Birch Beer (17 reviews)
A-Treat Birch Beer
After every successful mission the boys from the A-Team would reconvene at their secret hideout in eastern Pennsylvania. There they would debrief and then relax with their hobbies outside of being solders of fortune.
B.A. Baracus found his inner peace while making sodas. Thinking he was clever he named then A-Treat. He would always try to hand them out to the rest of the boys for a job well done, but none of them really gave him much attention as they thought he was an idiot due to his inarticulate speech. B.A. didn’t let that get him down though he just kept plugging away making his soda.
He became enthralled in the sodas of the region, specifically birch beer. He was determined to create the world’s greatest version of this drink. He tinkered for weeks with it. He was so pleased when he was done that he ran to the others to try and get them to try it. He was so happy when Hannibal grabbed the bottle and took a swig. He said that it was decent albeit a bit too syrupy for his liking. He said it kind of tasted like it should be birch beer flavored cough medicine, but that strangely didn’t make it bad. He also likened it to a birch beer version of root beer barrel candy. Then he handed back the bottle. B.A. was so ecstatic that he didn’t even realize that Hannibal had slipped some drugs into the bottle before he handed it back. B.A. finished the bottle and then the next thing he knew he was on a plane off to another mission. Damn Hannibal!
- Website
- http://www.a-treat.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper 2 weeks, 4 days ago
Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer
Nigel is a man with no free time. You see, everyone is always making plans for him. His parents, his boss, his kids, and his wife: all of them always predetermining everything that he does. Nigel wishes he could just sit back in the woods and relax with a nice cold birch beer and just enjoy the scenery. As it turns out he has no time for soda at all. You see his wife had already made plans for him to drink eight large glasses of water a day. Consuming that much water leaves little to no room for him to enjoy a nice frosty soda. It's sad times for Nigel. He remembers a simpler time before everyone told him what to do when he was a child in eastern Pennsylvania. He used to constantly drink Pennsylvania Dutch birch beer. Even now as he is sipping his fifth glass of water for the day he can remember how strong it smelled when he would twist off the top. His nostrils would be instantly greeted by the glorious smell of anise heavy birch beer. Oh man just thinking about that smell lets him pretend that the water he is drinking is actually that self same birch beer. Man, that smell is also apparent in the taste. It's so anise/licorice heavy. Also it had a reddish tint to it, which he always found strange and wondrous. Actually now that he thinks of it that birch beer tasted exactly how he would imagine root beer barrel candy would taste if it was birch been instead of root. Now that's a thought. He could have a batch of candy made to that specification. After all he was the heir to a candy fortune. What better way to spend his company’s money and resources? It's not like he worked at British Steel. That would be a horrible life. Instead everyone makes plans for him and tells him what to do, but he will be fine with it, happy even, as soon as he can suck on some birch beer barrel candies while he works.
- Website
- http://www.daretogodutch.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 4/7/2012
Johnnie Ryan Birch Beer
After my disappointment with yesterday’s birch beer I needed a soda that would be redeeming. While I have issues with Johnnie Ryan because I have emailed them several times about their products and I have never heard back from them, I also know that they know what they are doing when it comes to making soda. Also, they are local to us so that makes it hard to stay mad. One of the emails I actually sent to the company a couple of years ago was regarding whether or not their birch beer would be made available in bottles. I had a glass of it in a “fair/carnival” themed restaurant in the mall once and it was pretty great. As I said I never got a response, but here I am with a bottle in front of me, so I guess the answer to my question was “Yes.”
The Mercury Brewing Company messed up their birch beer pretty bad, but Johnnie Ryan got everything right. The bottle doesn’t mention it, but the cardboard the four packs come in say that it is “black birch beer.” I was intrigued by this, but assumed it was just a quirky name. Wrong. This is the darkest birch beer I have ever tasted. The store in the mall was correct to carry this as their main beverage because it definitely falls under the category of “fair birch beer,” but they took it further and made it very dark, full bodied and flavorful. This is a new product in bottle form and I really hope it sticks around. I always have a hankering for some birch beer, and it can be a pain to find a decent one around these parts.
To sum things up, this may be the best birch beer I have ever tasted. You should definitely pick some up if you see it. Also, Johnnie Ryan you make great sodas, just try to get better at responding to emails. Your mother wants to make sure you’re doing okay out there by the falls.
- Website
- http://johnnieryan.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 2/28/2012
- Comments
- 1 Comment. Leave a comment.
Mercury Brewing Company Birch Beer
When you hear the words “birch beer” you get certain expectations in your head. Images of a root beer that has evolved dance across your mind. It’s crisp. It’s clean. It’s woodsy. One thing that does not enter your thoughts is vanilla. Definitely not crappy vanilla, that is for sure. Yet, that is what is in this bottle. It taste like the company had a vat that was 1/3 filled with birch beer, and when they went to make more they accidentally put in the ingredients for cream soda. In a blind taste test I would guess that this was a store brand cream soda that someone put a little extra baking vanilla into. Would I be wrong, or would Mercury Brewing Company be wrong for claiming this was a birch beer? You be the judge. Actually don’t waste your time and money on it.
- Website
- http://www.mercurybrewing.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 2/27/2012
Cooper's Cave Ale Company Birch Beer
When I saw the Cooper’s Cave sodas in the store I bought every flavor they had. They are a quasi-local company (about 4 hours away) and the labels looked great. Seriously, look at the design on any one of their flavors. They all have a cool comic book look to them. Remember what your mother said; “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is one of those times when that nugget of wisdom works in the opposite way of what she meant. I guess “All that glitters is not gold” is another way of putting it.
