Dec 052018
 

Duffys' Rowdy Root Beer Bottle In 1929 the great depression began. A man by the name of Frank Duffy, who didn’t know how to use apostrophes correctly, began selling a root beer. His mascot was the Duffys’ Elf for no discernible reason. But he was not the only man to do so that year. So did the folks who made Brownie Caramel Cream Root Beer, though their brownie (elf, sprite, pixie, whatever, they look the same) wasn’t green. I wonder which came first or if they knew about each other when they started. Either way. When Frank died, his soda company ran dry … get it? … no? … moving on … since he didn’t tell anyone else the recipes to his various drinks. So they shuttered up and went home. Years later, a safe was found in an abandoned warehouse, that when opened, contained the original recipes. Or so the story goes. Either way, Duffys’, like it’s other pixie themed competitor from days of yore, has been resurrected for the world to enjoy.

The Body is moderately sweet with a light flavor profile. There’s an out of place herbal bit that comes in and is sort of bitter as well. It’s most unwelcome. Thankfully it soon is replaced by creamy vanilla. The Bite is very sharp from carbonation yet lacking in spice. The Head is very tall and also frothy and lingers, but not quite as long as the greats. The Aftertaste is vanilla with a hint of fruity.

This is okay. I like the vanilla and the Head, the herbal bit, not so much. I’m not sure what makes this rowdy, maybe the whole combo of good and bad switching up. I suppose, after thinking long and hard about it, that I would in fact drink this again, if there wasn’t anything else about. See how it rates against other root beers.

Three kegs




Jan 302015
 

Root Beer Bowl XLIX
It’s that time of year when the Super Bowl comes upon us. The biggest TV event in the US and massive celebrations shall ensue. Being from the Seattle area, this is especially exciting to see the Seahawks return as defending champions. There are many wacky ways that have been used to predict the winner, from rabbits, puppys, porcupines, search engines, and video game simulations. These are of course all rubbish. The most accurate predictor is one that I’ve known for years but only now make public. It is the Root Beer Bowl Predictor. Look at the three best bottled root beers from the respective teams’ larger home zone, Seattle area for the Seahawks, all of Massachusetts for the Patriots, and see the combined ratings. The keg difference in the rating multiplied by touchdowns gives the spread. The best root beer will win. Every time. Without question. Seriously.

So let’s get on to the teams. The team “captain” in this case is the highest rated brew from the city proper. For Seattle this is the Seal of Approval rated Jones Root Beer coming in at the lowest 4 kegs. The rest of the Seahawks’ root beer team comes from a 20 minute drive to the north in Mukilteo, WA, where Orca beverages makes the near peerless Bulldog Root Beer and the solid Brownie Caramel Cream Root Beer. This gives a team rating of 12.5 with nothing but Seal of Approval brews.

For the Patriots the captain is Emack & Bolio’s Rock It Root Beer. Very delicious but a poor Head relegates it to a mere 3.5. The rest Patriots’ Root Beer team line up comes from from Worcester, MA. The first is Polar Classics Root Beer with a respectable 3.5. Their final member is a sleeper, Ginseng UP, but not the Ginseng UP name brand root beer (which I haven’t reviewed yet), but their default private label recipe that they supply to the world’s private labelers. A Seal of Approval brew at 4 kegs. Then the Patriots’ final lineup gives them 11.

Prediction: Though the Patriots have a strong root beer lineup, it isn’t enough to overcome Seattle’s all-star lineup. I see the Seahawks winning this by 10 points. GO SEAHAWKS!!!

Root Beer Bowl Team Lineups:
Seattle: Jones – 4; Bulldog – 4.5; Brownie Caramel Cream – 4 = 12.5
Boston: Rockit – 3.5; Ginseng UP – 4, Polar – 3.5 = 11




Sep 182013
 

Old Red Eye Root Beer Bottle Another recently resurrected brand bottled by Orca Beverages. I’m not sure (as of the time of this writing) if Orca is the one doing the resurrecting or if there’s just a mad rush to find a brand as part of the Great Root Beer Revival and these people are sending them all to Orca. As with the others (Red Arrow, Brownie Caramel Cream, Anchor Ginger, Hippo Size), this has a retro looking label with a prominent centered picture and then a few sentences written vertically off to the side that give some explanation about the brew. This particular iteration is supposedly named after a bull called Red Eye who was old and cranky. The only way to coax him out of his pen to do his daily “duties” was to pour his favorite root beer in a bowl for him first. I’m not sure then if his favorite root beer was this one, and if it was, how that all worked, maybe they took over another brand or it was homemade or something. I’m also not sure about what a bull had to do daily that required some coaxing. Last I checked a bull’s job, when not fighting colorfully dressed Spaniards and Lusitans, was breeding, so you’d think he wouldn’t need to be coaxed into it.

It has a full Body with a rich sassafras flavor with creamy wintergreen and the slightest hints of licorice. There are a lot of spices as well. It has a strong Bite with a lot of spice and sharp carbonation burn. Too much for me. The Head is tall but fizzes down very quickly so it looks good when you first pour it out, but not much left once you get to drinking it. The Aftertaste is minty with a tad bit of licorice that tastes like black jelly beans plus spices.

This really makes me think of an old fashioned soda fountain for some reason. There’s a lot going on here but it isn’t really my favorite. It’s more sharp and sassy than rich and creamy, but even then it’s got a darker flavor than I prefer. This still is a solid drinkable brew though. See how it rates against other root beers.

Three kegs