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Comment by rdtsc | Hacker News Reader

Another type of fermented non-alcoholic drink that looks like beer is Kvass. It is popular in Eastern Europe. They would sell from a large barrel on wheels on the corners of the street.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass

It is made from fermented bread (toasted croutons), maybe some flavourings, and yeast.

And it is one of my favourite soft drinks. And I don't drink sugary soft drinks, but I would drink kvass. It is slightly tangy and earthy (woodsy) flavour. When it is hot outside, there is nothing better than a large mug filled with cold kvass with a nice head on it.

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Thank you for posting this. IMHO this is how _real_ rootbeer is made. My family always makes rootbeer at home, and it seems that the key ingredient is "yeast." I have never tasted any rootbeer that comes close to the amazing flavour and _kick_ that home made rootbeer has. Rootbeer that is so carbonated it burns your throat before even tasting it. Mmmmmm…

I have actually found a comparable Rootbeer in some common grocery stores that tastes almost exactly like my home made rootbeer, but not quite as strong. If any of you love _real_ rootbeer as much as I do, I urge you to try this!

http://www.amazon.com/Bundaberg-Root-Beer-4-pack/dp/B00HGGW6...

If you find it in a grocery store, STOCK UP! They are imported from Germany, and when they are out of stock, it seems to take about a month to re-stock.

Edit: Okay, I think the store clerk was either misinformed or lying to me, because "Bundaberg" is in Australia. Perhaps it is imported from Germany… and that is why it takes 1 month. But every store I find it at, seems to have only a couple left, and seems to take a long time before they "re-up."

Yeah, the Bundaberg range is definitely Australian. They do ginger beer (what Australians call root beer) as well as sarsaparilla. Both are fantastic drinks.

Edit: so if you're doing a search, you're probably likely to find it as "bundaberg ginger beer" - eg http://www.bundaberg.com/info/product_range/ginger_beer/

Bundaberg sarsaparilla is the same formulation as the root beer, not the ginger beer (http://www.bundaberg.com/info/product_range/sarsaparilla)

Bundaberg is nice, but my favourite rootbeer-a-like is the Malaysian Sarsi made by F&N

Kvass does contain alcohol, just a lower amount.

It is still considered non-alcoholic. Many commercial soft drinks contain similar amounts of alcohol.

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