Last week all of my preparations were complete for the big move, so my family and I hit the road on our epic road trip to Minnesota. In addition to the many road side attractions like Little Bighorn Battlefield and Mount Rushmore, I was determined to find some new brews. The first stop was Radio Brewing Company in Idaho, who, according to their online menu, had a house root beer and huckleberry soda. But it was all lies when we showed up. They stopped making their own root beer awhile ago. That’s what I get for not calling. So I determined to find another root beer, knowing that I’d passed at least one in Spokane. I found the Tamarack Brewing Company in Missoula which was just about when we’d need to eat dinner. They call their root beer Training Wheels because I assume they think it’s working up to something harder, rather than the best reason to visit the place. Across the street from the brewery is the carousel, which my children demanded to go on. I managed to get the brass ring and get a free ride! Then it was off to dinner and my work, root beer!
The Body is rich and creamy with standard flavor and some nice vanilla. There’s a slight fruity tinge that detracts but not much. The Bite is very mild and smooth, I wish it had more spice. The Head is very short but it is there and it doesn’t fizz away instantly. The Aftertaste is a creamy vanilla.
This stuff is pretty good, but just not quite there in several categories. It’s fine enough with their delicious food, and with outdoor seating, a fun place to kick back for a cold one after the carousel on a summer’s evening. The first day of my trip turned out well.
My dinner of some delicious barbecue pulled pork and brisket sandwich with coleslaw on it. Yum!
A look back to the kegs they tap into for the bar.
Last week I had a rather sudden and unexpected business trip to New Jersey. And though you think you may know where this is going, you’re wrong, the first thing I didn’t wasn’t look for some new brewery, but rather to tell 
So 2 weeks ago, while we were at the Powerhouse Brewery, my lovely wife suggested that we drive the extra 40 minutes south to hit up the Iron Rabbit restaurant to try their root beer. I had originally planned only to do Powerhouse because as much as I wanted to try all the root beer, I didn’t want to have my family stuck on such a long drive. But, she said, no regrets. With that encouragement, we were off to Olympia! The Iron Rabbit Restaurant & Bar is a very classy, yet casual, family friendly restaurant with a diverse menu featuring local flavors. They aren’t a brewery but they make their own house root beer, which is pretty unique. They are also very rabbit themed for undisclosed reasons, and there are bunny decorations all throughout the restaurant. The kids’ menu even has an activity to count the rabbits. I found 15. 
