Quick Answer
No, root beer does not contain any alcohol. Root beer is a non-alcoholic soft drink that is flavored with sassafras root extract along with other spices and herbs. The “beer” in root beer refers to the fact that it was traditionally brewed like beer, not that it contains any alcohol. While some early versions of root beer before Prohibition did contain small amounts of alcohol, today’s mass produced root beers are all non-alcoholic.
What is root beer?
Root beer is a sweet, carbonated soft drink that has been popular in North America and other parts of the world for over a century. It gets its name from the traditional use of sassafras root as its main flavoring ingredient.
The sassafras root imparts a distinctive aromatic and somewhat spicy flavor to root beer. Along with sassafras, other common ingredients in root beer include:
– Wintergreen
– Sarsaparilla root
– Birch bark
– Vanilla
– Licorice root
– Cinnamon
– Clove
– Nutmeg
– Molasses or honey – used as a sweetener
Traditionally, root beer was made by brewing these ingredients together, allowing fermentation to occur, and then bottling the resulting beverage. The small amounts of alcohol produced during fermentation were present in the finished root beer.
However, most mass produced root beers today are made through a much more streamlined process involving flavor extracts and artificial carbonation. This yields a non-alcoholic product.
Some small-batch root beers may still rely on traditional brewing techniques, but the alcohol content is usually very low, no more than 0.5% alcohol by volume.
History of root beer
The origins of root beer can be traced back to colonial America in the 17th century. European colonists learned from Native Americans how to brew medicines and beverages using the sassafras plant and other wild herbs and spices:
– Native Americans used sassafras roots to make teas and tonics, valued for their medicinal qualities and aromatic flavor. Sharing this knowledge with colonists was one of sassafras’ early names – the “agreeable liquor” plant.
– experimenting, colonial brewers developed recipes for fermented sassafras root beverages, sometimes adding honey or molasses to sweeten them. This was the earliest form of root beer.
– 1676, the first root beer recipe was published by English colonist John Josselyn after traveling to New England. His recipe included sassafras, licorice, anise seed, and other botanicals.
– Small beer breweries began producing root beer commercially in the 1800s. It was sold alongside traditional alcoholic beers as a non-intoxicating option.
– Some brewers took advantage of ambiguous regulations to produce alcoholic “root beers” with sassafras or other substitutes like wintergreen.
– Post-Colonial Era, root beer grew very popular as a temperance drink. Its brewing process gave it an image distinct from unfermented soft drinks.
– Late 1800s into early 1900s, root beer boomed thanks to technological advances like pasteurization and artificial carbonation that made large-scale production easier. National brands emerged.
– Prohibition (1920-1933) banned commercial alcohol production, giving root beer an even stronger appeal as a legal alternative to alcoholic beer. However, the ban on sassafras soon after due to safety concerns forced major changes in root beer manufacturing.
– Today, classic root beers are making a comeback alongside mass-produced brands. Microbreweries are crafting small-batch root beers once again using traditional ingredients and brewing methods (but with low or no alcohol content).
Root beer during Prohibition
The Prohibition Era in the early 20th century represents an important chapter in the history of root beer. With alcohol production banned across the United States, many breweries turned to producing root beer instead, marketing it as a legal alternative to beer:
– Root beer sales skyrocketed, solidifying its popularity. Kits even allowed people to brew their own at home.
– Brands like A&W, Barq’s, and Hires emerged as giants during Prohibition, still prominent today.
– Speakeasies serving illegal alcohol sometimes secretly spiked root beers with distilled spirits to mask them.
– While root beer gave breweries a lifeline during Prohibition, it faced challenges of its own. Health concerns over sassafras’ safrole oil led to a ban in 1960, forcing recipes to change.
So while Prohibition promoted root beer’s commercial success, it also necessitated altering the original sassafras-based recipes that had defined root beer’s flavor profile up until that point.
Is there any alcohol in root beer today?
Because of its history being brewed and fermented like beer, some people wonder if modern root beer still contains any trace alcohol content.
The answer is generally no – today’s major commercial root beer brands do not contain any alcohol:
| Root Beer Brand | Alcohol Content |
|---|---|
| A&W | 0% alcohol |
| Barq’s | 0% alcohol |
| IBC | 0% alcohol |
| Mug | 0% alcohol |
| Stewart’s | 0% alcohol |
This is because modern root beer is brewed in a much more controlled and efficient environment compared to its origins. Commercial root beer today is made through a cold-mix process without fermentation, using water, sugar, and flavor extracts. The carbonation is then added artificially later. This yields a consistent non-alcoholic product.
While prohibition forced a temporary boom, the ban on sassafras subsequently changed the recipes. And advances in food science gave manufacturers tighter quality controls compared to small artisanal brewers.
So you can be assured that a can or bottle of A&W, Barq’s, or other major root beer from the supermarket contains no alcohol at all. Drinking modern root beer will not produce any intoxicating effect.
Exceptions
While mainstream root beers are alcohol-free, it is still possible to find some specialty root beers with higher alcohol content:
– Small-batch craft root beers – Some microbreweries are producing root beer using more traditional brewing methods, but the alcohol content is still very minimal, no more than 0.5% ABV (similar to “non-alcoholic” beer). These are typically specialty local brands not sold nationwide.
– Hard root beers – In recent years, companies have capitalized on nostalgia by producing “hard” or “spiked” root beers – root beer flavored alcohols. These ready-to-drink beverages contain around 5% ABV, similar to major beer brands. Obviously these are a very different product meant specifically for adult consumption, not simply traditional root beer with alcohol added.
