Sea Dog

Who Made This Stuff?     Pugsley Brewing LLC, Portland, ME

Website:                            www.seadogbrewing.com

Where’d It Come From?  MooTime Creamery, Coronado, CA

Review Date:                    11/16/11

Commentary:  Well, rats.  This is a disappointment.  I really had high hopes for this one.  Maybe it was because of the cool label, I don't know.  Anyway, I am not impressed.

I figured there might be a problem with this one when I wasn't able to detect any aroma at all after opening the bottle.  Nothing.  Not an unpleasant aroma.  Just no aroma at all.  How is that possible?  Even after pouring it in the glass I could barely detect an aroma.  Not a good start.

It produced an okay head when poured, but it didn't stick around very long.  Maybe even the brew itself knew this wasn't going to be it's best day and was just trying to get things over with quickly by letting the head dissipate.

The brew has a somewhat medicinal flavor.  This dog has a small bite to begin with, and it quickly tucks its tail between its legs and hurries away.  There's no creaminess here at all.  The flavor, like the bite, doesn't linger.  It fades quickly, but I guess that's okay since this isn't a memorable brew anyway.

The carbonation was okay to start with, but it fades fast in the glass.  The bubbles were large while they lasted.  Halfway through the glass and it is already starting to taste watered down since the carbonation is almost completely gone.

As you may have guessed by now, I was not impressed with Sea Dog.  In the words of my good friend, Randy Jackson, I'll have to say, "This one was just alright for me, dog."  And that's being generous simply because I like the label.  This one gets a score of..........................................67.

Was this one a dog for you, too?   

Capt'n Eli's

Who Made This Stuff?     Shipyard Brewing Co., LLC, Portland, ME

Website:                            www.shipyard.com

Where’d It Come From?  MooTime Creamery, Coronado, CA

Review Date:                    11/15/11

Commentary:  I was fortunate to find this brew in an ice cream shop in Coronado, CA on a recent business trip.  They actually had about 6-7 different kinds of root beer in the cooler, only one of which I had tried before.  Since it was my last night in town I only bought two bottles.  This review is for the first of those two bottles.

This brew had a nice traditional root beer aroma when I first opened the bottle.  A nice sweet and spicy smell.  It produced a decent head when I poured it, considering I was having to make due with one of the glasses in my hotel room rather than a pint glass or a mug.  I was able to chill the glass though, so that definitely helped.  The head was a nice dark color, and the remnants hung around for a good while around the edge of the glass.  That's worth a few points in my book.

The first sip was a pleasure.  This brew has a nice bite but it makes a quick transition to smoooooooth.  There is a little bit of spice to start but it dissipates nicely, giving way to a creamy, sweet finish.  I really like this one.  Really.  Nothing too complicated or fancy here.  Just a great root beer.

The carbonation is just about right.  The medium-sized bubbles linger for quite a while.  After several minutes, when I poured the remainder of the bottle into my glass, it produced another head.  I don't know about you, but to me,that's a sign of good carbonation.

I have to throw in a few extra points for the cool label, too.

Originally, I hadn't planned to drink the whole bottle since I have that other brew to drink this evening as well.  This was too good, though.  I had to drink the whole thing.  I think you would do the same thing if you ever found yourself in the same position.

Did I mention that I really like this one?  Well, I did.  A lot.  Therefore, I'm pleased to grant this one a score of.....................................91.

Now, what about you?  Have you ever tried Capt'n Eli's?  What did you think?

Rock Bottom Brewery

Who Made This Stuff?     Rock Bottom Brewery, San Diego, CA

Website:                            http://www.rockbottom.com/

Where’d It Come From?  San Diego, CA restaurant

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.