National Root Beer Float Day was August 6th, so of course I’m going to write about this age-old classic. As a kid, I used to love to drink root beer out of a bottle. It made me feel like I was drinking an adult beverage due to the “beer” part of the name and the fact it came in a beer bottle. Even though I loved acting like I was a regular at a local bar when I’d drink it, I’d say drinking it as an adult is even better. With so many different flavor combinations and different brewers trying their hand at making it, it feels like the variations are endless.
Just a brief backstory on root beer, because it could be a “fun fact” you can use on your friends. It dates back to the 1840’s in Europe with the main ingredient being sassafras. Sassafras is what gives root beer its unique flavor, separating it from other sodas. Luckily, you don’t have to travel back in time to get a genuine, old fashioned, locally brewed root beer. Cloud 9 Brewery and Bucksnort are two places in town that make some bomb sodas.
I’ve been to Cloud 9 Brewery quite a few times for the beer and grub. It’s a nano brewery, so all their beer production is really small and well crafted. What I didn’t know until recently, was they brew their own root beer as well. You can tell they use high-quality ingredients because all the sodas pack a punch with flavor. They have three flavors: Traditional Root Beer, Birch Beer, and Ginger Ale. Cloud 9’s Traditional Root Beer recipe is secret, but everyone knows these flavors take a classic and make it phenomenal. It brings me back to the great tasting root beers of my childhood… but better! If you want to keep with a more familiar flavor, this is a great one to start with. The Birch Beer is a flavor I’ve never had before but I hear it is really good. Some even say it’s a “must-try”. Cloud 9 uses the Ginger Ale as a base for some of their beers, but it’s amazingly fresh and a delicious choice on its own. It’s sweet and smooth and just plain delightful.
You may have heard or seen some Bucksnort sodas being sold around Boise and throughout the Treasure Valley. They sell soda all over the state with some in Oregon and Washington. I first saw Bucksnort at the weekly Capital City Public Market. Because Bucksnort don’t have a tap room, this is a great place to try out their different soda flavors and even take some home. The ingredients that go into Bucksnort soda are local and use no artificial flavors, colors, chemical preservatives, or high fructose corn syrup. They have a great variety of soda flavors: Bucksnort Root Beer, Ginger Beer, Maple Cream Soda, Sapsucker, and Black Sheep. I tried their Ginger Beer at the public market, and give it five stars. If the line wasn’t so long, I would’ve gotten more of it and tried the others. I’ve heard from friends the Bucksnort Root Beer is a good one too, especially if you don’t want to stray too far into the unique flavor combinations. But I say if you’re up for the taste adventure, try something new because they’ve got solid recipes.
Both Cloud 9 and Bucksnort are great excuses to get back on the root beer train. You can even justify it by saying you’re supporting local (if that is at all appealing to you). I for one am impressed we have two local root beer/soda brewing companies in town. I’m hoping we see more soda brewing in Boise; it can be the next wave in the brewery revolution.
Boise Root Beer Purveyors
Bucksnort Soda Company website
Cloud 9 Brewery and Restaurant
1750 W State St, Boise
(208) 336-0681
