346516 Wed Nov 29 00:37:50 -0800 2006 13 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 2054197 I saw this make-your-own rootbeer kit in a, yet another crappy, catalog I receive for no apparent reason: http://www.hearthsong.com/hearthsong/product.do?section_id=3&bc=1005&pgc=367&sv=2494&cmvalue=HS|3|CRAFTS%20%20ACTIVITIES%20COLLECTIONS|2494|2494-P1 My little brother (well, not so little, he's 19, but little to me!) loves rootbeer and I thought this would be a fun Christmas present for him, but am leery about the quality of the kit. Does anyone have any recs for this kind of thing? Wed Nov 29 00:37:50 -0800 2006 12813 Katie Nell 1 2054214 I bought from this place one year. It includes everything you need. http://www.leeners.com/rootbeer.html Wed Nov 29 00:45:57 -0800 2006 2054197 10911 LisaN 2 2054355 And how was the rootbeer? Wed Nov 29 01:40:23 -0800 2006 2054214 12813 Katie Nell 3 2054533 I can't really fairly answer that, you are supposed to keep the brew at a certain temperature and I live in So. California and it got very hot, so it was hard to keep it cool. We didn't like what came out, but I don't fault the kit for that Wed Nov 29 03:03:40 -0800 2006 2054355 10911 LisaN 1 2054518 I bought the hearthsong kit a few years ago and my nephews 11-12 at the time enjoyed making it. I can't comment on the quality because I didn't taste it. Wed Nov 29 02:57:49 -0800 2006 2054197 10099 JudiAU 1 2065256 I can't personally recommend this soft drink kit but I can recommend the company. I've used them for beer brewing and cheesemaking supplies. They are local to me and the staff has always been helpful and informative: http://www.beer-wine.com/product.asp?sectionID=4&CategoryID=72&productID=514 Sun Dec 03 03:26:25 -0800 2006 2054197 10027 Chris VR 1 2068137 I received that exact kit as a gift a few years ago, and had mixed results. The first batch was, without question, the best root beer I've ever had. (For comparison, my benchmark has always been A&W on tap from the ORIGINAL A&W stand, not cans or bottles.) Every other batch, tho (I think the kit makes four batches), was a complete and utter bust, with the product tasting more like bread-flavored root beer. I have no idea what made the difference. Mon Dec 04 15:47:11 -0800 2006 2054197 13700 ricepad 1 2068696 I too love root beer, and got this as a gift last year. Maybe I did something wrong but the root beer was flat. It never carbonated. Mon Dec 04 18:16:50 -0800 2006 2054197 38432 angelo04 1 2069311 Forget the kit. Surf over to <http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/ROOTBEER_Jn0.htm> and follow the directions (by a prof. of biology and chemistry, no less!) there. Mon Dec 04 20:50:35 -0800 2006 2054197 23835 mclaugh 2 2071949 The page can't be found. Is that the right link? Tue Dec 05 17:48:53 -0800 2006 2069311 38432 angelo04 1 2071963 Drop the last bracket from the URL and you'll get there. Tue Dec 05 17:51:04 -0800 2006 2054197 13700 ricepad 2 2075419 Thanks - that recipe is essentially the same as the kit from the original post. My guess is the items in the kit are old, specifically the yeast and that is the reason for my poor results. I will definately try this and report back. Wed Dec 06 17:50:10 -0800 2006 2071963 38432 angelo04 3 2075765 I had the same thought about the yeast after the second batch (first bad batch), so for the third batch, I used yeast I knew to be fresh (new jar, had just made bread with it, and proofed it, to boot). It still came out awful. Wed Dec 06 19:12:30 -0800 2006 2075419 13700 ricepad 1 2082108 Well that solves it, I give up. On a similar issue, got a mozzarella making kit and that sucked too. Fri Dec 08 17:55:57 -0800 2006 2054197 38432 angelo04