Root Beer ingredients

[TorontoTuna]

Been sitting on my grandfather's root beer recipe for years, but am now taking the plunge. However, I have no idea where to get sassafras root, burdock root, sarsaparilla root, licorice root....Any ideas?

[The Chowhound Team]

Folks, please keep this thread focused on where to buy ingredients for root beer. If you would like to discuss recipes, please start a new thread on the Home Cooking board. You can leave a link to that thread here if you do.

[atomeyes]

Not to distract from TorontoTuna's post (since its a cool story and i can't wait to see the recipe), but I've made 2 batches of rootbeer over the past few months.
both were modified from a recipe you can find on Chow.
the first turned out really nicely.
the second, due to the temperature in my house, was supercarbonated (and superyeasty). it was stronger in flavour. i loved it. my wife did not.

[ThoughtForFood]

How did you modify the recipe exactly? I have tried a couple other recipes that didn't give me the best results just recently. Where exactly did you find your ingredients? I bought mine at Herbies herbs which for some reason I always thought was a head shop. They seemed a little on the expensive side. I also found maltodextrin at this place in scarborough http://www.sodacentre.com/ .

[atomeyes]

pretty certain i got the ingredients from Ottway's on Danforth. if it wasn't Ottway's, it was one of the other neighbouring herbal places.

Yeast: i didn't do anything too fancy. i grabbed a packet of brewing yeast from Fermentations on Danforth. this time around, I'm going to buy some fancier (and tastier) yeast from Zack at http://www.torontobrewing.ca . you can go pretty nuts and make the flavour complex if you choose the right yeast. I'd ask Zack for suggestions.

Recipe: I used the one on Chow. http://www.chow.com/recipes/10681-cho... I didn't put in burdock or licorice root (way too earthy for what I wanted). i used a good vanilla and I'll use REAL cinnamon (not that wood bark crap that you buy at grocery stores).

the 1st time, i made it without sassaparilla. wife enjoyed that one more.

[Wahooty]

Herbie's Herbs on Queen W. They also do online orders, if their store is out of the way. http://secure.herbies-herbs.com/index...

[TorontoTuna]

Thanks Chowhounders. Will gather ingedients and brew next weekend. Photos and recipe will be posted in a few weeks on the C.H. recipe section after taste test. Of note, my grandfather,
(b. 1874), kept a detailed diary of recipes handed down from generations of Germain farmers and he left blueprints for a smokehouse and instructions for curing and smoking hams. I intend to build this next summer at my weekend farm property and hang a few hams. Again, I will post in the recipe section as per C.H. guidelines.
-Cheers

[Orangeville]

Toronto Tuna, are you willing to share some of these recipes? I'm looking to make some Root Beer soon and am trying to get all the ingredients, some old school recipes would be stellar!

[porker]

Sounds like you have a treasure trove of information - reminds me of the ad campaign a few years ago on how John Sleeman found his grandfather's brewing recipe book and started the Sleeman Brewery from that!
When I was kid, I was walking through the Laurentian forest about 2 hours north of Montreal. I was with an old timer who cut a branch from the ground, "Suck on this." he instructed, handing me the stick. I looked dubious - did he dip it in deer shit or what?
"No really, give it a taste". It tasted just like root beer. He smiled and said yep, thats what they make root beer from.
I was 12, I was impressed.
So apparently Sarsaparilla can be foraged in Canada and the US....

[ylsf]

Wow, I am also interested in hearing about your results!

[atomeyes]

Great question.
I bought my yeast from Fermentations and my sasparilla from the herbal store (Ottways?) across the street on the Danforth.
I never made it. was nervous about the carcinogenic reports on sasparilla.

[maple99]

burdock root you should be able to just go dig some - it is a common weed, with the big burs that get on dogs

[Jeebs]

I've used www.leavesandroots.com for all my soda needs.

[TorontoTuna]

Great site! After I make the initial batch and test it I'll post the recipe. Needs to sit a few weeks. My grandfather was from the Germain countryside and his root beer was the real stuff. A tall frosty stein of ice-cold. frothy, real root beer. Yo mama!

[uberathlete]

Wow. I would love to hear about your results, and if everything goes well, the recipe itself. Keep us updated!

[crawfish]

Richters has it all:
http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web...

Now will you share your recipe? :)

[TorontoTuna]

Thanks crawfish..Rather buy locally, but if I cannot find it close buy I'll use Richters...who I see have discontinued selling San Pedro cactus seed. Heh. Heh.

[crawfish]

It's only an hour away so I guess I consider it local.

I found this place through Google and it's on Roncesvalles:

http://www.theherbalclinicanddispensa...