Did you know that root beer is one of the first sodas in the United States? True, in fact it even pre-dated colas. It was during the Colonial times that the very first root beer came out and it was initially called small beers. Made from a combination of herbs, roots and barks the small beer had none or only had a very small amount of alcohol, that’s where it got the name small beer.
The First Commercial Root Beer
Charles Hires, a Philadelphia, PA pharmacist, is credited with making the first root beer to be sold commercially in America. Unfortunately, the way it all came to be is largely lost to history. One of the most popular stories though is that one day, on his honeymoon; Mr. Hires developed a tea using over twenty-five different herbs, berries and roots.
It was also said that the dry form of this new brew became available in his Pharmaceutical Shop when he and his new wife returned to his hometown in Philadelphia. Not long after, he started to work on using flavored carbonated soda water to come up with the liquid version of the tea.
The people that Mr. Hires gave his drink to loved the taste so much that he decided to introduce it commercially at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, where it was very well received. Finally in 1893 the Hires Family sold and distributed the first bottled root beer.
Whats In Root Beer?
There is no hard-fast rule in brewing root beer, in fact most of the modern manufacturers don’t use any of the original roots and herbs used in the 1800s brew. Most of the root beer available these days use artificial flavors instead of natural ingredients, they also substituted molasses, honey or sugar with the cheaper and easier to find syrups. However, some of the basic ingredients like wintergreen, sarsaparilla, pipsissewa, ginger root,dandelion root, allspice, burdock root, spikenard, wild cherry bark, spice wood, and birch bark have been retained to give the root beer its basic flavor. The manufacturer then introduces their own special ingredient to give the root beer the taste that’s specific to their brand.
Today, depending on the Root Beer you choose, you may find that these herbs aren’t used much and that the root beer taste of your beverage comes from artificial flavors and syrups. However, thanks to the micro-brewery movement, small batch Root Beers are coming back into style, and many areas of the country have their own locally made root beers once more. These often do rely on the unique flavors imparted by these herbs and roots and either honey or sugar, as opposed to artificial flavorings and sweeteners.
Root beer has become so popular that you see them almost everywhere being enjoyed by people of all ages. More and more brands of this popular drink are now available in virtually any grocery store. Its quite a pleasant surprise to find out that there has been an revival of this root beer in the past few years. With a few brands enjoying resurgence man is back in demand and trying to find ways to please more and more consumers. In the past, Root Beers were made mostly for local consumption, thus making it a trend that will most likely continue into the future.
With the increasing popularity of R.B. (root beer) it is likely to find its way into many other regions and stale beverages, as the trend continues to grow, experiment and be part of a healthy lifestyle for all who regularly drink one. Also, with the added health benefits drinking a daily drink can provide, it is a trend that could have long term benefits to many people, thus making it all the rave among health conscious, fitness enthusiast and those who simply want to live a healthier lifestyle overall.
While several brands of competitively priced root beers have blown through the roof right now, I believe that in the near future, the market will be more than $10 billion. – This is based upon the assumption that people will continue to be willing to pay more for health products and that artificial flavors and food colors will be mandatory aspect of the product. One of the areas that definitely improved the bottom line with flavored sodas was in the color of the bottle. This deal is a win-win for the manufacturer and the consumer. The consumer gets the all the benefits of the product without any negative feeling about the color of the bottle.
The public taste has been changing in recent years; people are thankfully ready for healthier beverages and if they are marketed correctly then there is a world of difference to be found for the consumer.ech suggip;
