Samuel Adams 1790 Root Beer Brew

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

Hits with aromas of a regular rootbeer and a hint of black licorice. Tastes like black licorice blended with maple syrup, but without the sweetness. I give points for trying something off the wall, and it really is what it labels itself as, but not a beer you can have more than one at a sitting.

Ruby-red body with a white head. The aroma tastes to me like plastic - band aids to be specific, with hints of sweet soap. The dish soap that notalush mentions is definetly true. Very sweet and even chewy. Sticky sweet, unpleasant finish.

Smells like, well, root beer - tastes like Bath and Body Works smells - finishes like dish soap - nuff said.

Does not really taste like a beer. Great if you like root beer. In fact, if I was looking to drink some root beer, I would probably get this. But you don’t pay ten dollars for a four pack of IBC.

12 oz bottle from mix pack. A translucent brownish/golden pour with a minimal carbonated tan head. Aroma is of definite Root beer elements, spices, vanilla, and sugar. Taste consists of an herb spiced root beer, rather bland and unassuming. Palate is watery and sugary. Overall, this is probably the worst out of the four pack. It’s OK, but lacks certain characteristics that could make it a better beer.

Bottle: Pours a mostly transparent caramel with a small fizzy off-white head. Huge black licorice aroma with light mint. Lots of black licorice and sweetness up front. I can’t say I know what sassafras tastes like, but if that’s it, it doesn’t mix well with black licorice. Lots of mint from the middle on. Finishes with sort of a tanginess. When I saw the overall score I was really hoping it was just a Sam Adams bias, but this is not one of those Sam Adams beers. This one is really not working for me. I really dislike this beer and the aroma and appearance are the only thing keeping this above some of the macro swill. I can honestly say I would drink a Bud Light before I would drink this.

Beer emerges from the 12-ounce brown bottle a murky rust color with a tiny off white head that disappears quickly leaving some splotches off lace. Nose is spicy, vanilla, wintergreen, sweet malt, molasses, and a few other thinks, not bad mind you, certainly different, start is sweet with a sudden rush of bitterness, light grain profile, and top light in feel. Finish is bitingly acidic, the aftertaste dry and clinging, a sure change of pace for me, not bad, not good, drinkable as something out of the ordinary.

Other than the smell, there is very little good about this beer. First taste is odd, but okay. Then it goes quickly downhill. Does not taste like root beer at all. Has some Christmas spices that I couldn’t name - now I see it was wintergreen. It’s just not really good. The worst beer of the set easily, as I threw half of this one away.