Seal of Approval – Page 13 – Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog

Wurst Sodas Root Beer

Jul 062016

Wurst Sodas Root Beer Bottle If you don’t like bad puns, you should probably leave now because this will be the wurst review ever. Indeed, the brau made by Hermann Wurst Haus is the wurst root beer I’ve ever had. They even put on the label that it is the “Best of the Wurst”, which I’ve actually seen before from an even wurst place in Leavenworth. These folks make a bunch of different types of sausages and other gourmet foods and craft beers and sodas. The label makes me feel blue and it really gets up in my grill. It’s one of the wurst I’ve ever seen. The knives, however, do make it look sharper than most others.

The Body is sweet and spicy with vanilla and wintergreen surfacing after the initial contact. It seems like there’s some birch flavor in there as well. The Bite is an intense array of spice assaulting, though it isn’t harsh, just spicy burn. The Head is tall and frothy as it should be and lasts throughout the entire drinking experience. The Aftertaste is wintergreen and lovely vanilla with spice accents.

This one’s unique and spicy and tasty. Whilst I was expecting to get pun-ished by it, I found myself enjoying every slurp, sip, and swallow. This is more like the “wurst of the best” than the “best of the wurst”. They should probably change their label to reflect that. And add the Seal of Approval, because they’ve earned it. See how it rates against other root beers.

Boylan’s Natural Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers 3 Responses »

Jun 152016

Boylan's Natural Root Beer Bottle This is an extremely elusive brew. In fact, the company’s own website doesn’t even acknowledge it’s existence. Yet the signs are out there if you really look. If you search for this you can find some reviews and some cases for sale (at like $100 a case after shipping) such that it almost seems like it’s been discontinued. But it hadn’t. I searched far and wide to find just a few bottles. I even found a shop in Canada selling other Boylan’s Natural flavors but not the root beer for some reason (because the universe hates me sometimes). Finally, the great sage of sassafras gifted me two bottles out of his abundant beneficence. Strangely, unlike their regular root beer, which is just labeled as “Boylan” this is “Boylan’s” because forget logic and consistency.

The Body full of rich rooty flavors that are almost herbal. There’s some nice bourbon vanilla and spice in there as well to keep it from being too dark. The Bite is excellent with cinnamon the prominent spice. It’s strong enough to grab you, but not harshly. The Head is tallish with medium staying power; adequate. The Aftertaste is a lovely bourbon vanilla and cinnamon.

I’m impressed, I didn’t really think that their normal root beer was anything special but this has a lovely complexity of root beer goodness. Dare I say, this is the only time I’ve encountered a natural version that’s better than the regular version. Dear people at Boylan Bottling Works, stop hiding this from the world! See how it rates against other root beers.

Iron Horse Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Jun 082016

Bottle of Iron Horse Root Beer I got this in late 1999 or early 2000. It was one of my first mail orders, and I had to order 12 of them since variety packs were not an option in those days. I picked it because it looks awesome with that train and metallic shine (which is really hard to capture in a picture with the flash on a white background). When I first tried it I was blown away like never before, I was standing when I took my first drink and I had to sit down. It was that good. I got on the phone and called a friend and told him I’d found the best root beer EVER, and I awarded my first 5 kegs. In the next year or so I had multiple cases and then I went on my mission to Madagascar, a great dry spell for me as it were. When I got back my parents had a case waiting, but as I drank it against Hank’s and Henry’s, it didn’t seem to taste as good as it once did. I figured I’d had a bad batch and over the years had it again and again, each time disappointed (and by that I mean not the greatest thing ever made). Finally I had the The Ultimate Root Beer Showdown and realized I needed to re-rate this.

This has a very sweet medium Body and a very nice Bite. There’s some cinnamon and other spices that really grab the tongue. There is also a lovely caramelized corn syrup flavor that is very unique. The Head is ok and medium frothy. The Aftertaste is of vanilla and spices.

It is still a really good root beer, but doesn’t hold up against the others like it used to. Maybe they changed the recipe, the ingredients and nutritional info are the same but who knows what could be different with the whole “natural and artificial flavor”. Maybe it’s me. Maybe all the cholera I had in Madagascar changed my tastes such that what had made this and only this amazing no longer does. I don’t know. What I do know is that it is still a fine brew to be had whenever possible, but not the greatest root beer in the world. Sorry and congrats at the same time I guess? See how it rates against other root beers.

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