Get Ready for Cronk........Beer

Odd ads for Dr Cronk’s Compound Sarsaparilla Beer, once wildly popular, went viral on Twitter. Now a Canadian brewer is bringing it back

More than a century after it was last consumed, beverage connoisseurs will soon be able to enjoy Dr Cronk’s Compound Sarsaparilla Beer, after internet sleuths and real-world brewers recovered a drink that was once wildly popular across North America but vanished into obscurity.

The first 800-litre (211-gallon) batch should be ready in two weeks – just as well, because Belding [ Blake Belding, head brewer at Cold Garden Brewery ] has been inundated with orders, including requests from the UK and US.

The recipe calls for sassafras, sarsaparilla, hops, chamomile, cinnamon, ginger, green tea and molasses, said Belding. “I think it’s going to taste like a spicy root beer. I’ve never really used molasses and there’s a lot of ginger in there, so it’ll kick.”