Rowdy Root Beer

Cool, another alco-pop, and hopefully a root beer that isn't so tooth rottingly sweet like NYFRB is. If it irritates some "purists" around these parts. All the better, cos it's going to go great in mixed drinks and other funny things like root beer floats.
The imagery is old timey enough and references enough aspects of a history no one cares about that it'll probably go over a lot of peoples heads as to what it is actually trying to accomplish and what the exact audience is. Label-wise; If Pipeworks has managed to get away with what they have gotten away with and Spiteful has as well. This newsboy shouldn't be an issue. A few of these, one without ice cream another with, a Chicago (char) dog and some crinkle fries seems a great summer idea.

 

Rowdy is really good, much more soda like and no where near as sweet as NYFRB. People who hate on these drinks need to lighten up its just a nice drinker.

 

Try a few nice Vienna Lagers, maybe mix in a hefe or Krisstalweissen.

 

Is this (or Not Your Father's Root Beer) actually a beer or is it a malternative?

 

I like the taste of beer better than the taste of root beer.

 

Wow, so he describes the beer as "that classic root beer aroma, that classic root beer taste" .... very informative. Root beer actually has ingredients described other than "classic" ..

 

I realize you're talking about the label, but it's a little ironic because the review in the link says this has a more pronounced malty flavor from the alcohol. My guess is this is it's brewed closer to a beer aside from whatever additives, while NYFRB allegedly uses malternative processes.

 

If you want alcohol w your root beer couldn't you just mix it with vodka? Or have I stepped into a universe where cocktails do not exist?

 

You could say the same of coffee, fruits, and other pronounced flavors found in many of our favorite beers.

As they say, "There's more than one way to skin a cat."

 

Wouldn't the label already have to have been approved by the TTB before they would even announce it or show it? (or maybe they didn't care and just did anyways?)

 

I have not yet ha a coffee stout. I did have a peach flavored wheat beer from DFH. It definitely tasted of beer. Peach juice with vodka would taste quite different. Maybe the same is true for these root beers but that is not the impression I am getting.

 

It's a malternative. The "Brewers process" segment obviously put together by a PR firm says Amber Ale on the label during the video. I have yet to see that on any NYFRB around here. But that being said I had one and will never drink another. And yes it has been brewed by the "Four Loko" people. Of course they have absolutely no interest in getting people as drunk as they can and still be wide awake.

 

I think the "purists" are merely wondering if it belongs on a fine beer site? You say much, supposedly in favor of that, but looking more closely at your post it would seem those points you make in favor work better when used against. Ability to put ice cream in and use it to make mixed drinks isn't something that screams fine beer to me. Just my .02

 

That label was approved by the TTB in May, 2015 (#15107001000425) by none other than the infamous Kent "Battle" Martin, a few weeks before his retirement.

It's still unclear what the connection is (or was, considering the recent Pabst purchase of a stake in the brand) between "Small Town Brewery" and Four Loko's owner, Phusion Projects, but they own no breweries and have their beverages brewed under contract by other companies. In the case of Not Your Father's Root Beer, it is brewed in the same City Brewing Co. facilities that brew or have brewed brands like Sixpoint, Samuel Adams, Kraftig, Guinness, 21st Amendment, Kona, etc.)

 

Is there a distinction to be made between the specialties of different City Brewing locations? An article discussed in the NYFRB thread said it's brewed at their Lacrosse, WI facility, "known primarily for the production of Mike's Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff Ice and other so-called malternatives." Meanwhile it's specified on Wikipedia that Sam Adams was brewed at their Latrobe, PA facility in 2007-2008. Wiki doesn't have location details on the other brands you listed.

 

The latest TTB COLA dated 6/30/15 for NYFRB lists all 3 City breweries, so, in theory, that product could be brewed in any of them. I'd imagine part of the coding on the City-brewed beers includes the actual brewery and many of the craft labels and Diageo labels state the city (Memphis and Latrobe do seem to brew what those on this site consider "beer" but La Crosse does do Busch's Kraftig).

There are numerous COLAs for malternative brands for all 3 City breweries, so it is not like they segregate the products by brewery.

According to BBC's 2014 Annual Report:

but that does not necessarily mean they currently use it (or it could be for the BBC's ciders or malternatives).

 

Good info. I just associated that with Heileman Brewing. I only drank one and I thought it said that on the bottle.

 

So I hadn't really done any research on that basically because I don't like the stuff but now I see where you're coming from.
Really City Brewing = Heileman Brewing and all the previous brands that with the history are their property now...

 

Heileman was bought by Stroh in 1996, and Pabst bought most of their combined brands when Stroh folded in 1999. Miller bought a few like Henry Weinhard and Mickey's, and bought a few Pabst brands at the same time, like Hamm's and Olde English. Pabst, as with many of their other brands, continues to use the G. Heileman dba for some of their brands. I count at least 11 former Heileman brands in Pabst current portfolio:


City owns no brands (a few years back, they even sold off the few they had created as Heileman clones, like La Crosse and City) - everything they brew is under contract for other companies (including the occasional Pabst brand). There's no direct business connection between the former Heileman and City - IIRC, some of the former Heileman execs were part of the group that re-opened the brewery.