Berghoff

Who Made This Stuff? Clover Club Bottling Co., Chicago, IL

Where’d It Come From? Somewhere in WI

Review Date: 8/1/09

Commentary:

“Chicago’s Famous Root Beer” -- it says so right there on the label, so it must be true! Being a Packer fan, I’m willing to set aside the whole “Chicago” thing and give this root beer a fair evaluation…here goes.

When poured, it produced a small head which dissipated quickly (evidenced by the photo taken as soon as I could stop pouring and pick up the camera). It has a pleasant aroma, but nothing strong. Detected a little bit of licorice, but not too much.

First taste was good. Not too creamy, little bit of bite. Second sip confirms that this is a really good root beer. Definitely one I would recommend (and serve) to friends. Carbonation is good, bubbles in the glass are medium sized. Yup, just checked the label between swigs and my suspicions were confirmed. Pure cane sugar in this one, and it shows! This particular bottle has been sitting on a shelf out in the garage for about two months now. I’m embarrassed to admit that I had forgotten about it. I was concerned that it might have lost a little somethin' somethin' sitting for so long. I’m glad I found it again, because I sure am enjoying it. It’s not too filling either. I think I could down a couple of these with a meal.

The bottle itself is pretty nice. I really like the old school script. I guess they’ve honed their label design skills over the years with their line of beers. The label states “Founded 1898”, but I don’t know how long they’ve actually been making root beer there. I know that this good stuff comes in a big 32 oz. bottle as well. I know, because I once had one in my possession but alas, it was not meant to be. The bottle was broken before I could chill and enjoy it. I need to get my hands on one of those again.

I’m down to the last few sips now, and there is still an adequate amount of carbonation left, which makes those final sips oh so enjoyable. Unfortunately, this is my last bottle of the stuff, so I’ll have to wait for my friendly traveling supplier to bring some down on her next trip south from WI.

Bottom line, I really enjoyed this one. I will definitely buy some anytime I see it in a store. When you try one it probably won’t knock your socks off, but you will definitely enjoy it, I’m sure. I’m going to give this one …………..a 90 (the first one of my reviews to crack into 90s!).

Seymour Beverages

Who Made This Stuff? Seymour Beverages, Seymour, WI

Where’d It Come From? Purchased at the source, Seymour Beverages

Review Date: 3/8/09

Commentary: I really like this root beer for a couple reasons. The first reason has to be that this stuff is bottled the old fashioned way – in returnable/refillable glass bottles. The cool thing about the case I got was that of the 12 bottles in the box, I think there were probably six or seven different bottle types in there, all from old time soda bottlers that have apparently gone out of business over the years. None of the bottles bear the Seymour Beverages name. The picture at right shows a sampling of the different bottles. Check out this write-up on the soda company. Second, this root beer is made with real sugar. It is evident in its nice, clean taste. I don’t feel a syrupy coating on my tongue after taking a big swig of this stuff. Finally, of course, is that it tastes good. It has a nice, simple, sweet and creamy taste. There’s no hard bite, no overpowering licorice or wintergreen. Just a nice basic root beer. When poured in my glass, it produced a decent head of the soft, frothy kind that hung around for a little while. The carbonation was just right, too. Bottom line – it tastes good, and goes down smooth.

I hope I can get my hands on another case while this place is still in business. I’m down to just one last bottle in the fridge, and then it will all be gone. So sad. The bottles are 7 ounces, so they’re just right for a quick root beer refresher or for nice little dessert after dinner.

This isn’t the greatest root beer on the face of the planet, but it’s not trying to be. This is a good root beer, in just the right size and just the right taste to please a lot of the folks a lot of the time. I’ll score it as…………..84.

Boylan's

Who Made This Stuff? Boylan Bottling Company

Website: www.boylanbottling.com

Where’d It Come From? Cost Plus World Market

Review Date: 5/9/08

Commentary: Ya know what? I really like this root beer. I’d had it before, but it had been a long time so I couldn’t really remember any specifics about it. I had read a few reviews of Boylan’s in the last few days, and a few of them gave this root beer low scores. Everyone gave the bottle high marks though. The bottle really does look great with its throw-back design of raised letters and painted label. When I opened the bottle, there wasn’t a very strong aroma. When poured, it did produce a decent head that managed to stick around a little while. Carbonation was good – the last few sips here in my mug still have a bit of bubble to them even though it has been in there a while. This brew has a decent bite with no weird aftertaste or anything. I think the cane sugar gives it a nice clean feel – no lingering corn-syrupy coating in my mouth after each swig. It’s not real creamy, and not overly sweet. This evening it proved to be a good complement to my two slices of pepperoni and hamburger pizza. In the mug, I can pick up a slight licorice scent when I drink it, but there doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming licorice taste to it. I enjoyed this one, and I intend to drink more the next time I find it on the shelves in the store. Overall, I’d say…..a solid 84.

How about you? Have you tried Boylan's Root Beer or any of their other flavors?