quote: Originally posted by Wrikolakas Forgive me for not being very wise, but what is the thing that "root beer"? [8)]

Root Beer is a sweet carbonated beverage flavored with sassafras. See also, http://www.stoutbillys.com/stout/infonsf/Library/0FF30A5F.htm

quote: Originally posted by Flashpro I don't think cider should be on the site either. I'm not sure why we kept it when we went over the styles last year.

I agree that there are no fermented grains in Cider. However the essence of really nice farmhouse cider from France really reminds me of a Farmhouse ale. I see no point in removing ciders at this point.

quote: Originally posted by E I agree that there are no fermented grains in Cider. However the essence of really nice farmhouse cider from France really reminds me of a Farmhouse ale. I see no point in removing ciders at this point.

I agree. Cider is so closely associated with beer culture that I would be against the removal of it. Many bars and brewpubs have draft cider along with the draft beer. Also many dedicated cider drinkers are occasional beer drinkers and vice versa.

quote: Originally posted by Clash I agree. Cider is so closely associated with beer culture that I would be against the removal of it. Many bars and brewpubs have draft cider along with the draft beer. Also many dedicated cider drinkers are occasional beer drinkers and vice versa.

But many dedicated wine drinkers are beer or whiskey drinkers too [:p] Some other alcoholic drinks, like port taste similar to beers too. The only thing I think cider has in common with beer is that they're both sold in the same type of bottles!

quote: Originally posted by FoamDome <blockquote id="quote"><table width=90% cellpadding=10><tr><td bgcolor=FFFFCC><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote: Originally posted by Demaske I too would like to see Root beer added .After all It is brewed. </font></td></tr></table></blockquote> Tea is also brewed, so brewing alone does not make a beverage beer. It seems that the whole fermentation process is kinda key. Heck, even low alcohol and alcohol-free beers are still malt-based, fermented with yeast, and flavored with hops. "It depends on what the definition of 'is' is." --William "Bill" Jefferson Clinton PS--Shenandoah Brewing Co of Alex, VA makes great Root Beer--I get it for my kids, but I like it, too. But, it's not beer.

LOL, you crack me up... One more thing -- my rootbeer uses yeast...sake doesn't use hops (right?), and cider, sake, and mead are all similar to beer in their brewing processes. I'm not all about adding rootbeer to the site; however, it seems that the other beverages I just listed have just as much in common with beer as rootbeer.

Yeah, sake doesn't use hops. But neither do the others, so it's still a step closer since it uses grains. My local homebrew shop has more on making homemade wine than cider. I guess they're related [:p] I forgot that homebrewed root beer does use yeast! I had to buy a kit for someone, once. Apparently, it's some kind of champagne yeast that produces a very small amount of alcohol.

quote: Originally posted by Flashpro I forgot that homebrewed root beer does use yeast! I had to buy a kit for someone, once. Apparently, it's some kind of champagne yeast that produces a very small amount of alcohol.

It's not that it produces a small amount of alcohol, if you allowed it, you could have a 5% root beer. Basically, you use the yeast to carbonate the beer, then once it's carbonated you kill the yeast, or stop their progress by refridgerating it. Thus, you get a small amount of alcohol, comparable to the amount that's in orange juice. The most accepted definition of beer is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented sugars extracted from grain. With this definition, sake is considered beer, despite not having hops. Hops are actually relatively new to beer, predated by spices instead (gruits for instance). Ciders are not beer by definition, but they are often closely associated with the beer world. Most homebrew competitions include a cider category. A lot of cider drinkers drink beer, and vise versa, so I like including them within this site. Same goes for meads, not technically beer (except for braggot style meads, which use honey and grains), but are closely associated with the beer world. Personally, I think having them on the site is a bonus, but I wouldn't lose any sleep if we deleted them from the database. It might get hairy though, with beers like Magic Hat Braggot, or Brother Adam's Bragget. MH's version even uses Warrior hops, not sure about Brother Adam's.

Gruit is another one with no hops.

quote: Originally posted by Cottrell Thus, you get a small amount of alcohol, comparable to the amount that's in orange juice. The most accepted definition of beer is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented sugars extracted from grain.

Yup, good old orange juice. Looks like you read the same source I did! A while back I posted a half dozen definitions of beer: an alcoholic drink made from yeast-fermented malt flavoured with hops. -Oxford English Dictionary A fermented alcoholic beverage brewed from malt and flavored with hops. -American Heritage Dictionary a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops -WordNet 2.0, Princeton University an alcoholic beverage usually made from malted cereal grain (as barley), flavored with hops, and brewed by slow fermentation -Merriam-Webster Oddly enough, they all mention hops. I don't care too much, but it seems to me that Beer is beer, sake is sake, cider is cider, and wine is wine. We can relate them until bright tanks fly.

good stuff everyone. we'll put root beer under 'honorable mention'.....along with ginger ale......the only two sodas i like.