I’m not a fan of beer, but I do like root beer so I bought some Sprecher’s Hard Root Beer after reading about it online. I tried some today and it’s gross - seriously. There’s something funky about it - it’s got this bad smell and a horrible aftertaste. I’m wondering if it’s bad (I’ve heard the term skunked) or if it’s just not working. Has anyone else tried some and liked it, or is the very concept just foul?
Well, it’s so bubbly and cloying and happy. But you know what’s really frightening? If you drink enough of it, you begin to like it.
It’s insidious.
I had some the other night - a friend of mine brought it to the bar. (Yeah…we go to a bar that lets us bring our own beer to taste, occasionally.) I liked it.
The group was a bit mixed on it - some thought it was too sweet. Some just didn’t like it. Some really enjoyed it.
I think it’s going to be one of those things that some people really like, and the rest won’t bother with it after a quick test.
You’d know if it was “skunked”. Skunked brew smells like a skunk. I’d be real surprised if a brown bottled brew was skunked.
Alcoholic root beer is not the norm and may be too different for your palate to appreciate. Also, the bourbon barrel aging leaves a whiskey flavor you may not like.
I’ve not had this yet, but everyone I know who has say it’s awful.
Just like the Straight Dope.
You win one internet for this.
I’ve had the Sprecher’s stuff as well. Not a big fan. I mean, I drank three bottles but…not a big fan.
I didn’t think it was bad per se, but it’s one of those things where the flavors didn’t quite gel. It made me wish I just had a shot of whiskey and a mug of rootbeer.
When I was a kid we used to make root beer at home and it had an alcohol content, supposedly about 1 percent. We used Hires extract with instructions on the box. It was good stuff.
Like the port cider, I haven’t had this one either. I must buy and try.
Hope this isn’t considered a zombie. But I recently had this on tap directly at the brewery.
Not horrible but not great either. Kind of tastes like regular root beer with just half a shot of whiskey in it. Not as much bourbon flavor as I expected. @ only 5% ones not going to get any more of a buzz from it that regular beer.
Not liking root beer I haven’t tried it but most of the people that haven’t liked it don’t notice that it’s bourbon barrel aged (like PK said). If you don’t like bourbon, I’d stay away from it since it’s going to have some of that smokey taste from the barrel.
IOW, it’s not just root beer with liquor in it.
Plus it’s hops that are responsible for skunking. Does Sprecher Hard Root Beer have hops? I’m going to guess it doesn’t. I did see it the other day at the liquor store, but it didn’t entice me enough to pick it up.
It leveled out for me quickly. The first tasted bad, sorta skunky, but I finished the 4-pack with the attitude that it was growing on me, but it never got better than “eh, acceptable” so I haven’t bought any since.