There’s three basic steps to making homemade root beer. First, you’ll start by making an herbal decoction by simmering the herbs in water until they release their aromatic compounds and other constituents. Then you’ll sweeten the brew and add a starter culture, so that it ferments. Lastly, you’ll bottle the root beer and let it culture.

As it ferments, all the microbes in your starter culture will consume the sweetener. As a result, your root beer will be fizz and bubble. And it’s a great source of probiotics, too.

BREWING TIPS

Homemade root beer is easy to make, and is just about as simple as boiling water or making tea.

But, there’s a few things to keep in mind as you make this recipe.

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• Start with cold water. Tossing herbs straight into hot water may cause proteins in the herbs to seize, preventing the full release of their aromatic compounds and phytonutrients. Cold water eases this process.

• Add the sassafras last. While most woody herbs need time to release their flavor, sassafras is deeply aromatic and its aroma dissipates quickly with prolonged cooking. So toss it into the pot toward the end of simmering for best flavor.

• Switch up the sweetener. This root beer recipe uses unrefined cane sugar, but you can you can also try maple syrup, maple sugar, coconut sugar and honey. Just make sure you use a caloric sweetener so that the root beer ferments.

• Add your starter only once the herbal mixture cools. If you add your starter to the hot herbal decoction, the heat will kill the wild bacteria and yeasts. So add the culture only when the decoction cools to room temperature.

• Use flip-top bottles. Flip-top bottles effectively capture all the carbon dioxide that builds up during fermentation – which means a fizzy brew for you.

• Pay attention to temperature in your kitchen. Homemade root beer will ferment faster in a warm kitchen, and more slowly in a cold one.