Millstream

Who Made This Stuff?    Millstream Brewing Company,
                                            Amana, IA
Website:                           www.millstreambrewing.com                   

Where’d It Come From?  Grocery store in Amana, IA
Review Date:                      7/25/10

Commentary:  Another Root Beer Road Trip find.  We actually did not find this one ourselves.  The Road Trip did not take us through Amana, IA, but some friends we were meeting up with in Des Moines passed through Amana on their way to our rendezvous.  They were kind enough to grab some for us on their way through.  Thanks, Killians!

Wow!  What a great head on this one.  It formed a huge head when I poured it, and it stuck around for quite a while.  I was able to get several photos of the brew and bottle together before it dissipated.  There is still a nice ring of foam on the top clinging to the glass even after a couple sips.  Well done, Millstream, well done.

This is a sweet one, for sure.  Very smooth.  Nice and creamy.  Vanilla is the last item on the ingredient list, but you can definitely taste it in this one.  When I first opened the bottle, I was greeted by a pleasant, traditional root beer aroma.  I could smell the vanilla in there, too.  This was a nice surprise, since several of the brews I have reviewed have hit me with licorice or wintergreen at first.  It is funny though, how the smell of this one has changed since it has been in the glass for a few minutes now.  I do not even detect any type of root beer aroma now.  The smell is not bad, but it is not distinctive either.  If I were blindfolded, I would be hard pressed to identify the smell as root beer at this point.

This one has a very slight bite.  If you blink you might miss it.  The carbonation is pretty light now, too, as I approach the bottom of the glass.  Maybe it worked too hard during the pour to produce that awesome head.  Timing is everything.  This one just peaked a little too soon in the carbonation department.  It could benefit from a few more bubbles at this point.

All in all, this is a nice brew.  I would definitely serve it to friends, or request one if I saw it on a menu.  It will not fill a slot near the top of my rankings, but it is a solid entry.  I think it deserves a score of………………………………………..80.

What do you think?  Have you tried a Millstream?  Anyone tried one of their other sodas?  Let’s hear it folks!