One day a fan emailed me and told me that I should try St. Arnold Root Beer. So I got on Google and went to find where it was made and learned about the St. Arnold Brewing Company and their root beer. It’s made using Imperial Cane Sugar which sounds like it should be used to make Empire Root Beer and not this. The label sports a picture of St. Arnold himself, a man who was a 6th century bishop and an ancestor of Charlemagne whose blessed remains caused beer to multiply in abundance to quench the thirst of fatigued pilgrims. I’m thinking that’s what inspired the owners to name the brewery after him. He is also not to be confused with Saint Amandus who is the patron saint of all who brew beer. This is the only second known root beer to be named after a religious leader (Brigham’s Brew being the first) and gives me great hopes that I’ll see more in the future (I’m looking at you Hare Krishnas, I want my Swami Prabhupada Root Beer).
It has a rich, dark, rooty Body that is at the same time very creamy. The Bite boldly hits you as soon as the brew enters your mouth and stays with you a bit. It is sharp and spicy. The Aftertaste is very creamy and lingers a long time, which is to be desired. The Head however, is weak, too weak. It is, however, frothy.
Another otherwise excellent brew ruined by the lack of a good Head. It always makes me sad when that happens. This is a delicious root beer but doesn’t excel quite enough for the Seal. See how it rates against other root beers.
So I live in Houston, and I must say, that St. Arnold’s root beer is one of my favorites…on tap! It flows free at their beer hall just outside Downtown. I was greatly disappointed by the disparity between what’s on tap and what’s in the bottle. Regardless, I truly recommend checking it out for yourself!
-Peter