Saint Brewis

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Small Town Brewery – Not Your Father’s Root Beer

Brewery: Small Town Brewery
Location Wauconda, IL
Style  Spiced Ale
 ABV  5.9%
 IBUs n/a

 

Best Quote During Tasting

When I'm in Brussels I like to chew bubblegum.

Justin:

Aroma -  Root beer.  End of story.
Score: 10/12
Appearance - No head whatsoever, black, sparkling.  Underwhelming if you're expecting a typical "head" that beer usually comes with.
Score: 1/3
Flavor - Vanilla, sasafrass, cough medicine, medicinal, band-aid, bubblegum.  While present, the medicinal/bandaid flavors were not overwhelming enough to knock it too low.
Score: 12/20
Mouthfeel - Creamy, thin, exactly like root beer, medium carbonation
Score: 3/5
Overall Impression -  There's a lot of debate out there about this "beer."  Some craft beer lovers HATE everything this beer stands for since it's technically a "malt liquor" like Zima or Smirnoff Ice.  Other folks just think "Yum! A root beer that gets me drunk!" Regardless, it's marketed as an ale, which is a beer and we reviewed it as such.  If you want something beer-like that tastes like root beer, you can't go wrong with this one. 
Score: 7/10

 

Blake:

Aroma -  It smells exactly like root beer. I'd be willing to bet that if you set a line up with this mixed in, just on aroma, it'd be hard to tell apart from real non-alcoholic root beers. 
Score: 8/12
Appearance - Poured flat, which is one area it differentiates from real root beer. No thick creamy foam head that you'll experience when you pour an IBC Root Beer into a glass.
Score: 1/3
Flavor -  The first flavors that hit your palate are those you'd experience in root beer. The first couple seconds you'll get sassafras, sarsaparilla, nutmeg,  vanilla, and other spice like qualities. Unfortunately after those pass, you'll experience a slight medicinal quality. As the beer warms up, you'll get more of the unwelcome flavors, so it's best to drink this one cold.
Score: 11/20
Mouthfeel -  Smooth, with a decent amount of carbonation, but still not on par with what it is mimicking. 
Score: 3/5
Overall Impression -  I had the pleasure of trying the 10.9% version of this on draft a little over a year ago, and from what I remember that version was far superior to it's lighter weight sibling. If I'm being honest (which I am), part of why I might have liked that original version was because of the novelty. High ABV beers that cover up their booziness with sweetness are fun to try. This version has expanded in popularity quite quickly, and it's likely to find its way into many fridges and coolers across the country.  While NYFRB might have started it's popularity with craft beer drinkers, it's market is aimed more at your everyday drinker. For now let's just classify this one as a dessert beer that isn't perfect, but could be nice every once in a while.
Score: 6/10

 

Saint Brewis Final Score
  • Aroma
  • Appearance
  • Flavor
  • Mouthfeel
  • Overall
3
User Rating: 0.0 (6 votes)
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Blake Fehl

Blake Fehl

Co-Founder at Saint Brewis

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