1790 Root Beer Brew
Samuel Adams in Boston, Massachusetts, United States 🇺🇸
Spiced / Herbed / Vegetable / Honey - Herbal Rotating Out of Production|
Score
5.06
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The intensity of this unfiltered brew is immediately evident with spicy, herbal notes of sassafras, wintergreen and licorice. These are balanced with the sweetness of caramelized sugar, molasses, and vanilla.
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5.5/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 2
Texture 9
Overall 2
I mean, yeah, it definitely has a root beer vibe to it, but there’s a cloying/medicinal bittersweet element that kills the pint, as if hard root beer is a concept best left to the 18th century. Perfect in every way except for the abysmal taste.
Tried
from Can
on 04 Jun 2026
at 03:05
6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle split at RB Best Encomium share, Santa Rosa, 30/01/16 - Many Thanks ! Mahognay brown with a thin beige cap. Nose is toffee, soy sauce, light spice, musty, herbs. Taste comprises toffee, dried fruits, spice, liquroice, faded fruits, light oxidised notes. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, seim drying close. This was better than expected considering age and score !
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Jan 2018
at 09:50
4.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 2
Texture 6
Overall 4.5
From Jul 2006
Poured from 12oz bottle a hazy reddish gold with a medium sized head of foam that shrunk slowly and stayed for the entire *session.
The smell has a very rich root beer nose.
The taste is big on root beer and licorice but there's a more dominant bitter/pungent flavour there that's taking my taste buds to somewhere I really don't want them to go. *In fact, I cannot finish the bottle....oh well.
Bottom line: Not my "cup of tea" and something I cannot recommend.
Poured from 12oz bottle a hazy reddish gold with a medium sized head of foam that shrunk slowly and stayed for the entire *session.
The smell has a very rich root beer nose.
The taste is big on root beer and licorice but there's a more dominant bitter/pungent flavour there that's taking my taste buds to somewhere I really don't want them to go. *In fact, I cannot finish the bottle....oh well.
Bottom line: Not my "cup of tea" and something I cannot recommend.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Oct 2017
at 10:52
4.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 4
Bottle shared at Ratebeer awards show. 30/01/2016. Huge Thanks! A hazed amber orange coloured pour with a small head. Aroma is woody, cinnamon, wintergreen spices, leather and liquorice. Flavour is composed of cola, heavey spices, caramel, ginger and cinnamon. Palate is sweet, highish carbonation, woody tannin. Not my thing.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Feb 2017
at 15:02
4.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 3
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 3.5
[1/30/16] Bottle sample at the Encomium bottle share, after RateBeer Best awards ceremony at Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel in Santa Rosa. Thanks everyone who shared bottles! Aroma of rootbeer, spicy, oxidation, herbal, dentist. Sweet.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Feb 2016
at 18:54
4.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 3
Texture 6
Overall 4
12oz bottle pours out cola brown topped with a small head. nose is ginger root beer sweetness. Taste is more of the ginger root beer sweetness and a odd end.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Jan 2016
at 03:01
3.6/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 5
Flavor 3
Texture 6
Overall 1.5
Bottle - Cola and medicinal notes. Dirty brown with a small white head. STOP reading and don’t drink this. Pure medicine.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Jan 2016
at 03:01
3.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 3
Flavor 3
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
Bottle. Pours a hazy orange with small white head. The aroma is strong ginger, booze, spice. Thin mouth, caramel, booze, herbal, nah.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Jan 2016
at 03:00
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
23rd July 2009
BBE Oct 06. Cloudy amber beer. Slightly dry palate. Medicinal herb bitterness and then some sweet fisherman’s friend sweets. Slight smoky note. Finishes with more of the same. Very unusual tasting beer. Nicely balanced between herbal bitterness and spicy sweetness. Goes down very well. Complex.
BBE Oct 06. Cloudy amber beer. Slightly dry palate. Medicinal herb bitterness and then some sweet fisherman’s friend sweets. Slight smoky note. Finishes with more of the same. Very unusual tasting beer. Nicely balanced between herbal bitterness and spicy sweetness. Goes down very well. Complex.
Tried
on 29 Apr 2012
at 05:37
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Very odd little ale from Sam Adams. Very high concentration of molasses in nose and mouth. It scored well with me, but I don’t know if I’d drink it again (if it were even available). Rated 9/10/06
Tried
on 04 May 2010
at 19:51