1 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor production of iHeart Radio. I'm 2 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: Annie Reese and I'm Lauren Bogelbaum, and today we're talking 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: about root beer, another thing I am very unfamiliar with. 4 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: We are on a roll. We apparently are okay. Well, 5 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: so so you have you have Annie as specific story 6 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: about why you're unfamiliar with root beer. And by unfamiliar, 7 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: you mean right before we started recording, you were like, wait, 8 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: is this dr pepper? Yes, so I clearly don't know 9 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: what it is, and I'm almost certain I have never 10 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: had it. Gosh yeah. So I used to think growing 11 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: up that it was actually beer. Oh yeah, And so 12 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: I did not drink it, which is funny to me 13 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: now because one of my best friends loved root beer 14 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: and root beer floats, and every time she told me 15 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: about it, I was like frubble maker, scandalized. I love this. 16 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: I was, in fact, and I know I've told my 17 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,199 Speaker 1: fresco story where I drink of a bunch of fresca 18 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: thinking it was beer. But I guess if root beer 19 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: had been there, maybe I would have gone that way. 20 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: My my life could have gone very differently. We don't know, um, 21 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: But then I think it was two thousand and five, 22 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: I was in high school. Somebody dared me to give 23 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: up soda an idea out of spite. And then by 24 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 1: the time I realized there was no alcohol usually in 25 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:39,320 Speaker 1: root beer, I'd given up sodas. Yeah, yeah, I was 26 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,759 Speaker 1: already over. Y uh goodness, that is this is such 27 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: a strange like, like this universe of no root beer 28 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: that you live in is such a strange alternate universe 29 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: to me or to mine, because like I grew up 30 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: drinking root beer like regularly, Like we made it in 31 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: class in the first grade. Oh, that sounds like a 32 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: cool project. It was a very cool project. I did 33 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: not like the resulting root beer. I remember thinking that 34 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: it was too earthy and bitter, which means that I 35 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: would probably love it today. Um. But yeah, like on 36 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: when my dad and I would take road trips, UM 37 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 1: would make a special stop and an aw drive in 38 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: and I would get a root beer float. Um. My 39 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: dad was so excited when IBC became widely distributed, which 40 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 1: is a brand that sells root beer in cream, soda 41 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: and stuff. I yeah, like, oh, yeah, I do love this. 42 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:45,079 Speaker 1: We have very differing experiences on this particular. Yeah, I do, 43 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: and I do think, um, this might be like a 44 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: northern versus Southern thing, because yeah, like like that that 45 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: that anw pit stop would be in like Ohio or Pennsylvania. 46 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:02,080 Speaker 1: So right, and it is interesting and something we're gonna 47 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: touch on in this episode, that whole beer part of 48 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: this name and how that's been used and viewed over history, 49 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:16,959 Speaker 1: because I definitely thought it was a beer. I didn't 50 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: I like, on the contrary, I didn't associate the word 51 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: beer with the alcoholic beverage, Like like I knew what 52 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: root beer was long before I knew what beer was, 53 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: and so like it was like years and years later 54 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: that I was like, oh man, these two different beverages 55 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: share a word in common. I wonder why that is. 56 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: And you never thought, oh, it's root beer beer. It 57 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: was just, oh, they're very separate. They're very separate things. Yeah, okay, okay, 58 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: al right. Well you can see our soda episode um 59 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: for more detail, especially on like soda fountains and stuff, 60 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: which does play into this story. But in the meantime, 61 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: let us get to our question root beer. What is it? Well, 62 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: root beer is a type of drink that, while originally 63 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: made of roots and beer, today may not contain either 64 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: necessarily very clear clear as root beer. Um. It is 65 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: most often a carbonated uh no or low alcohol soft 66 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: drink with a with complex sweet and bitter and earthy flavors, 67 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: with both like warming and cooling herbs and spices, usually 68 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: a hint of creaminess in there. There's no like single recipe, 69 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: but common ingredients may include a sassafras root, bark, sasaprilla, vanilla, 70 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: spearmint and or winter green, a nisse and or licorice, root, 71 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: molasses and or honey, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, juniper, coriander, 72 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: birch bark, cherry tree, bark, hops, burdock root, dandelion root. 73 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,599 Speaker 1: It can contain a lot of different things. I have 74 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 1: no idea what this good taste like, but it helps 75 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: me none other than it sounds like spicy kind of yeah, yeah, 76 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: the the I guess the base notes of it are 77 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: that it's um, it's sweet and a little bit like 78 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 1: there's like a little bit of like a minty, cooling 79 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: flavor and a little bit of like a spicy flavor, 80 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: and then kind of like a like a little bit 81 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: of like bitterness to round it out. Mm hmm. Would 82 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 1: it be interesting, you know, we should bring back We 83 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:39,840 Speaker 1: did like one taste test on here one time and 84 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:44,119 Speaker 1: it was licorice. What if this is something I try 85 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: and it's a sixth thing. I don't like to change 86 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: my whole world expanding your list to six. I know, 87 00:05:57,279 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: see grape fruit was on there, but great fruit has 88 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: been removed, so there's a spot, there's a vacuum there. 