Sarsaparilla

[the_city_of_homebrew]

Hi all

Anyone ever made sarsaparilla, any decent recipes?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have been here a while and cannot remember this being discussed, looks like you may be the first to make it.

 

[as13]

I love sarsaparilla.

Will be monitoring this thread with interest!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have just looked at a bottle on-line at Tesco.

The problem you will have (and its the same with Ribena) is it has preservative Potassium Sorbate (see ingredients below) which kills the yeast, it will likely finish early and be very sweet.

Potassium Sorbate AKA the "wine stabilizer", dissolves completely in wine to prevent yeast from fermenting. Use in sweet wines, sparkling wines, and some hard ciders prior to bottling to prevent carbonating your wine. It may be added to table wines which exhibit difficulty in maintaining clarity after fining.

Ingredients:

Water, Sugar, Acids (Citric Acid, Acetic Acid), Colour (Sulphite Ammonia Caramel), Flavourings (including Sarsaparilla Extract), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Sweetener (Sodium Saccharin)