So I had heard about Dick’s Root Beer from Anthony’s wish list. I found it was made in Centralia, which isn’t too far from me. Before I planned a trip there, I figured I would send a shout out on Facebook to see if any of my UW friends (Zombie Tag comrades) were from there or going there. Lucky for me a good friend and CFH member Brian lived there and said he would get me some over Thanksgiving. I told him I needed three bottles. Well he left a message on my voicemail over the break that they didn’t sell their root beer in bottles, only draft and growlers (filled from the draft) and that he got me a growler. So this caused a conundrum. I only rate bottled root beer. Though, technically, I should rate draft root beer from kegs and growlers as well, or at least drink them, since I rate my root beers with a keg system. Clearly, root beer from a keg is gourmet, as well as a growler filled from a keg. The problem is that I can’t really hold growler root beers to the same metric with the head since the bottling process preserves the head while pouring it in the growler will lose it. So I decided that I’ll review root beers from growlers, using the same Body, Bite, and Aftertaste metrics. The Head metric will be thrown out. The reviews will be on the blog under the Growler Root Beers category but there will be no short format reviews in the review tables since I am a stickler about my bottled root beer. I am not sure how I will rate root beers only available in kegs, but I’ll figure it out when I happen upon a keg root beer.
The Body is sweet and full with a candy-ish caramel flavor. There are accents of anise and wintergreen but not too much anise/licorice to make it bad (and it doesn’t take much in my book). It isn’t very creamy however, which is a downer. The Bite is solid with some nice spices grabbing you along with some fizzy carbonation all while having a smooth finish. The Aftertaste is a spicy caramel flavor that is slightly fruity.
So this is a quality brew. I wouldn’t go all the way there just to drink it, but if I were passing through and wanted a good meal and a root beer to go with it, I would surely stop by Dick’s Brewery. My wife and I enjoyed drinking this root beer with roasted chestnuts as well.
ah! very sneaky! i wondered how you were going to work it with a non-bottled, yet still gourmet root beer! very good. these sodas only available at the brewery are very vexing, knowing they are out there in such numbers, but unable to be tasted!
i suggest you do save up and order a pony keg of 1919, the only root beer i can think of that comes only in kegs. my review will be up in time, but it is well worth the cost.
There are a few other root beers that I’ve discovered over the years that only come in kegs, though none of them are near me, and a lot of places that sell only from growlers. I’ll have to start visiting them. They’ll be bonus reviews.
I like 1919, but it’s a very different kind of root beer. Last I checked they were available out of the keg only, and only in the midwest, but I see that that has changed slightly: http://www.1919rootbeer.com/availability.php (I was wondering what you meant by “mini-keg.” Now I know.)
When I was in the county of Lancaster , Pennsylvania, last year I picked up some local Amish root beer. There was no brand name or anything. Evidently lots of Amish farms make root beer. I’m not sure how much it varies from farm to farm. I was not especially fond of the batch that I bought, but I’m willing to try again sometime.
I don’t think I have ever tried keg root beer before. I would love to try it, but I don’t know of any local places who sell it. Since you mostly rate bottled root beer, got any recommendation? I got a local place that sells almost everything it seems like, but would enjoy knowing what to look for next time I am there!
My favorite bottled root beers are Iron Horse, Hank’s, So Duh! Rockin’, and River City. You can find all of my recommended root beers by clicking the “Ratings” link.