– DIY spikeable kits – It’s possible to make your own spiked root beers by adding liquor to commercial root beer brands. Some kits even provide instructions and flavor extracts to provide the genuine root beer taste with an alcoholic kick. But again, this is a separate process from how major root beer brands are manufactured and sold.
So in summary – 99% of the root beer you’ll find in stores contains no alcohol, as they’re mass produced using modern techniques, without fermentation. But some specialty products capturing the old-fashioned flavor do exist in limited capacity for those looking for an alcoholic twist. When in doubt, checking the can or label will clearly list the ABV percentage.
The root beer brewing process
To better understand why commercial root beers contain no alcohol, it helps to look at how they’re made:
Traditional small-batch brewing
Originally, root beer was brewed in a similar process as beer:
1. Yeast is combined with water, sassafras root, and other ingredients like vanilla and wintergreen to create a “wort”.
2. This mixture is left to ferment, allowing the yeast to consume sugars and convert them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Fermentation took 1-2 weeks.
3. After fermenting, the root beer is strained, sweetened with sugar, and bottled. The remaining yeast continues to ferment in the sealed bottles, further carbonating the drink.
4. Once sufficiently carbonated after 1-2 weeks of bottle conditioning, it is ready to drink.
The fermentation process allowed the finished root beer to reach around 2-4% alcohol by volume. While not high, it did impart a distinctly complex flavor.
Modern commercial production
In contrast, today’s large breweries make root beer by mixing ingredients into a sugary syrup, without fermentation:
1. Sugar, water, and flavor extracts (from sassafras or other sources like anise) are combined into a concentrated syrup. This takes place in a sealed and sterile environment.
2. The finished syrup is then diluted with carbonated water and bottled. The carbonation is added artificially by injecting carbon dioxide, not through fermentation.
3. This yields a consistent, shelf-stable product with a uniform flavor, no fermentation, and no alcohol.
So in essence, modern root beer is made more akin to soda than beer. The fermentation process that originally produced low alcohol levels has been removed.
Safety and regulations
Two major factors contribute to root beer’s non-alcoholic status today:
FDA ban on safrole
In 1960, the FDA banned the use of sassafras root in commercially mass-produced foods and beverages because of health concerns over its constituent safrole oil. Studies linked safrole to liver damage and cancer.
This forced root beer manufacturers to develop alternate recipes without sassafras. While some substitutes like wintergreen and anise were used for flavoring, none fully replicated sassafras root’s distinctive essence that originally defined root beer’s taste.
However, the sassafras ban also removed a key ingredient that facilitated fermentation and alcohol production in traditional root beer. With sassafras prohibited, modern root beer could no longer be brewed in the authentic, alcohol-containing process.
Regulatory standards
Root beer is classified as a soft drink, so it adheres to strict regulations on alcohol content enforced by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB):
– Beverages with over 0.5% ABV are subject to taxes and special oversight as alcoholic beverages. This provides strong incentive for keeping levels far below the 0.5% threshold.
– Anything labeled “non-alcoholic” must contain less than 0.5% ABV. Given its history as a temperance drink, root beer brands are careful not to make any unsubstantiated “non-alcoholic” claims.
– There are also numerous state and local ordinances prohibiting beverages with even trace alcohol content from being sold as soft drinks or non-alcoholic products.
So between banned ingredients and tight regulations, major root beer brands err strongly on the side of zero alcohol. This assures regulatory compliance and avoids any perceptions of root beer being an “alcoholic” drink, protecting its longstanding family-friendly image.
Does alcohol improve root beer taste?
Given its origins, some root beer aficionados insist that it’s simply better with at least some alcohol content from fermentation. This raises the question:
Does the presence of alcohol really improve the flavor of root beer?
There are reasonable arguments on both sides:
YES – Alcohol can enrich root beer’s flavor
– Fermentation imparts complex flavors not fully replicable otherwise, beyond just the base ingredients. The process is an inherent part of root beer’s origins.
– Small amounts of alcohol can provide a balanced sweetness and cut the dominant sugariness.
– Alcohol content around 2-4% ABV delivers the classic flavor profile that generations grew up with before regulations changed.
– Non-alcoholic versions may taste too blunt or saccharine due to artificial carbonation and corn syrup instead of sugar.
NO – Alcohol does not necessarily improve taste
– Advances in food science allow extraction of complex flavor notes without fermentation, through essences.
– Consistency is improved – alcohol content would vary between batches and brewers.
– The flavor balance is calibrated carefully using controlled sweeteners besides fermentation.
– Kids are a big market – their preferences trend sweeter rather than subtle alcoholic nuance.
– Regulatory motivations aside, most major brands removed alcohol specifically to improve and refine the flavor.
So opinions will differ based on personal preference and values. While some do feel the fermentation process gives an irreplaceable depth, others feel the nuanced flavors can be replicated reliably without alcohol. Big brands have calculated that alcohol is not critical to deliver what consumers expect from root beer’s taste.
But those wanting an artisanal experience with some alcohol can seek out small-batch craft versions. For everyone else, mainstream modern root beers offer reliable flavors without the alcohol.
Conclusion
In conclusion, here are the key takeaways:
– Root beer originally contained a low alcohol content, but Prohibition followed by a ban on its key ingredient sassafras forced major changes.
– Today, major commercial root beer brands like A&W, Barq’s, and Mug contain absolutely no alcohol (