Charles Hires Root Beer Story

Some historians believe that the invention of root beer happened by accident. They
ascribe the creation of this popular drink to an inventive pharmacist who was eager to
create a miracle drug. In 1870, the unnamed pharmacist was playing around with a
handful of roots, berries and herbs. Instead of creating the drug he needed, he came up
with a recipe for root beer. It consisted of juniper, wintergreen, spikenard, sarsaparilla,
vanilla beans, hops, dog grass, birch bark and licorice. The drink which tasted both
bitter and sweet was quite medicinal in nature. The pharmacist introduced it as a cure
for certain illnesses, but it was not received well by the public. Fortunately, the story of
his drink did not end there.

The sweet, carbonated drink known to us today as root beer was introduced to the
public by Charles Elmer Hires on May 16, 1866.

Charles Hires Life Story
Born on August 19, 1851 in Roadstown, New Jersey to a farming couple, Charles Elmer
Hires is known today as the first soft drink entrepreneur. At age 12, he left his parents
farm to join a four year apprenticeship as a pharmacy clerk. After the apprenticeship, he
moved to Philadelphia where he worked as a pharmacist while attending evening
classes at the Jefferson Medical College and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. He
was able to save up and open his own pharmacy at the age of 18.

Surprisingly, his first successful business venture involved not drugs or pharmacy, but
the purchase and resale of a kind of clay which had solvent properties. He named it
Hires Potters Clay, advertised it as a grease and spot remover, and sold it to various
wholesale drug houses. This venture earned him several thousand dollars.

The Root Beer Discovery
While on his honeymoon, he discovered an herbal tea he fell in love with at first sip. It
filled his mouth with roots, berries and herbs. He took the recipe back home to
Philadelphia where he came up with his own improved mix. He began selling to the
public a packaged dry mixture which he called Hires Root Tea.

He continued to experiment on his product, while one of his friends advised him to
change its name from root tea to root beer to better suit his target market. In 1876, Hires
took his mixture and introduced the first commercial root beer at the Philadelphia
Centennial Exhibition. Four years later, he introduced a liquid concentrate. The bottled
ready-to-drink root beer we are familiar with today was finally launched in 1893.

Root Beer Today
There is said to be no authentic root beer recipe, given that there are several different
combinations and brews. Over the years, other herbs have been added to or taken from
the original mix. Today, it is made from a mixture of flavorings, sweeteners and
carbonation.

By the end of the nineteenth century, Hires Root Beer has become a root beer favorite.
The success of Hires business opened a large market for an alternative to tea, coffee,
alcohol and fruit drinks. After his death in 1937, he has inspired other drink
manufacturers to follow in his footsteps.


References

Hires, Charles Elmer; Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406400416.html]

Hires Root Beer: The Great Health Drink; Kate Patton
[http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/Hires.html]

Charles E. Hires: First person to brew root beer commercially
[http://www.cooksinfo.com/charles-hires]

History of Root Beer [http://whatisrootbeer.com/rootbeer-history.php]

Charle Hires [http://www.nndb.com/people/805/000162319/]