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Tommyknockers were mean little elves who harrassed workers in the gold mines, according to Colorado superstition. In 1859 they got into the Root Beer business and this brew was born! These elves do things a little differently, brewing with such exotica as pure maple syrup and Tahitian vanilla extract. Can these little half-pints measure up?
Well, well, well, a Connecticut Root-Beer has found its way into our court. Avery's seems to go for the "less-is-more" approach in their label. I like the label; will I like the root beer??
The rising sun shines to celebrate our 60th root beer, a milestone for this blog. This is so exciting I can hardly stand it, so let's get right to the review of Caruso's Legacy Robusto Root Beer!
We all know and love Langer's juice... but who knew they also made root beer? Well, this Los Angeles-based juice empire claims they also produce a "premium" root beer with "Madagascar Vanilla Extract" and "a touch of honey." And, like their juice, they use absolutely no artifical colors or flavors. This could be interesting.
Uh oh. Every once in a while something like this manages to sneak through. A renegade "root beer". This one offers an amber tinge and a nose of Tree Top apple juice. 
1888. Quite a year. Jack the Ripper was mutilating his victims in London, Vincent van Gogh was mutilating himself in France, the "Great Blizzard of '88" left more than 400 people dead along the east coast, and the National Geographic Society was founded in Washington, D.C. In the midst of all this chaos, a brewery was founded in the foothills of the Adriondack mountains of New York. Today, Saranac (Iroquois for "cluster of stars") is a thriving beverage company that prides itself on all its beers...including root.
In 1863, while the Civil War was raging, and the 15th Regiment of New Hampshire was spilling their blood in the name of preserving the Union, Squamscot Beverages was founded in Newfields, NH. Still boasting their original recipe, Squamscot invites you to "experience the past...one sip at a time." So as we hoist our glass to the memories of the lost souls of the glorious 15th, we can share a taste in time, and know the same liquid refreshment as they did, all those years ago. But as their last breaths escaped them on the battlefield, did they whisper the name "Squamscot"? 
A simple label. An imposing name. Rhode Island's Empire root beer may be from the smallest state, but that doesn't mean it can't be tremendous in scope and massive in taste!
With a stately coat of arms adorning their label, Washington state's very own Bedford's Root Beer may be a root beer fit for a king!
The only root beer we've encountered so far to be labeled "Fair Trade Certified," and with a bare bones handcrafted ingredient list that reads: carbonated pure water, Fair Trade Certified organic cane juice, and spices, let's hope this hippie tonic strikes us as more than just "Fair."
Holy Moly! Founded in 1851 in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, this eponymously named soda company promises to deliver antebellum-era root beer taste in a 21st century bottle! Can't wait to try this stuff.
The first root beer to come to us from America's Hat, The Pop Shoppe is the crown jewel of Canadian soda pop companies. Dating from the 60s, this Burlington, Ontario pop maker has been satisfying thirsty Canucks for half a century. But will it do the same for us Yanks south of the border?
Here we have another modern root beer wrapped up in a gimmicky ad campaign. Proclaiming to be "soda with an attitude," So Duh! features a ditzy blonde on their bottle and the hip label of "Rockin' Root Beer." The ingredients feature cane sugar, natural vanilla, and the star of the show, "alfalfa honey," whatever that may be. But here, we judge on taste, not cuteness, so let's get going.
I'll get right to the point and review the most recent root beer I've had the pleasure of sampling for this blog: Stevens Point Brewery Point Gourmet Root Beer. The founder and head brewer, Steven Point, can be seen sampling his creation here. It took a long time to create it, but a short time to name it, is how the slogan goes. Was the brew worth the wait?
Batter up! Here's a hall-of-fame root beer named after one of the Minnesota Twins' most beloved ballers! I had occasion to sample it while watching Casey Blake of the Dodgers drop a pop fly and send the Twins on the path to victory, 6-4. Will the Twins' signature root beer be a grand slam, or will I be like another Casey, the one at the bat, waiting for a good drink to slide down my throat?
This special edition bottle of Virgil's makes use of the entire spice cupboard in their recipe--but that's nothing new. What is new is the inclusion of "Bavarian Well Water" as the base liquid. Water is, of course, the most important single ingredient in any beer, root or otherwise. Here Virgil's ups the ante by going for the highest possible quality water they can find. But how does it taste?
If you're the kind of root beer drinker that likes goat cheese on your salad, shops at co-ops, and shampoos your hair with dandelion extract, have we found the root beer for you! Natural Brew is an all natural root beer that may change the way you look at root beer!
First we had Route 66 Beer. Now it's Highway 101 root beer. Both fit in nicely with the name of this website. So will this 101 root beer keep us on track, or will we merge onto Highway 46 and meet James Dean's end?
Well, this is our first review that features root beer out of a plastic bottle! It had to happen sometime, so today we look at Teddy's and see if it can live up to our high standards.
Who let the dogs out? Another root beer brewed with honey and real vanilla, let's see if we can run with the dogs, or call the dog catcher to take this brew back to the kennel!
