Birch beer

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jeanie

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Good evening all. Just curious if anyone has tasted Birch beer. I have some A-treat full bottles and the cap says Birch beer . I'm assuming it tastes like root beer. It's not to common up here in Northern Indiana. Never heard of it! Thanks all!View attachment 232106
Take a walk and find a birch tree, Break off a small branch and suck on the end...Birch taste.
 

Jstorm

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Ginger beer often used as a mixer such as in Moscow Mules. Look at your neighborhood liquor store. Mine has probably ten different ginger beers. (Most in cans) My liquor store also has some pop brands I don’t see anywhere els

Been drinking birch beer for as long as I can remember. Living in Eastern Pennsylvania it was a staple at family reunions and community picnics. Almost always came in kegs and was a product of the local breweries. The best are dark red in color with normal carbonation. Ginger, root, birch and spruce beers are all traditional drinks starting in the early 1700s thru the mid 1800s and were the product of "Small Beer Brewers." Traditionally they were brewed and were slightly alcoholic. Spruce beer was actually one of the manufactured products that was exported to England during the colonial period. See the below link for bottles embossed Birch Beer:

Soda And Beers-Birch Beers

The Decker's from New Jersey are rally nice.
This is the only one I could find. I really like it. They say they make a drink
20211124_172654.jpg
nk called a mule here in Indiana.
Take a walk and find a birch tree, Break off a small branch and suck on the end...Birch taste.
Ok I will try that! Thanks
 

Lbrewer42

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Take a walk and find a birch tree, Break off a small branch and suck on the end...Birch taste.
Um...not quite what you want, and not birch beer flavored per se.

With a twig you will note a slight hint of a wintergreen flavor in your mouth, but since its a twig, you will immediately hate the powerful bitter taste you get!
The bitterness is not in birch beer, but the slight wintergreen is.
Many times when hunting, and to stave of thirst, I used to take a small piece of birch twig and put it on my tongue. I did not suck on the twig b/c of the bitterness. But the twig just being there and giving off a slight essence of wintergreen in my mouth would hold off the thirst.
Same thing with a Hemlock tree. A few needles on your tongue (or put it in like people who use snuff), and don't deliberately suck on it. You don't get thirsty.
 

Old man digger

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Sorry to disagree, but true birch beer is made from birch tree sap/twigs/bark of the birch tree and therefore has a slight wintergreen scent to it (chew on the outer end of a small birch tree twig and you will get the wintergreen flavor - just don't chew too hard as the twig is also bitter). While hunting I would put a small piece of the twig in my mouth and let it sit - wintergreen flavor plus staves off thirst
Sarsaparilla is totally different and from the Sassafras tree root/bark and it's a different flavor (slight hint of an anise, not wintergreen, to the root/bark/leaves - yup - I have chewed on those twigs and leaves as well in the wild to stave off thirst).
I grew up in northwestern PA where even 2 liters of birch beer were sold in any grocery store along with root beer, cola, orange, and all the other flavors put into 2 liter bottles.
The most common brand of birch beer I know of is called Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer. We even used to buy generic birch beer in a 2 liter. But that was a cheap knock off tasting more like glorified and carbonated sugar water with a hint of root beer flavor.
Truth be told the Pennsylvania Dutch brand is good, but not the best just like any other mass produced variety of something.
You have not had really good birch beer until you find a smaller brand's product like Stewart's Birch Beer. I also have had homemade birch beer and actually like Stewart's better b/c its more carbonated. I even prefer good birch beer to good root beer (but love that as well when its good).
The good stuff will make you want more.
Why don't they call it Sap Beer, Twig Beer or Bark beer? I have dug up roots of the Sassafras's tree washed it off chewed it and put it in hot water and boiled it. Then made a tea out of it and it tasted like the soda you can buy from the Amish at the Kutztown fair, just not as sweet or as strong. You are certainly allowed to have your opinion as I am mine. "Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it" hahaha!!!
 

epackage

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Why don't they call it Sap Beer, Twig Beer or Bark beer? I have dug up roots of the Sassafras's tree washed it off chewed it and put it in hot water and boiled it. Then made a tea out of it and it tasted like the soda you can buy from the Amish at the Kutztown fair, just not as sweet or as strong. You are certainly allowed to have your opinion as I am mine. "Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it" hahaha!!!
According to Google sap and twigs was how it was made in the beginning...

