BJ's Handcrafted Root Beer

I should have written this review a while ago when i went to dinner with my wife and some friends of ours. BJ's is a restaurant and brewery which brews its own beers. It's a franchise, so there are several of them around, and there is a large dining area as well as a sports bar area for people just looking to try their brews.  It was started in California in 1978, but the food and atmosphere seems to have a Chicago influence (i was probably tipped off by the fact that the BJ's logo says "Chicago style pizza" at the top of it, although i am still keenly observant without that little bit of help). It's not terribly expensive and i think everyone in our group that night really enjoyed their meals. But ultimately, i'm here to talk about the root beer. So let's get to it, shall we?

The root beer was served in a large glass mug, as seen in the picture. Please note, i have taken to editing pictures of root beer where no logo is present to include a logo. This is the case for the picture in this post. I don't know the dimensions of the glass, but i was free refills, so that's kind of irrelevant since once you commit to having root beer with your meal, you swim in it for all the restaurant cares. I like the whole root-beer-in-a-mug experience, but my only complaint is that it wasn't a frosty mug. A minor pleasure i concede, but i like seeing the frost on the mug when it's delivered and all the fun and excitement that accompanies that experience. I believe A&W drive-ins do the frosty mug, but it's been a while since i've been to one. All i will say is that any place that serves root beer in a mug that isn't frosty should reconsider their business model. Put the fact that it's in a frosty mug on the menu and i guarantee sales will increase exponentially (*note* all guarantees expressed in this blog are opinion based only and cannot be relied upon for future business projections whatsoever). I won't comment on the BJ's logo except to say it's fine just fine. It's technically the logo for the restaurant anyway, not the root beer, and what do i care about restaurant logos, right?

So is this handcrafted root beer worth the $2.95 you'll be paying for a bottomless mug of it? I would say go ahead and get it. I don't know that the root beer alone is good enough to draw me to the restaurant, but it is very good, and the food is great too so you really can't lose. It could have used a little more carbonation, but other than that i was impressed with what the BJ's crew could throw together. It was sweet, creamy, and had a good vanilla and root beer flavor to it. My guess is that putting ice cream in it would be an excellent decision. I don't know that the root beer had as much of a Chicago influence as the food and atmosphere, but the only other Chicago style root beer i can compare it to is Goose Island, which was also very enjoyable. Oh, and i guess Berghoff also, but i find this stuff much better than Berghoff. Ultimately though, i think Chicago may be on to something with the way the citizens craft root beer.

My official review is that BJ's gets 7 (seven) IBCs. I was impressed with it. Add a touch more carbonation and put it in a frosty mug and i think you've got a real winner there. There are a few BJ's locations here in the Valley of the Sun and several littered around California i know, but you'll have to check out their website to see if there is a BJ's near you. If so, take and evening and go enjoy some good food with some good root beer. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Stars & Stripes Root Beer

Well, they changed the format on Blogger (supposedly for the better), but i am trying to get used to it still. Not sure i like it just yet. Anyway, i thought this one would be appropriate given the month. I would have liked to have reviewed this last week on the 4th, but my wife and i take a trip every year for the 4th up to a small town in Utah to do some camping with her extended family. Therefore, this is a little late, but still appropriate. The root beer i am reviewing today is Stars & Stripes Root Beer, from the Cott Beverages line (which also makes Vess and RC brand soft drinks, or at least owns distribution rights to them). You can see in the picture on the website a case of Stars & Stripes Cola, though i didn't look hard enough to find a shot of their root beer. While a truely American and patriotic root beer, in my mind this falls into the "generic" category of root beers. I was actually tipped off to this one long ago by a loyal reader and was told i could find it at the local Dollar Tree store. Well i happen to live less than a mile from a Dollar Tree, and while i don't frequent it very often, i did go in a few times to look for Stars & Stripes to no avail. I found other brands of root beer there, such as Shasta and Big K, but i basically chalked this one up to an "east coast thing" (Cott is apparently quite big in Canada as well). But my lovely wife discovered a bottle of this root beer here in Phoenix not long ago, and no less, at a Dollar Tree store she happened to be visiting. So thank you to the loyal reader who tipped me off. I have long since forgotten your name (and am too lazy to go back and try and find it among the many comments i have received over the years), but please allow me dedicate this review to you and your love of root beer.

