Did you know: Birch Beer was invented in Pennsylvania
(WHTM) – Pennsylvania’s drink soda (pop) daily percentage is 65.9 which ranks them 19th in the United States.
Most people have a favorite soda, and it could be Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, Mountain Dew, etc., but Pennsylvanians may hold one close to their hearts, birch beer.
Birch beer was brewed in the 18th and 19th centuries by the Pennsylvania Dutch and Pennsylvanians in Appalachia.
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But what is birch beer and how is it made?
Birch beer is made like its cousin, root beer but instead of using Sassafras, birch beer uses bark from a black birch tree.
According to Modern Farmer, “The bark would be boiled in water for a long time, softening it and releasing its essential oils. The solids would be strained out and the solution fermented with yeast, usually resulting in what’s called a “small beer,” meaning a beer with only 2-3% alcohol.”
But nonalcoholic birch beer can also be made (more today than alcoholic) by bottling the birch beer immediately.
But what does birch beer taste like since it’s made from bark?
According to PA Eats, birch beer is “herbaceous, minty, and a little bittersweet.”
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Currently, there are five companies that produce and distribute birch beer in Pennsylvania:
Located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Reading Soda Works Bottling Company
Located in Reading, Pennsylvania
Located in Bensalem, Pennsylvania
Located in Catawissa, Pennsylvania
Located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Although, birch beer was a “small beer” and there is a nonalcoholic version of the drink, the nonalcoholic version became more commercial in the 1920s during prohibition.
Those who want to make their own birch beer will need birch syrup, water, and wine yeast, but there are multiple ways to make your own birch beer.
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