Bayou Bootlegger Hard Root Beer
Abita Brewing Co.


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- From:
- Abita Brewing Co.
- Louisiana, United States
- Style:
- Herb and Spice Beer
Ranked #73 - ABV:
- 5.9%
- Score:
- 81
Ranked #27,579 - Avg:
- 3.54 | pDev: 13.56%
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Aug 24, 2021
- Added:
- Dec 10, 2015
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 15
SCORE
81
Good
81
Good


Notes:
Bayou Bootlegger is a decidedly adult take on the old-fashioned soda fountain root beers of days gone by. Gluten-free and sweetened with pure Louisiana cane sugar, this handcrafted beer delivers aromas of wintergreen, vanilla and sassafras, with hints of clove and anise. Enjoy its smooth, complex and satisfyingly sweet flavor as your go-to thirst quencher or paired with your favorite meal.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
2.5 by RiceOwls27 from Texas on Aug 24, 2021
3.5 by Chipwells from Georgia on Jan 31, 2021
3.5/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
by TMoney2591 from Illinois
Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.
Thanks to Small Town, Sprecher, and the rest, it looks like hard root beers are gonna be a thing. Sweet. This one pours a clear amber-tawny topped by a half-finger or so of taupe foam. The nose is straight indicative of root beer, maybe a touch sweeter than usual, some mild anise in the back for good measure. The taste brings in more of the same, a sweet root beer with some clove and allspice and anise bits here and there. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a slick-ish feel. Overall, a solid hard root beer. 'Nuff said.
Aug 23, 2018
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
by TMoney2591 from Illinois
Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.
Thanks to Small Town, Sprecher, and the rest, it looks like hard root beers are gonna be a thing. Sweet. This one pours a clear amber-tawny topped by a half-finger or so of taupe foam. The nose is straight indicative of root beer, maybe a touch sweeter than usual, some mild anise in the back for good measure. The taste brings in more of the same, a sweet root beer with some clove and allspice and anise bits here and there. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a slick-ish feel. Overall, a solid hard root beer. 'Nuff said.
Aug 23, 2018
4.16 by EricCFrantz from Louisiana on May 15, 2018
3.39 by DigitGrowler from Kentucky on Apr 24, 2018
3.45/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
by jadpsu from Georgia
In LAUREL.
I only purchased a single bottle as part of a make your own 6 pack offer.
LOOK: Pour looked identical to the Root Beer days of my youth when A&W was widely available if only occasionally the soft drink choice. Poured near black in color with a brown foamy head that slowly faded.
AROMA: 100% A Root Beer Match, with Root Beer aroma having a touch of clove and vanilla.
TASTE: Flavor and taste was a Root Beer match as well. Sweet, too sweet at this age. Label says it has PURE LOUISIANA CANE SUGAR . For me the clove is unwanted since clove goes straight to my frontal head giving me a light headed headache feeling.
My scoring gave the benefit of the doubt, since this HARD Root Beer did a superior job of creating a true old fashioned Root Beer feel.
Mar 25, 2018
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
by jadpsu from Georgia
In LAUREL.
I only purchased a single bottle as part of a make your own 6 pack offer.
LOOK: Pour looked identical to the Root Beer days of my youth when A&W was widely available if only occasionally the soft drink choice. Poured near black in color with a brown foamy head that slowly faded.
AROMA: 100% A Root Beer Match, with Root Beer aroma having a touch of clove and vanilla.
TASTE: Flavor and taste was a Root Beer match as well. Sweet, too sweet at this age. Label says it has PURE LOUISIANA CANE SUGAR . For me the clove is unwanted since clove goes straight to my frontal head giving me a light headed headache feeling.
My scoring gave the benefit of the doubt, since this HARD Root Beer did a superior job of creating a true old fashioned Root Beer feel.
Mar 25, 2018
3.75 by FrancisM12 from New Jersey on Mar 04, 2018
3 by Beerbuddha from Florida on Jan 15, 2018
4 by Jerid from Florida on Aug 27, 2017
3.25 by godawgs from Louisiana on Aug 12, 2017
3.63 by Jason_cs from Florida on Jun 28, 2017
3.68/5 rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
by tone77 from Pennsylvania
Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a damn near black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is strong of root beer. Taste is syrup, root beer, very sweet. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall, while I enjoyed this, it just doesn't feel like a beer. One is enough for me.
