Root Beer. Yum. On a hot summer day, pour some of this over a couple scoops of ice cream and you are in heaven. Or just crack open a bottle and sip on it in the heat. Very satisfying. Today we are trying out various brands of this delicious drink!
Help us sustain our podcast and keep us trying foods like these!
Which root beers are we trying today?
Route 66 Root Beer
Capone Family Secret Root Beer
Dorothy’s Isle of Pines Root Beer
Hank’s Genuine Gourmet Root Beer
1919 Classic American Root Beer
Bundaberg Root Beer
Who is on this seasonal quest?
Kris, root beer float snob.
Nate, wears his sunglasses at night.
Matt, ask me about my favorite drag queen!
Amy, does not like Arnold Palmer.
And of course, our subscribers! Thanks to our small, yet coveted group. We appreciate the support. You too can join us on this food journey. All you need to do is… SUBSCRIBE!
The History of Root Beer
Well the first thing you should know is that the drink we know today is quite different from the original root beers. Root teas and medicines were very common in America’s past. Indigenous people of North America brewed medicinal teas out of roots, barks, berries, and flowers. Sassafras, wintergreen and sarsaparilla were plants that were thought to boost immune function, reduce inflammation, combat allergies, and more. Therefore, they were not used for everyday consumption, but for medicinal purposes.
When European colonists brought “small beer” to the Americas, they saw what the indigenous people were doing with roots and decided to add it to these beverages. You see, “small beers” were low-alcoholic beverages that colonists made by shortening the fermentation time of the brew or by re-using grain from stronger beers.
In the 1870s everything changed however, thanks to pharmacist Charles E. Hires. Philadelphia pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires discovered a recipe for an herbal tea while in New Jersey. Not long after, he began selling a dry version of the tea blend but it had to be mixed with water, sugar, and yeast and left to ferment for the carbonation process to take place. Hires began working on a liquid formulation for a carbonated root beer beverage shortly after, with the goal to be more appealing to the masses. His concoction contained more than 25 herbs, berries, and roots that Hires used to flavor carbonated soda water. Hires introduced his root beer to the public at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial exhibition where it was a huge hit. In 1893, the Hires family sold and distributed their first bottled root beer.
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
6th Place: Bundaberg Root Beer
Amy - 1
Kris - 2
Matt - 4
Nate - 3
5th Place: Hank’s Genuine Gourmet Root Beer
Amy - 3
Kris - 3
Matt - 5
Nate - 4
4th Place: Route 66 Root Beer
Amy - 3
Kris - 4
Matt - 6
Nate - 5
3rd Place: Dorothy’s Isle of Pines Root Beer
Amy - 5
Kris - 5
Matt -5
Nate - 4
2nd Place: Capone’s Family Secret
Amy - 4
Kris - 5
Matt - 7
Nate - 7
1st Place: 1919 Classic American Root Beer
Amy - 6
Kris - 7
Matt - 7
Nate - 8
There you have it. 1919 Classic American Root Beer receives the Quest for the Best seal of approval.
Check out their website to get some to try yourself!
https://www.1919rootbeer.com/
Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Which is your favorite root beer brand? We would love to hear your rating!
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
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SHOW NOTES:
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-root-beer-1992386
https://sprecherbrewery.com/blogs/blog/the-history-of-root-beer
Rooting for Root Beer!