Sep 272017
 

Ginseng UP American Classics Root Beer BottleSeal of Approval I am going to take some credit for the existence of this root beer. I know it sounds presumptuous, but that could be said for most of this website. You see, after I reviewed the Ginseng Up Private Label, I sent them an email congratulating them on the Seal of Approval. I also mentioned that it was strange that their Ginseng UP brand line didn’t have a root beer, especially since their tagline is “The Root of All Power” which could be a double entendre with root beer, and hoped that they’d make something equally good with ginseng. As you can see, they make one now, but it’s different from the Private Label in more than just added ginseng. This is all natural with cane sugar and no preservatives, which makes people like my lovely wife very happy.

The Body is sweet and full and creamy with a pronounced ginseng flavor and notes of caramel and a hint of wintergreen. The Bite is nice with clove the dominant spice though it finishes smooth. The Head is tall with decent staying power, not the best by any means, but nice. The Aftertaste is vanilla with a little ginseng.

Yum. They’ve made a nice creamy root beer with some additional complexity from the wintergreen and cloves. They make the ginseng work perfectly with it too, adding a nifty little twist without detracting in the least. I expected nothing less from the shadowy root beer overlords of the private label industry. Predictably, this is also sold in different bottles with different labels with the American Classics more prevalent. But it’s the same recipe. See how it rates against other root beers.

4 kegs




Sep 202017
 

JD's Old Fashioned Root Beer Bottle This brew hails from Dallas Wisconsin. A woman by the name of Jen makes it just as a hobby to do in her spare time, much like me who drinks root beer and writes about it in his spare time. I’m sure the ‘J’ in JD is for Jen but I’m not sure where the ‘D’ comes from. It doesn’t appear, from my Paypal receipt, to be her last name and her Facebook page is a little light on the details. If you’re not from the Dallas, WI area, getting this is rather problematic. As it is just a hobby of hers, it’s sold mainly at farmers markets and some craft breweries. None of which are overly accommodating for mail orders. However, if you are a patient fellow, you just might be able to get some mailed out from J herself. It has a simple little label that reminds me of Spring Lake Root Beer, and is most likely just printed out on her computer at home.

The Body is dark and spicy with some caramel and vanilla undertones. Licorice and features prominently. The Bite is spicy but not carbonated enough for my liking. The Head is very short yet foamy. It’s just there isn’t enough carbonation to build a proper Head. It is gone too quickly. The Aftertaste is licorice and some wintergreen that turns a little bitter.

This is alright, but not quite good enough for me to want again. I’m just not a fan of that dark licorice flavor, though the light vanilla and caramel help quite a bit, the final deciding factor was the dismal Head. I suspect I may have gotten a bad batch, but I’ve got to review it as I see it, not as how I think it was mean to be. See how it rates against other root beers.

2.5/5 Root Beer Kegs




Aug 302017
 

Glacier Brewing Company Root Beer Bottle I know nothing about this brewery. Their website is completely devoid of any information about their history, philosophy, or anything other than what they make and where they are and merch and stuff. The one thing that I do know is that the brewery is in Polson, Montana. Polson is on the Flathead Lake, which is also the origin (the bottom anyways) of the only other root beer I’ve had from Montana. I wonder if there’s some connection between them, other than the lake. I also wonder what the background design on the label is supposed to be. Is that a glacier, the lake, the shape of the city limits? I’ve no clue at all. Perhaps it’s nothing and I’m looking for meaning where there is none, like that Ithaca label. I had to mail order this one by calling the brewery direct. Thankfully they actually shipped it with no delays.

The Body is sour with a light sarsaparilla and vanilla flavor. It’s also soapy with bitter notes. The Bite is sharp and sour, almost a fermented sour. The Head is too much, I never thought I’d say it, but it is. Pouring in 10% of the bottle fills my 20 ounce mug with foam. It also never seems to go away. And it tastes nasty. The Aftertaste is sour and bitter without much flavor.

I can’t believe that I am actually saying there’s too much Head, I usually give more points the taller and longer lasting it is, but there was always some hypothetical limit before, and now I know what it’s like when that limit is crossed. The bottle is kind of pretty though, but not really. What is it with the Flathead Lake and bad root beer? See how it rates against other root beers.

Half a root beer keg.