You can also view previously answered questions in the HSW Question Archive . The English language has lots of words that are used in two or three different ways.
Beer is a word with two meanings.
It can mean an alcoholic beverage made from cereal grains, or a non-alcoholic beverage flavored by root extracts. Root beer, birch beer and ginger beer are three common forms of this sort of beer. In the case of root beer, the flavoring comes from the root of the sassafras tree or the sarsaparilla vine. Originally the root was brewed like a tea to make an extract, but now it is much easier to buy the extract ready made. The root beer extract is mixed with sugar, yeast and water.