Goose Island

Who Made This Stuff?     Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Website:                            www.gooseisland.com

Where’d It Come From?  Minneapolis, MN area grocery store

Review Date:                    8/27/10

Commentary:  I have tried this one before, but that was before the creation of the Root Beer Rundown (around here we refer to that time period as BRBR – Before Root Beer Rundown).  Back then, the label was very different.  When I noticed this one on the shelf at the store in the middle of our Root Beer Road Trip, I thought I had stumbled upon a completely new brew.  Alas, it was just a new label on one I had already tried.  Since I had not done a review of it, I decided to buy some.  I seem to remember thinking that Goose Island was a pretty good root beer.  Well, now I have to chance to drink some more and record my observations for all the world to know.  Here goes…

Hey, I remembered correctly.  This is some good stuff.  When I opened the bottle, I got a little whiff of wintergreen, but not too strong.  Smelled like a nice spicy root beer should.  It produced a decent head when poured.  The head was not enormous, but it was high enough to earn good marks.  It stuck around for a little while too.  In fact, after several sips, there is still a pleasant ring of foam around the edge of my glass. 

Great mouth feel on this one.  I can definitely tell it is made with real sugar.  Good carbonation here, too.  This brew is holding its fizz nicely. The bubbles are small, just the way I like ‘em.  There is a good bite in there – just about right.  The bite does not arrive until after you get a little creamy hit at first, though.   I am really enjoying this one.  Nice work, Goose Island!

I would gladly serve this root beer to my guests, and I recommend it to you.  I am glad that I have a couple bottles of this stuff left in the fridge.  I think I bought it in a four-pack.  As a Green Bay native, and die-hard Packer fan, it really pains me to admit that something good can come from Chicago.  However, in this case, I have no choice.  I will score this one as……………………………………………90. 

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?

Iron Horse

Who Made This Stuff? Iron Horse Products, Edina, MN

Website: Could not find one!

Where’d It Come From? Grocery store in Minneapolis area

Review Date: 6/5/10

Commentary: This is another root beer picked up on our Root Beer Road Trip. A sweep of all the local grocery stores near our hotel in Minneapolis yielded several nice finds. I am looking forward to finally working my way through the root beer stash we accumulated.

I got a strong whiff of licorice when I first opened the bottle. When poured, the head was downright disappointing. It never really formed anything of substance and what was there disappeared pretty quickly. The first sip has a definite wintergreen taste. The carbonation is okay at the start of the glass, but I have feeling it is going to fade fast. It has a decent bite, not overpowering, but present at least. It is sweet, but the bite balances the sweetness a bit. A quick look at the ingredients list reveals the presence of high fructose corn syrup. I think it shows.

Okay, the carbonation is beginning to wane. There was never any significant accumulation of bubbles on the inside of the glass. The wintergreen taste is bit much for me.

On a positive note, I really like the label design with the old train engine image and the arch of train tracks over the top. With a name like “Iron Horse” you just have to believe there is a story there somewhere. Unfortunately, the label does not provide any clues to a story. The label does state that this is “Authentic Root Beer” and it is supposed to be “Just Like You Remember.” Ummm, nope, I do not think so. If I had remembered this, I would have remembered it as a root beer with great potential (due to a nifty name) that did not quite deliver.

As I approach the bottom of the glass, wishing for a little more carbonation, I just cannot bring myself to be sad about it. Honestly, I am really okay with being done with it. I do not think I will miss it. Now, this is not a truly bad root beer, but it is not a notably good one either. I would not make a special trip to the store for this stuff. Would I turn one down if offered to me? I guess that depends on my other options. I think I will score this one as…………………………………………..68.

Fitz's

Who Made This Stuff? Fitz’s Bottling Company

Website: www.fitzsrootbeer.com

Where’d It Come From? Fitz’s Bottling Company, St. Louis, MO

Review Date: 5/31/10

Commentary: This is one of the many brews we accumulated on our Root Beer Road Trip back in November. We stopped in at Fitz’s Bottling Company in St. Louis, MO and ate a great lunch in the restaurant and enjoyed a couple root beers on tap. This review is for the bottled root beer, though. I did not attempt to make any notes on the brew in my mug while eating lunch.

The first whiff had hints of licorice, but not too strong. The head dissipated almost immediately. I did not even have time to get the camera ready before it was gone. Lots of bubbles on the glass indicated lots of carbonation, maybe even too much just based on appearances. The first sip dispelled that myth. Carbonation was right on. A closer inspection of bubbles revealed that there were lots and lots of small bubbles (a good thing, in my book) rather than just a bunch of really big bubbles.

