Bottled Root Beers – Page 78 – Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog

Angus O’Neil’s Root Beer

Dec 102014

Bottle of Angus O'Neil's Root Beer Aussie brew number 2! It’s made by Slade’s Soft Drinks which is located in Victoria Australia and was started over a hundred years ago by the O’Neil brothers. This drink supposedly dates back to the founding and it uses a “secret recipe”. Angus was the son of one of the two brothers. The company was originally called O’Neil Brother’s Soft Drinks but they changed to Slade’s because they deemed it “appropriate” whatever that’s supposed to mean. This one took me forever to get a hold of. It was always frustrating because it was just out of reach. First Slade’s Soft Drinks ‘liked’ my Facebook page, but never responded to any messages about me getting any of their root beer. Then I found a case on Ebay and asked the seller if they’d ship to the US. They said they would but it would be over $100. If they only shipped two bottles, shipping would be only $50 but they’d still charge me for the full case of root beer. I balked and the item expired. I searched high and low and found markets in India that sold it but nobody shipped to the US. Throughout this time I’d tried to contact the company directly but they never responded. Then one day, out of the blue, they did. After a month of negotiations I finally got it shipped to me. It wasn’t cheap. And then they didn’t even bubble wrap the bottles and so one leaked due to damage (is it just me or does the post like to damage fragile packages?). At least I had one pristine bottle to review. It comes in a 375 ml bottle like Bundaberg, though it’s a screw cap.

The Body is sour and fruity with a sarsaparilla flavor. The sour fruity, though, is by far the strongest profile. The Bite is acidic and with a hint of spice burn, not much. The Head is tall, but it fizzes down quickly. The Aftertaste is a light licorice flavor that gives way to ginger and vanilla. That part is rather nice actually.

The sour is really overpowering, but the aftertaste is quite nice. It reminds me of Francis Hartridge’s but better. I’d say that this is the best foreign brew (excluding Canada) so far, though that really isn’t saying much. I’d still pass on it though, if I were offered it again. See how it rates against other root beers.

Napa Valley Soda Company Rutherford Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Dec 032014

A bottle of Rutherford Root Beer Nestled in the quiet, green Napa Valley was the Napa Valley Soda Company. They looked at all of their peaceful serenity and bounteous vineyards and thought to themselves that they should harness the power of the valley and make a root beer, and other sodas. They named them after their favorite places in the valley. Calistoga Cola, Oakville Grape, St. Helena Citrus, and Rutherford Root Beer, amongst others. According to them, “Napa Valley has long been synonymous with quality, good taste, and natural beauty. Napa Valley Soda Company has captured this essence in a … natural soda” I found this on a journey to Sacramento. The label features an areal view map of the valley with the cities and geological features after which their sodas are named marked for all to see. Hot air balloons and an airplane survey the tranquility.

The Body is weak, watery, fruity, and tastes kind of like a cola or maybe medicine. There only a very little Head. The Bite, however, is good. The Aftertaste is fruity and medicine like that left a bad taste in my mouth long after I was finished drinking it.

Yuk! This stuff is absolutely horrible. If what they claimed about Napa Valley is true, I don’t know how this root beer slipped by them. Maybe the “essence” captured is like the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones which destroys everything if you remove it from its dwelling place. Whatever the case this is one of the worst brews I’ve ever had. See how it rates against other root beers.

McCutcheon’s Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Nov 262014

McCutcheon's Root Beer Bottle Nestled in the small city of Frederick, MD resides McCutcheon’s Apple Products, Inc. It was started in 1938 by old Mr. McCutcheon who, after working till ripe old age of 80, was “asked” to retire from his job at the local canning factory. Well, not to take that lying down, he went and bought himself a cider press and got to work with his son and daughter-in-law. Soon they were making apple butter and other jams and jellies. Today they are still going strong, with half of their 26 full time employees being proud McCutcheons. Somewhere in that history of growth to over 300 different jams, preserves, sauces, etc, they decided to add in a root beer. Because, root beer. They don’t make it there, but it is custom made to their specifications using pure cane sugar. They don’t ship their root beer, however. Something to do with it leaking in the summer. It took quite a bit of coaxing for me get them to ship me out two bottles so I could review it. They taped the tops of the capped bottles, then put that in a padded box, then put that box in a bigger padded box just in case. It worked out and no leaking nor spilling.

The Body is dark and rooty with some wintergreen and a tad bit of licorice coming though. The Bite is nice and spicy, yet it finishes smooth. The Head is super tall and lasts a long time. It makes medium sized bubbles rather than the tiny ones, which is fine. The Aftertaste is really good with some creamy vanilla and a dab of wintergreen.

This brew is a bit darker than I prefer, but still high quality, especially the smooth, creamy finish. It’s a shame that you can’t order it online. Maybe they’ll improve their capping technology in the future. Who knows. See how it rates against other root beers.

Older Entries Newer Entries