Who Made This Stuff? Rock Bottom Brewery, San Diego, CA
Website: http://www.rockbottom.com/
Review Date: 11/16/10
Commentary: Imagine my joy when the hotel receptionist out here in San Diego handed me a map with a bunch of local restaurants on it and I noticed the Rock Bottom Brewery on the list! Oh, happy day!
About two years ago, I had the opportunity to dine at the Rock Bottom restaurant up in Long Beach and enjoy a fresh brewed root beer. Much to my dismay, my root beer was served with ice in it. Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. Can you believe that? A place that brews their own root beer and they served it with ice. For shame.
This time, I specifically requested no ice in my brew. I couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment in the eyes of my waitress when I ordered. She was so sure that I was going to order one of their micro brews (or two, or three). She could hear the sound of her tip shrinking as I ordered a beverage that cost much less than a beer and that would come with free refills.
I have to say that I was not impressed when the root beer was set before me. It had no head on it whatsoever and had no distinct root beer aroma. The first taste revealed a definite licorice emphasis. The carbonation was good to start, but faded a bit too quickly for my liking. There were some large bubbles in there initially.
No one would ever accuse this root beer of being overly sweet. Creamy is out of the question as well. This brew has a slightly medicinal flavor. Now, that's not always a bad thing. I think it works here. It was not what I was expecting, but hey, what do I know?
When the waitress brought a refill, this root beer redeemed itself a little bit. The refill did have a bit of head on it and the carbonation was better. This time around it had lost some of its medicinal edge. That might have been due to the mahi tacos I was eating, though. By the way, order the mahi tacos if you're ever there. The pineapple salsa sounds weird, but it really works!
Okay, let's score this one. Although this root beer arrived at my table with little or no head on it, I can't really be too tough on it for that. I don't know how long it took the waitress to get it to my table after it had been poured. As for the taste, I can't say that it is near the top of my list of favorite brews, but it's not at the bottom either. Medicinal brews are just okay for me, dog. I'll score this one as..............................................................72.
