Real Root Beer (hard/alcoholic version)

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.020 IBU = 25  SRM = 33  ABV = 4.3%

Ingredients

2 lbs. (0.91 kg) mild ale malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) dark crystal malt (120 °L)
0.25 lb. (113 g) black malt
0.25 lb. (113 g) chocolate malt
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) dark dried malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) dark unsulphured molasses
6 oz. (170 g) maltodextrin powder
7 AAU Cluster hop pellets (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 7% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) sassafras bark (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) sarsaparilla bark (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) dried wintergreen leaves (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) shredded licorice root (0 min.)
pinch sweet gale (optional) (0 min.)
pinch star anise (optional) (0 min.)
pinch mace (optional) (0 min.)
pinch coriander (optional) (0 min.)
0.5 cup black cherry juice (optional) (0 min.)
0.5 cup spice tea (pinch wintergreen, sarsaparilla, licorice root) (at bottling) Safale US-05 or Lallemand BRY-97 (West Coast Ale) or Mangrove Jack’s M44 (US West Coast Ale)
7/8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

In 5 qts. (4.7 L) water, mash the crystal, black, chocolate, and mild ale malts at 155 °F (68 °C) for 60 minutes. Wash the grains with 1.5 gals. (7.6 L) at 170 °F (77 °C).  Add 1 gal. (4 L) of water to kettle and bring to a boil. Add dark dried malt extract, maltodextrin, and molasses. Stir well to avoid scorching. Add Cluster hops and boil 60 minutes. At kettle knockout, steep your spice combination (in a mesh bag) for 15 minutes. Chill the wort,  then pour into fermenter and top up to 5.25 gals (20 L). Cool to 75 °F (23 °C) and pitch ale yeast. Ferment 7 to 10 days at about 68 °F (20 °C), rack to secondary, and condition at 60 °F (16 °C) for two weeks. Prime with corn sugar, add strained spice tea (1/2 cup boiling water over spices for at least a half hour), and bottle or keg. Age two to three weeks cool (55 °F/13 °C).

Soft/Non-alcoholic creamy version:: Instead of fermenting the wort, cool to 75 °F (23 °C) and substitute 5 to 7 g dry champagne yeast for the ale yeast, and bottle immediately. Store at 70 °F (21 °C) for two or three days, then refrigerate. Follow these instructions exactly, otherwise you risk exploding bottles. You may also use ale yeast, which is somewhat safer because it will not continue to ferment in cold temperatures. However, the bubbles will not have that fine champagne quality. A safer way to carbonate: Get a CO2 system and either put your root beer in 5-gal. (19 L) soda kegs (force carbonated) or get Carbonater-brand couplings and bottle in 2-liter PET bottles (force carbonated at 25 to 28 psi, chilled and shaken well).