John: Uninspired, and uninspiring. Not terribly objectionable, but thoroughly mediocre. If you don't have the energy or interest to drink a real root beer, this generic soda will do fine. I'm putting about as much effort into this review as they do into their root beer. **
HAPPY NEW YEAR! To ring in the new year, we've decided to sample one of the most talked about root beers on the market! Unfortunately, most of the talking is done on the root beer's own label, but that's okay. Virgil's gets five stars for self promotion: with rambling stories about collecting various spices from all over the world, ancient root beer recipies (that pre-date the beverage's invention), and an endless quest for perfection in brewing, they talk up such a good game that you're destined to either love or hate the actual contents of the bottle before you even take a sip. And let's face it, you've got to have some serious hubris if your label features a picture of a Lumberjack Jesus serving you root beer in heaven. That's why we're here to cut through the P.R. hoopla, and set the record straight.
With an invitation to become an owner of one of their stores adorning the label, this might be the grassrootiest of all root beers.
From Durango, Colorado comes an independent brew with probably the weirdest name yet. Like the other Colorado brew we sampled (Barrel Brothers), Zuberfizz fancies itself a creamy, draft-style root beer. Let's see what else these Rocky Mountain beers have in common.
From the Jackson Hole Soda Co. comes another old west saloon staple: Snake River Sarsaparilla. Will it be pleasing, or will we flush it down the hole?
A small batch, small town, independent brew out of San Luis Obispo, CA, Pithy Little Root Beer is the creation of the Pithy Little Wine Company, who discovered that at their wine tasting events, there was invariably one "pour soul" who didn't drink wine and was stuck drinking water...until they invented their root beer, that is. So let's see how these small time vinters do in the Big Boy world of Root Beer.
In the root beer world, three letters send waves of awe and admiration through thirsty enthusiasts' bones: I... B... C! Dating from the same year as the preeminent and iconic two-lettered brew A&W, in 1919 the Independent Brewing Company out of St. Louis, Missouri, crafted an American brew that is still the darling of legions of fans. We, however, are objective, critical, and as cold as a frozen mug in our reviews, so we'll give you a straight shot of truth when it comes to IBC's true quality.
Arrrrgh, Mateys, we've unearthed us some Pirate Brew. Claiming a vintage from 420 years ago (which is interesting considering root beer was only invented about 130 years ago), this is one of the newer, gimmicky root beers that is trying to sell to the younger crowd by including guarana and caffeine in their brew--two ingredients notably absent from virtually every other root beer on the planet, but ubiquitously found in energy drinks like Red Bull. We're willing to walk the plank and try some.
From West Lafayette, IN, the home of the Purdue Boilermakers, comes a root beer with a tantalizing and intriguing name: XXX, which claims to "make thirst a joy." Will they get three stars from us to match their moniker?
Dad's is an old-time Chicago root beer that dates from 1937. Could this be the brew to redeem the windy city for its slew of disappointing root beers? (e.g. Berghoff's and Filbert's).
Brewed with pure Wisconsin honey right from the combs, Sprecher is gas-kettle fired and ready to drink!
Originally brewed during prohibition, Henry Weinhard's is a gourmet root beer with foam, foam, and more foam to spare! Brewed with sassafras, vanilla, and wild honey, this just might be the tasty treat we've been waiting for!
Thomas Kemper root beer dates from only 1990, but already enjoys a reputation as belonging to the upper echelon of root beers. Brewed with honey, this should be "one honey of a root beer."
We already know that Sioux City root beer is a good, solid beverage...is their sarsaparilla even better? Continuing with the old west theme on the bottle, this claims to be "the grandaddy of all root beers." Let's taste and see if quality is handed down in the Sioux City family tree like a cherished Winchester '77.
It's time to get into the Christmas spirit, and what better way than to enjoy a nice frosty glass of Frostie root beer! With snow and Santa adorning the artwork on the front of the bottle, this is sure to be a delicious yule tide treat!
From the rocky mountains comes a modern root beer that announces what it's shooting for right on the label: "creamy vanilla." So, if you don't like creamy vanilla, stay away. We like all stripes of root beer, so we drank it.
Something about New York root beers makes me hesistant, waiting to expect the worst. Maybe it's the legacy left by Dr. Brown's, but I had to steel myself for Olde Brooklyn and put my prejudice in the back seat. Who knows, maybe I'll be surprised and it'll be great!
Dating from 1926, Filbert's is a Chicago brew from the prohibition era, when George Filbert delievered milk, ice, and coal in a horse-drawn wagon to local homes. Evidently George figured that brewing root beer would be profitable during prohibition, and his secret recipe endures to this day! Let's hope that it's an improvement over that other Chicago brew, Berghoff's, which is disgusting (see review below).
A root beer that dates from 1891, this may be the olde-tymiest root beer on the market! The secret weapon on the ingredients label this time around is Yucca extract, a desert plant used to make soap. So I'm ready to wash my hands clean of my old root beer loyalties and try a taste from centuries ago!
Yeeee Haw! Jackson Hole Soda Co. has delivered a root beer with a kick! Will it kick our love for root beer up a notch, or will we kick it to the curb?
Few root beers brag as much on their label about the quality of their brew as does River City--and they play the nostalgia card big time: "River City Root Beer brings back memories of a time gone by. When the sky was bluer and the clouds whiter and the breeze off the river kept you cooler." etc. etc. Since this stuff is made in Sacramento, their pitch sounds like pure P.R. The test is in the taste.
G'day mates! Today we're sampling a brew from down undah! Can those Aussies compete when it comes to America's national beverage?
Boasting "pure Louisiana cane sugar" on its label, Abita may be the last word in southern comfort.
Rat Bastard root beer encourages its drinkers to "spread your lips and ingest." That's just what we did. Was it a fulfilling experience? Or did we do the walk of shame back to the refrigerator?