Apr 23, 2017
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
by tone77 from Pennsylvania
Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a damn near black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is strong of root beer. Taste is syrup, root beer, very sweet. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall, while I enjoyed this, it just doesn't feel like a beer. One is enough for me.
Apr 23, 2017
4.15/5 rDev +17.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by BeerBobber from Nevada
The look is so crazy! Looks like I just poured a nice frosty mug of root beer. Dark color with a nice frothy brown head that will stick all the way down the glass.
The smell threw me back to my childhood! Straight out of the fresh ass A&W Root Beer shops we used to go to. I can actually picture that same damn location off of Sheridan Av. just by smelling this.
The taste is the same as the smell! Holy crap Batman I think I am going straight back to my childhood! Taste is just like that classic [email protected] root beer.
Mouth feel seems to be a bit off of the classic root beer I am imagining. Seems to be a bit maltier, if that is a word. And the thickness tosses it off just a bit. Finish is wet and slick.
Wow! I really went back to my childhood with this one. This seems to me to be a very fine root beer from the folks at Abita. With the addition of the 5.9% alcohol this one land in that adult beverage category. Yet to be billed as a beer this one really does tend to confuse me. Well screw that! I am going to enjoy going back to an earlier age with this fine beverage. Cheers BA bro's!
Apr 20, 2017
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by BeerBobber from Nevada
The look is so crazy! Looks like I just poured a nice frosty mug of root beer. Dark color with a nice frothy brown head that will stick all the way down the glass.
The smell threw me back to my childhood! Straight out of the fresh ass A&W Root Beer shops we used to go to. I can actually picture that same damn location off of Sheridan Av. just by smelling this.
The taste is the same as the smell! Holy crap Batman I think I am going straight back to my childhood! Taste is just like that classic [email protected] root beer.
Mouth feel seems to be a bit off of the classic root beer I am imagining. Seems to be a bit maltier, if that is a word. And the thickness tosses it off just a bit. Finish is wet and slick.
Wow! I really went back to my childhood with this one. This seems to me to be a very fine root beer from the folks at Abita. With the addition of the 5.9% alcohol this one land in that adult beverage category. Yet to be billed as a beer this one really does tend to confuse me. Well screw that! I am going to enjoy going back to an earlier age with this fine beverage. Cheers BA bro's!
Apr 20, 2017
3.62 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida on Mar 30, 2017
3.71 by tbryan5 from Louisiana on Feb 27, 2017
3.73 by cliff1066 from Virginia on Feb 07, 2017
3.75 by harpus from Alabama on Oct 16, 2016
4.18 by duvel1979 from District of Columbia on Sep 25, 2016
4.04 by Shafaegalo from Texas on Sep 19, 2016
3.25 by JohnBender from Texas on Aug 11, 2016
2.09 by sendbeer from Georgia on Aug 07, 2016
5/5 rDev +41.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
by BeerWithMike from Nebraska
Bought a single 12-ounce bottle as part of "Make your own 6" at the local grocery store. 5.9% AVB. Bottle chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured in to a 10-ounce "MOVIE NIGHT" pilsner glass. Pours just like any other decent root beer with a good foamy cap. Aroma is like a Sarsaparilla than a root beer actually. Taste follows the nose and is very easy to drink and don't taste booze unlike some other hard root beers. medium-bodied with lower carbonation. Not as sweet as some of the other ones on the market today. Overall probably my favorite hard root beer to date and perfect in every way for what it is.
Jul 26, 2016
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
by BeerWithMike from Nebraska
Bought a single 12-ounce bottle as part of "Make your own 6" at the local grocery store. 5.9% AVB. Bottle chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured in to a 10-ounce "MOVIE NIGHT" pilsner glass. Pours just like any other decent root beer with a good foamy cap. Aroma is like a Sarsaparilla than a root beer actually. Taste follows the nose and is very easy to drink and don't taste booze unlike some other hard root beers. medium-bodied with lower carbonation. Not as sweet as some of the other ones on the market today. Overall probably my favorite hard root beer to date and perfect in every way for what it is.
