Roll Out The Barrel
Root Beer barrel, that is! One of my favorite childhood memories is buying an ice cold root beer from a concession stand. They pulled it from a large wooden barrel with a tap in the side and it was the best root beer I’ve ever tasted and the perfect way to cool down on a hot day.
Roadside Attractions: Root Beer Barrel
The Root Beer barrel pictured above is in Douglas, Michigan and was built in the 50′s. The Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society is currently in the process of restoring and relocating this landmark. You can read stories about this barrel (and 2 others like it in Olney and Westport Illinois) at the Douglas Root Beer Barrel blog.
What’s In Root Beer?
Well, as much as I liked to pretend Root Beer was real beer when I was little (an excuse to get silly with my friends), there isn’t any alcohol in root beer. So what’s it made of? Don’t even try to guess, because root beer recipes can include some or all of the following ingredients: allspice, birch bark, coriander, juniper, ginger, wintergreen, hops, burdock root, dandelion root, spikenard, pipsissewa, guaiacum chips, sarsaparilla, spicewood, wild cherry bark, yellow dock, prickly ash bark, sassafras root, vanilla beans, hops, dog grass, molasses and licorice (The History of Root Beer by Mary Bellis).
The History Of Root Beer
According to their website, “Hires Root Beer was created by an entrepreneurial pharmacist named Charles E. Hires, who discovered a delicious herbal tea made of roots, berries and herbs while on his honeymoon.” He started selling Hires Root Beer at the “1876 U.S. Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia” (drpeppersnapplegroup.com).
Root Beer Concessions
Here is the root beer concession stand at The Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. It’s September 14-18 this year (2011) and is also home of the national flat picking championships.
Root Beer Sandwich?
Last year, in a quest to add something new to the concession stand for the Michigan White Caps games, fans were asked to vote from a diverse selection. The options included chocolate covered bacon, chili mac tacos (macaroni and cheese and chili in a taco shell), and the ‘declaration of indigestion’ (a foot long hot dog covered in philly cheese steak, peppers, and onions), among other things. For brave fans with a sweet tooth, there was the Pink Panther: ‘a hot dog bun filled with vanilla frosting and pink cotton candy, and drizzled with root beer syrup.’ (Check out the article for photos of the rest of the choices and a recipe for the Pink Panther so you can make one at home: West Michigan Whitecaps want you to help pick new tastes for concession stands by John Gonzalez, photo by Emily Zoladz for the Grand Rapids Press).