89 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:07,919 Speaker 1: I'm glad that you decided that you like grapefruit. Grapefruit 90 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: is delightful. Oh I love grapefruit now. But as a kid, 91 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: oh no, oh goodness. Um okay, so I guess. Traditionally speaking, 92 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: the two ingredients that contribute the most to the profile 93 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: of root beer are two that we might not be 94 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: very familiar with um in modern times. UM and that 95 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: being sassafras, which is a type of type of plant, 96 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: woody sort of plant. It's a it's what file is 97 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: made of, which goes into gumbo and stuff like that. 98 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 1: And uh yeah in in in this case, you're going 99 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: to be taking the bark of the root and so 100 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: you get this kind of like this like spicy, minty, 101 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 1: earthy sort of flavor out of it. UM and uh 102 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:59,520 Speaker 1: sasparilla I think is more on the bitter herbal side. 103 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: It's a it's a vine um, and you might also 104 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: be using the skin or the or the bark of 105 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: the root on that one. I'm I'm not entirely sure, y'all. 106 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: Uh at this point. At this point, most root beer 107 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: recipes are like by root Beer extract from McCormick and 108 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: then and so you know, uh, but at any rate, um, 109 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: some places do market the same drink alternately as either 110 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: root beer or sasaparilla um. And I think sasaparilla is 111 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 1: what it's called frequently in countries outside of North America, 112 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: because yeah, this is like the first North American product 113 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: that I've seen like widely described as gross by the 114 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: international community. Really yeah, yeah. And the line of thinking 115 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 1: seems to be that that it reminds people of mouthwash 116 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 1: or like a one of those topical icy hot type rubs, 117 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:07,000 Speaker 1: possibly because of the inclusion of ingredients like um, like 118 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: like winter green um that can contain um these mentally 119 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: sort of compounds like like methyl salice cyclate. So yeah, 120 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: reminds people of mount flash. Okay, that doesn't sound good. 121 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 1: I'm trying to keep an open mind. Oh gosh, um. 122 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 1: And although in many forms today it is uh, it 123 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: is nonalcoholic, you can make it alcoholic. It is traditionally 124 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 1: brewed like a beer, using friendly yeast to eat, sugars 125 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:43,679 Speaker 1: and poop alcohol and carbon dioxide and flavor um. The 126 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: amount of alcohol in the final product was traditionally quite low, 127 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,319 Speaker 1: like under three often under one percent, but it can 128 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: be produced so that it's higher. You can also make 129 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 1: root beer the non traditional way by um, by making 130 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:00,199 Speaker 1: or buying a flavored concentrate and then adding carbon did 131 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,440 Speaker 1: water or you know, adding still water and carbonating it 132 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: by forcing carbon dioxide into the next year in one 133 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: way or another. And yes, you can totally make it 134 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: at home. It sounds like you should. It sounds like 135 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 1: you should redo your first grade experiment. You know. I'm 136 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: I'm really curious to to you know, sort of like 137 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: sort of like a Morrow's there there you go. It's 138 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: sort of like the flavor profile of an Amorrow. Okay, 139 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:31,080 Speaker 1: well I like Tomorrow. Yeah. This is so strange. I'm 140 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: so torn, and i feel like I'm being fulled in 141 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: different ways. I'm being fulled apart oh um yeah yeah, 142 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: well so yeah, I'm I'm like curious to like, try 143 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,720 Speaker 1: to try to get all of these roots and herbs 144 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: and spices and sort of see what proportions of what 145 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: would make up a root beer flavor, because I've got 146 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 1: a very specific idea of what I wanted to be. 147 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: I like this. I think you should do it. I 148 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: think that there's kind of the way you're describing it. 149 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 1: I'm imagining it as very witchy, and I like that, 150 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: but also experimental. Yeah. Yeah, I do have a friend 151 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 1: who calls me the science, which so yes, that's perfect, 152 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: all right, and keep I want notes okay, okay, yeah 153 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: those posted in the meantime. What about the nutrition? It depends? Uh, 154 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: you know, it does tend to be a sugary drink 155 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:33,440 Speaker 1: um and sugar should generally be treated as a treat. 