Bottled Root Beers – Page 7 – Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog

Soda Pop Bros Oktoberfest Root Beer

Aug 032022

Back in September I heard from my good friend Jeremy of The Soda Pop Bros about a limited edition Oktoberfest brew they were making. This was a must try for me, because not only is all root beers a must try, this one had chocolate in it. I’ve heard of chocolate root beers before (and a Root Beer and Chocolate which I can’t quite review with my stringent definitions) but I’ve never been able to acquire them before. I like their label, it’s all Bavarian looking like lederhosen which is what you’d expect at Oktoberfest. Another interesting fact is that it has 2% of the daily needs of calcium and 10% of potassium, so it’s good-ish for you? Or at least got those sweet electrolytes. So how is this Bavarian, hydrating, chocolatey brew?

The Body is sweet and mild with a hint of chocolate flavor mingled with a bit of sarsaparilla. It’s a refreshing yet subtly complex. There’s also a citrus hint. The Bite is also pretty mild and decently smooth. The Head is excellent! Very tall but doesn’t linger too long. The Aftertaste is faint, but of chocolate and sarsaparilla.

It’s different and enjoyable, refreshing even, but do I wish it were just a little stronger. A little more oomph would take it to the next level, though it wouldn’t be as refreshing, probably. I like it stronger anyways. Anyhow, this brew was actually a collaboration with another soda maker with whom the Soda Pop Bros are good friends. The recipes are similar with this having lesser carbonation amongst other things. So stay tuned. See how it rates against other root beers.

Sprecher Vanilla Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Jul 062022

This is my fourth Sprecher root beer. I really appreciate them for continuing to develop new flavors for me to test. Though, I always have the hardest time finding these. Like, supposedly they’re sold at hardware stores near me, but I never find them. If not for the immense generosity of Vince, I would be left to wander in darkness, groping in vain for root beers always beyond my reach. Or, just drive a little further to a specialty soda store that will have them, but I like to be melodramatic. Plus it’s always fun to meet up with true root beer savant. Anyways. I like vanilla root beers. I love vanilla and making it the dominant flavor in root beer has always worked well. Sprecher being Sprecher, I have no doubt this will also be a great hit. Sadly the crow beast thing on the label is not jovially holding a mug, but I guess this is more coat of arms style. This is flavored with natural vanilla flavor rather than vanilla extract, which I’m not sure makes a huge difference, but does seem a bit weird to me.

The Body is mild with a strong, albeit not creamy, vanilla flavor. It kind of tastes artificial, despite being natural flavor. The Bite is mild as well, with little worth mentioning. The Head is medium height and staying power. The Aftertaste is more of that vanilla flavor, which while not the best vanilla flavor, isn’t bad.

Well, um, this brew is okay, but not what I’d hoped. Maybe there’s something to that natural flavor vs extract thing. I really don’t get it, but normal Sprecher is so good, why didn’t they just double or triple the vanilla? That would have been amazing. As it is, this is drinkable but not what I expect from Sprecher. Oh well, I guess 2 out of 4 having a Seal is a lot better than most brands. See how it rates against other root beers.

Rocket Fizz Boosted Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Jun 012022

Another one I got back last summer at Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store. It was my caffeinated root beer run, and is always a pain to review these. Rocket Fizz decided regular caffeinated root beers were too weak evidently so they amped this up to having nearly twice as much as the Sprecher with 4 ounces less soda (pop/coke). They also put guarana and ginseng and b vitamins in it. So an energy drink basically. Usually Rocket Fizz just copies some other soda with their root beer flavors, but I can’t think of another one that’s a pure energy drink root beer, so maybe they’ve found some originality? It’s got a sleek metallic label too, like they wanted to do that energy drink in a can but realized that I wouldn’t drink it if they did and since my review is more important than anything else they put it in glass. Thank you for that. Now on to the review.

The Body is sweet and creamy with a soapy medicinal flavor underneath a rather generic creamy root beer core. Faint flavors of ginseng and guarana accent this. The Body is spicy and complex and it finishes pretty smooth. The Head is very nice, tall and foamy. The Aftertaste is a little strange, a little soapy, a little medicinal and a little vanilla.

Overall it’s good, which is surprising considering all they put in it, but still tastes a little off, which is entirely expected for an energy drink, vitamin fortified brew. I would rather drink the Sprecher if I need a caffeine boost, but if I needed a full energy drink (which is basically never), I wouldn’t pass this up. See how it rates against other root beers.

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