The bottle in the picture is actually a 3 liter bottle. I'm not sure what my wife paid for it, but i am assuming it was around a dollar, which makes this root beer a pretty good buy. The label is a little drab. Not as patriotic as i would hope. Not even an American flag on it. That's probably those silly Canadians' doing. But it's called "Stars & Stripes" for crying out loud. You'd think they would stick a picture of Old Glory on there somewhere. Instead it has a brown, wooden background that i assume is supposed to represent a root beer barrel, but looks more to me like a table top or a church door or something. Then there's the blue and white logo of the brand name, followed by a rather large decal saying something about Hoover's Barrel Root Beer. Now, i don't know who Hoover is (unless we're talking about our former US President, but i doubt it) and i don't know how he got his name to be attached to this root beer, but all i have to say is this: knock it off. Does this root beer have two names? What's going on? It's just confusing. One of them needs to be eliminated (and my sights are set on taking out Hoover).

For a generic root beer, this one is pretty good. It's very sweet, has good carbonation, and a rich root beer flavor. I hate to keep comparing root beers to A&W, but i gotta say that's the one i think it tastes most similar to. However, it still has a distinct taste that is very un-A&W-ish (man, i'm good with words). I told my wife last night that i think it tastes (and smells) like pancakes and syrup. She had a drink and said she could see where i came up with that. So my assignment to you is to get your hands on some of this and try and let me know if it tastes like pancakes and syrup to you as well. Maybe i'm just crazy. Maybe i've lost all reasonable tasting ability and should no longer be relied upon for accurate root beer judgement (although, we all know that's completely ridiculous). Regardless, give it a shot and send me a comment. I'd be interested to hear what you think, even though it will hold absolutely no sway on my final judgement. I mean, come on... who's the expert here? 

My official review is that Stars & Stripes gets 7 (seven) IBCs. It's a good root beer, and the fact that it's inexpensive can only help. Most generic or store brand root beers are either way too sweet or really watery and don't make much of an impression, but i gotta say, S&S does well to taste like a reasonably good root beer. Give it a shot, regardless of what month it is. It's your civic duty, like voting and jury duty and openly mocking British people. So enjoy.

Food Lion Root Beer

This is another one brought to me from my friend in North Carolina. It is from a local grocery chain there based out of Salisbury, NC, and the root beer bears the same name as the store. Food Lion has it's own line of generic products in all varieties, much like Kirkland or Kroger. So going into this, i wasn't expecting much more than a generic root beer from a grocer, much like many other stores have done. That being said, their isn't much back story or information i can dig up on this one that isn't completely irrelevant or boring. So i'll skip all that.

This root beer was brought to me in a can, as were several of the root beers my friend brought me from North Carolina. I suppose they are easier to pack into a suit case that way. But regardless, i doubt it comes in a glass bottle anyway. The label is a bit drab, but typical of a generic. Very few colors, just white and a few shades of brown, with a basic design showing the logo of the store (which somewhat resembles a family crest or insignia) and some circles and swooshes which can either be considered a new age kind of look symbolizing carbonation bubbles or something, or it could be a throwback to the 70's style designs. Could go either way really, but if i were you i wouldn't look to far into it.

It's definitely a generic root beer, and as such follows by having a lack-luster taste. It's fine. Some may say sufficient. But it definitely doesn't stand out. I would say it does it's best to mimic A&W like so many others do. And like i always say, if you're going to copy a root beer flavor, you might as well copy a successful one. Food Lion can't quite capture the true taste though. The initial taste is solid, very strong and sweet with good carbonation, but that fades very quickly to basically tasting like water. It's not bad, but definitely not good.

My official review is that Food Lion Root Beer gets 4 (four) IBCs. I suppose the appeal to this one is the low cost per unit, as is the case with most generics. And if that's the only draw, i say just get whatever generic is available to you (except Shasta or Big K, they aren't very good). There are no Food Lions here in Arizona, so i don't have regular access to their root beer. And i don't really know how common they are outside of North Carolina, but i wouldn't travel too far just to get the taste of their root beer. When it really comes down to it, this one's pretty unsatisfactory.

Culver's Gourmet Root Beer

So i stumbled on to this one almost by accident when i met a friend to get some ice cream at Culver's, which is mostly known for their concrete mixers (which is basically just like a Dairy Queen Blizzard). Anyway, when i met him at the local Culver's, he told me that the fast food restaurant chain makes its own root beer, and as a result i was able to review a root beer i wasn't aware of. Craig Culver opened his first restaurant in 1984 in Wisconsin by converting an old A&W stand, which makes me think he has been making root beer from the very beginning, though i have no documentation of that. However, using my superior root beer knowledge, judgement, and wisdom i will say that must be true. Makes logical sense. I always drive past the Culver's here and confuse it with Carvel's, an east coast ice cream cake shop famous for Fudgie the Whale and other ice cream cake concoctions. So it never dawned on me to stop in and get some food, let alone see if they make their own root beer.

