Bottled Root Beers – Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog

Revelton Root Beer

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.

Stinger Naturally Flavored Root Beer

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Oct 052022

Another brew provided by that great aficionado Vince. I’d tried to find it on my own and thankfully I have good friends to trade with. Stingers is brewed by The Estes Park Brewery in Colorado. Ironically the ingredients in this “Naturally Flavored Root Beer” include “natural and artificial flavors” so I’m not sure about the whole name of this. Interestingly, under the ingredients list there’s a “CONTAINS:” list which is slightly different yet includes “natural and imitation flavors” So both artificial and imitation, what a scandal. The picture on the front is a bee or wasp I suppose drinking from a honey comb mug. It really makes me think that there’s honey in this. There should be honey in this. It doesn’t say there’s honey in the ingredients or contains, but maybe that’s the imitation? I don’t know. How does it taste?

The Body is sweet with the typical creamy root beer flavor. It’s a little light on the vanilla and it seems there’s a hint of honey flavor as well, though it isn’t super strong. The flavor lacks a bit of depth. The Bite is very mild, only a little spice and nearly no carbonation, no bubbles, it feels nearly flat. The Head is very tall, but doesn’t last, all of the carbonation shoots out for a fine performance but is then gone forever, and quickly. The Aftertaste is faint vanilla and honey.

Okay, it does kind of taste like there’s imitation honey in this. All in all it’s got the makings for greatness, but kind of falls flat, both literally and figuratively. Maybe if they had some actual real honey it would make a big difference. It is however, drinkable. See how it rates against other root beers.

Fiz Oktoberfest Root Beer

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Sep 072022

This is the second Oktoberfest root beer to come out of the collaboration of Roc City (Fiz) and The Soda Pop Bros, that is a limited addition root beer with chocolate as one of the ingredients. The base formula for both is the same, but mixed in different ratios with different levels of carbonation, which makes two similar yet distinct brews. As I mentioned before, the Fiz has more carbonation and about 20% more of the flavoring and sugar, making stronger, stickier, foamier brew as opposed to the Soda Pop Bros more light and refreshing root beer. Whichever one prefers is up to personal preference but I lean more to enjoy the stronger flavors so I was excited to try this. I also really like the label on this bottle, the yellow and the coat of arms makes it feel very Bavarian.

The Body is rich and sweet with an aged sarsaparilla core wrapped in a chocolately flavor that adds darkness and depth. There’s also a little vanilla to round it out. I like it a lot. The Bite is not strong but there is a bit of spice. I like the feel of it too. The Head is very tall and foamy as it should be. The Aftertaste is a nice chocolaty sarsaparilla.

This is good. This is what I like. A nice and sweet and full of yummy flavored brew. This only the second time I’ve chocolate in a root beer and I’m pleased that it worked so well. I hope they bring this back every October because I’d love to celebrate Okoberfest with a tall mug of this. See how it rates against other root beers.

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