Is root beer alcoholic?
Most root beer sold in stores today is not alcoholic. Traditional root beer was often fermented, and some brands make a hard root beer with added alcohol, so check the label for an ABV or the words hard or alcoholic.
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In this article
Is root beer alcoholic?
Mainstream root beer sold as a soft drink is non-alcoholic. Historically it was different: a university science article notes that traditional root beer usually was alcoholic, while modern root beer is rarely fortified with ethanol. Hard root beers are a separate, clearly labeled product.
How can you tell?
| Check | What it means |
|---|---|
| Words hard, spiked or alcoholic | It contains alcohol |
| An ABV percentage on the label | It contains alcohol |
| Sold in the soft drink aisle with no ABV | Normally non-alcoholic |
What is root beer made from?
The flavor traditionally came from sassafras and sarsaparilla, with ingredients such as licorice root, mint and nutmeg. Both sassafras and sarsaparilla contain safrole.
Why is sassafras restricted?
US federal regulation 21 CFR 189.180 says foods that have safrole or oil of sassafras added to them are considered adulterated. That includes foods such as sassafras bark that are meant mainly to pass their flavor on, like sassafras tea. So commercial root beer today mostly uses artificial sassafras flavor, though some brands use a safrole-free sassafras extract.
Is it safe for kids?
Regular root beer is a sweetened soft drink and sugar and caffeine content vary by brand, so check the label.
Homemade root beer
Old recipes used yeast fermentation, which can produce some alcohol. If you ferment at home, bottles can build pressure and burst, so follow a tested recipe and keep it away from children.
General information, not medical advice.
People also ask
Does root beer contain alcohol?
Standard store-bought root beer does not. Hard root beer does and is labeled with an ABV.
Was root beer once alcoholic?
Traditional root beer usually was, because it was fermented.
Why does root beer not use real sassafras?
US regulation prohibits adding safrole or sassafras oil to food, so most brands use other flavors.
Sources
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