Red Jammer – Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog

Red Jammer Root Beer

Oct 192016

Red Jammer Root Beer Bottle On the last day of my trip to Alberta, we went on a tour of Glacier National Park, driving through the Going-to-the-Sun Road and admiring all of the beautiful scenery. We even went whitewater rafting down a river. All along the road we saw these old timey red buses filled with tourists. They’re called Red Jammers because they’re red, and they used to have a double clutch which made a jamming noise as the drivers would shift on the steep roads. Originally, the buses were just called Reds and the drivers were called Jammers but not anymore. At the end of the road we stopped at a gift shop and I saw bottles of Red Jammer Root Beer, the Official Root Beer of Glacier National Park. I got three bottles and then parted company with my friends, and headed out into the sunset towards Washington again. I didn’t have sun glasses so I was pretty much squinting for 5 hours, I should have thought that drive through better.

The Body is weak and indistinct, not very sweet and has a hint of anise flavor in it. It is kind of gross if you ask me. The Bite is alright. The Head is bad. The Aftertaste is kind of gross with a mild anise flavor.

I don’t like this one bit. All in all it tastes like a Flathead Lake Monster Root Beer that some one stuck a licorice stick in over night, which is actually an improvement over normal FLM. I wonder if that is because they are both made by the same brewery. Of all of the root beers I’ve tried, this may be the only one that’s a simple relabel, but I’m not sure. There were differences and I did taste three bottles of each. The UPCs are different so I’m going to err on the side of this is distinct, though not much. See how it rates against other root beers.

The Grizzly Paw Soda Company Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Mar 162016

The Grizzly Paw Soda Company Root Beer Bottle About the time I was emailed about the Brewski another Canadian, dare I say my very favorite Canadian, informed me that he had found this and wanted to know if I needed to try it. I say my favorite Canadian because he was my longest and last mission companion in Madagascar so many years ago. Our root beer relationship went back to then, with me sending him some A&W as soon as I got back home (I got home first) to help end the root beer dearth that country suffers from. I even visited him in Alberta and found the FLM and Red Jammer along the way. Anyhow, I traded him some Steelhead and Hank’s for this. It comes in the standard Canadian 341 ml bottle which still makes no sense at all. The label makes me think of some nature park warning sign which is appropriate for the region. The coolest part about it is the whole “Racinette” because, Canada.

The Body is rich and sort of creamy with a rather generic root beer flavor. There’s nothing that really jumps out at you. The Bite has got a lot of carbonation fizz but not really much in the spice department. The Head is short and doesn’t last very long. The Aftertaste is a light caramel licorice with a bit of vanilla that doesn’t last long enough.

This is pretty meh but not unpleasant in any way. It’s just one of those generic, decent root beers that might as well have a white label with the words “Root Beer” in black text. I’d drink it again if I needed a brew to go with dinner, but only if it just happened to be laying around. See how it rates against other root beers.

Dorothy’s Isle of Pines Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Nov 032011

Dorothy Molter, The Root Beer Lady, lived in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on the international border of the United States and Ontario, Canada. She was a nurse by training and operated the Isle of Pines Resort. She brewed her own root beer for the travelers. She was wild and rugged. Now, her resort has been moved from that pristine wilderness to Ely, MN, where it is a museum. This root beer is brewed by the museum. An interesting history. Though, when I think of commemorative root beers, things like Crater Lake and Red Jammer come to mind.

The Body is sweet and creamy but watered down. There is also a hint of something else in there but I’m not sure what. It is too brief to really catch. There also isn’t much Bite at all, not from spices nor carbonation. I do like it smooth but it’s got to at least be there. The Head is medium height but is gone fast. Make sure not to blink or you might miss it. The brew is nearly flat after that as well. The Aftertaste is fleeting vanilla. It goes far too soon.

This is like the ghost of an excellent root beer. It reminds me of all that is good about a quality brew but isn’t that itself. And like a ghost, it is transparent and quickly fades away. I find it appropriate though, since all that remains of a once amazing and rugged woman is a displaced museum in her honor, that her root beer would be a shadow of a lost former glory. See how this rates against other root beers.