GourmetRootBeer

Bluebird Brewing Batch 001 Root Beer

Dec 052012

Bluebird Batch 001 Root Beer So Bluebird Microcreamery in Seattle just decided to get into the nano-brewing business and had a grand opening just a few weeks ago, officially becoming Bluebird Microcreamery & Brewery. When I heard they were brewing root beer as well I headed over as quickly as I could to get the scoop (pun intended) on the new brew and the new entrant into the gourmet root beer world. My first impression of the place is that it is truly a nano-brewery. They are on a 2 bbl system that seems to only hold about 100 gallons at most per vat. The whole operation, brewery, creamery, bar, and sitting area occupy about as much space as a corner Starbucks. The decor is very rustic with tables built on old fashioned milk cans and pints of root beer served in frosted mason jars. They try to be all natural local and organic as well. They have three different root beers that they brew but only one at any given time. This one is imaginatively called Batch 001 because it is obviously their 10th try … I had hoped that by announcing myself as the internet root beer guru that I am there would be much excitement but I was kind of overshadowed by Chef Gordon Ramsay who was shooting an episode of Kitchen Nightmares just next store. Oh well.

The Body is very sweet and complex. It is almost dark but not quite. It is mildly creamy with wintergreen, cinnamon, and licorice hints. All of these flavors are perfectly proportioned so that at first sip it tastes just like you’d expect from a root beer but then the subtler flavors surface enhancing it considerably. The slightly caramel flavor of brewed cane sugar shines through as well. The Bite is mild but present from the cinnamon and is just about at my favorite level. It has a very clean mouth feel from the lack of preservatives. The Head is amazingly tall and very frothy. I’ve seen better but they definitely earn full points and then some for it. The Aftertaste is sweet hints of cinnamon and licorice with just a tad of wintergreen coming though.

This is a pleasure to drink. It’s different than my standard favorites to be sure but I really enjoy it. It is great to sip, to chug, and I’m sure would go great in a float with some of their ice cream. Though it’s really good, it didn’t move me like some of the greats, but I would never pass this up if I were in a root beer mood and it was the closest available. I am proud to give it my Seal of Approval and I look forward to trying their other root beers in the future.

The Bluebird Brewery bar and the lovely bartender.

Me on a tour of the Bluebird Brewery, which consisted of everything you see. That is the entire brewery.

Bawls Changes the Name of Their Root Beer – Recipe Remains the Same

Root Beer News No Responses »

Nov 282012

Bawls Guarana had just recently changed the name of their root beer from G33k B33r with the Root Beer name only on the cap to simply Bawls Guarana Root Beer. When asked if the recipes were the same the company responded “same delicious stuff! We simply changed the label to make it easier for people to know what was inside.”

While the first statement (it being delicious) is debatable, all those who aren’t fluent in 1337 will likely agree that the name is significantly more readable and even the leetspeakers will find it significantly less ambiguous as G33k doesn’t usually imply root and hence the jump from G33k B33r to root beer was hardly logical. Though, why they didn’t just call it r00t b33r from the start is probably something we’ll never know.

Black Bear Legendary Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers 2 Responses »

Nov 282012

I was visiting The Root Beer Store and found this. It was a pleasant surprise since I thought I had tried everything they stocked and then some. It is kind of marketed as a lower calorie root beer with the bottle boasting “Only 90 Calories Per Serving.” Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view) that is only because they give you 6.3 ounces instead of the normal 12. So basically you get half of the calories by drinking half of the root beer. I guess if people fall for it then all the more power to them. The label has got a lot of slogans like “It’s a Bear of A Drink”, “Refreshing”, “Quality and Tradition Since 1920” and so forth. Each one is in a different font for some reason. It’s almost as busy as Spring Grove Root Beer label but not quite as bad. The bottle itself is really heavy for its size and looks to be 1/4 inch thick glass. It’s almost as if they wanted it to be able to survive a black bear attack or something.

The Body is kind of weak and slightly creamy. It tastes pretty generic. The Bite is pretty weak as well, there’s a little bit but it needs more. The Head is good. It is medium height with a long half-life, very frothy. The Aftertaste is a light vanilla flavor that lasts the right amount of time.

So, it’s about as generic as it gets despite all of the taglines to suggest otherwise. With the exception of the Head, there is nothing notable about it. It isn’t bad though so if I was looking for some bear-proof root beer for a picnic, I might just snag a few of these. See how it rates against other root beers.

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