Fireman's Brew root beer

Background information: (from the website): "In December 2000, Rob and Ed were sitting on a steep hillside of an extinguishing brushfire above the Glendale Mountains. They were staring into the midnight sky, dreaming of the cool smooth taste of a fresh beer to quench their scorched dry mouths. From this point, these two Los Angeles based firemen set out to brew the best Fireman's Brew in the world.

The result was Fireman's Brew, the perfect choice to "Extinguish Your Thirst" & "Ignite the Party"! In a brief moment in time, the two men gave birth to a vision that they are living out today. Their thirst for beer and coffee after that exhausting day launched them into developing a hero's brand of products that every American could relate to. With every product sold, Fireman's Brew donates a portion of its profits to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in Emmitsburg, Maryland. So whether your beverage of choice is beer, coffee, or root beer, sit back and relax with the smooth taste of a fresh Fireman's Brew!"

(from the bottle): "Extinguish your thirst" and "Ignite the Party". If they wanted to be extremely clever, they should bottle this stuff in fire extinguisher shaped containers, but I suppose the current logo on a regular shaped bottle will have to do for now.

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled by Fireman's Brew Inc., Inyokern, CA.  180 calories, 45g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.firemansbrew.com


Ingredients: Natural Artesian Spring Water, Cane Sugar, Caramel Color, Natural Flavors, and Citric Acid added.


My thoughts: It's been mega-hot the past week and it seems that being doused by a firehose would be a refreshing way to cool off. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have any firehoses handy, so I'll have to make do with this Fireman's Brew root beer, hoping that it'll provide the cool refreshment that I'm in dire need of.

It may just be the heat talking, but this cold root beer started off by doing exactly what I want, giving me a cool, rooty flavor. The sassafras taste is nice and natural, with a hint of other spices, with wintergreen seeming the most prevalent and a little vanilla. As the initial flavor fades into an aftertaste, the wintergreen takes on a little more prominence without becoming too minty. The flavors disappear almost as quickly as the drink is swallowed, and I wish the taste stuck around a bit longer.

I really like the crispness of this drink, with lots of carbonation. Unfortunately, this makes it not so smooth, as I don't detect any creaminess and my mouth is left feeling a little too clinical and clean, almost like I just drank straight carbonated water. Don't get me wrong, I like the clean feeling, but it feels a little to sterile. Fortunately, smoothness is the least important quality to me. Sweetness, on the other hand, is great, with just the right amount of sugar. There is hardly any sugary coating left behind, which may also contribute to the "sterile" feeling.

Well, just like a firefighter doing his job -get in, get things done, then get out of there- this drink does a fantastic job while in my mouth, but once it's done in there, the flavor gets right on out and moves on. While not the absolute best tasting root beer I've had, it's pretty solid and I wish the flavor would stick around after putting out the fire.

Rating: B
flavor: B+
aftertaste: C-
sweetness: A
smoothness: F
carbonation: A+