Capt'n Eli's Root Beer

This is one my wife picked out for me. She likes the picture on the front, which we will get to. Capt'n Eli's is one of several products by Shipyard Brewing Co. It is situated in Portland, ME and has only been aroud since 1994. In addition to root beer, Shipyard makes and distributes several other flavors of soda as well as beers. It distributes to over 35 states, so you have a good chance of running into this stuff, although the Pop Shop was my first encounter with it.

It is bottled in a typical and regular 12 oz. bottle with a very colorful label. My wife was drawn to it by the picture on the front, which is one of the ways she decides which root beers i should review next. It is a picture of a young boy rowing a boat full of barrels, and there is a parrot on his shoulder. He looks like a typical long shoreman with the slicker and the hat. It kinda reminds me of the killer from that awful movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. That kid is probably sadistic, which is why my wife likes him. She's wierd, and she'll probably murder me some day, but at least i know it's coming.

As far as taste goes, i am not a fan. It's basically straight black licorice again. Not pleasant for me, as i really dislike that flavor. It tastes like a handful of Good n' Plenty, a candy i have hated since my childhood. It doesn't have any redeeming qualities for me. I simply don't like the flavor.

My official review is that Capt'n Eli's gets 2 (two) IBCs. I was thinking i might give it a 3 because it seems like it's trying so hard, but i flat out don't like it. If you like the taste of black licorice and Good n' Plenty, then you might want to check this stuff out. But if you have good sense like i do, you'll go for something that doesn't make you cringe when you drink it.