156 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:37,079 Speaker 1: And treats are nice, you know, enjoy them. Read read 157 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,280 Speaker 1: your labels, though, you know, I I the empty calories 158 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:43,679 Speaker 1: of soda can be quite caloric, so just you know, 159 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: be aware, be aware. A research has shown though, that 160 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:53,680 Speaker 1: of common SODA's rootier tends to be less acidic and 161 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: therefore might be easier on your teeth than other sodas. Okay, yeah, 162 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,840 Speaker 1: and some of them do come caffeinated, so if you 163 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:06,079 Speaker 1: are caffeine sensitive, watch out for that. And yes, there 164 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,439 Speaker 1: are some brands that are brewed to be alcoholic, um 165 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 1: though they are annie distinctly labeled and sold in the 166 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 1: beer section, not like two children. Nonetheless, drink responsibly like 167 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: root beer parentheses actual beer. It says like alcoholic and 168 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: we'll have like a percentage on the label like any 169 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 1: other I'm still suspicious. Um. Okay, so we do have 170 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:44,439 Speaker 1: numbers for you. H A and W is the top 171 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,320 Speaker 1: selling root beer in the world, and there are over 172 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,520 Speaker 1: one thousand A and W restaurants around the world. And 173 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 1: I actually saw some estimates that were higher, So a lot, 174 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: a lot um the alcoholic brand not your father's root beer, 175 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: was technically the most popular craft beer of with one 176 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: point nine five million cases sold. Well that that shocks me, 177 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: but legitimately shocking too, Like I knew it was a thing, 178 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 1: but I didn't know it was that big of a thing. Yeah, 179 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 1: more and more on that later though. Um. As of one, 180 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: root beer is the most popular flavor of soda in Kentucky, Maine, 181 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: North Carolina, and South Dakota, according to eat This. Not 182 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:34,960 Speaker 1: that that's an interesting assortment of states, right right, Yeah, 183 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:39,120 Speaker 1: It's apparently a popular homebrew among Amish and other plane 184 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:43,680 Speaker 1: sect communities. UM in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Roadside stands sell 185 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: thousands of bottles a year, two tourists coming through and 186 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: there is uh the root Beer Store in Washington State 187 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: that offers over one hundred root beers. And I really 188 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: enjoyed going through their site because they had this whole 189 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 1: section like, but what if I don't like root beer? 190 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: Other like, I get it. You have to have other 191 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:04,800 Speaker 1: things for people who don't. But it was just funny 192 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:06,960 Speaker 1: to meet it the root beer stores, like, but we 193 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 1: have other things. But there's cream soda, but a hundred 194 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:17,719 Speaker 1: root beers. It's clearly a fan base. People like it. Yeah, 195 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:21,200 Speaker 1: and there's an interesting history of how it came to 196 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 1: be and there is and we are going to get 197 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: into that as soon as we get back from a 198 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: quick break for a word from our sponsor, and we're back. 199 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 1: Thank you sponsored, Yes, thank you. So. Indigenous North American 200 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: tribes made beverages, often medicinal nature that involved sassa fast 201 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 1: roots that served as the base of what would become 202 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 1: root beer. When European colonists arrived to North America, they 203 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:57,559 Speaker 1: adapted these recipes and started making so called small beers, 204 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:02,359 Speaker 1: using whatever was regionally available, including herbs and roots for bitterness. 205 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:05,080 Speaker 1: While some of these beers were alcoholic, not all of 206 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: them were, or at least not not very. The idea 207 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,839 Speaker 1: of small beers is that the amount of booze in 208 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,840 Speaker 1: them is small. U. These days it's regulated as something 209 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:18,559 Speaker 1: like more than zero but under three percent. I think 210 00:14:18,559 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: it's usually like, uh, one half of one percent to 211 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:25,640 Speaker 1: two point eight percent is what you would consider a 212 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:29,160 Speaker 1: small beer. But um, but one, folks say that in 213 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 1: ye old times people drank more beer than water. This 214 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 1: is the sort of beer they're usually talking about. And 215 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: it's beneficial as opposed to water because like well a, 216 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: it's flavored and mildly carbonated, which is fun. But also 217 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: you know you've boiled the water that you used in 218 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 1: making it, which can kill off some germs. Um, the 219 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: even low alcohol content can be anti microbial, and those 220 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: flavoring herbs that you added can be anti microbial. So 221 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 1: good times all around, right, um? Common small beers and 222 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: who did ginger beer, sasparilla birch beer, and root beer. 223 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson all drank root beer, 224 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 1: and from what I gathered, they all had their like 225 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 1: specific recipes or a least George Washington, Thomas Jefferson did. 226 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: I don't know about Benjamin Franklin, but it seems like 227 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 1: a thing. By eight forty two, a few varieties of 228 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: root beer were being advertised in the Philadelphia area, many 229 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 1: as a health drink. These ads claimed it could act 230 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: as a blood pure fire, cure for summer complaint, and 231 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 1: a cure for cholera, as well as just generally boosting 232 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 1: your health. A Philadelphia based pharmacist by the name Charles 233 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: Elmer Hires frequently is credited with popularizing modern root beer. 234 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: Hires was born in fifty one, and the story goes 235 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 1: that while he was honey mooning in New Jersey, though 236 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,760 Speaker 1: there's little to back up that detail. It's frequently included, 237 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: but little to back it up, he came up with 238 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 1: a recipe for a type of herbal t called to 239 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: sane um, which was he wanted it to be an 240 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 1: alternative to alcohol, and the primary ingredient to this recipe 241 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: was sassafras. It was so good that he decided to 242 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: package it and sell it as a dry mix. Ats 243 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 1: these packets, he yielded five gallons of finished product, but 244 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: um for the carbonation process to take place. The dry 245 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: mix had to be combined with water, east and sugar 246 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 