Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog – Page 157 – The blog of the gourmet root beer site.

Brigham’s Brew Root Beer

Jul 102013

Brigham's Brew Root Beer Bottle The final brew from my journey to UT and the only one in a bottle. I snagged four bottles of it on my way to the Salt Lake airport making 4 new root beers in a three day trip. I must say this was the most successful trip yet as far as root beer is concerned. Brigham’s Brew is brewed by Wasatch Brewery and to my knowledge is the only root beer to be named after religious leader (unless there’s some Innocent XII brew I’ve heretofore missed), taking the celebrity root beer names to a whole new level. I find it ironic that a root beer named after the second Mormon Prophet, Brigham Young, would be made by non-Mormons (this is, of course, assuming that owning a brewery precludes one from also being in full fellowship with the church) but then again he was also the first Governor of Deseret (Utah before it was a state) so they’re probably just tipping their hats to Utah’s founder. Plus, if their brewery had been around then, the root beer would have been the only one that Brigham Young would have drank. That’s actually a really good marketing strategy. Maybe we’ll see founders’ brews from other major religions that forbid alcohol in their holy cities someday.

The Body is rich and creamy. A delicious honey flavor greats your tongue and then introduces it to luscious vanilla. A little wintergreen surfaces later to accent the rest of the standard root beer flavors making the perfect soiree in your mouth. There’s a solid bite from spice and carbonation, but the maltodextrin ensures that it is a very smooth affair. The Head is excellent. It almost fizzed over the top of my mug with each pouring. It dissipates faster than some of the other greats though, and is probably the only drawback. The Aftertaste is creamy vanilla and wintergreen with honey accents showing up just as the other two flavors exit.

Wow! I was expecting good but not such a superb brew! I wish I had purchased more bottles. This is hands down one of the best root beers I’ve ever had. So nice to have my trip end with the best. Truly, this is the highest compliment a brewer could pay to Brother Brigham. See how it rates against other root beers.

Squatters Brewhouse Root Beer

Draft and Keg Root Beers No Responses »

Jul 032013

A pint of Squatters Brewhouse Root Beer Another serendipitous discovery on my trip to Utah. I had just landed and was heading towards baggage claim when I saw Squatters Pub Brewery. I’ve normally not had good luck with airport breweries having root beer (Old Dominion in DC being the only exception) but figured that since it was Utah, where the majority of the population would rather have a root beer than a beer, I might as well try. I asked the waitress and she proudly told me that they served their own root beer, tapped from a keg, and then insisted that I try some, even though I was en route to the Hires Big H for dinner. She brought back about a quarter pint with ice, and I respectfully declined, citing the ice and said I had to be on my way. But, she was more insistent then ever at this point and returned with another quarter pint sans ice. Not wanting to be rude I gave it a quick gulp and was very impressed by sweet creamy goodness. I told her I’d return in two days for a proper review and then headed off. Two days (and root beers) later, true to my word, I returned to finish the final root beer quest of my trip. I barely made it due to the tight schedule of meetings I had before.

The Body is nice and full. It’s very sweet and it tastes like there’s some honey in it but I can’t be 100% sure. There’s a creamy vanilla hint to it as well. There’s a small Bite too it, though it is more on the smooth side. The Head is medium height and frothy, though it doesn’t last as long as I prefer. The Aftertaste is sweet vanilla with a honey or caramely tilt. It’s really good.

A very delicious brew. The best I’d had so far on the trip. This is definitely one I’m going back for every time I connect through SLC. The food is amazing as well. I grabbed a Pub Reuben to eat on the flight and it was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. This place is so worth the visit if you’re ever in Salt Lake International Airport. Head to terminal C, gate 2. You won’t regret it.

4 kegs

Brick Oven Old Fashioned Root Beer

Draft and Keg Root Beers No Responses »

Jun 262013

A frosty mug of Brick Oven Old Fashioned Root Beer I had finished giving my seminar talk at BYU and was driving back to the hotel before dinner. On the way I saw the Brick Oven pizza place. They have a big sign advertising their old fashioned (there it is again) draft root beer. I was curious, I almost turned in to investigate but then didn’t, then I saw another turn in to their parking lot and decided to check it out. When I was an undergrad here, so many years ago, I used to actually come by a lot. Their pizza is the best in Utah Valley, maybe even the whole state. I knew they sold their own root beer in two liter bottles and just figured their “draft” was some bag-in-box swill to go with plastic bottles. But, what the heck I had some time to kill. I walked in, dressed impeccably in my custom tailored suit and told the waiter I wanted to know about their root beer, how it was made. She called the manager so I figured I’d better properly introduce myself, from gourmetrootbeer.com. He then proceeded to take me on a tour of their labyrinth of kitchen and then lead me into the basement where their brew vats are. He showed warm, uncarbonated root beer in one of the vats (smelled delicious) and explained how they tap it straight from the vats to carbonator and then to the soda fountain along with their apple beer. They also bottle in plastic and prepare bag-in-box syrup for their satellite stores in other cities. But, here in Provo, it’s fresh draft root beer, as gourmet as it gets, made by hand with cane sugar. Wow! That took me by surprise. I cursed myself for not bringing my camera and vowed to return. The manager was cool with it but insisted I sample beforehand. I told him I didn’t really want to taste before an official review but I had their apple beer which was amazing. Later that evening, I was back, camera in hand. The other manager, who I’d met the first visit, greeted me and took me down so I could document Provo’s best kept gourmet root beer secret. Then he got me a 20 oz frosty mug and let me get down to work.

The Body has a nice sweet standard sort of root beer flavor that’s got some caramel notes to it and some spice. It’s a little lighter than I prefer. The spices and carbonation give it a sharp Bite but it finishes smoother. The Head is non-existent, which is something I’ve never seen before in a draft brew. Not even the two second Head, strange. The Aftertaste is the final vanishing traces of spiced caramel that’s gone a little too soon.

So what’s with the Head, he said that they actually put anti-foaming agents in it to stop the Head. The ingredients list doesn’t mention any anti-foamer but maybe he means they took out the foaming agents. Why? Because the customers complained about too much foam, saying that they weren’t getting enough root beer for their money. BLASPHEMY!!! Don’t those fools know there are infinite free refills? The Philistines! How could the customers be so uncouth?!? They’ve RUINED a gourmet ROOT BEER! For the love of root beer WHY? How? What madness could have driven them to this, this travesty of travesties? It’s a good tasting brew but with a Head, it could be so much more, more bouquet, more, foamy goodness. Alas, it is done. There is hope for the future though. They are looking at bottling it in glass, and assured me that they would make sure it foams. I look forward to that day of redemption. Until then, I can only give this a ‘drinkable’ rating.

Three kegs

The brewing vats where they make root beer and apple beer by hand.

One of the many ‘rooms’ in the restaurant. It expanded into other buildings over time making a cool collection of exterior walls and interior rooms all encased under one roof.

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