This root beer comes from Michigan where they have a Bavarian themed inn for some reason. Not that they need a reason other than being a gimmick, it’s a clever marketing ploy. Leavenworth, WA near where I grew up, has been playing that angle for awhile now and they’re doing just fine. Unlike Leavenworth, however, they make their own root beer, which means that technically they are cooler. I had the hardest time getting this brew. When I ordered it I watched the UPS tracking all the way until it got to Bellevue where the status was updated that it had been destroyed. Huh. So the company sent me another shipment with twice as many bottles. This one made it to me but three of the four had leaked on transit. I don’t know if they were freezing in transit or if UPS likes to practice field goals with their packages but only 1/6 bottles delivered undamaged is pretty dismal. The others were still sealed so I figured I’d still drink the one that had lost the least amount.
The Body is spicy and sweet. There’s a bit of wintergreen and a hint of some vanilla in there as well but mostly spice. And speaking of spice, what a Bite! There’s a strong kick from what seems cinnamon and ginger and some other’s I can’t quite put my finger on. The Head is on the short side but decent. The Aftertaste is rather light, the traces of the beet sugar and some vanilla-ish something with the spice burn fading.
Nothing really bad and I like that Bite. It’s nice to see a spicy brew now and again. I was really on the fence about giving this one a 4 so I tried the other bottle. It seemed that most of the carbonation had been lost due to the leak and the flavor wasn’t extra special to put me over. It’s just not quite all there for me. It’s good enough to have with your schnitzel and wurst. It also seems that they used to use honey in this but not any more. A shame indeed. I like honey. See how it rates against other root beers.
I’m not sure who Esteban is, or why Oogave decided to make it his root beer. He even stamped it with Esteban’s Seal of Approval, which would be like me making “Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer” and then stamping it with my Seal of Approval, that is to say redundant. I’d hope that the mere fact that Esteban put his name on the bottle implied he already approved, though they could have just liked Esteban and named the brew after him before he ever tried it. Who knows. The bottle says that they’re the original agave soda, which I can’t argue with since they’re the first wholely-sweetened-by-agave nectar soda I’ve ever seen. For those that don’t know, agave is a succulent plant that grows in the Southwest US and into Central America, the sap of which is used to make tequila. So they clearly figured that a virgin tequila soda was in order. It’s also certified organic, for those of you who care about such things.