1: and then given time to permit for it was ready 247 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: to drink. So a friend of his named Russell Conwell 248 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: suggested that Hires work on a liquid formula for this product, 249 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: something more convenient, and Conwell would later go on to 250 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:46,600 Speaker 1: found a Temple University. By the way, Yeah, Hires got 251 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: to work developing a carbonated beverage. The end result utilized 252 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: twenty five roots, herbs, and berries, or sixteen depending on 253 00:16:55,280 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: the source. Uh. He debuted his creation called Hires root Beer. 254 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:06,680 Speaker 1: They probably didn't put the extras on there, but that's 255 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: how I read it. Um at the eighteen seventy six 256 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 1: Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, and people loved it. They loved it. 257 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: The family started selling bottled root beer in eighteen ninety three. 258 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,480 Speaker 1: By nineteen o four, Hires developed a root beer syrup 259 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 1: for distribution. According to some accounts, um one and fifteen 260 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,360 Speaker 1: thousand bottles of this product were sold in the first year, 261 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: and he called it the Great Health Drink. Some accounts 262 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,920 Speaker 1: claimed that originally Hires was going to name his product 263 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 1: root t but figured he could attract a larger consumer 264 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:50,800 Speaker 1: base with beer. Yes, yes, and depending on the source. Again, 265 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,199 Speaker 1: this was because he was trying to capitalize on the 266 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 1: temperance movement in terms of here's a non boozy alternative 267 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:01,520 Speaker 1: to beer, and or he knew the crowd in Pennsylvania 268 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 1: had a liking for beers, but beer in the name 269 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 1: cept Uh. Not a lot to back either of those up, 270 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: but both very funny. Some people involved in the temperance 271 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: movement attempted to get root beer band in despite the 272 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: fact that yes, it didn't contain alcohol or or had 273 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: these very low levels of it. However, it kind of 274 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: backfired and brought more attention to root beer, got more 275 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:30,240 Speaker 1: people interested in it, and um Hires was a really 276 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:34,120 Speaker 1: great advertiser, one of the first major and mass advertisers 277 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:36,159 Speaker 1: in the beverage business. I think it's been one of 278 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,440 Speaker 1: the most surprising things that this whole history of me 279 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:41,679 Speaker 1: is how influential root beer has been in a lot 280 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: of ways when it comes to advertising and things we 281 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:46,920 Speaker 1: take for granted, which we're going to get into. Yeah. 282 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 1: So he he was one of the first to take 283 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:54,440 Speaker 1: out full page as had these trading cards created. Um, 284 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:57,480 Speaker 1: the logo was featured on all sorts of items and 285 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: Hires himself and his rags to riches story, as he 286 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:07,880 Speaker 1: told it, became a recurring element in these ads. Yeah, 287 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:10,280 Speaker 1: and and going back to that like syrup thing. Apparently 288 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 1: that was another part of his whole deal was he 289 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,159 Speaker 1: was like going around and making sure people knew at 290 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: these like soda fountains how to make his product, that 291 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 1: they had what they needed so that it could get 292 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:23,919 Speaker 1: more attention and more people would buy it. Okay, so 293 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,240 Speaker 1: I feel like this could be a whole separate episode, 294 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:31,919 Speaker 1: but briefly, Colorado and Frank J. Wissner often gets the 295 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 1: credit for creating the root beer float in however, very 296 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:43,399 Speaker 1: difficult to verify. The story goes he got the inspiration 297 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:47,879 Speaker 1: from the rocky mountains, like snow capped rocky mountains. Okay, yeah, yeah, 298 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,439 Speaker 1: I you know, with a lot of these uh soda 299 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 1: fountain and ice cream related stories, it's easy to imagine 300 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:58,760 Speaker 1: that any number of human people took these two things 301 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:00,679 Speaker 1: that they liked, and we're like, oh, what if I 302 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 1: just booped him right together? What if I just straight 303 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:09,119 Speaker 1: booped him? What if I Strape booped him. Yeah, it's funny. 304 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:13,080 Speaker 1: I totally agree. And it was funny to me that 305 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 1: the article that I got this information from was talking 306 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 1: about how it probably came from Chicago, and I had 307 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: to double like, do your double take because it's from Colorado. 308 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:29,440 Speaker 1: So you're like, well, okay, sure, interesting twist, all right. 309 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,680 Speaker 1: A series of root beer competitors, seeing the success of 310 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 1: hires product, followed soon after debuted in Barks root beer debuted, 311 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:43,920 Speaker 1: the brainchild of Edward Bark. He bottled and sold his 312 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: product in Biloxi for the first time. In this root 313 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 1: beer contained less sugar and more carbonation than comparable products 314 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:58,399 Speaker 1: at the time. Then, in nineteen nineteen, um IBC was 315 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: first created in St. Lewis Um. This was during prohibition 316 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:07,360 Speaker 1: and it was intended as an alternative to booze right uh. 317 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,879 Speaker 1: And then Roy Allen opened a root beer stand in 318 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: California in nineteen nineteen, handing out his first bottles that 319 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:18,880 Speaker 1: year at a parade welcoming back Returning Soldiers. Alan partnered 320 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: with Frank wright In to form A and W root 321 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 1: Beer A for Allen and W for right Okay, Okay, yes, yes. 322 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:33,639 Speaker 1: Alan bought Right out and trademarked the product. Alan started 323 