I can't really judge the packaging on this one, as it is clear from the picture that i made the label on the cup by pasting a picture of the label from the soda fountain (and it looks quite poorly executed at that). I doubt they bottle this root beer, but i may be wrong. It was easiest just to do it this way, and if i am being completely candid, i have plans to make my own label in a similar fashion for another root beer which i have yet to review. That one, however, is in a bottle, just without a label. So i won't hold any points in favor of or against this root beer for the packaging. It's just standard fast food fare as far as cups and lids and straws goes.

My friend, whom i have consulted with on root beers in the past, informed me that this root beer was pretty good. And he's right. It is pretty good. Quite creamy tasting and well carbonated, it has a good root beer taste. You would think it would taste like A&W since the first restaurant was converted from an old A&W stand, but i think it tastes more like a creamy version of Mug Root Beer. It's similar, yet distinct. But in any case, it's a good root beer, and the food and concrete mixers at Culver's aren't half bad either. Overall, i had an enjoyable experience.

My official review is that Culver's Gourmet Root Beer gets 7 (seven) IBCs. It's a really good root beer. Maybe even worth an 8 considering i just got it out of a soda fountain and couldn't experience it in a glass bottle the way the root beer gods intended. So if you find yourself near a Culver's (not sure how nationally dispersed the franchises are), stop in and grab a bite to eat and wash it down with some of their delicious root beer.

American Fare Root Beer

This is another one of the root beers my dear friend Richard brought me from North Carolina, although i am sure it's available several other places (just not here in Arizona). It's called American Fare Root Beer, and it's another generic brand from the good people at Kmart. The website on the can is for Kmart.com, but when i go there and type in "american fare root beer", this is what comes up. So basically, the information i am getting about this root beer is coming from the can. From what i can tell, it's made in Hoffman Estates, IL (a suburb of Chicago) and i have no idea how long it's been around. It was really nice of Richard to bring me all these root beers i don't have access to here. In repayment for bringing me 5 root beers, i brought him to a Mexican restaurant in someone's backyard, which in turn brought us both a raging case of explosive diarrhea and has subsequently been shut down. It's a shame too. I would have gladly risked another case of the runs for the chance to enjoy their delicious food. Seriously, it was really good.

This root beer is typical of a generic. The 12 oz. can looks like it has a generic label, very few colors used and typical of those used by most generics. It's several shades of brown and cream colors with a little splash of blue in the logo. There are some decals of frothy root beer mugs running up the side with lots of little bubbles of carbonation making up the majority of the background. Not as dull and boring as some labels i've seen, but still nothing super special to get excited about.

As far as taste is concerned, this is another copy of A&W, not unlike Parker's (which is Safeway's generic root beer). So in that sense, it's a good root beer and probably fairly inexpensive. But there is still something about it that makes it not all that great. Maybe it's just the psychological effect of knowing you're drinking a rip off that makes you think it's just not as good. So whatever it is, it's a good root beer, it's just not as good as the root beer it is intended to taste like. It has good carbonation and a distinct A&W flavor, but i swear near the end of it the flavor was fading fast and it was mostly just watery and sweet.

My official review is that American Fare gets 6 (six) IBCs. It's probably a bargain because it's a generic and the price for a lot of this stuff is most likely quite low. However, it cannot be rated as highly as what it is intended to taste like because it simply is not quite as good. I think i rated Parker's as highly as i did A&W, and with good reason. Unfortunately, American Fare does not meet the same standard. Still, it's not a bad root beer, and a 6 is considered better than average. So maybe it's something you might want to pick up if you're on a budget.

Langers Root Beer

Piggy-backing off my last post, this is the other root beer i got from Rocket Fizz on my root beer reconnaissance trip to California last summer, but i have i since seen it in select grocery stores. Langers is a company formed in Southern California (L.A. area) that produces natural fruit juices. It's a family company that has been around since about 1960. As it turns out, they also make a root beer (and perhaps other flavors of soda). To follow the trend of their fruit juices, this root beer is crafted from natural ingredients, meaning there is no high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors in it. Sounds like another fly-by-night hippie operation, right? That was my first impression too. I figure if you want to make your juice that way, knock yourself out, but don't take something good like root beer and try making it "healthy". Next they are going to try and make cheese fries healthy. That just sounds awful. I want my cheese fries served with a heaping side of regret when i have stomach pains later. That's how you know they are working.

