Hard Root Beer
Mission Brewery

Hard Root BeerHard Root Beer
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From:
Mission Brewery
 
California, United States
Style:
Herb and Spice Beer
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.61 | pDev: 20.5%
Reviews:
36
Ratings:
129
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 13, 2018
Added:
Mar 07, 2015
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  47
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by rwilde:
Photo of rwilde
Rated by rwilde from Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Jul 17, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of BeanBump
Reviewed by BeanBump from California

4.08/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Since they're apparently discontinuing this, might as well give my 2¢:

This is the best hard root beer Ive ever had. Most are too sweet, too boozy or too...just off the mark and dont really taste like root beer. These guys nail it with this one. That said, its still pretty sweet and I wouldnt want to imagine the hangover if you drank just this all night. I will miss this, though. It was nice to swing by on a warm summer day and knock back a fresh pint.
Dec 13, 2018
 
Rated: 2.53 by AllOfTheCats from Wisconsin

Dec 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.85 by JuiceMan818 from California

Jan 19, 2018
Photo of Nugganooch
Reviewed by Nugganooch from California

3.48/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Sampled on 06/27/2015
12oz bottle to snifter glass

Dark cola colored brew with a nice glossy sheen. Slightly viscous and effervescent with some fleeting foam head.
Very sweet but with all key flavor components there. Wintergreen, vanilla, caramel sweet. Like a liquid root-beer barrel.
Sticky on the palate. Slight carbonated soda like bite to the tongue on it.
Not something I can drink a lot of. Too much sugar going down.
Dec 28, 2016
 
Rated: 2 by mpenske from California

Nov 20, 2016
Photo of farrago
Reviewed by farrago from New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Not any head but can’t say it was expected, there is a gigantic amount of surface sizzle during the pour though. Cloudy dark brown liquid with a yellow tint at the edges, the bubbles are fine yet visibly active throughout the haze. The nose is spicy with a definite root beer smell, spearmint and at times evokes ginger, very light vanillin undercurrent, gently medicinal yet with a strong scrubbing, cleansing sensation in the nostrils. Full-bodied, the carbonation lends tickle during the mouth entry but has little staying power. More basic root beer base, here there’s more vanillin influence and the mintiness more like anisette. Has a grassiness to it which is hard to figure, not sure what it was supposed to add. The alcohol does make the finish slightly rough. But the lingering tingle is not altogether unpleasant. Not great, not horrible, if one were really in the mood for alcoholic root beer this would fit the bill but not something this imbiber will revisit.
Nov 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by NickMunford from Wyoming

Oct 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.17 by nabechu from California

Oct 03, 2016
Photo of scottfrie
Reviewed by scottfrie from California

3.56/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle into snifter.

A: Pours similar to the soda: same color, but denser bubbles to the short-lived head.
S: Smells of the soda; however, to me, vanilla and a kind of spearmint or evergreen type of minty scent dominate.
T: This take on hard soda actually tastes like a beer first and a soda second. The vanilla and minty notes from the nose still stand out, but I also immediately notice black licorice/anise, sarsaparilla, caramel, and maybe a touch of clove, nutmeg, and booze. The finish is tingly and spicy, and the aftertaste is full of lingering flavors of sweet vanilla, candied sugar, and peppery spice. The anise sticks around long after the swallow.
M: Medium-full body, sticky soda-like mouthfeel with splashy soda-like carbonation.
O: Definitely spicier and maybe boozier than other alcoholic soda root beers I’ve tried. More intensely flavored, and more beer-like.
Sep 21, 2016
Photo of BeerTv
Reviewed by BeerTv from California

3.22/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
Mission Hard Root Beer
(ABV: 7.5%)

Hand-crafted adult sodas are not only gaining massive popularity within the last few years, but they are truly shaking up the beer realm. The first beginnings started in 2012, with the first example of a hard root beer debuting in 2013. Hard sodas success appears to point towards a sense of nostalgia as they send us back to a time when we were young and life was carefree. Childhood memories of hot afternoons sipping A&W, Dad's, IBC or Barq's Root beer with our favorite salty snack. And of course, not to forget about the iconic culinary root beer float.

AROMA - light vanilla upfront with black licorice, strong booziness, herbal spices, and of course... root beer. It smells very much along the lines of a root beer barrel candy.