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:37,119 Speaker 1: franchising the following year, creating one of the first restaurant 324 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: chains in the United States. To this day, most A 325 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,000 Speaker 1: and W's make their own root beer on side. Apparently 326 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:44,639 Speaker 1: there was a brief period where they didn't, and then 327 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 1: everybody was like no, yeah, switch back, yeah. Yeah. Also 328 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,680 Speaker 1: in ninety four, Stewart's brand started out as a root 329 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:58,880 Speaker 1: beer stand in Mansfield, Ohio. I love this because there's 330 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: so many of these I've never heard of, because they 331 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 1: have no experiences root beer. And I'm like assuming that 332 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 1: people are listening and like, whoa, yeah that one. Oh yeah, 333 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 1: I guess so Stewart's is a is A is a 334 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:14,280 Speaker 1: large brand up north, so pretty pretty familiar to many 335 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:16,960 Speaker 1: people from that region. I shall take your word for it. 336 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 1: In the late nineteen thirties Chicago, Bernie Burns and Eli 337 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,840 Speaker 1: Clapman arrived at the recipe for Dad's roop Beer and 338 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 1: Clapman's basement it came, and the now ubiquitous six pack packaging, 339 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 1: invented by the Atlanta Paper Company, one of the first 340 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: products sold this way. Yeah. The Belfast Beverage Company sold 341 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:42,880 Speaker 1: what was first called Belfast root Beer in the nineteen forties. 342 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,920 Speaker 1: The name later changed to Mug Old Fashioned root Beer 343 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 1: and then later to Mug root Beer. Um, this is 344 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: the brand that has the the the Bulldog mascot on 345 00:22:55,160 --> 00:23:00,359 Speaker 1: the can. And I ran into the endlessly fascinating fact 346 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 1: during my reading for this episode that the mascot's name 347 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:13,520 Speaker 1: is dog. Straight to the point. It's like, you know, 348 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:15,360 Speaker 1: when do we get you as your three year four 349 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:19,679 Speaker 1: year old to name of pet dog A dog all 350 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 1: either like Stewart something in there. I love it. Um. 351 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:33,040 Speaker 1: Jumping back a bit, and Washington State couple John and 352 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 1: Alice Marriott opened hot Shop, a root beer restaurant purchased 353 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: from A and W that grew popular enough to allow 354 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:41,480 Speaker 1: the Marriotts to pivot into the hotel business. Now I 355 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: just stop myself from going down this rabbit hole because 356 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,400 Speaker 1: it's like, we're not a hotel show, and a lot 357 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,919 Speaker 1: of the like you know, one line explanation was A 358 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:52,560 Speaker 1: and W led to the Marriott and I'm like, I'm 359 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:56,200 Speaker 1: not sure quite how I get that they started there, 360 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: but I don't see the jump a Riot. It sounds 361 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,439 Speaker 1: like they had enough success that it allowed them it 362 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:12,399 Speaker 1: became pretty big. Yeah, I guess, Um, fascinating, fascinating in 363 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 1: a root beer and a hamburger stand named Sonic first 364 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,840 Speaker 1: opened its doors. Now there are three thousand, five hundred 365 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,680 Speaker 1: of them all over the US, all serving root beer, 366 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 1: and from what I understand, a lot of them in Texas. Uh. 367 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 1: I had no idea that Sonic started as a root 368 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: beer stand. Me either, Me either. I have a really 369 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,919 Speaker 1: embarrassing story about Sonic where me and my friend we 370 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,119 Speaker 1: were in high school and we didn't have cars, so 371 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,920 Speaker 1: we we walked through the drive through of the Sonic 372 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:44,679 Speaker 1: and ordered, and then we went and waited in a 373 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: parking spot. And then they were like, you know, just 374 00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: could have just sat at the table and ordered that way, 375 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 1: There was no need. We were very tired. We've been 376 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: at six Flags all day. Oh yeah, yeah, yes, but 377 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,439 Speaker 1: that was the last time I ate it. Savoc. The shame, 378 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: the shame, and stay with you. So as all of 379 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 1: these companies entered the root beer market, because we would 380 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,680 Speaker 1: just gone through a lot of them, along with competing 381 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:25,560 Speaker 1: products like sodas and sweets, root beer purveyors did struggle. 382 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 1: Non alcoholic root beers did benefit from prohibition and the 383 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:34,400 Speaker 1: temperance movement, but so did those sodas um and uh 384 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 1: some did market some of these root beers were marketed 385 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:42,800 Speaker 1: as medicinal. The f d A through wrench in that 386 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: for a lot of companies in nineteen sixty when it 387 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:50,320 Speaker 1: labeled sassafast roots slash oil as a carcinogenic and banned 388 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 1: it from mass produced food and drug products because it 389 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,000 Speaker 1: was a primary ingredient and many root beers. The root 390 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:01,680 Speaker 1: beer industry took a hit. UM brewers reformulated their their 391 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 1: formulas with artificial flavoring in a lot of cases, or 392 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 1: other flavorings in the band sasa fast oil was lifted. Yeah, 393 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,080 Speaker 1: it was, so what was going on here was that um. 394 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: Some research found that this primary compound in sassafrass, called 395 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:23,360 Speaker 1: saffrole was indeed carcinogenic in rats when given to those 396 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:26,919 Speaker 1: rats in large doses. And this compound is also found 397 00:26:27,119 --> 00:26:31,440 Speaker 1: um in stuff like nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, and sweet basil, 398 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: but it appears in much higher concentrations in sassafras oil. UM. 399 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:38,919 Speaker 1: Some some root beer manufacturers worked out a way to 400 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 1: remove the saff role from sassafras oil so that they 401 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,679 Speaker 1: could keep using it. But you know, it is one 402 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: of those kind of key flavor compounds in there. So um, 403 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:51,320 Speaker 1: but I don't know from from what I've read, it's 404 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 1: basically like, well, don't drink over thirty five units of 405 00:26:55,800 --> 00:27:02,960 Speaker 1: root beer that contains saffrol every day because then you'll 406 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:08,359 Speaker 1: probably get cancer. Okay, um, but I'm not sure why 407 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: you would. Yeah, there would be some questions I would have. Yeah. 408 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:18,359 Speaker 1: In in general, this really brings us back around to 409 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: our saver slogan, which is, you know, bodies are complicated. 