Root beer extract preferences

[ericbw]

Does anyone have strong opinions on root beer extracts? I've used McCormick (good) and Watkins (not good - too weak). I see Brewer's Best and Zatarain's at the brew store. I'll be mixing it up and kegging, not carbonating with yeast. (The yeasty flavor is kind of what makes homemade root beer different, though.)

 

[bdogg171]

Hell you’ve already cut the field in half, try the other 2 and tell us, seriously I’ve been curious but not enough to try any of them.
I will add one of the local shops had a keg out several years ago and found out it was Zatarains. I recall it was good but again I have never tried any others so don’t have a stick to judge by.

 

[MaxStout]

I like Zatarain's, and it's cheap on Amazon. I make RB 1 qt at a time in 1L PET pop bottles, using 7.5ml Zatarain's, 1ml vanilla extract and a tiny pinch of both nutmeg and ground clove. Then carb with a carbonator cap to 40PSI CO2.

I've tried the "Old Fashioned Root Beer" extract from my LHBS, but the wintergreen was a bit too much for my tastes.

I've only tried those two.

Edit: forgot to mention 1/2 cup turbinado sugar in the 1 qt. batch.

 

[balrog]

I use Zatarin's also (Ritebrew) 4oz bottle, supposed to make 5 gallons.
I make 3
2# Sugar in the Raw
1/2# Light Brown Sugar
Force carb in keg (said keg used only for root beer as it infuses all orings and gaskets)

 

[Longshot_34]

The best extract for force carbonating or dry ice root beer is Hires Big H. It isn’t cheap but it’s fail proof. You can get it on amazon or their website. It’s cheaper on amazon unless you buy 3+ bottles at a time. Zatarains is good if you yeast carbonate for a few days then let it set for about a week. The first time I tried zatarains i made it with club soda. I thought it tasted like a root beer barrel candy. YMMV.

 

[verboten]

Sprecher is my favorite. I buy that and the orange cream soda

 

[ericbw]

Here’s what I did for a 2.5 gallon batch. I tasted along the way to see what I liked.

8oz brown sugar
1.25 pounds white sugar
2.25 oz Zatarain’s
.5 oz vanilla extract

Stirred it up and put it in the keg to carbonate.

 

[Yooper]

Sprecher is my favorite. I buy that and the orange cream soda

I agree! I either buy the McCormicks (pretty cheap and really good) or the Sprecher syrup (expensive and really, really good). Sprecher can't be bottle carbed, though, so when my son made it in bottles he always used the McCormick's and liked it a lot.

 

[virtualpaul]

I tried many different root beer extracts (Zatarain, Old Fashioned Root Beer, and a few others I forgot the names) but found none that I like so far. I even tried making the extracts myself using lots of different roots and leaves but got nowhere...

My favorites root beers are A&W, Sprecher, Barqs, Mug (not necessarily in that order) but none of the ones I tried tasted as good as those.

For me this is a quest for the holy grail of root beer!