Virgil’s has been around for a long time. It was ballyhooed to me greatly in the 90’s by many only to leave me quite disappointed when I finally tried it. Last year, however, there was a shake up in the company for some reason. I don’t know all of the details, but for some reason the bottling was moved to a new location, the fan favorite, Bavarian Nutmeg (the only one I liked) was discontinued, and the recipe and name was changed on the flagship root beer. Now it sports an all natural recipe and the name Handcrafted Root Beer as opposed to the original Micro Brewed designation. I guess the new bottler brews bigger batches and they do so by hand? I don’t know, but it means that I can write a new review on the new recipe with the new name cause it’s a new root beer and that makes me happy. The label picture is also slightly different yet similar and somehow not as cool, like the Digitally Remastered Edition… Anyways, root beer.
The Body is kind of dark and rather complex. There’s sarsaparilla, licorice, a hint of fruity, and some other stuff going on but it doesn’t really work. The Bite is mild with no discernable spices yet harsh at the same time in mouthfeel. The Head is tall initially but fizzes down really quickly. The Aftertaste is sarsaparilla with licorice hints and fruity notes.
I like this less than their original and I wasn’t a fan of that. I don’t know how they made it worse, but they did. It just doesn’t mix well. Their last version at least had a balanced flavor, even though I didn’t like it. This is all over the place while also failing to be good. So yeah, I don’t know what they hoped to accomplish by getting rid of their best root beer flavor and making their flagship worse, but I don’t have a lot of hope for this company. See how it rates against other root beers.
Virgil’s used to be good. I still have an empty pony keg from when you could buy it at Whole Foods in the Bavarian Nut Meg flavor. So good.With this new recipe your correct, its all over the place and its a shame.
On another note Ive been visiting this site for years and as a RB aficianado myself I wanted to say thanks for your great reviews! My wife thinks Im crazy every time she looks at my 100+ RB bottles on the shelf, Im always on the look out for new flavors every-time we visit a store. I from the Denver area and in the past places such as Tommy Knockers Brewery used to be very good especially straight from the tap or places like Hops brewery they made fantastic in house RB. I have discovered a small convenance store right out side Central City and the guy that owns it must be an aficionado as well. They usually have 30-40 different RB brands from all over the US. I try and make a trip to his store a few times a year just to browse his selections. My Brother in Law makes his own at his restaurant in Salida CO, its very good wood love to send you a sample to review.
Anyways keep up the great work, you’re appreciated!
CN