Purpose of yeast in homemade rootbeer

[gfron1]

Adminstrative apologies...I thought the pastry group would know best about the taste effects of yeast, versus the beverage thread folks...and I am posting this here to pull it out of my previous thread on hot rootbeer desserts since this is a very specific question.

and now the question...

In making rootbeer from scratch, the recipes call for cake yeast. I assume the purpose is for carbonation, and some basic googling confirmed that, but I'm not so sure I believe that is the sole effect. I do not want any carbonation, but I do want the flavor to be right. So, do you think that yeast has a flavor impact on rootbeer that I might need to keep it in for?

Thanks

[alanamoana]

based on comparisons between yeasted alcoholic beers (specifically hefeweizen..sp?) and commercial root beers...i think you could eliminate the yeast and not worry about it.

if you're not looking for carbonation, it is my opinion that leaving the yeast in would impart a specific 'yeasty' flavor which might not be desirable.

but then again, i'm just saying what makes sense in my addled mind.

[McAuliflower]

I've made rootbeer from scratch- bottled with yeast for the carbonation.

Using it did indeed give a taste that I thought detracted from the rootbeer flavor I wanted to come across.

Considerations for going yeastless:

- yeast consumes the recipe's sugars(carbs) to create the bubbles. Most rootbeer recipes are formulated to take this into effect. Eliminating the yeast from a traditional recipe will likely yield a final product that is too sweet. If you have a hydrometer on hand- test the terminal gravity of a commercial batch of rootbeer (which has already had some sugars consumed by their yeast). Use the reading from the soda that has the level of sweetness you desire for your own batch of rootbeer. (Did I explain that ok? )

- yeah- you said you don't want carbonation... but kegging it (with out conditioning it) and using nitrogen would be a fun alternative.

- Or you can use a recipe with yeast and just not seal it, thus preventing the build up of CO2 (the carbonation). For this method you'd likely need an airlock (bubbling device available at brewing shops) to prevent contanimation of your product. The airlock would off-gas the CO2 though and not compromise the original style of yeast+ recipe.

[gfron1]

Wow, you were dead on. I made my first batch last night and it was way too sweet. I hadn't thought of the yeast eating the sugar...duh! Thanks for the info.