GourmetRootBeer

Francis Hartridge’s Celebrated Root Beer

Apr 182012

A British made root beer! That’s right folks, the chaps across the pond thought they’d give root beer brewing a try. And not just any chaps, but the Hartridges (whose coat of arms features prominently on the neck of the bottle). Francis Hartidge himself, the distinguished gentleman on the label, allegedly brought this recipe back from the Americas. Luckily for me my project manager (a tosser really) hails from Hampshire and actually likes to visit home for some reason rather frequently. I found the nearest stockist to his house and to my joy he returned after Christmas vacation with a kingly gift indeed, two bottles of the Celebrated Root Beer. I must say that I was certainly celebrating. However, he said he tried a bottle himself and it tasted like washing up liquid, then again, he says all root beers taste like that and other bullocks along those lines.

The Body is fruity with a noticeable sarsaparilla flavor on the initial contact but then quickly fades to a watery sour flavor. There really isn’t much root beer flavor but there is a lot of sour fruity. Perhaps that’s due to there being more citric acid in this than flavor (as per the ingredients). There is a strong acidic Bite, both from the sour and carbonation, not the best. The Head’s pretty decent. It’s very tall but quickly fizzes down, kind of like the Head on Barq’s. The Aftertaste is a faint fruity sarsaparilla but rather empty.

So yeah, really sweet and fruity, not really root beer. What rubbish! He was right, if you want a good root beer this is like washing up liquid. I suppose the trainspotters with nothing better to do would think drinking this to be quite diverting. But really, Francis Hartridge dropped a bullock on this one. It reminds me a lot like Bundaberg but not even that good. Those Brits seem to have the same affliction of the Aussies when it comes to root beer. Shame indeed. See how it rates against other root beers.

Root Beer in Portugal – Victory and Defeat

Random Root Beer-ness 4 Responses »

Apr 152012

So the last two weeks as I traversed the land of the Lusitans, visiting in-laws and showing off the new baby, I personally quested to see if root beer could be found in the rather ‘dry’ continental Europe. I know that there are British and Australian root beers but I’ve never heard of it in any other country outside North America. While a Portuguese brand seemed far too unattainable, I wondered if I could at least find an American or British brand imported. That way, thirsty American expats could at least enjoy the most wonderful of drinks.

After a week and a half of fruitless searching, I was in Cascais, a tourist beach town west of Lisbon. We had just seen a really cool coastal landmark called Boca do Inferno and finished a nice lunch in the center square. As we walked across the square I noticed on the opposite side the restaurant “Happy Days” an “Ital American 50’s Diner and Bar” If anywhere should have root beer, such a place should. I went in and looked at the drinks behind the bar to see, and there it was, like a grail shaped beacon to a questing knight, root beer! A&W in cans.

So root beer found, victory! Well, I won’t drink it, I don’t drink root beer in cans after all, so defeat. But, for any American, or anyone who loves a decent root beer and doesn’t mind it in a can, staying Portugal, here is where you can get it:
Happy Days Diner and Bar
Edifício S. José, Loja 3, Jardim Visconde da Luz
Cascais · 2750-416

A close up on their sign.

There it is, next to the Old Jamaica Ginger Beer and the Compal

Grown-up Soda Dry Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Apr 112012

I first heard of this when I was ordering some of the last Thomas Kemper Purely Natural Root Beer in existence. I wanted to see if I could get a few more varieties in the 12 pack to lessen the price per review on that one. I was told by the distributor that this one is brand new and wasn’t even on their website yet. Hooray! I may be one of the first root beer reviewers to try it. The idea seems cool. Less sugar so the other delicious root beer flavors can come through. That way I can drink more root beer and not get diabetes (which is a myth by the way).

It has a most amazing Head, like a Henry’s, tall and frothy and lingers for ages. However, that is all this has going for it. The Body is gross. It is weak and really sour. There’s only the tiniest hint of vanilla and other root beer flavor but they’re diluted to the point of being gross and drowned out by sour. Dry indeed! The Bite is horrendous. There are no spices but plenty of acid burn. The Head, for all it’s height and frothiness, tastes worse than the liquid so I actually wish it were much shorter. The Aftertaste is more sourness that lingers way too long.

This is like drinking straight carbonated water, but worse actually because those tiny hints of sugar and flavors make the whole thing just taste like a big gross mistake. What have they done? Where are all of the good root beer flavors? I can accept them cutting the sugar for a more refined taste or whatever, but it seems for every part sugar they cut, they cut two parts everything else. So, so terrible! If this is what grown-up sodas are meant to taste like, I’m moving to Neverland, or Toys-R-Us, or Chuck E. Cheese’s, or anywhere else to escape such an age induced fate. It does have a pretty bottle though and that amazing Head is worth another half keg to be sure. See how it rates against other root beers.

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