Old Town Root Beer, Sarsparilla. I know the spelling is off, but check out the label. Apparently there are a few brands of Old Town Root Beer, but it looks like, for the foreseeable future, this might be my only review of this brands line. By the time I got around to pulling this root beer out of cold storage, the origin location appears to have closed down. I’ll touch on that a bit later, but it looks like, for now, this review will be a bit melancholic.
Old Town Rootbeer Co., an MSN Treat!
The bottle is an attractive eye catcher. While the text is difficult to read, with the color scheme being red, green, and white, the actual design pulls you in. It’s vibrant, while still putting off older, rustic style vibes. The bottle doesn’t have much in the way of background information, or nutritional facts, but it does proudly display the MSN email address, and the now disabled website. Jokes aside, this root beer looks like it was made by good people on a smaller scale, and I am hoping that it tastes good too.
Background
Information about the company is a bit sparse. According to their Facebook posts, the organization has been around for about fifteen years. They also have multiple franchise locations. The original store, apparently, has closed locations due to issues related to mold. With the website disabled, I’m not sure if this is the actual brewing location or just the sales front. In any case, the legend behind Old Town Root Beer is quite interesting, and worth taking a read over at The Root Beer Store. Here’s an excerpt:
Owners John and Cory Montgomery developed the brand in 2001. The original recipe was written on onionskin paper found in a family bible that was handed down to the owners’ son, John Jr., from his grandfather who lived in the 1800’s.
I’m actually getting a bit nervous about trying this brew.
Ingredients
- Carbonated Filtered Water
- Cane Sugar
- Natural & Artificial Flavors
- Carmel Color
- Citric Acid
- Benzoate (Preserves Freshness)
There’s no nutritional information, but there are a collection of ingredients. These ingredients, obviously, leave a lot to be desired. What exactly is in this besides sugar water and chemical compounds?
First Taste
The initial whiff off the top is weak, but the flavor definitely isn’t. The first thing that I taste is a strong hit of vanilla, followed by a more traditional root beer flavor. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how it’s crafted, but whatever method the producers employed resulted in a ridiculously smooth experience. Despite mint-like flavors and a pervasive sharpness, there isn’t much bitterness to be found. There’s a lackluster amount of carbonation, so if you’re big on the carbonation of a root beer, you might not enjoy Old Town as much.
After Time
Over time it becomes apparent just how sickly sweet this root beer is, and also, just how smooth, or rather thick, it feels. It’s almost syrupy, which can be a big deterrent to enjoying this brew over time. After breathing, Old Town Root Beer loses its edge, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it does make the root beer seem rather weak in flavor, or at least watered down. The mint flavor is more apparent over time. The root beer flavor itself, despite being a bit weaker, is still pleasant. The after taste, however, is pervasive. It doesn’t taste bad, in fact, it tastes exactly like the root beer itself, but it stays around. The flavor coats your mouth, and while not overwhelming in its own right, will simply not let go. It stays for a very long time and requires multiple swishes of water to dissipate.
Conclusion
If you’re going to pick up some Old Town Root Beer, if you can, be sure to drink it fast. Assuming that you’re like me, and you don’t particularly like excessive carbonation, this brew might be a decent choice. There are better options out there though. That being said, it’s very sweet. This brew actually might not have that much sugar in it, but because it lacks nutritional information, I can’t confirm that for you. However, the root beer sticks around for a while, so that sweetness is amplified greatly. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I’m not a big fan. I don’t appreciate how much mint flavor is present. It’s a smooth ride though.
Rating: ♛♛♕♕♕ – 2/5