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.