Holiday Gift Idea

So seeing as it's the holidays, i thought i would pass on this gift idea that i have seen in the past. It's not new and i didn't make it up. I would venture to guess many of you root beer lovers have already seen this if you're spending your time reading a root beer blog. But i figured i would show it anyway.

Root Beers Reindeers. It can be done with any brand of root beer (except Henry Weinhards, cuz that would be a sin and would offend the sweet baby Jesus). I of course recommend IBC. They are simple to make. Just some brown pipe cleaners for horns, googly eyes and a red puff ball for a nose. It's an inexpensive gift and people love them. Give them a shot. There is a little rhyme that goes with it, but i don't remember what it was. I'm sure you can look it up though.

Another idea is to give a variety pack of root beers. One year my wife and I gave our families some hand picked variety 4-packs. I don't recall exactly which root beers we gave them, but if i were to do it again this year i would probably choose my line up as IBC (obviously), Iron Horse, Goose Island, and maybe something like Buckin' Root Beer cuz it's good and a bit different. Hanks would be a good option as well in my opinion. And we made up a little rhyme to put on a card with it. It went something like this: 

Merry Christmas to all! We bring you good cheer!

With this hand picked variety 4-pack of root beer.

We know it's not much, but we just want to say

we wish you a Merry Christmas in our own special way. 

So we hope you enjoy them. We've brought you the best.

And if you don't like them, you should just act impressed. 

Olde Philadelphia Root Beer

So i took a little break from reviewing. The only thing i can really say is i'm lazy. Sorry. But i intend to make it up by reviewing a few of these this week before i fly back to AZ for the holidays. This root beer has nothing to do with Christmas, but it does join the ranks of the elite few with "olde" in the title. Olde Philadelphia Root Beer touts itself as being "the REAL taste of America". Sounds like a tag line Steven Colbert would give it, as i picture him saying it in my mind when i read that sentence. From the website i gather that this soda company has been around in Philadelphia for a while, but in 2010 came under new management who decided to shift the many flavors in their line away from high fructose corn syrup and begin using cane sugar to sweeten their sodas. They speak a lot about being revolutionary by relaunching their new cane sugar soda line in 2011, but it seems to me like they are just following suit with most of the small, vintage craft sodas out there. Lots of people are doing cane sugar guys. I wouldn't jump to calling yourself revolutionary just yet. Maybe you should use ponies to brew the root beer. Or children. Now THAT would be revolutionary. Or at the very least, controversial. On second thought, looks like that's already been done too. Sorry Olde Philly. Just keep your eyes open for a good opportunity i guess.

This root beer is one of the dreaded 12 oz. clear glass bottle root beers that typically disappoint. I don't know what it is about these clear glass bottles, but i am usually not impressed by them. The label is colorful and nice. The website also said that while redesigning the logo, they wanted to be sure to keep the Liberty Bell central in the design to make this a uniquely Philadelphia brand root beer. Fair enough. I really don't have any problems with that. Olde Philadelphia is written in Olde English font and it has a sense of majesty about it. Like they are trying to be fresh and new while holding onto the past. It's not lost on me Olde Philly, i can appreciate the workmanship.

I just wish there was more to the taste. As is typical of clear glass bottle root beers (again, i don't know what it is), the flavor is lacking. It's quite watered down and doesn't really taste like root beer at all. I taste the sugar. I feel the sensation of the carbonation on my tongue. I know my mind is telling me this is root beer. But i fail to make the connection with my taste buds. It's just not cutting it for me. If this were in a line up of unmarked root beers, i wouldn't be able to pick it out. It just has no substance. The website makes a big production of how much work went into revitalizing this whole brand starting with redoing the recipes, but this just tastes unfinished to me. Back to the drawing board Olde Philly.

My official review is that Olde Philadelphia Root Beer gets 3 (three) IBCs. This is a touch harsh i realize, considering the fact that i didn't say it's gross. It's not. It's just nothing. It probably falls more into the 4 rating range, but i see way too many of these root beers in the same category claiming to be something they are not; legitimate. You've still got some work to do Olde Philly. Tighten it up and come back to me.

Zippy's Giant Root Beer

This root beer is tied to a burger joint in West Seattle, WA and has been around since 2008. Zippy's Giant Root Beer is made and sold at a place called Zippy's Giant Burgers and is distributed by Orca Beverages, which is also located in the northwest and distributes several sodas and root beers that i have reviewed. I know i said it's in West Seattle, but the bottle says "Wesseattle", which i tried to do a little research on and couldn't come up with much. I assumed it's just a region of Seattle, specifically in the western part of the city. But i talked to someone who lived there and she hadn't heard of it before. Even the source of all truth is stumped by this one. Maybe my root beer comrade Eric can give us some first hand info since he's from that area.