APPEARANCE – dark mahogany almost near black with a carbonated tan head which immediately dissipated...no surprise there. No lacing and no head retention either which is acceptable since this is a hard soda. However, it has a less carbonated appearance than a classic root beer.

FLAVOR – overpowering black licorice, sweet molasses, vanilla, a tinge of bourbon/whiskey, toffee sweetness, highly alcoholic with a massive sarsaparilla character

MOUTHFEEL – medium syrupy body with a moderate amount of bubbly carbonation, apparent alcoholic warmth, long astringent finish

OVERALL – a decent example of a hard root beer, but Mission didn't hide the 7.5% ABV very well. The intense alcoholic astringency made the root beer have a medicinal character stronger than traditional sarsaparilla which was not enjoyable. The best bet is to make a hard root beer float out of this one. For strictly drinking purposes, other hard root beer styles such as Not Your Father's or Coney Island are much rather preferred.
Sep 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.8 by Kplummer82 from California

Aug 07, 2016
Photo of MathChef
Reviewed by MathChef from California

5/5  rDev +38.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
"Hard Root Beer" sounds too much like "Root Beer" which is not something that is popularly associated with a unique, crafted product. It is like the first time someone who grew up on Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup being given a homemade chicken noodle soup. When the expectation of that Campbell's soup product is not met, it's hard to not feel let down. For that reason, it is a real shame that there is not another name for this product to give the fair and unbiased trial I think it deserves. This is far from an A&W, Dad's, IBC, or any other rootbeer in the soft drink aisle.
Fairly, I had that expectation, and at first felt let down. "Not Your Father's..." tastes just like those root beers. In fact, I cannot discern it from a Dad's. In fact, Dad's and other root beers are so sweet, I found that adding some vodka still left them tasting almost no different. So, why pay $2 for a root beer? I get good tasteless vodka for $14 a 1.75L. On that note, why would I be disappointed when a "hard root beer" doesn't taste just like a regular root beer? I bought a case of this because I got it for $25 a case. I got home, and when the first swig wasn't just like a Dad's, I was shocked.
First beer: Belgian glass, little to no head, strong. The flavor profile seemed to have a huge gap where I was expecting sugar to be. Instead of leaving my mouth coated with that sweetness, it was left contemplating the vanilla and other herbal flavors. Otherwise, it seems pretty dry. The aroma sticks around, but not really any tastes stuck to my mouth. I enjoyed it more an more as time went on. It is like nothing else I've tasted.
Second beer, second day: big mug, like what I would have a rootbeer float in, on crushed ice. Really frothed up. More mellow. Really like it on ice. Toned it down just right. You can really tell all of the flavors are authentic. Nothing artificial tasting in it. This is it's own animal, and you can tell the brewers treated the ingredients right. For what it is, it is very well made. No bad flavors, but, for sure, a different set of flavors. This is not a beer, this is not a soda aisle root beer, this is something unique and well made.
I recommend anyone who likes vanilla, spice cakes, cloves, and other such flavors should try this IF they are looking for a new kind of beverage that would be drank along side craft beers, but that is definitely not a beer. If you are the kind of person who would love the opportunity to drink a homemade root beer, ginger beer, cream soda, etc., then this is an adventure for you. I recommend you buy one, then maybe a second before committing to a case.
I really wish there weren't so many negative reviews that basically just say "I was trying to buy a $2 root beer and end up drunk, and that's not what it tastes like." If that's what you're looking for, hands down, you need to skip this one.
This one's a 5 for me. It's not just the head of it's class, it's the only one in a class it just created. This is not a root beer, and this is not a beer. This is it's own thing, and there's no name that will convey that and sell it, unfortunately.
Jul 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.15 by johlac66 from California

May 11, 2016
 
Rated: 2.33 by SD_Transplant from Colorado

Mar 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by bmjivi221 from Virginia

Feb 19, 2016
Photo of retry4z
Rated by retry4z from California

4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A nice blend of herbs and spices.
Jan 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.21 by tiitomireles from Texas

Jan 15, 2016
 
 
Rated: 4.37 by dav-here from California

Jan 10, 2016
Hard Root Beer from Mission Brewery
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 129 ratings