Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Root Beer

 Draft and Keg Root Beers  4 Responses »
Sep 262012
 

My son, like most little boys, loves trains. This matters because Snoqualmie, WA has a historic train museum that includes a train ride from the historic depot. We had always thought it would be fun to take him there since we always drive through Snoqualmie on the way to my parents house. Then, I discovered Snoqualmie had a brewery that makes their own root beer, and only a block away from the museum. We quickly planned a family outing to see trains and drink root beer. The night before we went, we discovered that it was “A day with Thomas” at the museum, featuring a life sized Thomas the Tank Engine that would pull the train ride instead of the normal engine. Of course it was much more expensive (and a shorter ride) but with all of the additional events that were happening we were glad we went then. After a whole morning of riding trains, looking at trains, taking pictures of trains, and playing with model trains, we went to the brewery for lunch. Of course, I had to start by reviewing their root beer.

It has a sweet and complex Body. The core flavors taste like those generic root beer barrel candies with a lot of wintergreen and clove. It isn’t really creamy at all, but rather, sharp and spicy. The Bite is pretty strong from all of the spices but not harsh from carbonation. It’s still a little more than I prefer though. The Head is nice, medium height and very frothy. It lasts and lasts (at least when you ask them to pour it so it has a Head). The Aftertaste is wintergreen with some clove accents that lingers the right amount of time.

This is a pretty decent brew, but doesn’t really move me at all. While it has a nice complex flavor, it is more sharp than rich and I prefer a rich smooth flavor. There’s nothing unpleasant about it though, so I give it a 3 1/2 kegs, with the nice Head just pushing it over from a 3. So don’t go just to drink it, but it’ll go well with your meal. Just don’t get their pizza, while it’s loaded with toppings, it still tastes pretty bland. Their gumbo, however, is a different story.




Devil’s Canyon Brand Root Beer

 Draft and Keg Root Beers  No Responses »
Aug 222012
 

So this is my first Draft and Keg Root Beers review to not appear as a bonus review, and I think that all of the others will be Wednesday reviews as well. I’m sorry, there’s only a finite amount of root beers in the world and even fewer bottled ones so I need to keep the regular pace as much as possible. I was down in San Francisco taking care of some business and then decided to go down to San Jose to visit an old college room mate who was also the best man at my wedding. My scouring of the internet revealed that Devil’s Canyon Brewery was on the way just off of HWY 101. They only let you buy pints and growlers Fridays 4-6 pm which worked out well since I started out for San Jose at 3:30 on a Friday. When I got there came up with a paper and pen, a camera, and specific instructions on my pint, no plastic cup but an actual glass, pour it so it builds a nice Head, and pour it once I’m ready to get a picture afterwards. As I began to drink and take notes, they figured I was more than just the average root beer fan and asked who I was with, promising to check my site. They also informed their brew mistress/owner who came to tell me more about it.

The Body is medium with fruity and slightly creamy hints. There’s some honey that comes through and it has a nice clean mouth feel. It is also really smooth with only a little Bite from some spice. The Head is short but frothy. It could be much better. The Aftertaste is fruity and vanilla.

It’s not bad, but I really don’t like the fruity. I thought it was citric acid at first but was informed that in addition to organic cane sugar and local Belmont, CA honey, they use local agave nectar as a sweetener. That’s where it comes from. It kind of ruined it for me. The Head could be much better as well. It’s better than your generic store brand, though, I didn’t feel it warranted a growler as a gift to my friend.

Their little tap stand outside the brewery. Notice the Root Beer Tap.




Town Hall Brewery Root Beer

 Draft and Keg Root Beers  1 Response »
Apr 202012
 

So this last week I visited the Twin Cities to give a seminar on electric vehicles at the University of Minnesota. I arrived in the late afternoon and after I got settled the question was, where to eat dinner? I asked the hotel clerk about good local restaurants and she gave me a list. A quick perusal revealed the Town Hall Brewery. What if, I thought, they brewed their own root beer. I gave the place a call and sure enough they did. I quickly procured the hotel shuttled and took off. I sat at the bar and the lovely bar tender, Rachel, asked me what I would like to drink. I told her who I was and why I was there, root beer. She kindly brought me some saltines and a glass of water and then went to the tap and filled my mug. The root beer is tapped directly from the brewing vats, no bottles, not even kegs, just the freshest root beer with minimal handling.

The first thing I saw was as she poured it, it foamed up like crazy. What a Head! That always gets me going. The foam actually holds together so well that it the Head can build above the glass without spilling over! It has a sweet rich Body that is very creamy. There is nice honey accenting the core flavors. There is a subtle Bite from the spices that surface after the initial contact but it is very smooth like I prefer. The Aftertaste is delicious vanilla and honey with hints of spices.

Yum, yum, yum. How delicious and fresh tasting. What a joy as well that an order of root beer comes with refills. After I wrote my initial review I had another mug while I waited for my food. This brew goes great by itself or with the amazing food they serve, like a walleye hoagie with a side of butter fried fries (my dinner ultimately). The biggest sadness was that I left my camera at home. Rachel and her smart phone to the rescue! So after my walleye hoagie and three and a half mugs of root beer. I left quite full and contented. My trip was already an overwhelming success, and I hadn’t even given my seminar. All my voyages should be such. So if your in Minneapolis, definitely drop by the Town Hall Brewery.




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