1919 Draft Root Beer

Producer: 1919 Root Beer
Obtained At: The 1919 stand at the Minnesota State Fair
Container: On tap (also comes in 5-gallon pony keg)
Ingredients: N/A
Calories: N/A
Sugars: N/A
Caffeine: No

I have had this root beer many times before. They sell it in mini kegs around the Twin Cities and always have a stand at the Minnesota State Fair. I used to buy the five gallon kegs of this for parties or get-togethers with friends when I lived in Saint Paul. So when I made it back recently, the 1919 stand was one of the first things I hit up at the Fair and it was totally worth it. This has a full root beer flavor with great mouthfeel and a great aftertaste. It is one of the smoothest root beers I have ever had. I absolutely love this one. It never fails to live up to my expectations. If you ever see this, don’t hesitate to buy a keg of it (pictured below)

10/10

 

Killebrew Root Beer

Producer: Killebrew Beverages / RJM Distributing, Inc., Ramsey, MN
Obtained At: Holiday Gas Station in Saint Croix Falls, WI
Container: 16 ounce Aluma-Tek can
Ingredients: Pure natural spring water, high fructose corn syrup, pure Minnesota honey, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors and citric acid
Calories: 122
Sugars: 29 grams
Caffeine: No

This is a classic Minnesota root beer that can be found almost anywhere around the Twin Cities. I haven’t had in in at least three years since I moved to Connecticut so it was nice to find it while I was back in the Midwest. It’s available at Twins games and is named after Harmon Killebrew, a hall of fame baseball player. This comes in a unique container that they call an Aluma-Tek can. I have seen similar containers for alcoholic beverages, but I think this is the only root beer I have seen in a can like this. They also make this in bottles, if you prefer that like I do. The design keeps with the baseball theme, displaying a baseball diamond, pinstripes, and the phrase “With the Hall of Fame Taste”. The flavor is good. It is creamy and has a taste of honey. It is not too sweet, which is nice. It only has 29 grams of sugar, which is actually quite low for root beer. I could definitely drink a lot of this one. Overall, this is a pretty good root beer that you should pick up if you’re in Minnesota or western Wisconsin.

6/10

LIVE Kombucha Soda Raw & Organic Revive Root Beer

Producer: LIVE Soda
Obtained At: Target  
Container: 12 ounce glass bottle
Ingredients: Organic Raw Kombucha (Organic Fair Trade Certified Tea, Organic Fair Trade Certified Evaporated Cane Juice, and Organic Kombucha Culture fermented in purified water), Natural Flavors, Organic Stevia Extract (Natural Sweetener)
Calories: 40
Sugars: 9g
Caffeine: No

As I’ve stated before, I collect glass bottles of root beer and have been doing so since 2010. So I am always excited when I am able to find a new root beer, especially at a store like Target. This was even better, however, because it had two different styles of bottles, which is double the fun for my collection. I enjoy the label for this. It is very unique but still manages to have a root beer feel to it with the brown. I also like the short, odd-shaped bottle—a good addition to my collection. Unfortunately, that is where my enjoyment ended with this drink. I rarely enjoy a root beer that calls itself “organic” so I admittedly did not go into this with an open mind. Nonetheless, the drink was barely recognizable as root beer. Maybe people who are into kombucha and probiotics would like this, but I did not.

2/10