Old Fashioned Fountain Root Beers – Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog

The Franklin Fountain Root Beer

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Jan 072026

Back in October I went to Delaware, before which all I could think of when I heard of Delaware was that bit from Wayne’s World “Hi, I’m in Delaware”. After visiting, I kind of agree with them. Thankfully, I flew in and out of Philadelphia, which, unlike Delaware, has loads of things for people to get excited about, like the Liberty Bell, Independence All, and other national historic sites and monuments all of which were closed, because the government was shut down. Remember that? Wasn’t it fun? Anyways, I don’t politic here I root beer and before I tried to visit any of those places I tried to find root beer. Philadelphia is the birthplace of root beer and you’d think there’d be some historic Hire’s Drug Store selling Hires or something. Well, my 10 minutes of googling didn’t happen to reveal anything about that but it did find The Franklin Fountain, designed to be exactly like a 1915 vintage ice cream parlor and soda fountain. They also make all of their in-house soda syrups so the expedition was saved and root beer could be had! They really nailed the recreation, even down to the old fashioned telephone which they rigged up to receive calls but can’t dial out.

The Body is dark and complex with an old fashioned flavor profile that’s very similar to those root beer barrel candies. There’s a bit of vanilla and a bitter wintergreen like a birch beer as well but thankfully light on the licorice. It’s very unique. The Bite is incredibly sharp and spicy with cinnamon and clove and other spices that mix well with the Body giving a very nice experience. The Head is tall but lacks any staying power, sadly. The Aftertaste is sweet spice that builds over time.

This is quite a unique soda that’s definitely a sipping root beer. I can’t say I give it a Seal of Approval but it’s definitely worth trying, especially because the fountain is so cool. They really nailed the recreation, even down to the old fashioned telephone which they rigged up to receive calls but can’t dial out. The soda jerks were very friendly as well, so if you find yourself in Franklin Square, try this unique root beer.

*The Franklin Fountain. Look at that amazing soda fountain.*

Spinning J’s Root Beer

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Nov 052025

Back in September I was in Chicago for work. I say Chicago but really I was in Oak Brook Terrace which is a western suburb of Chicago. You’d think what’s the difference and the main difference is if you find a place like Spinning J Bakery and Soda Fountain being actually in Chicago, there’s a bit more planning that goes into visiting due to Chicago’s horrendous traffic. Not helping in my quest to visit it was the fact that it’s open from 9 am to 3 pm only, which is too late for breakfast before work and too early for dinner after. Nevertheless, I was committed, since they have are an old fashioned soda fountain with a jerk and house made syrups made with spices, botanicals, and essential oils. Fortunately for me, on Friday we finished our work about 1 pm and my flight didn’t board till 5 so I had some time to drive down and give their root beer a try.

The Body is dark and complex with a solid sassafras root beer flavor accentuated with many herbs and spices such as ginger, clove, allspice, cinnamon to name a few. The licorice flavor is very light and there isn’t much wintergreen so it isn’t as dark of a flavor as you’d expect. It’s quite a unique mix yet a very familiar root beer flavor under it all. The flavors are intense and feel very fresh. The Bite is amazing. All of those fresh spices really make for one of the spiciest, boldest Bite I’ve ever had. Carbonation is on the light side, though, sadly. The Head is quite short, the biggest flaw in this soda, but it’s there when they’re making it, it just fizzes away. Much more than the old 2-Second Head, but still less that what I’d prefer. The aftertaste is an herbal clove flavor that is quite pleasant that finishes with a warm ginger burn that stays with you awhile.

Wow! That has got to be the most amazing and intense root beer Bite I’ve ever had. I love the freshness of the flavors too. I was raving about it with every drink, pointing out the ingredients I could taste. When I finished they asked if I wanted another, because I seemed to enjoy it so much, an offer I couldn’t help but take them up on. As I thought of where to rate it, the head was a little lighter then I wanted, but that warm ginger burn, several minutes after I’d finished, really Sealed the deal. If you’re ever in Chicago, this root beer is a must.

**Look at this beautiful, old-fashioned, soda fountain.**

Bubby’s Homemade Root Beer

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Jul 022025

Last month I went to New York City for the first time ever. Well technically I’ve flown into JFK Airport for stuff in Long Island but I that doesn’t really count, driving through Queens to outside the city limits, but I digress. I was there for, can you guess? Did you guess DERMS? Well you’re wrong, I was taking my teenage daughter to a concert for her favorite JPop artist, LiSA. Aren’t I a great father or something? Since we got there the day before we were able to see some of the iconic Manhattan sites like Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and eat some great food. I also had learned from correspondence with anthony that a place called Bubby’s makes their own root beer. So after dinner we went walking to it and found ourselves walking past the Ghost Buster’s building so that was a cool bonus. Categorizing this was a bit difficult for me, but ultimately they make all of their house sodas Old Fashioned Fountain style, using their homemade syrups to mix to order at the bar. I have that category for such root beers after all.

The Bite is the first thing you notice when you drink this. It’s spicy with clove and some other spices mixed in. The carbonation gives it good fizz for an all around excellent Bite. The Body comes in afterwards, sweet and complex with an aged sarsaparilla flavor and hints of vanilla and wintergreen complementing the spices. The Aftertaste is that sarsaparilla with a bitter finish from the wintergreen, I wish it weren’t quite so bitter. The Head is the biggest drawback, it doesn’t really foam much at all despite their attempts and what is made goes quickly.

This is actually quite good. It’s unique and complex while hitting the right notes. It does end a little too bitter and it’s foaminess is a little too weak, but it’s definitely worth trying if you’re in the area, especially since there are some iconic landmarks nearby. Bubby’s also makes their own ice cream for some of their other desserts and I bet their food would be great too, so this place won’t disappoint.

*Bubby’s as seen from one of the streets.*

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