Hard root beer has become a growing thing around hear and so I took some time to track down a few varieties and give them a try.
The Best Damn Root Beer You Ever Had was an assault to the tastebuds. It tasted vile and had virtually no traditional root beer flavor. The creators seem to think that calling it root beer and adding an alcohol content will satisfy a large portion of adult drinkers. That and the clever packaging will probably get them quite a few sales. The beverage tasted most similar to Thomas Kemper, that is it tasted harsh and bitter. It had a smell of bubble gum and hint of it in the flavor as well. The alcohol flavor overpowered everything else. Overall the flavors are completely unbalanced an unredeemable. I do not recommend trying this root beer unless you like wasting money. (I was unable to finish even half a bottle.)
Coney Island Brewing Co has created a decent hard root beer. They advertise it as an ale with added flavors. The smell is what you would expect from a manufactured root beer, subdued. The root beer was sweet and delicate to taste. There's a definite taste of beer in the after taste. It's stronger than I would like, as I don't like beer, but the root beer flavor is delicious and lingers longer on the tongue than the beer taste. This is one worth trying, especially if you like beer and ale.
NW Atomic Root Beer advertises itself as hard cider with spices to make it taste like root beer.
