a very kind fellow sent this to me after seeing i had not reviewed it. actually i did not even know they bottled it, so it was a very thrilling day when the offer was made. and even better when it actually arrived in one piece on my doorstep.
i don’t quite get why a small brewery would not have settled on a sweetener so they have to put “corn syrup AND/OR sugar” or whatever. is it one or the other or both? i know there are a good amount of people who avoid corn syrup, so it would behoove them to not have that stuff in there.
but besides that, this is one excellent brew! the flavor is a refreshing herbal mix that i just can’t drink down quickly. i must take small tastes and try to figure out just what i am having. well, i don’t have to do that, i could just drink it and know it is great each time i take a swallow. yet i want to savor it. i cannot really make out the honey though i must admit. the sweetness level is a bit lower than the sodas i usually like a lot which surprises me. it is still sweet but rather subdued in that aspect. that herbal flavor mentioned above is unusual. other sodas seem to try to achieve this taste but most do not do so as well as this one. i will definitely have to go out to PA to get more of this stuff sometime!
UPDATE: they DON’T use corn syrup in any form anymore!! hooray!! the labels have been updated and all is well in the world. or at least better than it was. carry on. good work ABC!
good work Appalachian Brewing Co!
Anthony’s Rating: 97
User’s Rating: 93
# of ratings:39
Log in to rate & save your personal root beer list!
| Type: | Root Beer | Comes In: | 12oz glass bottle, On Tap |
| Available: | PA | Obtained in: | mailed from reader |
| Head: | Small | Sweetener: | cane sugar, honey |
| Calories: | 180 | Sodium: | 40mg |
| Carbs: | 44g | Sugar: | 44g |
| Caffeine: | No | ||
| Website: | http://abcbrew.com | ||
Ingredients: filtered and carbonated brewery water, high fructose corn syrup and/or pure granulated sugar, honey, natural and artificial flavorings, citric acid and sodium benzoate (a preservative)
Anthony, I am pleased to hear you got hands around one of our superior handcrafted rootbeers. I’m sorry that the labeled ingredients are a bit confusing. We use 100% pure cane sugar in our rootbeer. Due to the growth in sales of this product we wanted to give ourselves an “out” if we could not use pure cane sugar on a large scale. Our Head Brewer Jonathan Reeves has been able to perfect the process and we will be using pure cane for many years to come. We look forward to your visit to PA!
Cheers,
Artie Tafoya
Brewmaster
Appalachian Brewing Company, Inc.
Harrisburg, PA
My shipment came today and I was pretty stoked to try it. I didn’t know what to expect, but boy was greeted with something special with the twist of that bottle cap. GREAT STUFF!
A nice root beer with a topnote of sassafras, middle notes of clove and vanilla and a short to medium finish. Not overly sweet, which is nice. Slight peppery bite.
I just reviewed this brew over on my site. I agree. This is a great root beer. Wish I had bought more!
I was actually disappointed with this one. Every site gives this root beer rave reviews; however I did not enjoy the bitter taste that this root beer had. It had a somewhat pleasant flavor – yet it also was not smooth (which I like in a root beer). Overall the bitter flavor killed it for me. I’d have to give it a 78.
Well done! Bought a bottle on the Strip while in Pittsburgh last week. Really excellent although Ithaca remains my top brand–I prefer my root beer a bit less sweet and the hops are a nice touch. Appalachia’s honey adds a really nice smoothness, though.