Henry Weinhard’s Draught Style Head (#7 - Rated 8.7 out of 12)

Henry Weinhard, Portland, Oregon, started as a beer maker in 1862.  It seems like most early brewers made root beer as well, and he was no exception.  A common period for starting the root beer brew was a way to stay in business when prohibition was established.  He partnered with Arnold Blitz and they had the Blitz-Weinhard brewery.  It was sold to Pabst Brewing Company in 1979, who then sold it to Stroh’s in 1996.  By 1999, the brewing operation was sold, and the last brew from the original Weinhard brewery was on August 27, 1999.  The Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve brand survives today and is currently owned by SAB Miller in London, England. 

Now for the review!  (Click here for rating criteria information)

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, vanilla extract, natural and artificial flavor, phosphoric acid and sodium benzoate, honey essence, and acacia sassafras extract.   (14 calories per ounce)

  

Aroma and Flavor - 2.2 out of 3 mugs (Decreased 0.5 by high amount of HFCS)

When you open the bottle, the aroma is not overpowering.  You get a sense it will be a sweet brew, and the vanilla is notable (a high point for me).  The flavor is very prominent, and the body is nice, full, and sweet.  The smoothness is nice; it made me think, “Life is good!”  I expected a syrup taste and feel since this is made with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as the second ingredient.  The honey with the balance of vanilla and sassafras gives it a high degree of sweetness yet dampens the HFCS.

Head - 2.5 out of 3 mugs

This is the best head of any root beer I have reviewed. It is the perfect Head—long-lasting and does not detract from the beverage quality. Not much more can be said about the top-quality head. However, the head is excessive if you drink it from the bottle.

Zip - 2 out of 3 mugs

There is not much bite that does not come from the HFCS. However, you know you are drinking more than HFCS, which rates this higher than similar beverages.

Post Consumption Impression - 2 out of 3 mugs (HFCS deduction)

Your Henry Weinhard’s Root Beer experience is capped off with a fairly clean ending, leaving a pleasant aftertaste.  Even though this is a solid root beer, I really do not like HFCS.  Everything about this product is superior to many others.   

Would I recommend this at 8.7 out of 12 mugs (6.2 out of 9 mugs without head)?

Other internet ratings list this highly.  I think I am the only reviewer who has reduced the score for HFCS. Henry Weinhard’s Root Beer could be a solid gourmet root beer if it was not laced with HFCS. To date, I have found root beers seem to have a solid result in one aspect yet lack in others. The spice mix and the head make it a tough brew to beat. The level of HFCS also affects the sugars and calories, at almost 4 grams of sugar and 14 calories per ounce.  

Other Reviews

• The Root Beer Person - 3 out of 5
• Anthony’s Root Beer Barrel – 88 out of 100
• The Soda Jerk - A
• Steve’s Root Beer – 9.5 out of 10 
• Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer – 4.5 of 5 barrels
• Derek Janiak - 8.5 out of 10