410 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:27,200 Speaker 1: More research is necessary before ingesting a medicinal dose of anything. 411 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: Consult consult medical professional who is not us. No no, no, no, 412 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:37,159 Speaker 1: no not us. Um yeah, yeah, I I yes, Like 413 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 1: I I think that the research that I've read is like, yes, 414 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:42,679 Speaker 1: in high amounts, saffral is not good for you, but 415 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:47,080 Speaker 1: probably what you're consuming through any product that contains it 416 00:27:47,119 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 1: is not enough to really worry about. So yeah, anyway, anyway, uh. 417 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:56,880 Speaker 1: In twenty and W launched a petition to get Mere 418 00:27:56,920 --> 00:28:00,159 Speaker 1: in Webster to add the ampersand to the Alpha. But 419 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:02,439 Speaker 1: that was another fun rabbit hole that I had to 420 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:04,640 Speaker 1: stop myself because I I was reading out the history 421 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:06,520 Speaker 1: the anfer Sand people are like, yeah, there's a precedent 422 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:09,760 Speaker 1: for this. People were really passionate about it. It's still 423 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,560 Speaker 1: it's still up there. Uh, it's got it's got hundreds 424 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,280 Speaker 1: of thousands of signatures. Wow, that's great. That is a 425 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:18,959 Speaker 1: specific form of nursery that I completely approve of. Jeez, 426 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: I really want that Grammar show one day, one day. Recently, 427 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:29,240 Speaker 1: there has been a resurgence in homebrewing root beer yeah yeah, yeah, 428 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:33,440 Speaker 1: along with the rest of the home brewing buzz. Um. Yeah, 429 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:36,200 Speaker 1: root beer has been included in that, which is super fun. Um. 430 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 1: There has also been, like we were saying, uh in 431 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 1: our number section, this resurgence and hard root beers, um, 432 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 1: root beers with a discernible alcohol content. Um. Around a 433 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: few brands started really hitting the US market to this 434 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 1: impressive success. Um. This one brand, County Island Brewing Company. Um. 435 00:28:57,280 --> 00:29:00,640 Speaker 1: When when it's root beer debut at Whole Foods. Uh, 436 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:03,480 Speaker 1: they were seeing a four growth rate in sales month 437 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 1: over month. Whoa yeah. Yeah. The folks responsible for another 438 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:13,920 Speaker 1: leading branda, the aforementioned not your Father's root Beer. So 439 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:17,280 Speaker 1: they went through seventy eight recipes over two years before 440 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:19,640 Speaker 1: they came up with their brew um and they got 441 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:23,480 Speaker 1: a distribution deal with passt um as in like PBR 442 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:28,800 Speaker 1: and they made seven point two million dollars in sales 443 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 1: during the first half of which yeah like, and then 444 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 1: finished the year at number one the as technically the 445 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: number one craft beer in the country. Um. Though yeah, 446 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 1: there's some argument about whether it should have been considered 447 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 1: craft or beer. Um. Of course there was a whole 448 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:55,160 Speaker 1: lot of like pearl clutching amongst craft beer writers that year. 449 00:29:56,320 --> 00:30:00,280 Speaker 1: I can see. I absolutely believe that they were like, 450 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:03,640 Speaker 1: why is this product, which is essentially smear ingof ice 451 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:08,200 Speaker 1: being called beer, and let alone something that's being distributed 452 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:13,400 Speaker 1: by perhapst being called a craft beer. Um, get off 453 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: my lawn. Uh, get off my beer lawn? Yeah, right, 454 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,760 Speaker 1: right right, which you know, which I which I understand 455 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:24,960 Speaker 1: and and also don't understand. I'm like, all right, you know, 456 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: like like like what people like, what they like? Man, 457 00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:31,880 Speaker 1: But yeah, I feel like this is an opportunity to 458 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 1: this probably has already been done and I just don't 459 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 1: know about it, but to remake sideways but with beer, 460 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:44,200 Speaker 1: you know, oh twenty Yeah, let's get someone, get Paul 461 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:47,600 Speaker 1: g Amati on the line. Where's Paul. Somebody's got his number. 462 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:52,120 Speaker 1: I believe I'm surprised that we don't already I know, 463 00:30:53,680 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 1: call us, yes, iron clad, guaranteed to succeed, just like uh, 464 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: this root beer, I guess you not your father's. Yeah, yeah, 465 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:11,600 Speaker 1: I think I think it was. I think it was 466 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:14,840 Speaker 1: a spike in popularity that has since calmed down a 467 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: little bit. But um but yeah, no, you can. You 468 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: can still find such products out there. Um yeah, I 469 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 1: happened to go grocery shopping this morning, and um, yeah, 470 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 1: I I bought. I bought a bottle of Jones soda 471 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 1: company root Beer. Not a sponsor, just a company that 472 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:36,040 Speaker 1: I generally enjoy. I don't think I've tried the root before, 473 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:38,720 Speaker 1: and I have not opened it yet. I'm looking forward 474 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 1: to that later. The craving is real. The craving is real, 475 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:44,600 Speaker 1: and we have to I want to. I want to 476 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:49,160 Speaker 1: get Like I wish that there wasn't COVID for many reasons, 477 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 1: but I but I want to get like seven different 478 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 1: kinds and like do like a taste test and you know, 479 00:31:55,440 --> 00:32:00,240 Speaker 1: kind of go through the the the damn it friend 480 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 1: root beer flavors, the root Beer Gamut. I'll get out 481 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 1: my fanos glove, which, by the way, I've used enough 482 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:10,160 Speaker 1: that I had to replace the batteries. That's great, of 483 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:13,560 Speaker 1: course you have. It's like, wait, this can't be possible. 