So, the label. In a word… creepy. There are a lot of colors and a picture of a kid holding a burger and drinking a mug of root beer. The freakish cartoon image of the kid licking his/her lips is unsettling at best. It reminds me of every creepy/scary toy doll movie from the 80s. The color scheme and frightening imagery definitely catch the eye, but if i weren't reviewing this for the purpose scientific discovery and a general civil obligation to provide reliable information regarding the appropriateness of root beers to the public, i doubt i would think this was worth drinking based on looks alone. I mean, seriously… this kid is freakin' me out with his/her huge sunken eyes, piggy nose and weird mouth. Come on Zippy's, hire a new artist at the very least. You're not doing yourself any favors here.

I can't comment on Zippy's burgers, but as far as the root beer is concerned i doubt i would make a visit to the restaurant. It's really watered down, low carbonation, and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It is sweetened with cane sugar and has a slight creamy vanilla undertone, but ultimately disappoints on multiple levels. I didn't hate it while i drank it, but the aftertaste is really making me hate it now. My wife said she didn't drink enough to formulate an opinion (not like it would matter anyway since she is untrained in root beer expertise). My son seemed to like it, but he's not even 3 years old yet and likes any soda, which he calls a "spicy drink". So his opinion is unreliable as well. Looks like mine is the only one that counts (as always), and i say this one is no good.

My official review is that Zippy's Giant Root Beer gets 4 (four) IBCs. It's not great and seemingly gets worse the more you drink it. I'm not opposed to going to Zippy's if i am ever in Wesseatle and maybe i would try it again at that time. Maybe a fresh batch would taste better. But that's probably the only circumstance that would lead me to trying this stuff again. Sorry Zippy's.

Old Red Eye Root Beer

There she is... Old Red Eye. I'll bet that's what the ranchers who owned the bull this root beer is named after used to say when they saw her (technically a him seeing as it's a bull, but for the sake of the story let's just pretend for a little bit). Old Red Eye Root Beer has a very brief history on the label which seems more fable than fact. The legends says this old bull would only leave his pen to go to farm work if someone poured some of this root beer into his tin drinking bowl. Sounds like someone made it up to slap on a root beer without an origin. This is bottled by the Orca Beverage company out of Mukilteo, WA. They are a distributor that puts out several other sodas and root beers, including several i have already reviewed on this blog. That being said, i don't know much else about the story/history behind this root beer, including how long it's been around. And i don't care to take the time to try and find out because winter is coming.

 

This is a typical 12 oz. brown glass bottle. It looks quite normal and ordinary. The label is nice. Only three colors, stark in contrast. I like it quite a bit. Very simple but bold. It stands out with the big bull's head drawing and Old West style font. No fuss, no filler. Just straight up label.

 

And guess what... i actually liked the taste of this one quite a bit too. It's almost offensively root beer flavored and sweetened with pure cane sugar. Very strong flavor with a big kick of something i can't quite put my finger on. All i can really say is that it's spicy (not a perfect descriptor, but i really don't know how else to put it). You know how they say Barq's has bite? (or at least they did back in the 90's) Well this stuff has some bite to it. I like it. I was pleasantly surprised. I really didn't expect much from this but i gotta say, i enjoyed it. I even made a root beer float with it and was not let down.

 

My official review is that Old Red Eye Root Beer gets 7 (seven) IBCs. I like it. It's a no nonsense root beer. Probably why they gave it an Old West motif. Grab one if you have a chance. It's worth it.

 

Dang! (that's good) Butterscotch Root Beer

As promised, here is the sister root beer of Dang!, which carries the same name. Dang! (that's good) Butterscotch Root Beer is made and bottled by the same company that does original Dang!, Imperial Flavors out of Milwaukee, WI. I don't really feel like going into the very briefly covered history of the company, so look up the last review if you're interested in learning more. I know it's been nearly two months since i reviewed the last root beer, but i want to keep this brief. I'm a busy man and have things to do.

This root beer comes in a 12 oz. brown glass bottle, a little different from your typical shape though. It's a little more broad shouldered, if that makes any sense. I like it. Not the first time i've seen it, but i will still give them props. The other Dang! i reviewed was also in a cool bottle, but not the same one. This label is just a different color scheme than the original. It has a beige/cream color to go along with the butterscotch theme. The one thing different about this label is that it doesn't have the little month/year scale thing on the side like orignal Dang! had. Not that i miss it though. I really don't care either way.

I was impressed with original Dang!, but i'll be honest... i don't love this stuff. It just tasted like those butterscotch disks, not root beer. It also leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Carbonation is ok, but ultimately, i don't really like this that much. It's quite a let down based on how much i enjoyed original Dang!. I'm pretty bummed out about it. I had high hopes/expectations. My feelings were hurt. I feel betrayed. The life is slipping away from me. I wish i hadn't tried it at all. I'll never love again. I've lost my faith. How many other ways can i say it wasn't good?

My official review is that Dang! (that's good) Butterscotch Root Beer get 3 (three) IBCs. Just did not care for it. And i don't think it really is as bad as a 3, but it deserves it for being so disappointing. If you like butterscotch sodas, maybe. But in my opinion, don't bother with this one. Go for an original Dang!. Much more satisfying.

