Bottled Root Beers – Page 21 – Eric's Gourmet Root Beer Blog

Oak Creek Barrel Aged Blonde Root Beer

Nov 282018

The second root beer of the Oak Creek Barrel Aged offering. This one’s a blonde root beer, one of the rarest forms of root beer I’ve ever encountered. Only two before this. Interestingly one of those also had a “creek” in the name, which surely can’t be a coincidence… This boasts on the label to be made with “25% brown sugar, 75% real sugar”. Now I think brown sugar is plenty real, especially since it’s just less refined. I get what they’re trying to say, but let’s not be calling brown sugar not real sugar. Saying regular or normal sugar also would seem a bit odd, so, they should change it to say “white sugar”. There I gave them some free marketing advice. Look at how kind I’m being. And why wouldn’t I be. This stuff is good.

The Body has a rich creamy vanilla flavor with a distinct woody flavor. It’s nice and sweet with a lot of complexity of flavors and spices beneath the initial contact. The Bite is sharp and spicy. The Head is as a proper root beer Head should be, tall and foamy. The Aftertaste is the woody, oaken vanilla that last just the right amount of time.

I like it. I like it a lot. I think the aged oaken flavor goes better in this blonde than it did in the regular. Mixes well with that fake sugar and all. So now I’ve reviewed three blonde root beers and given as many Seals, you could say that I’m partial to blonde root beers, but I would say that rather, the makers of such a unique take on root beer strive extra to craft a masterful product. And this is with out a doubt masterfully crafted. See how it rates against other root beers.

Oak Creek Barrel Aged Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Nov 212018

Oak Creek Barrel Aged Root Beer Bottle This brew is a long time in the making. I’ve known of the existence of this company for a long time, promising to take root beer crafting to the next level, the level reserved for fine wines, whiskeys, and balsamic vinegar, ageing it in oak barrels, but they were never quite ready to release it. Now, finally, after a much longer wait than the required aging process, the product is ready and has been released this year. The root beer ingredients, before adding sugar, are all barrel aged for a year. There’s something about just the concept of barrel aging that has me excited, like root beer is getting taken to the next level, getting the respect it finally deserves. This company is from Chicago and makes this root beer as well as a barrel aged blonde root beer (review next week). A phone conversation with the owner some years ago revealed that he also works with the Eleven City Diner to supply their root beers, though it’s not the exact same recipes. I know of exactly one other barrel aged root beer, Weber’s, though they use birch barrels and don’t say how long they are aged. Needless to say I was excited beyond measure to try this brew.

The Body is complex and spicy with a unique, woody type favor that is no doubt the result of the barrel aging process. Yet, it’s also a little light in depth, needing just a bit more of that flavor to really shine. The Bite is sharp and spicy with lots of spices and fizz. The Head is tall and beautiful as it should be. The Aftertaste is light. That same mature, woody flavor but gone far too quickly.

This is unique, and good, but not quite all there. I like the flavors that are developed as a result of the barrel aging process, but it needs a little more oomph in there to really seal the deal. Some more vanilla or something. See how it rates against other root beers.

Calvin’s 1836 Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers 2 Responses »

Oct 312018

Calvin's 1836 Root Beer Bottle There are two things about the name of this brew that need to be mentioned. First is Calvin and the second is 1836. Calvin is the son of a man Marvin Scheidegger who opened a beverage distributorship in 1957. Calvin bought said distributorship from his father in 1973, and still runs it with his children to this very day. This distributorship (I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never written that word before so I’m breaking it in) happens to be in Hermann Missouri, a town founded by German immigrants in, you guessed it 1836. So Calvin always dreamed of making his own root beer, and he also loved his town. And with the help of a local winemaker, he has turned his dream into a reality, with the goal of making a classic barrel-style root beer of yesteryear. So how did he do?

The Body is sweet and rich and creamy with vanilla washing over a classic root beer flavor. Then a spicy Bite hits that’s both strong and complex, yet finishes smooth. The Head is wonderfully tall and frothy and doesn’t ever leave. The Aftertaste is a delicious spiced vanilla with whispers of wintergreen.

Wow! Quite a brew! Calvin, I say this as someone who has tried 399 different gourmet root beers, you have done a magnificent job. I would love to know what root beers you drank growing up, because they must have been amazing for you to strive for this brew. Your dream has become a reality, but it feels like a dream for all who have the pleasure of drinking this root beer. See how it rates against other root beers.

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