The review of Root Beer Beer

So this is completed. I did some additional work to try to sweeten it up by adding three tablespoons of stevia. It worked to sweeten it but the flavor combination gave an interesting problem.

When you drink beer you have a very dry flavor. Even beer defined as sweet (due to crystal or honey malt) give an allusion to sweet with out actually being any more sugary than other beers. These residual flavors mix well with the dry flavor that beer presents creating a smooth malty beverage. Soft drinks, and soda in any variety, is never actually dry. The heavy sweetened liquid may be described as tangy, creamy, fruity or herbish. But never dry.

In the end these two flavors seem to be somewhat irreconcilable. A beer that is dry, shouldn't be sugary sweet. A soda shouldn't be dry. I didn't manage to get a way to combine these two issues into a palatable drink. My previous attempts at oatmeal vanilla stout came much closer to the root beer flavor than this particular drink ever could. Though it was still very dry, and not very sweet.

In summary, there's a reason that there isn't a large number of alcoholic root beers available on the market and that breweries aren't making their own mix in every town. The truth is the two flavors of beer and soda don't mix very well. I should have realized by the lack of functioning recipes was caused by the lack of ways to make this particular drink work.

In short, don't make this beer. I poured out half my bottles tonight.