Schneider’s German Root Beer

Sep 052018

A glass of Schneider's German Root Beer Still at the Minnesota State Fair, after I’d visited The Root Beer Hut I figured it was time to hit up all of the fair essentials, like roasted corn, big fat bacon on a stick, Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar, etc. After I’d gotten my corn and was waiting in line for my bacon (which I dual wielded for awhile), I saw another root beer stand. Schneider’s German Root Beer. Mind blown, two root beers for me to review when I only expected one! This was going to be an epic fair. I decided that I should walk the whole grounds (since I’d just recently had a 32 oz Challenge Root Beer) and catalog all of the root beer stands at the fair. After about 4 hours of wandering, I was ready for review Round 2. Schneider’s German Root Beer was established in 1947 using a family recipe. Like the Challenge Root Beer, it’s only available at the State Fair from one of two stands. I assume the one I visited was the first such stand.

The Body is very spicy and reminds me of a root beer barrel candy. There’s some vanilla with a slight fruity tinge as well. The Bite is spicy with good carbonation and a relatively smooth finish. The Head is a medium height but lacks staying power. The Aftertaste is a spiced vanilla.

This is pretty good. I better than the Challenge Root Beer, though more expensive. You get what you pay for I suppose. There still was a fruity tinge, and that keeps it from a Seal for me. But it’s yummy all the same and is sure to go well with all of that salty stick food you’ll be buying at the fair.

Three and a half kegs

Schneider’s German Root Beer stand. A bonus root beer at the fair for me.

The other German Root Beer stand.

Root Beer at The Minnesota State Fair

Random Root Beer-ness 1 Response »

Sep 012018

Minnesota State Fair Root Beer Barrel

So as you know, I was at the Minnesota State Fair this past weekend on a quest for a root beer stand review. Over the course of five hours of walking basically every part, I came to a happy realization. In addition to the food-on-a-stick, animals, rides, cookies (oh those fresh cookies), and exhibits, there was another overarching theme. And that is root beer. I made this discovery as I first trekked to The Root Beer Hut I saw a root beer barrel stand. I was very amazed and curious. I went to see if they had their own root beer. They said no, but had IBC in their fountains along with other sodas. Someone told me it was actually A&W, the dispenser itself said Mug, but it doesn’t matter. They weren’t advertising soda, they were advertising root beer. There was more than one of these barrels that I found (3 maybe) just out there selling root beer. There was The Root Beer Hut and The Red Barn Root Beer by the same family. I also found a surprise root beer stand, the German Root Beer stands (review coming Wednesday). There was a 1919 root beer stand, and a shaved ice stand with a big barrel advertising some craft brewed root beer that I’d never heard of. It’s clear, that root beer is just as much a feature of the Great Minnesota Get-Together as anything. Minnesota truly is the right place for a root beer gourmet like me. So if you’re in the area and love root beer, get on down to the State Fair!