Review: Best Damn Root Beer
Best Damn Root Beer was just released by the Best Damn Brewing Company. They also brew Best Damn Apple Ale. This division of Anheuser Busch has been working on the recipe since 2014. It is an ale that is aged on real vanilla beans during the brewing process. While market leader Not Your Fathers Root Beer currently enjoys an 80% market share, Coney Island Hard Root Beer is coming on strong with an 18% market share. Others including the previously reviewed Rowdy Root Beer, Row Hard Root Beer, Sprecher, and the soon to be reviewed Mission Hard Root Beer, control the other 2%. Read more 
Review: Row Hard Root Beer
Row Hard Root Beer is crafted at the Rock Bridge Brewing Company in Columbia Missouri along with their Pedal Hard Ginger Beer. It is sold in 4 packs of 16 ounce cans and is brewed with pure cane sugar, molasses, spices, and botanicals. Row Hard is brewed without grain and it is gluten free. If it seems like I just reviewed a hard root beer, you are correct. Row Hard is my fifth hard root beer review, and I know of at least one other brand currently on the market. Based on the success of Not Your Fathers Root Beer, I expect to review many more. Read more
Review: Coney Island Hard Root Beer
Coney Island Hard Root Beer was just introduced. It is brewed by the Coney Island Brewing Company, a brewery that is part of the Boston Beer Company. This is the company behind Sam Adams Beer, Angry Orchard Hard Cider, and Twisted Tea. It is made with ale, natural flavors, and caramel color, and it is bottled at 5.8% alcohol. Read more
Review: Berghoff Rowdy Root Beer
Berghoff Rowdy Root Beer was just released and it is one of 13 beers sold under the Berghoff label that are currently brewed in Stevens Point Wisconsin at the Stevens Point Brewery. This is the third adult root beer I’m familiar with, and I’m sure more will follow. Rowdy Root Beer is crafted from a flavorless porter and mixed with root beer flavoring. Those flavorings include all natural sugar cane. It weighs in at 6.6% alcohol, and is available in 12 ounce cans sold in six packs, and on draught in select Chicago area bars. Read more
Review: Sprecher Hard Root Beer
Sprecher Hard Root Beer was introduced in 2013. It was originally introduced as Sprechers Bootleggers Bourbon Barrel Hard Root Beer. The Sprecher Brewery was founded in 1985 by Randall Sprecher, formerly a brewing supervisor at Pabst Brewing Company. The brewery is currently located at a former elevator car factory. It is one of six malt beverages they brew in Milwaukee Wisconsin. The other five include a Hard Ginger Beer, Hard Apple Pie, Hard Cola, Hard Cherry Cola, and a Hard Orange Cream flavor. They also brew six year round, four seasonal, five premium reserve beers, and four Radler style beers. They craft a line of soda, including a root beer. Sprecher Hard Root Beer starts with a cream ale style beer as the base and they add natural and artificial flavors, and caramel and artificial color. Read more
Review: Not Your Fathers Root Beer
Not Your Fathers Root Beer is made by Small Town Brewery in Wauconda Illinois. They currently brew this in three levels of alcohol 5.9%, 10.7%, and 19.5%. I am reviewing their 5.9% root beer. This is their only one currently sold in six packs. It is brewed, fermented, and carbonated like a beer. Each batch is crafted with cinnamon, winter green, anise, Madagascar vanilla, sarsaparilla bark, and 25 pounds of Tupulo honey. Their six packs are bottled at the City Brewing Company in Lacrosse Wisconsin, the former home of the G. Heileman Brewery. This brewery is best known for brewing Old Style Beer, once the best selling beer in Chicago. Supply is limited which might explain the $15 I paid for a six pack at my local liquor store. Read more