484 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I guess so, like that's totally possible. I 485 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 1: don't know if that makes perfect sense that. No, I 486 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: definitely want to know what you think, and I'm wary, 487 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:28,040 Speaker 1: but I want to try some I am wary. I 488 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:30,680 Speaker 1: think that's fair. I think I think given that you 489 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,280 Speaker 1: don't drink soda, that's true. I have to make an 490 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:37,800 Speaker 1: exception to my rule. Work usually is an exception, and 491 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:42,080 Speaker 1: that you have a grudge against one particular soda. I 492 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:48,120 Speaker 1: just thinking about it, my blood is boiling. Yes, I 493 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 1: would crush that with my fan. That is a story 494 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:59,640 Speaker 1: for a different day. Well, and also international listeners, I'm 495 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:02,520 Speaker 1: really really curious if this is true or described of 496 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:08,560 Speaker 1: like kind of this despising of root beer outside of 497 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: the United States. So let us know. Yeah, definitely yes, 498 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:16,719 Speaker 1: But speaking of we do have some listener mail for you. 499 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:19,520 Speaker 1: We do. But first we've got one more quick break 500 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:30,680 Speaker 1: for a word from our sponsor. And we're back. Thank 501 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:38,800 Speaker 1: you sponsored, Yes, thank you, And we're back with that's 502 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:43,200 Speaker 1: what I missed the most about. So it's that first. Yeah, 503 00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 1: the good, the good bright carbonation and like yeah, and 504 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:52,320 Speaker 1: it kind of stung almost yeah, yeah, kind of like hot, 505 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:56,640 Speaker 1: like like like like ginger spice kind of kick to it. Yeah, 506 00:33:55,880 --> 00:34:03,880 Speaker 1: m M. I have dreams about it sometimes. Uh. Red wrote, 507 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:07,040 Speaker 1: your classic episode on toasting was wonderful, but you made 508 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:11,920 Speaker 1: a crucial historical error. The raucous winter tradition of was sailing. 509 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 1: Sailing with sailing with sailing involves going around to your 510 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:20,120 Speaker 1: neighbor's houses where they will give you drink and not 511 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,680 Speaker 1: the other way around. It has ties back to feudalists 512 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:27,800 Speaker 1: of Britain, where in the wintertime, wealthy landowners would reward 513 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:31,239 Speaker 1: their workers with some big holiday parties. In a weird way, 514 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:35,399 Speaker 1: this reinforced the social hierarchy. For this one special time 515 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:38,400 Speaker 1: of year, the lower classes were treated like esteemed guest 516 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 1: and the wealthy would serve them. For a change. Over 517 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 1: the hundreds of years was sailing, it turned into bands 518 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:49,759 Speaker 1: of roving partiers going to the rich neighborhoods and demanding 519 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:53,960 Speaker 1: that they honor this old tradition. Imagine a bar crawl, 520 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:59,400 Speaker 1: but the bars are your neighbor's houses. Surprise. In colonial Boston, 521 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:03,799 Speaker 1: a group calling themselves the antics calls complaints such as 522 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 1: breaking furniture and making lude comments about the lady of 523 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:12,200 Speaker 1: the house. Goodness. I know. In the nineteenth century, Victorians 524 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:15,759 Speaker 1: sought to make Christmas more family friendly in general, and 525 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 1: they turned with sailing into caroling. They replaced the booze 526 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:22,080 Speaker 1: with coffee and hot coco, and instead of running right 527 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:25,399 Speaker 1: into your house, they would politely stay at your front door. 528 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 1: But that is why to this day, if carolers do 529 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:31,520 Speaker 1: come to your door, you still feel compelled to give 530 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,440 Speaker 1: them some Christmas cookies. It's a hold over from the 531 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:37,000 Speaker 1: days of the Lord of the manner, providing them a feast. 532 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:40,480 Speaker 1: I am lucky enough to be connected into the folk world, 533 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:44,080 Speaker 1: and we actually keep the spirit of sailing alive and well, 534 00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:48,160 Speaker 1: with some modifications for modern society. Of course, every year 535 00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:50,439 Speaker 1: my friends hold a huge party at their house where 536 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:53,440 Speaker 1: we feast and make merry. We sing the old sailing 537 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:56,320 Speaker 1: songs of which there are many, and we make a 538 00:35:56,400 --> 00:36:00,520 Speaker 1: proper with sale flames and all that. You're sal way 539 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:03,080 Speaker 1: to get the sweetener into your sale is to pile 540 00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:05,560 Speaker 1: sugar cubes on a rack over a big old bowl 541 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:09,279 Speaker 1: of red wine. Then take a warm, cordial mixture of 542 00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:12,240 Speaker 1: dark spirits and winter spices and pour it over the sugar, 543 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:16,920 Speaker 1: dassing it. Then grab a match, light the surface of 544 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:20,320 Speaker 1: the punch bowl on fire, and slowly and carefully laidle 545 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:23,680 Speaker 1: the punch over the flaming pile of caramelizing sugar. We 546 00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:25,920 Speaker 1: make a big batch, so it takes quite a while 547 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:27,800 Speaker 1: for all the sugar to melt away and the flames 548 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:31,400 Speaker 1: to die down, usually about four songs. I've included some 549 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:34,839 Speaker 1: photos to try to give you a feel for the experience. Unfortunately, 550 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:37,400 Speaker 1: COVID has ruined all in person folk singing, so we 551 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:40,200 Speaker 1: had to throw a virtual substitute this past Christmas, and 552 