My 400th Root Beer! I wanted it to be special, and 1919 was the most widely distributed, iconic root beer left that I hadn’t tried. They don’t distribute to the West Coast, but it’s found all across the northern Mid West. Once I found myself in Minnesota, not only was it all over, but the Schell’s Brewery that makes it was only an hour and a half away. Schell’s is the 2nd oldest family run brewery in America. It’s in New Ulm, Minnesota, a town founded by German Immigrants. The brewery offers guided tours of their historic operations (pics below). They also have a large garden with peacocks wandering about and a deer pen. It’s a perfect place for a day trip with the family. The 1919 root beer was their response to prohibition, which put many a brewery under. They’ve been making 1919 continuously ever since. The only way to get it on glass is to buy one of their commemorative mugs, which I did after the tour.
This has a rich, full Body with hints of vanilla and caramel and awash with a complex blend of spices. It’s slightly dark, yet perfectly proportioned to be utterly delicious. The Bite is strong and full from all of those spices yet it isn’t overpowering. As I like my Bites to be. The Head is a good height and lingers. The Aftertaste is a faint, spiced wintergreen and vanilla that leaves you begging for more.
Oh dang! Now that is a root beer! I can see why it’s been such a hit, and why the brewery survived prohibition. Not only is it amazing, but it’s also unique, which after trying 400 root beers, is saying a lot. This is hand’s down, one of the top root beers I’ve ever tried. I’m so glad I can find it all over where I live now.
The Schell’s Brewery
The Schell’s Bottling Line
A brewery machine that was patented by one of the Schell’s Brewery presidents
A machine in the historic brewery
Tanks of some sort
The historic copper kettle. Used from the 1800’s till the late 1990’s
The 1919 taps in the tasting room
The Schell’s Brewery Tasting Room at the end of the tour.
Some of the 1919 brew vats.
The bar in the Schell’s tasting room.
Two weeks ago I was back in Chicago and there was only one root beer that was on my mind. The root beer was one I’d tried to get before, I’d gone to the restaurant and ordered it. They said they didn’t have it but another tap room might. So, just to be sure I called the tap root and they confirmed they had it. But, when I showed up, the bar tender said they didn’t and sorry, next time I should ask to speak to the bar tender. This, of course, did not leave me feeling happy about the Two Brothers Brewery. They said they were out because their brewing equipment for the root beer was under repairs. Also that the root beer is actually brewed over a period of 21 days, yet there’s no alcohol so I think that means they take all of the ingredients minus the sugars and start brewing and don’t add yeast or something. However it works that’s what they say they do and they make a cinnamon root beer which made me hope it was like the old Myers Avenue Red. Anyways, when I landed I gave them a call to confirm that they did have their root beer, and then I drove down and ordered some.
Surprise! There’s another Maple Island Brewing root beer! I didn’t even know myself until I showed up. I mean, I’d discovered the brewery the first time I went to Stillwater and was walking around, and then brought my family back to try it (and walk around) and then I discover they make not one, but two different root beers! If this review came out of nowhere for you guys, that’s how I felt, no foreshadowing, no preparation, just more root beer. As their website says, “[their] name is Maple Island, isn’t it? Gotta have a maple-flavored rootbeer.” I wholeheartedly agree, and also realize that if I’d spent a bit more time actually researching them I probably wouldn’t have been surprised. But whatever. I figured the best way to solve this problem was to review their root beer, walk through the downtown and do the shoppings and stair climbings, and then end right back where we started and have the maple, which is what we proceeded to do.
