Seal of Approval – Page 23 – Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer Blog

Saranac Root Beer

Aug 282013

Saranac Root Beer Bottle This is made by Matt Brewing Company which just happens to be the second oldest family brewing company in the United States. The family, who suffer the affliction of having a first name for their last name, have been making beer there since 1853. Though in 1888 they changed their name or something and so that’s the date that features prominently on the bottle. They’re most popular line is Saranac Beer and their root beer is part of that line. Why it’s called Saranac is beyond me. The closest landmark called Saranac I could find is a lake about 140 miles away from the brewery. I like the label. It’s classy and not overly busy with a picture of their historic brewery to boot. The frosty mug on the neck of the bottle also sets high expectations and the brew doesn’t disappoint.

The Body is excellent. It is rich, sweet, and creamy with all the right flavors. It has a nice spicy Bite that isn’t too much. It is nice and smooth drinking. The Head is a good size and very frothy. The Aftertaste a sweet vanilla that doesn’t linger too long.

This is a very good brew, though I found it hard to nail down a specific feature that made it so. It’s just good, yummy, smooth, frothy, delicious. It doesn’t really have any standout feature other than they all work so perfectly together that I can’t help but love it, a lot. They really hit the nail on the head with this root beer. See how it rates against other root beers.

Faygo Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers No Responses »

Jul 312013

Faygo Root Beer Bottle You can’t really mention Faygo without mentioning the Insane Clown Posse and their … fans, the Juggalos. Why? Because a love of Faygo is one of their defining characteristics, though they’d just as soon spray it on themselves and each other as they would drink it. Don’t ask why, they’re the Insane Clown Posse and Juggalos, logic and reason can’t be applied. This is also the reason my sister bought me a 6-pack of this about five years back for Christmas, because she thought those Juggalos were “hilarious” and wanted to see if the brew they were drinking/spraying was any good. Which I must say is the best thing for anyone to do when confronted by a new gourmet root beer, send it to me first, I’ll tell you if drinking said brew is worth it.

A rich, full Body is the highlight of this brew. It is crisp and creamy without a single unpleasant flavor. Then surfaces a little Bite with hints of wintergreen which stays largely on the smooth side. The Head is average, but fizzes away quickly so as to be rather disappointing. It doesn’t go flat however. The Aftertaste is a wonderful creamy minty flavor that lingers but not too long. This is a good one.

So pretty yummy. I liked it then, I still like it now. I wish the Head was better but it’s good enough. Now I’m actually depressed. Those Juggalos are out there spraying their Faygo and wasting a quality soda, the root beer anyways. Maybe I should go to one of those concerts and carry a funnel so I can save as much of it as possible to enjoy later. Probably not though. See how it rates against other root beers.

Brigham’s Brew Root Beer

Bottled Root Beers 15 Responses »

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.

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