Big Ben’s Root Beer!

 Bottled Root Beers  No Responses »
Jan 182012
 

That’s right folks, there is an exclamation mark after the word root beer in the title. Unlike the few others that have done this, So Duh! and Dang! That’s Good, the fine people at Big Ben’s are emphasizing that it is Root Beer! They also say “Satisfying!” so they are pretty close to getting carried away with those exclamations. But, when you consider that Big Ben’s has been around continuously since the 1920’s with a line of 23 different flavors and 11 different packaging styles, there is a lot to be excited about. Such a robust independent soft drink company these days is a rare find indeed. Normally, they don’t ship their sodas in glass bottles but thankfully made an exception for yours truly. That way I didn’t have to go all the way to Pennsylvania to get it. Choice!

It has a full dark Body. It is strong with sassafras and hints of anise and wintergreen. It is only slightly creamy. I prefer more creamy. The Bite is very mild, mostly from carbonation. The Head builds to a good height but isn’t very frothy at all and quickly fizzes away. The Aftertaste is mild wintergreen and sassafras.

So overall it’s a decent brew but there really isn’t anything exceptional about it. It is the sort of standard supermarket line of root beer that you’ll find out there (for those supermarkets that bottle them in glass) which makes sense from a soda company with so many flavors that doesn’t specialize in root beer. Good enough to keep in business but it isn’t winning any awards. See how it rates against other root beers.




Rock It Root Beer

 Bottled Root Beers  No Responses »
Jan 112012
 

What a name! What a picture! I love a good pun and this takes it to a whole new level. A guitar rocket ship blasting through the “Rock It” title banner. This is on the level of a picture of a sword guitar with the caption “one does not simply ROCK into Mordor” Such awesomeness could only come from the people at Emack & Bolio’s, makers of fine gourmet ice cream that is both rocket and rock and roll themed. They say that they microbrew their sodas to both compliment their ice cream or taste great on their own. The only other Rock themed root beer I’ve tried so far is So Duh! Rockin’ Root Beer which is amazing so I had high hope for this one.

This is a very unique brew. The Body is rich and full but not dark. It’s sweet and crisp from the cane sugar and there are hints of vanilla coming through. It tastes great! The Bite is strong from a combination of spices and the carbonation. The carbonation releases suddenly from the liquid and gives a slight acidic flavor and burn as it bites you. The Head is very strange. It is very dark colored and bubbles up quickly to a medium height. Then, rather than fizzing away, the bubbles coalesce into larger and larger bubbles before the one large bubble pops. This all happens in about 10 seconds and I’ve never seen anything like it before. It seems that their carbonation process is different than the normal method (water and CO2 are separate ingredients rather than carbonated water) and that may have something to do with it. The Aftertaste is sort of spicy caramel with some vanilla. It is really good.

So, this brew does taste great and it would make a wonderful root beer float. In fact, the way it is carbonated would probably work great to build an epic frothy float. The flavors are all in place for this brew but the Bite and the Head are just a little too off for the Seal of Approval. It will go great with food though, and would be a fun change up from the normal root beer routine so it’s definitely worth getting now and again. See how it rates against other root beers.




Red Arrow Root Beer

 Bottled Root Beers  9 Responses »
Jan 042012
 

Red Arrow is an old brand of root beer that came from Michigan in the 1950s through 70s. According to the bottle “Folklore says that the brand was a tribute to the Red Arrow Brigade.” Now the Red Arrow Brigade was formed in 1967 from the deactivated 32nd Infantry Division. It was made of three battalions of light infantry as well as support and engineer units. The 32nd Infantry “Red Arrow” Division was formed from the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guards in 1916 to serve on the Mexican border. The Red Arrow Division was active through WWII and had many Metals of Honor and other awards. So most likely folklore (or at least the root beer bottle) meant that the brand was named after the Red Arrow Division and not the Brigade. Either way, the brand died out and for decades the only trace of it was old bottles and crown caps peddled by collectors. Then in March 28, 2011, it was resurrected, the recipe having fallen into the hands of a Redmond, WA man who decided it was something the world needed once again.

It has a full Body that is loaded with wintergreen. Wow! So much wintergreen! There is also a very noticeable licorice flavor that makes the whole Body rather dark. I don’t really like it that much. The Bite is solid, with carbonation first hitting the tongue followed by the spice kick, largely from the wintergreen. It still has a rather smooth finish, though, I prefer it smoother. The Head is pitiful, the classic Two Second Head. It’s like they aren’t even trying. The Aftertaste is strong wintergreen and licorice. There is too much licorice and it is sticky.

If you love wintergreen and licorice, inseparable at every turn, this is definitely the root beer for you. I on the other hand, think that it’s not good at all. The bottle says that the recipe is from Michigan, “known for authentic root beer flavor.” The fact that this brand didn’t initially survive in such a place should have been the first clue that maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Alas, like some horrid zombie it was unearthed from the grave in which it rightfully belonged to wreak its havoc upon the root beer world. It could have been much worse, however, so I don’t think an angry mob with pitch forks and torches will be required at the dark mansion of the man who brought it back. See how it rates against other root beers.




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