Black Bear Soda

Who Made This Stuff?  
Black Bear Bottling Group,
Oak Creek, WI
Website:   www.blackbearbeverages.com

Where’d It Come From?  Parks Cheese & Candy Shop, Crivitz, WI  

Review Date:   8/15/10

Commentary:  OK, let me just admit this up front… I do not have high hopes for this one.  I grabbed a couple bottles of this stuff while making a cheese run on our Root Beer Road Trip.  A cheese shop was about the last place I expected to find a new (to me) brand of root beer.  From the start, it has a few things working against it.  First, it is in a plastic bottle rather than glass.  Second, it has HFCS instead of sugar.  Finally, the name – Black Bear Root Beer Soda.  Did you catch that?  Soda.  My guess is that this is going to be a root beer flavored soda instead of an actual root beer.  Maybe I am jumping to conclusions here.  I could be wrong about all of this and it could be amazing.  After all, the bottle does state that you “Gotta love the bear!”  I guess that is why we do these reviews, huh?  Let’s find out, shall we?

     

Yup.  Right on the money.  When I opened the bottle, the first whiff smelled like a mass-produced, generic root beer.  It even smelled sweet.  No head whatsoever when poured.  This is very syrupy sweet.  Not a pleasant sweetness.  No creaminess here.  The carbonation seems to be disappearing in near-record time.  I don’t think I’ll finish this one.   Oh great.  What am I supposed to do with the second bottle?

Now, to be fair, the company website shows a different label for their plastic-bottled soda, and proclaims that it contains 100% real sugar.  Maybe they have changed their formula recently.  If I ever come across one of their new-label root beer sodas, I guess I could give them another shot.  The site also highlights their line of Caruso Legacy Gourmet Soda (in glass bottles!) that includes “Robusto Root Beer” among other flavors.  It even states that their root beer is an old Italian recipe.  Really?  I was not aware that Italians were known for their root beers.  I guess you learn something new every day.  I bet you are pretty happy with yourself for stopping by the Root Beer Rundown today, huh?

I will stop short of calling this a “bad” root beer.  I will stick with saying it just is not a good one.  I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this stuff to friends.  Sorry bear.  I guess I can still love you, but just not your root beer soda, right?

Well, in order to get this over with I guess I have to give this stuff a score.  Let's go with...........................................65.

Are there any Black Bear Soda lovers out there?  Has anyone tried their new formula or their gourmet line of sodas?

Sno-Cap

Who Made This Stuff?      Titletown Brewing Company,
                                            Green Bay, WI                  
Website:                             www.titletownbrewing.com                     

Where’d It Come From?   At the source – Titletown Brewing 

Review Date:                       8/2/10

Commentary:  Surprise!  It’s another Root Beer Road Trip brew.  Actually, I have been drinking this stuff for quite a while now, but I just have not taken the time to write a review.  Well, the wait is now officially over.

 

Whenever I make it back to the homeland, I always try to pick up some Sno-Cap.  Also, they serve this tasty stuff at the finish line of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon (which is a GREAT race, by the way).  I know it may not sound appealing, but after 26.2 miles a couple brats and a root beer actually taste pretty wonderful.

This is some good stuff – that is for sure.  It had a nice traditional root beer aroma when I first opened the bottle, and I picked up just a hint of wintergreen in there.  It produced a nice, frothy head when poured.  The head stuck around for a minute or so, which was nice.  I would prefer a little bit longer hang time, but I will take what I can get.  Ahhhh, the first sip is nice and creamy.

This is definitely some sweet stuff.  Good, for sure, but sweet.  It left a slight syrupy feel in my mouth after a few swigs.  My suspicions were confirmed by a quick check of the ingredient list.  There is some high fructose corn syrup in this one, but they are using sugar as well.  In fact, the sugar precedes the HFCS on the list.  Maybe that is while the syrupy feel was not too bad.  I wish they would go all the way with the sugar, though, and leave out the corn syrup.  Next time they ask my opinion, I will be sure to tell them.

The carbonation is just about spot on.  In fact, the carbonation level is still doing well as I pass the half-way point of my glass.  The bubbles are tiny, which I like.  I am picking up just a hint of a bite in here, but I think it is from the carbonation rather than the spices.  In case you had not noticed, I am enjoying this one.

Sno-Cap is definitely a keeper.  The last few sips have confirmed that this is one I would definitely serve and recommend to friends.  In my (feeble) mind, the only thing holding this one back is the HFCS in there. 

Whenever I see Sno-Cap on the menu in one of Green Bay’s local restaurants, I will be sure to order it.  I bought a 4-pack of bottles at the brewery when I was there, and I believe they sell it in growlers, too.  This is definitely worth the trip to Titletown Brewing to pick some up if you are ever in the area.  What? You were not planning to travel to Green Bay anytime soon?  Sorry – your loss.

One other note – I really like the label design on this one.  Unfortunately, it is a pretty wide design, so the photo does not do it justice.  Go get some yourself to see the whole design.

Like I said, this is a good one.  I think I will score it as……………………………………..87.

How about you?  Anyone out there tried Sno-Cap?  Have you enjoyed one at the finish line of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon?  Do you want to run the race now just based on my review of this brew?

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!