# 1a1a1.jpg
 

Lbrewer42

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Why don't they call it Sap Beer, Twig Beer or Bark beer? I have dug up roots of the Sassafras's tree washed it off chewed it and put it in hot water and boiled it. Then made a tea out of it and it tasted like the soda you can buy from the Amish at the Kutztown fair, just not as sweet or as strong. You are certainly allowed to have your opinion as I am mine. "Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it" hahaha!!!

I do not know how old you are, so I am going to put an explanation assuming legitimate inexperience from youth.
According to your question:
"Why don't they call it Sap Beer, Twig Beer or Bark beer?"
If we named things such as you are suggesting, then ginger beer and what we call root beer would both be named "root beer." Two very different drinks would have the same name.

There has to be a way of telling the drinks apart, so the name of the plant they come from is (normally - root beer's history makes it different likely from popularity levels) kept with the drink's name. Want more examples? Chamomile tea is from the chamomile plant (stem and leaf and flower). Peppermint tea is from the peppermint plant (stems and leaf depending on who is making it), etc.

You said:
"You are certainly allowed to have your opinion as I am mine. Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it" hahaha!!!"

Another thing vital to young peoples' understanding is that opinions are fine for everyone to have. But if a person does not base their opinions upon verifiable facts, the opinion they choose to have is wrong. We all have those form time to time until we are willing to research legitimate sources. Facts do not change for our own desires and wishes (despite modern media ranting).

Those who do not take the time to research for themselves normally will not even realize it, but they earn a reputation equal to their lack of understanding.
This is why it is important for young people to be taught critical reasoning skills - something sadly lacking in modern times.

Sorry - after I hit send I saw your name was oldmandigger. But I left the post as it is because the content is still valid and I spent a lot of time trying to word it so (at least I thought) no negative connotations could be read into it. Sorry if I am wrong about that.
 
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Old man digger

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I do not know how old you are, so I am going to put an explanation assuming legitimate inexperience from youth.
According to your question:
"Why don't they call it Sap Beer, Twig Beer or Bark beer?"
If we named things such as you are suggesting, then ginger beer and what we call root beer would both be named "root beer." Two very different drinks would have the same name.

There has to be a way of telling the drinks apart, so the name of the plant they come from is (normally - root beer's history makes it different likely from popularity levels) kept with the drink's name. Want more examples? Chamomile tea is from the chamomile plant (stem and leaf and flower). Peppermint tea is from the peppermint plant (stems and leaf depending on who is making it), etc.

You said:
"You are certainly allowed to have your opinion as I am mine. Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it" hahaha!!!"

Another thing vital to young peoples' understanding is that opinions are fine for everyone to have. But if a person does not base their opinions upon verifiable facts, the opinion they choose to have is wrong. We all have those form time to time until we are willing to research legitimate sources. Facts do not change for our own desires and wishes (despite modern media ranting).

Those who do not take the time to research for themselves normally will not even realize it, but they earn a reputation equal to their lack of understanding.
This is why it is important for young people to be taught critical reasoning skills - something sadly lacking in modern times.

Sorry - after I hit send I saw your name was oldmandigger. But I left the post as it is because the content is still valid and I spent a lot of time trying to word it so (at least I thought) no negative connotations could be read into it. Sorry if I am wrong about that.
This could turn into a real pissing contest!!! I only replied by stating what I have personally experienced. Not verifying facts from some statement made in an article that you may have read. This is something I have done and have firsthand experience doing. I have not chewed on tree twigs nor bark of some of the trees you mentioned for the reasons you stated. All I said was I have dug the roots of the Sassafras tree and washed and chewed on them and made a tea out of the boiled roots. I have gone to the store and purchased the sassafras roots that have been shaved into strips and made the tea that way also.
Why don't you go and find a Sassafras tree, and dig up some of the roots and see what it tastes like. I'd tell you what the leaves look like, but I'm sure you already know what it looks like. And your reference to young people having some sort of skewed ideas based on the media, doesn't fly with me. I am 78 years old and know enough to experience something first hand before I try to defend an opinion. Now "that's my story and I'm sticking to it"
 

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