Jul 26, 2016
3.15 by singletary from Mississippi on Jul 25, 2016
3.18 by Jodio from Texas on Jul 17, 2016
3.28 by Jarrod_LC from Louisiana on Jul 12, 2016
3.46/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
by OKbrew89 from Oklahoma
Drank from the bottle. Didn't see the color, but there was decent carbonation and foam. Smells more like Sarsaparilla than root beer in my opinion, but the nose is spot on. Tastes like root beer without the stickiness that lingers from a cheap soda. Light body and medium-light carbonation with no trace of alcohol.
Kinda surprised this was on here given this isn't beer. It's spiked soda, and a good spiked soda, but not really beer. Refreshing for summer either way.
Jul 09, 2016
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
by OKbrew89 from Oklahoma
Drank from the bottle. Didn't see the color, but there was decent carbonation and foam. Smells more like Sarsaparilla than root beer in my opinion, but the nose is spot on. Tastes like root beer without the stickiness that lingers from a cheap soda. Light body and medium-light carbonation with no trace of alcohol.
Kinda surprised this was on here given this isn't beer. It's spiked soda, and a good spiked soda, but not really beer. Refreshing for summer either way.
Jul 09, 2016
3.95 by Avatar113 from California on Jun 30, 2016
3.5/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
by tmimitw from Louisiana
Not bad...like all the other hard root beers...just in a cooler bottle. If you're having a card game with your bros and Ronald Miller don't show cause he's out with Condy Mancini again...this is your drink, dawwg.
Jun 21, 2016
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
by tmimitw from Louisiana
Not bad...like all the other hard root beers...just in a cooler bottle. If you're having a card game with your bros and Ronald Miller don't show cause he's out with Condy Mancini again...this is your drink, dawwg.
Jun 21, 2016
3.18 by Amp from Oklahoma on Jun 19, 2016
2.5 by Karibourgeois from Texas on Jun 18, 2016
3.75 by CaptDavyJones from New York on May 15, 2016
3.66 by Donkster46 from Washington on May 13, 2016
3.8 by beertraveler08 from Louisiana on Apr 30, 2016
3.73 by Jamie_Newman from Louisiana on Apr 29, 2016
3.82/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by lwillitz from Wisconsin
12-oz bottle into craft glass
A - 2 fingers of medium tan stick around a lot longer than usual for a root beer; deep brown/black body with ruby highlights; a few small patches of lace stick around
S - wintergreen and bubblegum; smells like a better-than-average root beer
T - wintergreen and vanilla; certainly tastes like root beer; pleasantly complex
M - smooth medium body; carbonation pretty tame for a root beer
O - When I review a hard root beer, I take into account that I'm basically reviewing an alcoholic soda. This one, however, was not so over-the-top in either sweetness or carbonation as some of the other hard root beers I've tried. This one even managed to retain a head for a reasonable duration. Still basically a soda, but this one's more interesting than others.
Apr 28, 2016
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by lwillitz from Wisconsin
12-oz bottle into craft glass
A - 2 fingers of medium tan stick around a lot longer than usual for a root beer; deep brown/black body with ruby highlights; a few small patches of lace stick around
S - wintergreen and bubblegum; smells like a better-than-average root beer
T - wintergreen and vanilla; certainly tastes like root beer; pleasantly complex
M - smooth medium body; carbonation pretty tame for a root beer
O - When I review a hard root beer, I take into account that I'm basically reviewing an alcoholic soda. This one, however, was not so over-the-top in either sweetness or carbonation as some of the other hard root beers I've tried. This one even managed to retain a head for a reasonable duration. Still basically a soda, but this one's more interesting than others.
Apr 28, 2016
3.75 by paulish from New York on Apr 26, 2016
3.75 by rspauldi from Texas on Apr 21, 2016
3.67 by 2GOOFY from California on Apr 20, 2016
3.59 by redfish2942 from South Carolina on Apr 16, 2016
3.43 by LXIXME from New Mexico on Apr 03, 2016
Bayou Bootlegger Hard Root Beer from Abita Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
81 out of
100 with
62 ratings