Root Beer Reviews – Page 124 – Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog

AJ Stephans Root Beer

Mar 192014

AJ Stephans Root Beer Bottle This is probably the first “Old Style” root beer I’ve had. It reminds me of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie where the Shredder is all “You fight well, in the old style …” So clearly Mr. Stephans’ recipe has been handed down to him from a family of ninja monks who practices the “Old Style”. The same can be said of his website at the time of writing this review. It’s interesting that AJ doesn’t focus on making sodas but rather “the finest elixirs and mixers in New England” They also seem to be pretty hung up on calling them tonics. It must be more of that old style talk. Their flagship flavor is a ginger beer so a mixer works for that. I’ve never really considered a root beer as a mixer before, and definitely not a tonic (not a good root beer anyways). Calling a root beer a tonic reminds me of the time on my mission I tried to make root beer with tonic water, which contains quinine, and I got the nastiest of surprises. Hopefully they haven’t gone down that route.

The Body is not very sweet and “dark” tasting if you know what I mean. There is lots of “flavor” (one of the ingredients) but I wouldn’t say that that is necessarily a good thing. There is not much Bite at all. The Head is nice though it could be frothier. The Aftertaste is sticky, almost cola-ish, and with more of the “flavor.” I think that I caught a hint of anise in there too.

My first reaction when I finished it, “Yeah, it’s a root beer.” Maybe calling it a tonic isn’t too far from the mark. Since I would still prefer this to drinking tonic water, their claim of having the best tonic in all of New England may not be false after all. Now claiming they make the best root beer, that’s something else. See how it rates against other root beers.

Ithaca Soda Company Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Mar 122014

Ithaca Soda Co. Root Beer Bottle It took me a long time to get a hold of this. I had a friend who was doing an MBA at Cornell and she kept saying she get me some and then she graduated and moved and I still didn’t have my root beer. Eventually someone else contacted me and offered a trade and I finally was able to have this much sought after brew. The label is brown and orange to give a sort of wooden keg feel to it. Then there’s some sort of ink blot test in the center that I’m gonna say is an old woman’s face. She’s got a big scar under her right eye. I’m not sure why they put that there. Maybe you only see the old woman if you’re crazy and other people see something else. I’ll skip the psychiatrist though, I’m busy drinking root beer.

The Body is very rich and complex. It starts with sweet caramel from the pure cane sugar and then turns dark and rooty with almost bitter notes that give way to creamy vanilla. The Bite has the perfect level of spice burn from the juniper berries but isn’t harsh on carbonation. The Head is tall and frothy and lingers as long as it takes to drink the whole bottle. The Aftertaste is vanilla and juniper berry spice which is pretty good.

Amazing! This brew has found the perfect balance between darker more herbal flavors and the sweet creamy goodness that I love. It is truly like no other brew that I’ve ever tried. I think it is the first with juniper berries though I’d like to see those more often now. Definitely grab this if you’ve got the chance. See how it rates against other root beers.

Weber’s Superior Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers 2 Responses »

Mar 052014

Bottle of Weber's Superior Root Beer This is a brew that dates back to 1891 by the great grandfather of the current owner. It was made from 14 natural ingredients and then aged in birch bark barrels. In 1933 he opened a root beer stand. This brew is still made using the original recipe and still aged in birch bark barrels. I wonder where you can even find those. Another interesting tidbit is that they claim that their founder and root beer brewer, Oscar Weber Bilby, also invented the modern hamburger, and that the very same grill used to make the first burgers in the world is still used in the restaurant. I always thought the hamburger had something to do with Hamburg Germany, like a frankfurter with Frankfurt, but what do I know? It’s also been family owned for four generations. While Weber’s Superior Root Beer has been around for over 100 years, it hasn’t always been bottled. I had been in contact with the owners for awhile now, and they told me when they were finally confident that the bottled brew was as good as the fresh on tap, they would release it to the world. In January they finally got it ready and sent me a six-pack with some articles and a personalized letter telling about their history and their plans to sell their root beer.

The Body has a rich, mature flavor. There’s sassafras and vanilla and birch going on but there’s more to it than that, you can taste that the ingredients have been aged in birch bark barrels. This has got some serious Bite. There’s spice all over the place, and several types. It’s good but almost a little too much for me. The Head is medium but very frothy. The Aftertaste is vanilla and birch with a lot of spice.

This is a fine, fine brew that has uniqueness to it that I’ve never encountered. I’m chalking that up to aging the extract. Like a balsamic vinegar, it gets that mature, woody flavor. I wish it were more readily available around here as this is one of the best root beers I’ve ever had. Thankfully you can order it online, it’s definitely worth it. I hope I get a chance to try it fresh on tap someday. See how it rates against other root beers.

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