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:42,319 Speaker 1: hopeful that next year we will be able to once 553 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:45,040 Speaker 1: more gather around the flaming was sab bowl and raise 554 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:49,520 Speaker 1: therafters with our songs. All that's so amazing. I hope 555 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:52,800 Speaker 1: so too. Yeah, I would love to attend this. I 556 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 1: should not be in charge of flame ever, but I 557 00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:06,120 Speaker 1: can watch from afar. Yeah, sing terribly enthusiastically enthusiastically. Yes, 558 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,000 Speaker 1: that's the more important part. Yeah. No, I like this 559 00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:15,239 Speaker 1: idea of um fire booze at old timey karaoke. This 560 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:19,720 Speaker 1: sounds yes, that sounds perfect. Yes, And I do love 561 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:23,960 Speaker 1: I love how there's so many traditions and in this 562 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:27,200 Speaker 1: context around food and drink where we just take for 563 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:30,560 Speaker 1: granted like it's this holdover from some ancient like the 564 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:34,320 Speaker 1: feudalist Britain, and it's what it has it evolved into 565 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:37,759 Speaker 1: over time and just the history of that, And it 566 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:39,680 Speaker 1: kind of reminds me of Halloween, where you would pick 567 00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:43,480 Speaker 1: out the best houses of the best camp, even if 568 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:47,279 Speaker 1: it wasn't your neighborhood, that's where you'd go, especially if 569 00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:51,640 Speaker 1: it wasn't your neighborhood. Yeah, that's what it reminds me of. 570 00:37:51,719 --> 00:37:54,880 Speaker 1: But this sounds like a great time. Yeah, oh gosh, 571 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:59,640 Speaker 1: Todd wrote, I have a long relationship with dandelion. My 572 00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:01,920 Speaker 1: degree is in botany and I've always been interested in 573 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:05,800 Speaker 1: wild plants enterbology. The first scientific name of a plant 574 00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:10,680 Speaker 1: I memorized was okay uh composite terra zacum, a fish 575 00:38:10,719 --> 00:38:14,800 Speaker 1: and aale. In the sixth grade uh uh. In Boy Scouts, 576 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:17,840 Speaker 1: I learned to cook and eat dandelion. In the late eighties. 577 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:19,680 Speaker 1: I worked in the North of England and would often 578 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:23,000 Speaker 1: shop Sainsbury's, buy a two lead bottle for nine pence 579 00:38:23,280 --> 00:38:26,239 Speaker 1: and enjoy a chilled glass of dandelion and burdock soft 580 00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:29,040 Speaker 1: drink on a hot summer day. I love pentamins, but 581 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:31,520 Speaker 1: at nearly three dollars of bottle, I really miss the 582 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:33,840 Speaker 1: good old days of being in England. If you go 583 00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:36,239 Speaker 1: foraging around your neighborhood with the idea of gathering and 584 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:38,799 Speaker 1: eating some fresh dandelion greens, you really need to be 585 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:41,640 Speaker 1: aware of where they're growing. Since they are a most 586 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:44,239 Speaker 1: hated plant, they often get sprayed with one kind of 587 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:48,520 Speaker 1: an herbicide or another. They're also bioaccumulators. They might contain 588 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:51,279 Speaker 1: herbicides from the current season for spraying, or they may 589 00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:54,840 Speaker 1: also contain toxins from chemical residues contained in the soil. 590 00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:58,120 Speaker 1: That is one reason they're so expensive and fancy eateries. 591 00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:01,160 Speaker 1: Restaurants need to buy certified or game product or from 592 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:04,200 Speaker 1: a forager that collects from relatively safe areas that don't 593 00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 1: get sprayed. A little fy i thing to share with 594 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:10,920 Speaker 1: you about how dandelion seeds spread and implant themselves. The 595 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:14,080 Speaker 1: dispersal by wind is obvious, but the really cool thing 596 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:18,160 Speaker 1: is that they are programmed for finding optimum environmental conditions 597 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:21,120 Speaker 1: to grow. You can see in the diagram that was 598 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:24,719 Speaker 1: attached that the that the seed is pointed and barbed, 599 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:28,360 Speaker 1: as the Papa's disc carries the dandelion seed hither and 600 00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:31,560 Speaker 1: yonn When it senses an area of high humidity at 601 00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:35,239 Speaker 1: the correct temperature, the Papa's disc actually folds up like 602 00:39:35,280 --> 00:39:38,120 Speaker 1: an inverted umbrella, so the whole thing is kind of 603 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:41,439 Speaker 1: arrow shaped. The dandelion seed plummets to the ground and 604 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:45,319 Speaker 1: hopefully embeds itself with its pointy barbed seed into the 605 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:49,520 Speaker 1: soil that provides the correct environment for germination. The barbs 606 00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:51,719 Speaker 1: help the seeds stay in place until it con germinate, 607 00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:55,600 Speaker 1: root and grow in its new home. That's so cool. 608 00:39:55,719 --> 00:40:00,319 Speaker 1: That is so cool. I was just U, I was 609 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:04,040 Speaker 1: just house sitting for somebody, and unlike me, she actually 610 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:06,319 Speaker 1: has a yard and a bunch of dandelions in it. 611 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:08,440 Speaker 1: And I every time I saw what I'd be like 612 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:17,319 Speaker 1: respect dandelion. I got so much respect for you. Oh yes, yes, 613 00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:22,400 Speaker 1: oh goodness, that is delightful. Thank you always sending botany notes. 614 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:26,960 Speaker 1: Oh please, yes, um. Thanks to both of those listeners 615 00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:28,560 Speaker 1: for writing in. If you would like to write to us, 616 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:31,160 Speaker 1: you can our emails Hello at savor pot dot com. 617 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:33,319 Speaker 1: We are also on social media. You can find us 618 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:36,680 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at saver pod and we 619 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,360 Speaker 1: do hope to hear from you. Savor is a production 620 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:41,920 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 621 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:44,640 Speaker 1: you can visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 622 00:40:44,719 --> 00:40:47,480 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thanks as 623 00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:51,000 Speaker 1: always to our superproducers Dylan Fagan and Andrew Howard. Thanks 624 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:52,640 Speaker 1: to you for listening, and we hope that lots more 625 00:40:52,680 --> 00:41:00,319 Speaker 1: good things are coming your waywo