the finer details.
What’s certain is that root beer has been served as a means of refreshment since the days of the founding fathers.
So let’s take a peek at how it’s made, and find out how this drink has changed over the years.
A Brief History of Traditional Root Beer Making
Root beer has its origins in the teas and fermented beverages made by indigenous American tribes. When the Europeans arrived, they adapted it, using their own culinary techniques to create a drink similar to what root beer is today. Interestingly enough, root beer is thought to have been further developed by beer crafters while making small beer.
Small beer is a type of beer, very low in alcohol content, that was thought to be healthier than regular liquor. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, all avid brewers and big fans of small beer, made their own versions of root beer. Recipes varied wildly, and different herbs, roots, barks, and spices were used to try and improve both the flavor and medicinal properties.
The usual ingredients were sassafras or sarsaparilla roots. Crafters used a wide range of components including ginger, coriander, vanilla, allspice, even dandelion roots and ash bark. These ingredients, amongst others, formed the core of what root beer is made of.
The first commercial version of root beer was developed by a pharmacist named Charles Elmer Hires. The popular story was that he discovered the drink when he was served root tea on his honeymoon, by the owner of the hotel he was staying at. He later refined the recipe and created a drink mix that had to be combined with water, yeast, and sugar.
The name root beer itself comes from the way Hires marketed his product. He initially wanted to sell it as root tea, but a friend persuaded him to change it to root beer, claiming that it would be more popular. His friend turned out to be right. After presenting the drink mix in the 1876 US Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, it eventually took off.
A teetotaler, Hires wanted to promote the drink as an alternative to alcohol, calling it “the temperance drink.” He would later lock horns with the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, influencers of the temperance movement.
The Temperance Union claimed that, considering what root beer is made out of, and how it was produced, that it contained alcohol. They wanted to boycott the product, and sparked a campaign that lasted three years.
Hires countered with an analysis of his own claiming that root beer’s alcohol content was equivalent to that found in half a loaf of bread. They ultimately decided to drop the issue, and root beer’s sales, which had suffered during the Union’s campaign, eventually picked up again.
In 1960, the US Food and Drug Administration banned the use of safrole oil, declaring it as a mild carcinogen. Unfortunately, sassafras, the main ingredient that gave root beer its distinct flavor contained safrole oil.
This pretty much ended the era of traditional root beer, as sassafras was no longer an acceptable ingredient. Modern root beers either have artificial sassafras flavorings, if there are still some producers that use sassafras that have safrole distilled out of it.
Today root beer is enjoyed worldwide, and makes up about 3% of the US soft drink market. It has its own holiday, called the International Root Beer Float Day celebrated on August 6th.
The majority of the root beers produced today are nonalcoholic, but alcoholic varieties still do exist. It may also surprise you to know that, except for Barq’s, the most popular brands of root beer are caffeine free.
Popular Brands of Root Beer
There are over 100 brands of root beer, and that’s just in the US. Here’s a list of the more popular brands, in no particular order, and what makes them so great.
Hires Root Beer
You really can’t mention root beer and not think of Hires. It was the company’s founder, Charles Elmer Hires that not only gave root beer its name, but was first to commercially market it after all. It’s considered as the second longest continuously produced soft drink in America, having been in constant circulation since 1876. Only Vernors ginger ale is older, and even then, only by 10 years.
Hires is now owned by the producer of another popular beverage, Keurig Dr Pepper, makers of Dr Pepper.
A&W
Another popular brand of root beer is A&W. The company was initially founded in 1919 by Roy W. Allen. He would later partner with another businessman Frank Wright, whose surname, along with his would eventually form the initials for the brand name.
A&W was also the name for a popular restaurant chain that was established when the partnership started in 1922. Both the root beer and restaurant franchise would prosper, eventually flourishing to more than 2,000 stores by the 1960’s.
One of these franchisees were a couple that went by the name of J. Willard and Alice Marriot who owned an A&W root beer food stand in 1927. The stand would prove to be a success, later expanding, and eventually forming a company that would end up becoming the bedrock of the Marriot Corporation, owner of the famous Marriot Hotels.
A&W is now marketed today by the same company that sells Hires, Keurig Dr Pepper, though it is also bottled by A&W Canada and Coca Cola in Canadian Territories.
Barq’s
Once marketed as Barq’s Famous Olde Tyme Root Beer, the company has been producing their popular beverage since 1898. The company originally didn’t want market their product as root beer, as during the time Hires was trying to trademark the name.
There was also the fact that Barq’s used sarsaparilla as a base rather than sassafras, which, traditionally, is what root beer was made of. Barq’s also has a rather particular quality in that it’s the only mainstream root beer that contains caffeine.
Barq’s is now owned and manufactured by the Coca Cola Company.
IBC Root Beer
Named after the Independent Brewing Company established in 1919, the brand was marketed during the height of prohibition as an alternative to alcohol. The company itself was an amalgamation of several manufacturers, namely Griesediecks, Gast Brewery, National Brewery, Wagner Brewing Company and Columbia.
As popular as the drink was, the company itself eventually caused its downfall. With too many executives, and too many overhead costs, IBC was the epitome of too many cooks in the kitchen.
After the company closed, the IBC root beer brand outlived its parent, eventually being bought by Taylor Beverages, then the Seven-Up Company, and eventually Keurig Dr Pepper which still manufactures it today.
Dad’s Root Beer
Created in 1937 in Chicago, Dad’s Root Beer is considered by many as one of the best root beers around. It’s less sweet than most of its peers, offering more carbonation, and a more noticeable aroma. During the 1940’s, it was one of the most consumed root beer brands, with a very loyal following.
Dad’s also has the distinction of being the first product to be ever sold as a six-pack.
Dad’s Root Beer is sold and manufactured by the Dad’s Root Beer Company LLC.
A Glass of History
Root beer has been enjoyed by millions throughout history as medicine, beverage, and as an alternative to alcohol. From the days of boiling and fermenting sassafras roots, to modern production methods involving large machinery, it has become an ingrained part of our culture.
If, while enjoying a glass, you’ve ever asked yourself, “What is root beer made of?” the answer is simple. History, that’s what.