GourmetRootBeer

Cam’s Root Beer

Jan 042023

Fresh off my IEEE PES GM DERMS root beer extravaganza, and I mean fresh off, like I didn’t even go home, I flew straight there, I was in Phoenix, Arizona. Do you know why? Can you guess? It starts with a D… Anyhow, I was meeting with customers and when they asked for dietary restrictions I said I required gourmet root beer (jokingly) only to be met with a variety pack of Orca beverages in the meeting room that morning. Can you say Bull Dog? Oh yeah. Now that’s what I call a customer. Juan, you rock! What does that have to do with Cam’s? Not much, other than when I left I was in the airport and looking for dinner. I saw the SanTan Brewing Company airport location and thought, why not. So I says to the guy “Hey SanTan Man, you guys got any root beer?” Yes, yes they did. They make it themselves. It’s called Cam’s, after the brewer’s son Cameron (I think it’s his kid). Well, the only way to make a week where you get four draft root beers better, is to get five draft root beers.

The Body is dark and complex with mint and spices and licorice and birch flavors all coming through. It isn’t as sweet as other root beers either, more of an adult, old fashioned flavor. The Bite is quite spiced with good carbonation. It finishes neither harsh nor smooth. The Head is short and gone, kind of sad. The Aftertaste is slightly bitter, minty birch which fades to a very faint caramel.

This is okay. It’s spicy and complex, which is good, but no Head and not very sweet nor creamy. Not bad, and unique as well. It’d go well with their food. Their chipotle bacon burger was amazing and so were the fries. They pair well giving this a solid drinkable. It’s not worth a pilgrimage by any means, but if you’re flying out from there, it’s as convenient as it gets.

**SanTan Brewery Chipotle bacon cheeseburger. So amazingly yummy.**

Reverence Brewing Company MALTY Root Beer

Draft and Keg Root Beers No Responses »

Dec 072022

The final brew of Reverence Brewing Company. As I said before he made so many root beers because he had so many taps, because the brewery before him had those taps. Reverence has actually only been open for a little over a year, and the place has had several breweries before, such that one of the people there that day mentioned that he thought the spot was cursed for breweries, but, after he tasted their brews, he really hoped they make it. I second that, for the root beer’s sake. This root beer he went malty, lots of malt extract, because he really likes malt. I somewhat like malt beverages so I was truly intrigued.

The Body is sweet and malty. Like, there is really a lot of malt flavor. It largely masks the other root beer flavors initially but you can find the hints of sarsaparilla, vanilla and others if you pay attention. That said, the flavors work as long as you don’t hate the malt flavor. The Bite is very smooth and rich. There’s great mouthfeel but not really any discernable spice. The Head is beautiful, as tall as you want it, frothy with staying power. That’s the malt extract for you. The Aftertaste is more malt. Like those malt drinks. It’s sticky and lingers, so it will build if you drink it fast.

So, if you’ve ever had a Maltex, it’s a lot like that. But there is still root beer in there, making it richer, smoother, sweeter. Still, that malt is pretty overpowering, and Nate even admits, he may have overdone it. That said, it gave it a very nice head and smooth texture. If you like malt, you’ll probably enjoy this, if not, you’ll probably hate it. Me, I’d say there’s probably too much malt, but still “drinkable”, barely, as I don’t mind Maltex and the like occasionally. This brewery is a must if you want to get some quality variety root beer. They do flights of four ounces, so if you can only go once, get yourself a flight and support a business as like minded as all who read these posts.

**I asked what to take a picture of and he said the dragon faucet in the bathroom. It does look cool**

**I also thought I should show part of the tap room because it’s quite cozy**

Revelton Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Nov 022022

Another one from my good friend Vince. He is truly a blessing to the world of root beer. This brew is actually made and bottled by Peace Tree Brewing Co, which probably isn’t surprising if you are a root beer nerd like myself since it comes in the same type of strange stubby bottle that Peace Tree uses. However this is a unique recipe for Revelton Distilling Co, an award winning microspirit producer in Osceola, Iowa, about 20 miles from where the Peace Tree Brewing. I’d like to believe that some of the essences in this root beer are distilled by said Co, but there is literally nothing to indicate that. Nevertheless, they cared enough about root beer to procure their own unique brand, so that’s a win in my book. The side of the label says “Good times great root beer”. We shall see.

The Body is sweet and medium strength standard creamy root beer. There is a lot of vanilla but not a lot of complexity. There’s also a hint, just a small hint, of something sourish and off, but it vanishes quickly. The Bite is very smooth, both on spice and carbonation. The Head is medium but very foamy so it lasts quite awhile. The Aftertaste is a nice vanilla.

This is actually pretty decent, but needs a little more depth. I’ll say they can keep their “great root beer” tag line, though I wouldn’t call it Seal of Approval root beer, that would be amazing root beer, but great, I’ll give it to them, along with three and half kegs. See how it rates against other root beers.

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