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feste_sylvainThis is the fourth of four colonial recipes which Jim Koch experimented with. Yes, it's called a "root beer"; yes, it has sassafras and wintergreen; no, you can't let your kids drink it. This stuff is cranked up to 5.5% alcohol.
In addition to the familiar sassafras and wintergreen, this recipe has vanilla, honey, molasses, and licorice. I gotta tell ya: the whole molasses-in-beer thing faded away for a reason. I found the black-strap molasses used in the "George Washington Porter" to be overwhelming, but the lighter molasses used here is still... intrusive.
Of course, this is after working my tongue around the licorice.
So the overall effect comes on something like this:
I'm sure that the early Americans were going for a beer which was as complex as some of their breakfast breads (with all the honey and spices that went into those). But simplicity generally wins out, which is why modern (non-alcoholic) root beer is stripped down to just the sassafras and wintergreen.
Oh, one last thing: this recipe calls for a late addition of caramelized sugar, so the slightly-darker-than-nut-brown hue literally comes from an early use of "caramel coloring". Given the sweetness, it's easy to see how this old recipe was altered for children.
So, out of the four old recipes, two were total winners, and two were, um, historically important.
In addition to the familiar sassafras and wintergreen, this recipe has vanilla, honey, molasses, and licorice. I gotta tell ya: the whole molasses-in-beer thing faded away for a reason. I found the black-strap molasses used in the "George Washington Porter" to be overwhelming, but the lighter molasses used here is still... intrusive.
Of course, this is after working my tongue around the licorice.
So the overall effect comes on something like this:
- Ooo, root beer! There's the sassafras, just like A&W!
- Hunh! Kinda strong.
- Woa Nelly! What's with all the licorice?
- Hey, a bunch of other flavors in a complex combination.
- <swallow/>
- What the heck is that aftertaste? Molasses?
I'm sure that the early Americans were going for a beer which was as complex as some of their breakfast breads (with all the honey and spices that went into those). But simplicity generally wins out, which is why modern (non-alcoholic) root beer is stripped down to just the sassafras and wintergreen.
Oh, one last thing: this recipe calls for a late addition of caramelized sugar, so the slightly-darker-than-nut-brown hue literally comes from an early use of "caramel coloring". Given the sweetness, it's easy to see how this old recipe was altered for children.
So, out of the four old recipes, two were total winners, and two were, um, historically important.
