This was the second time we tried to make sassafras beer, and the result was outstanding. I accidentally left one bottle in the fridge while on vacation, but it actually kept its fizz and tasted even better than it did three weeks ago. The beer was bottled in 4 quart sized hinge-lock bottles. The flavor was spicy and earthy, and the color was an odd orange. Adding in a few spicebush berries (Lindera benzoin) to the brew really added some character, and the lime juice added a good acidic taste. We used a commercial beer yeast, Munton's, available at the local brewing supply store. The roots are boiled to make a decoction, rather than steeped to make a tisane.
We gathered many
sassafras roots (Sassafras albidum) during our mild autumn. This small tree grows in Connecticut abundantly, and gathering the roots, bark and leaves is relatively easy. It is easily identified in the summer by looking for its 3 different leaves: a mitten shaped leaf, an egg shaped leaf, and a 3-lobed leaf. The bark is green on the small saplings, but as the tree gets larger you can see a reddish-orange coloring in between the furrows of the grey bark. Small saplings for pulling roots will grow in dense clusters next to the mother tree. We grab the sapling and give it a slow, steady pull until about 12"-24" of root will come up before breaking. It's the roots that you will need for this recipe, and you can pull them fresh until the ground freezes.
This recipe is available in our book, available Spring 2016.
http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/book/?GCOI=60239108626260&
Does the finished brew contain any alcohol or is it more like "brewing" root beer? What is the taste of the final product?
ReplyDeleteBecause we ferment the beer for a few days with additional sugar, it is alcoholic. Using beer yeast will only yield a low alcohol content, maybe 5-6%, depending on the brand of yeast and how much sugar you add. It tastes similar to a mildly medicinal root beer, and you can tell it is sassafras. Karen
ReplyDeleteIt should take longer than 3 days to reach 5-6% alcohol, though. Typically, batches of beer, mead, etc., ferment for up to 3-4 weeks in a primary fermenter before reaching this level of alcohol content. I'm guessing the yeast has time to produce some quantity of CO2, hence the fizziness, but there shouldn't be much alcohol by 3 days.
ReplyDeleteCan you taste the alcohol in this recipe above, or feel it after drinking a couple bottles of the stuff? This sounds really tasty, and I'd like to try it, but I'd prefer to know that if it's intended to be alcoholic, that it will have time to get there. If I misunderstood this and the yeast is just meant to give it fizziness though, rather than actual alcohol content, sorry!
I am not sure of the exact alcohol content, we really are just experimenting. There is definite fizziness, and I would not serve it to a kid! It will not get you drunk, but you can taste the alcoholic aspects. Our goal was to get some bubbles, and the mild alcohol was an added bonus.
ReplyDeleteKaren