Old Town Root Beer

The Old Town Root Beer Company has stores in different locations around California, most popularly in San Diego, Temecula, Chico, and Barstow. I think there are a few more also. They make a root beer with their label as well as a few other flavors. This is actually one of the root beers i had on my list last summer when i went to California with my wife and a few friends on a root beer round up. Unfortunately, we didn't get out to Temecula, the closest place that had these. But luckily i have a great street team who is willing to do root beer hunting for me all over the U.S. A buddy of mine found this at Cost Plus World Market here in Mesa. I swear i looked there before, but it was a while ago. Anyway, i am glad he picked one up for me, but from what i have read online it might have been worth the drive to actually go to the store in Temecula and get it myself. I tried to find an official site for them but had a little trouble. There is even a website listed on the bottle (www.oldtownrootbeer.com), but when i type it in the browser it just takes me to google and gives me a bunch of links relating to it. There is an official Facebook page for the store in Temecula, but i morally oppose Facebook so i wouldn't recommend anyone spending too much time on that page. But from what i have read on other sites about the store in Temecula is that it sells over 800 kinds of soda, including 99 kinds of root beer, and i think they also serve food there, like a little restaurant with a big soda store attached or something. I don't know the details, but it makes me want to go see this place for myself. If there really are 99 different kinds of root beers there, it might work out that there are one or two i haven't tried.

The bottle is a pretty standard brown glass 12 oz. bottle and the label is fairly well made. The logo is simple, yet professional. It almost looks like it's designed to be a wave, but it doesn't look like a wave. There is a big foamy mug of root beer wrapped in text against a white and red background. It's tasteful. As mentioned above, they list a website on the label, but i am wondering if it used to be up and running but it isn't now. Regardless, there is no lack of presence on the web. I found plenty of links relating to the stores/restaurants (whatever they are) on google.

As far as taste goes, it's not a bad root beer. Not at all. I feel like it's a recycled taste though. Not completely unoriginal, but not anything to get excited about either. To me it tastes like a lot of other root beers, but the first comparison that came to mind was Abita. There is a bit of a honey taste, not much, followed with a sugary root beer flavor (they use cane sugar) with a vanilla after taste. It's not a bad root beer at all, but it's not quite my cup of tea. I feel like the flavor fades really quick and all i am left with is a sugar taste in my mouth. It's not as bad an effect as Olde Rhode Island, but it's similar. Anyway, that's about i have to say about that.

My official review is that Old Town Root Beer gets 6 (six) IBCs. This is a bit of a short review, i know, but i feel like i don't really have much to say about this one. Like i said, i feel like it's a taste i've drank several times already. It's not bad, and i still do want to visit one of their stores (maybe in San Diego). I just wouldn't rush out and buy a case of these. Get one with a burger, sure. I bet it goes good with ice cream too. But it's not going to be one i keep stocked at home. That's all.