This is one bland birch beer. An average amount of birch beer flavor hits you as soon as you take a swig, and just as quick it’s gone. It tricks you in much the same way that diet pop does. You’re greeted with a nice flavor that quickly dissipates, but instead of the gross sting of sucralose you’re left with nothing. It’s strange, it’s sad and it leaves me wanting more flavor.
- Website
- http://www.cooperscaveale.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 1/27/2012
Grandma Rose's Birch Beer
This, to me, could be the start of my drink obsession. My parents used to bring me to the fair every year when I was a kid. Young like four probably. Could be less. Every year, I remember going to get birch beer. It was the same booth in the same place every single year and after awhile, I would look forward to it. My parents would get me a small cup of birch beer and that would be that. The rides were second to me getting this drink. I "grew up" and we stopped going to the fair. Probably because for the six of us it was going to cost my dad over a hundred dollars after parking, food, admission, and probably some rides and games. Midway, if you will.
I probably took a good ten to fifteen years off from going to the fair. It just wasn't important and none of my friends drove and there were fairs that were closer that we would go to. You don't have to go to every fair. Little did I know that my little mind still held on to my true love; that birch beer.
I went a few years back and it slipped my mind and all I bought was pulled taffy which I then forgot I bought, tried to eat two or three days later, realized that there is about a one day span where you can eat it, and discouragingly had to throw it away. Not this year, man. Same place. It was like it never left. I asked the ladies behind the counter if it could be bought anywhere in bottles or cans and they said you can only get it at "the fair". I don't know if it's a traveling thing or what, but if it was ever sold in stores or even there in some intimate and overpriced six pack, you know I'd lose my mind and buy like seventeen cases and be the happiest kid ever.
Why would I not forget it? It's just a drink and yeah, the last time I had it, I was probably like ten years old, but let me tell you; you don't forget. Today brought it all back. It's super dark and very rich. It's got all the right spices and is perfectly sweetened. There might have been anise or licorice and I'm sure if I asked them they wouldn't have told me. It was very dark in color, too. Not too carbonated but far from flat. Just an explosion of flavor every sip. I've had some that compare, none that I can do so now, but it's good.
I can't find much on the company. Only that it's owned by a local couple, who celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 2009. I would like to let them know that they turned me into the monster that I am today and legitimately thank them.
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Not Listed
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 8/20/2011
- Comments
- 1 Comment. Leave a comment.
AJ Stephan's Birch Beer
This little guy almost killed me. I opened the bottle, took a swig and I somehow swallowed it wrong and started to choke. It felt like bubbly sugary soda felt like it was dripping down into my lung sacks. For a split second I thought I was going to die. Every breath was filled with gurgling liquid. Luckily I persevered, and I am able to write you a review.
Is there such a thing as bad birch beer? If so I've never come across it. There are three categories of it, micro-brewed, county fair and candy-esque. All of them have their merits, with very little drawbacks. This falls under the candy category. It's doesn't have a gross candy flavor, but it's just way sweeter than other birch beers. It really feels like it should just be a root beer, but then the unmistakable aftertaste sets in and it's birch beer city. It's not spectacular, but it's better than most sodas. I can't complain about that.
- Website
- http://www.ajstephans.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 6/27/2011
Kutztown Diet Birch Beer
The weird thing about diet drinks is the more you drink them, the more tolerable they become. Normally I despise diet sodas because they taste like chemicals, but I’ve been drinking a lot of Diet Pepsi over the past couple weeks. This is because I've been staying with my mom for a few weeks until I found a place to live (which I will be moving into tomorrow) and all she has here is Diet Pepsi. Being the soda fiend and night owl I am, I have been drinking enough of it to build up a tolerance to fake sugar in soda.
I realized I had built up this tolerance when I took my first sip of this diet birch beer. I was expecting it to taste gross, but the first sip wasn't that bad. In subsequent sips I could taste the Splenda. This is a really light birch beer. It has a slight bite in the aftertaste, but not nearly as much as I would like and tend to expect from standard birch beer. This definitely gets filed in the "not the best, but not the worst" file.
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Splenda
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Derek Neuland on 6/2/2011
Avery's Birch Beer
This has a real sharp smell and it beckons your call, like a siren to the black abyss. I steer my mouth/ship towards the bottle/sharp rocks. Here's where I can no longer make similes between enchanted sea women and pop because this took a turn. If I may make one last Greek mythology reference, if I was a boat, I would have avoided the sirens call, not waiting for it like Bernard Sumner and friends wanted me to do, because this was one of the smoothest drinks I've ever had. It's a birch beer that goes down smooth like a cream soda. It's really strange.
It is not bad. Let it be known, but I wanted a gnarly bite, like I normally get with my birch beers. It's like those fireworks that you like but don't last long enough for you to be fully satisfied with. There is a quick giant explosion and then a quick disintegration. Sure, I could make a Cure reference, but that's too many English new wave bands in one review for even me.
That last statement isn't true. There are never enough obscure references in our reviews. If anything, there isn’t enough "review" in our reviews. Guess what, it's not going to change.
- Website
- http://www.averysoda.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 5/18/2011
Wild Bill's Buck'n Birch Beer
One thing I miss about living in Buffalo, NY is the abundance of birch beer. I even had a keg of birch beer at my high school graduation party. I cannot find a bottle of birch beer anywhere here in Portland. There's plenty of root beer, but no birch beer. Which is why I was excited when I got this bottle in the mail as it's been quite some time since I've tasted the sweetness of a bottle of birch beer.
This bottle goes down real smooth. It has a really nice vanilla taste to it. I really like how Wild Bill's uses real sugar, because I don't get that heavy taste that some birch beers give you. I'm excited to try all the other soda's Wild Bill's has to offer.
This was another bottle I got from Anthony of Rootbeerbarrel.com, hence the green stuff on the bottle.
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Derek Neuland on 2/4/2011
- Comments
- 1 Comment. Leave a comment.