Indian Wells Special Reserve root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Indian Wells Brewing Co. started on Father’s Day June 12, 1995. Our home is the site of the California Historic marker #427, Indian Wells. This is the spring that saved the Manly-Jayhawker party in 1849 during the California gold rush. They were lost in Death Valley and after 5 days of travel were saved by the Indian Wells Spring. We use only natural artesian spring water from this historic Indian Wells Spring. Located at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, on highway 14, just 2 miles north of the 178 east junction and 2 miles south of 395 junction at 2565 Highway 14, Inyokern Ca. We invite you to stop in and visit our wonderful tap room and gift shop and view the brewery."

(from the bottle) "Aged in barrels made from Quercus Pyrenaica Chestnut, from the northwest Iberian Peninsula, to give it the special vanilla trace. Our recipe includes sarsaparilla, and birch root, wintergreen, ginger, wild cherry bark, licorices and pure cane sugar. Using only pure fresh spring water from our historic Indian Wells Spring. We hope you enjoy this old fashioned, hand crafted soda."


Product details: 22 fl. oz.  Indian Wells Brewing Co., Inyokerin (pop. 1163), California. 180 calories, 45g sugar (based off 11 oz. serving).  Glass bottle with wax sealed, pry off top.  http://www.mojavered.com/portfolio_category/sodas/


Ingredients: Indian Wells artisan spring water, cane sugar, natural flavor, real vanilla, citric acid.


My thoughts: Isn't this a fancy root beer with its wax sealed top? I can't help but wonder whether or not the packaging is reflective of the actual beverage, or if it's just clever marketing to oversell a less than stellar product. Okay, let's try this. I just have to peel off the wax...errr...this is really on there. *peel, peel* Hmmmmm.... *chip off small piece* (five minutes later)...and the top it off! Whew, that was a lot of work. Now, the drink!

It has a strong, rooty flavor, the kind I really like. It's very complex, with lots of spices in there, though they blend so seamlessly that it's hard to isolate the individual flavors, though vanilla is probably the most prominent. The aftertaste reveals a subtle hint of black licorice. I really like this root beer.

Sweetness is just fine, with just the right amount of sugar. The carbonation is interesting, where the bubbles are so fine that I don't really feel the carbonation in the traditional sense, but there is a strong sting to it. Usually that sensation is accompanied by much larger bubbles that distinctly bounce around my mouth. Smoothness is pretty good, with a frothy and creamy feel to the drink.

Despite being a pain to open the bottle, the contents are well worth the struggle. It's possible that I, with no experience opening a wax sealed bottle before, am just lacking in proper technique. If I could change any one thing, I'd make the carbonation have a bit more texture to it. I like the sting, but I also like to feel the bubbles bouncing around. Overall, a fairly minor nitpick that wouldn't stop me from recommending this particular root beer.


Rating: A
flavor: A+
aftertaste: A
sweetness: A
smoothness: B+
carbonation: B

Death Valley root beer

Background information: (from the website): "Start with ice cold, pure artesian spring water from the historic Indian Wells Spring. Then, we use a blend of fresh sarsaparilla, birch root, natural vanilla, clean wintergreen, raw ginger, fresh licorice, pure cane sugar and a secret ingredient that gives this soda our signature Old West root beer taste."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Brewed by Indian Wells Brewing Co..  180 calories, 45g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.mojavered.com/


Ingredients: Indian wells artisan spring water, cane sugar, caramel color, natural flavor, real vanilla, citric acid.


My thoughts: After an initial hearty root beer flavor, the aftertaste is somewhat similar to this root beer's name, in that it dies off quickly.  This ends up leaving a bland flavor in my mouth.  Despite the ingredients list saying "real vanilla", there isn't much hint of this flavor.  The website claims all sorts of spices as well, but I can't seem to detect anything except maybe the vaguest hint of wintergreen.

Just like the aftertaste, the carbonation is dead on arrival.  There are very few bubbles here and it quickly feels flat.  Without any real creaminess, the smoothness factor suffers.  Sure, it feels moderately smooth since there's no carbonation, but it's not very impressive either.  Sweetness is mediocre, leaving my mouth feeling a bit more sugary than I care for.

If this is what the old west tastes like (according to the bottle, it's "A taste of the old west."), then I'm glad that we have moved on to the "new" west.  Extremely disappointing, I can't recommend this root beer.

Rating: D-
flavor: D
aftertaste: D-
sweetness: C-
smoothness: C
carbonation: F+