This is a sweet one, that is for sure. The sweetness is not a problem since they use the real stuff in here – cane sugar. There is no syrupy sensation in my mouth. Very smooth. I did not have a root beer float when we were in the restaurant, but I wish now that I had. This stuff would be great for floats.

I am half-way through the glass now, and the carbonation level is still just about right. It is just enough to give it a little tingle on the way down. I am not picking up a real strong bite in this. That is not a bad thing, though. I do like a bite in root beers, but only if it works with everything else in the brew. This one does not need a strong bite to make it good. This is not a complex brew. It is simply a straight-on, classic root beer taste. As I approach the bottom of the glass, the pleasant aroma of this one remains.

Before we get to score on this one, let me pause for a moment and make a recommendation. If you ever find yourself in St. Louis, it is worth a trip to see their bottling operation and eat in the restaurant. We all enjoyed our meal, and the best part was that we could watch the bottling operation from our table. You can get up an up close view of everything because they have some big windows right in front of the bottling line. Even though you are not actually in the room, you are only a couple feet away from the action.

Okay, this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. I think this is a good root beer. Like I said, I think it would make great floats. I may have to try that with one of the remaining bottles from the four-pack I bought. But enough about floats. I will give this one a score of……………………….85.

Culver's

Who Made This Stuff? Culver's

Website: www.culvers.com

Where’d It Come From? Culver's restaurant, Wausau, WI

Review Date: 11/24/09

Commentary: For anyone who does not know about Culver's -- it is a Wisconsin-based restaurant chain that specializes in great frozen custard (so much better than ice cream!) and "butter burgers." We stopped by their location in Wausau, WI on our recent Thanksgiving Root Beer Road Trip because I had heard good things about the root beer available in their fountains. That's right, this one is a fountain-only root beer. According to an employee, it is Culver's own recipe, but it is not brewed up at each store. They just get the syrup delivered to them. They do not bottle or can their brew, nor is it available in kegs of any sort. But that is enough about the restaurant and how to get their root beer....

This brew had an awesome head on it when I filled my cup at the fountain. Don't believe me? Just take another look at the picture. I only wish I had been able to enjoy this in a mug so that you could better comprehend the true magnitude of the head on this one. The head stuck around for a long time, too. This root beer has a nice, simple bite to start but transitions well to a pleasant, creamy finish. There is good sweetness in this one, but not too much to be distracting. The carbonation was good in this one throughout the (brief) time it was in my cup. It had some large bubbles in it, which I am not usually crazy about, but it worked for me this time.

As far as fountain root beers go, this may be the best I have had. It tasted like a true root beer instead of a root beer-flavored fountain drink. And the best part? Free refills!

What do you think? Have you ever tried this one? Have you come across any other fountain root beers that taste great? In my opinion, this one definitely deserves a score of...................................84.

Come Along On A Root Beer Road Trip

So we're preparing for our annual pilgrimage to the Great White North for Thanksgiving. By last count, I think we'll be passing through portions 12 states on the trip: GA, TN, KY, IL, MO, IA, MN, WI, MI, IL, IN, and OH. We added a few states to the route this year. In our quest to get the kids to all 50 states before they graduate, we're swinging a little bit west to check 3 more states (MO, IA, and MN) off the list.

Of course, this westward swing has a few fringe benefits. First, we'll be stopping in Des Moine so I can run in the Living History Farms cross country race. Check out the race website, because it looks to be a really cool race. Second, after the race we're headed up to the Twin Cities where we'll get to visit with one of my best high school buddies and hit the Mall of America. Third, and most importantly, this little jaunt west will give me the opportunity to pick up a few new root beers to bring home and review!

So here's the plan -- I'm hoping to pick up some Fitz's when we pass through St. Louis. Then, when we get into Iowa, I'm hoping to track down some Millstream. In the Twin Cities, I want to get my hands on some Dorothy's Isle of Pines and some Killebrews. I'm also planning to get a mug (or two) of the elusive 1919 root beer at a favorite restaurant of ours later on in the week when we pass through Iron River, MI. This stuff is not available in bottles or cans, so you either have to buy a keg of it, or find it on tap somewhere. The Zippidy Duda restaurant in Iron River has it on tap, and I aim to drink some and hopefully remember to jot down a few notes so I can post a review of it when we get back home.

I need your help here. Can anyone tell me where I can get my hands on the brands I've mentioned above as we're passing through these states? Also, are there some other brands that I'm just not aware of that are available in these areas? Our approximate route will look something like this: Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville, Paducah (KY), St. Louis, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Wausau (WI), Northern WI, Green Bay, Chicago, Indy, Cincinnati, Lexington (KY), Atlanta.

Thanks for your help!