SC - Alcohol in root beer

[Decker, Terry D.]

I had an interesting session with a couple local braumeisters over yeast
and root beer.

Modern commercial practice is to make a syrup and thin it with
carbonated water or take the thinned syrup and force carbonate it.  They
both recommend this method for home root beers.  (So no alcohol in
modern soda, no warning label, no lawyers.  Solly. :-))

Champagne yeast produces a lot of carbonation, but is also a high
alcohol yeast.  Even killing the reaction with a sugar overload is going
to produce a fair amount of alcohol.

If you are going to ferment the mixture, they recommend a low alcohol
yeast, such as ale yeast or even bread yeast.

Another method to reduce the alcohol would be to agitate the solution by
shaking it heavily for about 20 minutes per day.  This causes the yeast
to produce more yeast rather than a lot of alcohol and carbon dioxide.
You do run the risk of making the drink taste muddy.

Bear



> I am curious about this statement as the end result of yeast growing is
the
> conversion of sugars to alcohol. Have you ever taken specific gravity
tests on
> the before and after product or are you assuming that the manufacturerer
is
> correct? IMHO, such a statement is inherently inaccurate when viewed from
a
> biological and scientific base.
> 
Now that you mention it, seems rather absurd that they're not making
alcohol, after all, that's what we pay the little bastiges to do, but no
mention of it or warning labels on the instructions that come with the
extract.  I have not done OGs and FGs but certainly will nest time we
make
a batch.  My oldest said his ginger ale tasted like it had alcohol in
it, I
didn't think so.  In todays litigious society (at least here in the
states,
sorry Ragnar) I find it hard to believe that the mfr wouldn't put some
sort
of warning on their labels if alcohol in ANY amount was produced by the
process, but your right, scientifically that doesn't make sense, unless
it
has something to do with the interaction of this particular yeast strain
with cane sugar (as opposed to Louise Sugar).  hmmmmm.

Son, how would you like to own a soda extract company?  Any good lawyers
out there?:-), Puck


============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================