From the Lost Rhino Brewery in Virginia comes this brew. This is named after big wave seeking surfers (rhino chasers) and not extinct subspecies of Rhinocerotidae as the name and label seem to imply. Indeed the ghostly black silhouette of the rhino hoisting a gushing keg of brew on its back is almost whispering, “Pour out a keg in honor of our dear West African Black brethren who are no more, and our Northern White brethren soon to follow. This root beer’s for you…” Wow, that’s really sad now that I’ve written it. The travesty that is the disappearance of this horned mega-fauna was not lost on the brewers either, and they actively donate a portion of their proceeds to conservation efforts and rhino sanctuaries. Thus the solemn label leads to good things. It comes in a rhino-sized 22 oz bottle (see that Hippo Size? That’s how it’s done) that has a rhino shaped bar code with a surfboard on its back. I didn’t even know you were allowed to make a non rectangular bar code. One final interesting fact, the brewers were some of the original brewers at the original Old Dominion Brewery, before it moved from Virginia.
This has a very dark Body with prominent licorice and wintergreen flavors. There’s a bit of honey buried in there as well, but you really have to search. Additionally, it really isn’t very sweet for a root beer. The Bite is rather mild with a little spice and light carbonation. The Head is medium-short but with good staying power. It just needs more carbonation. The Aftertaste is licorice and wintergreen that turns a little bitter.
This really isn’t my style. It might appeal to the folks who really love the licorice wintergreen brews with low carbonation, but not so much me. I prefer creamier stuff. See how it rates against other root beers.