Dang! (that's good) Root Beer

It's time once again for another review and i am happy to say this is kind of a "two-part" review as we will be discussing this root beer and a sister soda soon to follow. Dang! (that's good) Root Beer is bottled by Imperial Flavors and comes from Milwaukee, WI. Imperial Flavors has been in business since 1964, but i am not sure this root beer has been around the entire time. They also make several other flavors of soda under the Dang! brand. It's a catchy little name for a soda, not unlike So-Duh brand root beer that i reviewed a while back. I believe i got this from the Soda Emporeum. Either that or the Root Beer Store. Those are my two go to places right now, as any regular reader (which i am sure you all are) would know. Not much else to say for a preamble… so hows about we just jump into it.

I see pics of this root beer on online shopping sites as a tall 12 oz. dark brown glass bottle, but the bottle i got happens to be a stubby one (which i like). The label is very simple by catchy and probably hasn't changed much or at all since the 1960s. It's a solid brown background with an orange circle and the logo of the root beer pasted across the front. I also noted that the orange cap matched the orange circle on the label. The "Dang!" is very large and noticeable, while the "that's good" is almost an afterthought. It's almost like they were trying to capture a thought in a bottle. 

I also thought it was interesting that they used the same type of little letter coding on the side of the label as Steelhead Root Beer did. It's not exactly the same, and i had to get a little help cracking the code cuz i'm a dummy (see Steelhead review), but i wonder what the significance of it is. Why put it on a root beer label? Are the month and year supposed to be circled so we know when it was brewed or something? Actually, i think that really is what it's for. So never mind about those last couple questions.

I actually like this one quite a bit. Better than average even. It has a sold root beer flavor with a very slight hint of wintergreen, good carbonation, and it's sweetened with cane sugar. Kinda of a creamy finish and doesn't leave a bad aftertaste. Really can't complain. I don't think it's on the Mt. Rushmore of root beers, but it's a solid one. And because of that, i think i will be fairly generous to this root beer with my rating (spoiler, but not very much of one because my rating is just below this sentence).

My official review is that Dang! gets 7 (seven) IBCs. It's a good root beer, much better than average or mediocre and therefore deserves to be elevated above a 5 or even a 6. Well done city of Milwaukee. You've managed to give me something to say about you.

Three Dachshunds Old Fashioned Root Beer

I got this from the Root Beer Store and it's one of my recent acquisitions. The title of this post is "Three Dachshunds yada yada", but the way it is written on the label (sorry to jump ahead a little) is "III Dachshunds blah blah blah". And to add even more variety, the website for this root beer is 3dachshundsbeer.com. So… i am gonna probably just call it Three Dachshunds, or simply Dachshunds, to both save time and appease my laziness. Just in case you're trying to search for it though, it might require the III (Roman numerals for those of you not in the know) to find it. It is so named because the founders of this brewery happen to own three dogs of the breed dachshund, or more commonly known as wiener dogs. The brewery is located in Milwaukee, WI and has been around since 2003. The owners really love their little wiener dogs and claim them as the sole inspiration of the brewery and beers they create there. This company seems primarily focused on brewing beer, but has managed to squeak out a root beer for people like me. How nice of them.

Now, more about the label. First, it's wrapped around a 12 oz. brown glass bottle and it's very well done. It features one of the III famous wiener dogs in front of a barrel laid on it's side and the proud logo stamped into the wood of the barrel lid. There is a little bit of the history of the brewery on the label, but most i read on the website. And they make a point to be one of those root beers that very proudly displays the fact that they brew this with pure cane sugar. Like i said though, it's a very well done label. Tasteful, not too showy, not too cheap, and captures what these root beer drinkers/brewers are most passionate about. Seems like dogs are the inspiration for a lot of beer and root beer companies. Wonder why that is. Is there a correlation between alcoholism and animal lovers? Anyone who wants to do a doctoral thesis on this, i give you my permission. Just report back on the results. That's all i ask.

You know what… this stuff is actually pretty good. Good solid root beer flavor. Good carbonation. Good finish, though after a while it does leave a bit of a bad taste in your mouth. I won't hold that against them too much though. And the cane sugar gives it a nice sweetness that is enjoyable overall. That being said, i don't find much about it that really sets it apart. It's definitely not bad, but it's also not terrific. It just kind of is. Like Skymall. It's just there. Sure, i'll leaf through it on a plane, but there is no way i am paying those inflated prices for what essentially amounts to being ridiculous junk. I mean come on, a torso toner? Give me a break. No one is buying that. However… if someone offered me that crap for free, i'd have a swanky new set of pajamas, i'll tell you that right now.

My official review of Dachshunds Root Beer is 6 (six) IBCs. Like the lovable little wiener dog on the label, i hold no ill feelings for it, but i also don't have any overwhelming affection for it. Personally, i'm not really a dog lover. I guess i would put it more correctly as i am not a pet person. I have had pets as a kid, but don't have or want any now. My wife is the same way, and my son is too young and stupid to know any different at this point. But i'm not afraid to disappoint him when he asks for a puppy. It's just not gonna happen. What i would give him though is a nice cold refreshing Dachshunds Root Beer as a compromise. Only cuz i'm a good dad though.