Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog – Page 14 – The blog of the gourmet root beer site.

Fiz Oktoberfest Root Beer

Sep 072022

This is the second Oktoberfest root beer to come out of the collaboration of Roc City (Fiz) and The Soda Pop Bros, that is a limited addition root beer with chocolate as one of the ingredients. The base formula for both is the same, but mixed in different ratios with different levels of carbonation, which makes two similar yet distinct brews. As I mentioned before, the Fiz has more carbonation and about 20% more of the flavoring and sugar, making stronger, stickier, foamier brew as opposed to the Soda Pop Bros more light and refreshing root beer. Whichever one prefers is up to personal preference but I lean more to enjoy the stronger flavors so I was excited to try this. I also really like the label on this bottle, the yellow and the coat of arms makes it feel very Bavarian.

The Body is rich and sweet with an aged sarsaparilla core wrapped in a chocolately flavor that adds darkness and depth. There’s also a little vanilla to round it out. I like it a lot. The Bite is not strong but there is a bit of spice. I like the feel of it too. The Head is very tall and foamy as it should be. The Aftertaste is a nice chocolaty sarsaparilla.

This is good. This is what I like. A nice and sweet and full of yummy flavored brew. This only the second time I’ve chocolate in a root beer and I’m pleased that it worked so well. I hope they bring this back every October because I’d love to celebrate Okoberfest with a tall mug of this. See how it rates against other root beers.

Reverence Brewing Company 1840 Root Beer

Draft and Keg Root Beers No Responses »

Aug 172022

The second of four root beers from Reverence Brewing Company. I couldn’t wait to try more (plus I didn’t have a lot of time) so I went back that night after my welcome reception. So this was also the second root beer for the day. The head brewer, Nate, chose to make many different types of root beer because he realized that root beer has several distinct flavor profiles and he wanted to make sure that there would be variety for those different, discerning root beer lovers. Though he said he’d never really had any hard core root beer people before me come in save one father and son (I wonder if they read my blog). This root beer is their darker, herbal brew, the old fashioned time if you will. Thus the dated (pun intended) name. And if you’re wondering why 1840 when root beer didn’t hit the scene till 1876, is that this is styled after the sarsaparillas of old, that were drunk (drank? drunken? drinked?) before Europeans arrived. I am always weary of licorice brews as if done poorly they can be quite overpowering.

The Body is dark with sarsaparilla and licorice flavors. The licorice is on the lighter side so it doesn’t bother me much and it mixes well with the other flavors. The Bite is nice and strong with cinnamon and other spices. The Head is medium but is gone very quickly, sadly. The Aftertaste is spiced wintergreen and licorice that doesn’t linger and ends clean.

Nice! He didn’t overdo it with the licorice and the spices give a nice Bite. It is quite a different flavor profile from his classic, but it’s still good. Not the best and the Head is worse. I like the other better but this is still pretty good.

Soda Pop Bros Oktoberfest Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Aug 032022

Back in September I heard from my good friend Jeremy of The Soda Pop Bros about a limited edition Oktoberfest brew they were making. This was a must try for me, because not only is all root beers a must try, this one had chocolate in it. I’ve heard of chocolate root beers before (and a Root Beer and Chocolate which I can’t quite review with my stringent definitions) but I’ve never been able to acquire them before. I like their label, it’s all Bavarian looking like lederhosen which is what you’d expect at Oktoberfest. Another interesting fact is that it has 2% of the daily needs of calcium and 10% of potassium, so it’s good-ish for you? Or at least got those sweet electrolytes. So how is this Bavarian, hydrating, chocolatey brew?

The Body is sweet and mild with a hint of chocolate flavor mingled with a bit of sarsaparilla. It’s a refreshing yet subtly complex. There’s also a citrus hint. The Bite is also pretty mild and decently smooth. The Head is excellent! Very tall but doesn’t linger too long. The Aftertaste is faint, but of chocolate and sarsaparilla.

It’s different and enjoyable, refreshing even, but do I wish it were just a little stronger. A little more oomph would take it to the next level, though it wouldn’t be as refreshing, probably. I like it stronger anyways. Anyhow, this brew was actually a collaboration with another soda maker with whom the Soda Pop Bros are good friends. The recipes are similar with this having lesser carbonation amongst other things. So stay tuned. See how it rates against other root beers.

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