Devil’s Canyon Brand Root Beer

 Draft and Keg Root Beers  No Responses »
Aug 222012
 

So this is my first Draft and Keg Root Beers review to not appear as a bonus review, and I think that all of the others will be Wednesday reviews as well. I’m sorry, there’s only a finite amount of root beers in the world and even fewer bottled ones so I need to keep the regular pace as much as possible. I was down in San Francisco taking care of some business and then decided to go down to San Jose to visit an old college room mate who was also the best man at my wedding. My scouring of the internet revealed that Devil’s Canyon Brewery was on the way just off of HWY 101. They only let you buy pints and growlers Fridays 4-6 pm which worked out well since I started out for San Jose at 3:30 on a Friday. When I got there came up with a paper and pen, a camera, and specific instructions on my pint, no plastic cup but an actual glass, pour it so it builds a nice Head, and pour it once I’m ready to get a picture afterwards. As I began to drink and take notes, they figured I was more than just the average root beer fan and asked who I was with, promising to check my site. They also informed their brew mistress/owner who came to tell me more about it.

The Body is medium with fruity and slightly creamy hints. There’s some honey that comes through and it has a nice clean mouth feel. It is also really smooth with only a little Bite from some spice. The Head is short but frothy. It could be much better. The Aftertaste is fruity and vanilla.

It’s not bad, but I really don’t like the fruity. I thought it was citric acid at first but was informed that in addition to organic cane sugar and local Belmont, CA honey, they use local agave nectar as a sweetener. That’s where it comes from. It kind of ruined it for me. The Head could be much better as well. It’s better than your generic store brand, though, I didn’t feel it warranted a growler as a gift to my friend.

Their little tap stand outside the brewery. Notice the Root Beer Tap.




Town Hall Brewery Root Beer

 Draft and Keg Root Beers  1 Response »
Apr 202012
 

So this last week I visited the Twin Cities to give a seminar on electric vehicles at the University of Minnesota. I arrived in the late afternoon and after I got settled the question was, where to eat dinner? I asked the hotel clerk about good local restaurants and she gave me a list. A quick perusal revealed the Town Hall Brewery. What if, I thought, they brewed their own root beer. I gave the place a call and sure enough they did. I quickly procured the hotel shuttled and took off. I sat at the bar and the lovely bar tender, Rachel, asked me what I would like to drink. I told her who I was and why I was there, root beer. She kindly brought me some saltines and a glass of water and then went to the tap and filled my mug. The root beer is tapped directly from the brewing vats, no bottles, not even kegs, just the freshest root beer with minimal handling.

The first thing I saw was as she poured it, it foamed up like crazy. What a Head! That always gets me going. The foam actually holds together so well that it the Head can build above the glass without spilling over! It has a sweet rich Body that is very creamy. There is nice honey accenting the core flavors. There is a subtle Bite from the spices that surface after the initial contact but it is very smooth like I prefer. The Aftertaste is delicious vanilla and honey with hints of spices.

Yum, yum, yum. How delicious and fresh tasting. What a joy as well that an order of root beer comes with refills. After I wrote my initial review I had another mug while I waited for my food. This brew goes great by itself or with the amazing food they serve, like a walleye hoagie with a side of butter fried fries (my dinner ultimately). The biggest sadness was that I left my camera at home. Rachel and her smart phone to the rescue! So after my walleye hoagie and three and a half mugs of root beer. I left quite full and contented. My trip was already an overwhelming success, and I hadn’t even given my seminar. All my voyages should be such. So if your in Minneapolis, definitely drop by the Town Hall Brewery.




Big E Root Beer

 Draft and Keg Root Beers  4 Responses »
Mar 232012
 

So my wonderful CFH friend (named Eric as well by the way) who found me the Joe’s discovered this brew for me on tap from a keg at a brewery/taphouse he often visits in Seattle called Naked City. It’s made by the Ellersick Brewing Company and isn’t bottled. I don’t usually go to Seattle any more but I told him the next time I was over there we’d have to try. I did finally make over on Thursday for a symposium at the University of Washington where I presented some wonderful electric vehicle research I’d done as well as performed some experiments on the company LEAF. After such a triumph, the only thing that could make it better would be to try a new root beer. I was running late when I got to the bar. I quickly ordered a glass, no ice, and poured to build the Head. The bar tender thought it was oddly specific until I explained who I was and what I was doing. To which she replied, “Ok, I still need your ID if you plan to sit at my bar.”

Despite my instructions, she didn’t build a very nice Head for me to evaluate, in part because she used a wet glass. However, my friend, who’d been there for about 10 minutes eating fries and sipping his own, vouched for the size of the Head on his. Mine was still very frothy though so I imagine it would be tall if done properly. The Body is very creamy, though not from vanilla, but it just feels creamy. It’s very sweet and tastes like a root beer barrel candy. Then comes the Bite, so much clove! Wintergreen too! Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever had a root beer with this much clove in it. There’s some other spice too, some cinnamon maybe. The net result is quite a Bite. The Aftertaste is sort of waxy wintergreen with hints of clove. The waxiness coats your mouth for quite a long time after drinking the brew.

Well, it’s decent, and very unique. Can’t say that I’d order it just to drink by itself, especially with that waxy Aftertaste, but the strong clove and wintergreen flavor would mix well with certain foods, and since they serve them there, it’s worth getting with your meal.




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