The bottle and label are a pretty professional set up. The label is pasted on the brown 12 oz. bottle with a glossy sticker and doesn't look cheaply thrown together. There is nothing particularly spectacular about the label, but nothing i can say really repels me, besides the fact that it has a hint of "generic brand" look to it. But i can't complain too much. The company has been around for over 50 years now, so they seem like they have everything in order. Plus, they have an Egyptian Sphinx looking lion on their logo, so that's kinda neat. Right? Maybe not. I'm probably just grasping for something to say about the label. It's dull, but fine.

I don't know that i would classify it as what i consider a "natural" root beer, which more often than not carries some pretty heavy implications that it tastes like hot garbage. To be honest, this stuff doesn't taste too bad. It's lacking in carbonation and definitely has a taste of honey to it, but overall i'm not completely put off by it. The label claims it contains vanilla extract (from Madagascar no less...) with cream and honey tones. Like i said, i can definitely taste the honey, and the vanilla is a nice touch. The root beer flavor could be more prominent, but overall i think these hippies did a decent job of not bottling piss and calling it root beer for the sake of being healthy. So for that i say well done.

My official review is that Langers gets 6 (six) IBCs. Again, i hesitate to even call it a natural root beer, but if that is indeed what it is then it's one the better ones i have had (calm down Langers, you don't have very stiff competition in that department). I wouldn't say this stuff is worth going out of my way to purchase, but i will say it was certainly a pleasure to drink considering what i was expecting. So congratulations Langers, I don't hate you.

Myer's Avenue Red Root Beer

Hey there root beer enthusiasts, here is your root beer for the day. It's called Myer's Avenue Red Root Beer, and it's brewed out of Naperville, IL by Cripple Creek Brewing. According to the website though, this root beer was first brewed in Cripple Creek, Colorado in 1893 beneath the majestic Cow Mountain, making this one of the older ones i've encountered. You can see details for yourself on their webpage if you care to go there, but this root beer has apparently been sitting silently for the last 100+ years while the world passed by unaware of its existence. So i am not sure how long it has been being produced on a wide scale operation. I do know that i came across this one on my California road trip last summer when i went looking for new root beers. I visited a place in Thousand Oaks (west of Burbank) called Rocket Fizz. It's a retro candy store with tons of old sodas, candy, and so much more from my childhood, and even long before I was born. I even met the owner (I think his name was Rob) who was really nice and very cool about answering my root beer questions. He even gave me a free bottle of Spruce Beer, which is completely white and opaque and tastes like liquid Vicks Vapo-rub. Rob runs a cool store there in Thousand Oaks and is expanding pretty aggressively. Since i talked to him last summer, at least 3 to 4 more stores have opened in California and across the country, including one here in Phoenix now. He asked me if i wanted to open a franchise, but i'm terrible at business so i declined. If you're interested though, there is franchise info on the Rocket Fizz website.

This root beer comes in a clear glass 12 oz bottle, which i have little to no luck with in most cases, and has a really cool label. I think Cripple Creek did a good job on this one. It looks like an old stock certificate or bank note and is very detailed but still simple. The color tone selection gives it the sepia feel of old paperwork or photographs and the font style and set up just work well. Well done on the label. If nothing else, you get extra points for presentation.

The website and label both mention how root beer this is flavored with cinnamon, and it's definitely noticeable. It works very well though, and i actually really like the taste. To be completely honest, it doesn't taste all that much like root beer, but it's not bad still. My wife has been craving french toast a lot lately, so we have been eating it more regularly recently, and to me this root beer tastes like french toast. It's lightly sweet, has good carbonation, and isn't overpowering or unpleasant at all. Again, i would like more of a root beer taste in it, but i can't complain with the flavor they are giving me. A refreshing change from the spate of regular old root beers i have been drinking lately. The website boasts this root beer is responsible for the famous "black cow" root beer float. So if you try this one, maybe you should drop a scoop of ice cream in it and see how that treats you.

My official review is that Myer's Avenue Red Root Beer gets 7 (seven) IBCs. I almost gave it an 8, but kinda hoped for more of a root beer flavor. It's definitely better than many of the mundane root beers out there though. So stop by a Rocket Fizz and grab yourself one.