Samuel Adams 1790 Root Beer Brew

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Definitely smelled like root beer. Taste was sweet at first with an aftertaste that was akin to ash from the fireplace. Herbs were so strong I was still tasting them the next morning.

Served in a tumbler: Pours a muddled brown with almost no head and zip for lace. The aroma is very much root beer at first with a wonderful sassafras, mint leaf, and licorice component but alas I also get more of the papery and plastic character of it brethren. The taste is well... AN AWFUL MESS ONCE AGAIN! Too much spice and cloy sweetness and not enough refreshment. . This taste sooooooo fake it is not enough funny and is highly revolting. If most of these are what beer tasted like in the colonial days, I am glad to be living in the 21st century. Among the worst combination of taste to ever cross this palate!

This was an ugly pour... murky orangish-brown with lots and lots of schtuff floating around and settled down in there. Nose was most certainly of root beer... sweet molasses, vanilla, licorice, mint and candy in there... none of which I find appealing in a beer. Flavor was very much similar, with caramel, molasses, brown sugar, licorice, mint, orange curacao, and ginger... these would go great in a cake or something, but again didn’t do it for me in a beer. Wintergreen and lots of caramellized sweetness at the finish. Lighter-bodied and tacky on the palate with entirely too much fresh mint. Blech.

Aroma is pleasant, for a mint....Lots of spice, wintergreen, maybe some licorice. Taste is pretty similar, but with that familiar beer taste too. Pretty gross if you ask me, these two dont go together. The only plus was that the burps smelled pretty good after I finished one.

Pours orange red with lots of floaties, murky, and decent off-white head that fades quickly. Wintergreen and molasses are heavy in aroma, with slighter amounts of caramel and vanilla. What a strange flavor. Reminds a bit of cough syrup. Has a fair amount of bitterness, but I think it may be from all of the herbs. Refreshing on the palate. I think I might actually like just a little bit, but a full bottle is a little much.

9/1/06 - This brew pours murky orange in color. Immediatley I was hit with the smell of licorice and a hint of root beer. It was very spicy and sour, almost too much so. I couldn’t even finish it, very strange aftertaste.

What an odd experience. This may be the first beer that made me salivate based on the aroma and then want to spit it out once it got on my tongue. Appearance: Pours a brown red color with an attractive creamy head that stays frothy and has a decent amount of lacing. Smell: The smell starts out *fantastic* and even stays decent throughout. An initial burst of sweet root beer barrel candy and vanilla, flood the nose and sent me back to childhood when I used to buy Rootbeer barrels at Gramps Corner store in Mountville, for a penny. mmm. There is also a strong black licorice and a hint of birch in the nose. Reminds me of chewing on birch bark in the woods surrounding Uncle Dale’s house. The sweet onslaught fades quickly and a bold wintergreen and sarsaparilla aroma seep through with a gingerish character. Eventually as it reaches room temperature it smells like a car air freshener. Taste: I would certainly hang this scent in my car but please don’t make me drink it. The flavor starts out sweet with honey and molasses but instantly turns to sharp wintergreen, cleaning solvent, ginger, and carrot flavors with some juiced brussle sprouts and parsley with a big handful of tea and mint leaves. But the over powering flavor remains the medicinal wintergreen and sassafras that is more in-your-face that I could possibly want. As I adjust to the flavor it got less annoying but the aftertaste was still bothersome and rough. I thought I was eating kale garnish. I wanted to brush my teeth and tongue. ewe. Mouthfeel: It is a light body but stroon with sticky sugars and it has super sudsy tight carbonation in overdrive. Drinkability: The cloying herbal flavors did not work for me. I realize this beer is a novelty beer and is maybe worth it to taste once jus for the sake of it, but I didn’t want to finish one bottle. Hope this is helpful. Cheers!

Root beer brew would be a great idea, unfortunatly the root beer flavor is overcome by licorice. Aroma is very interesting, strong licorice sent. I would prefer much less licorice.