Sparky’s Fresh Draft Root Beer

Sparky’s Fresh Draft Root Beer

Website: http://www.sparkysrootbeer.com/

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar, Honey

Bottled at: Pacific Grove, California

Purchase Location: Galco’s Soda Pop Stop

The story of Sparky’s Fresh Draft Root Beer Root Beer begins in the 1980s when Kevin Knox began experimenting with a home brewing kit in Pacific Grove, California.  He had success brewing alcoholic beverages, but wanted to add a soda to his repertoire to give to friends and family.  Kevin fine-tuned his recipe by way of homemade 5 gallon batches.  On April 1, 2000, Sparky’s Fresh Draft Root Beer Root Beer became available to the public for the first time.

The Sparky’s label has a homemade feel, harkening back the not so distant past when Sparky’s was homemade in 5 gallon batches.  Kevin Knox’s signature is on every bottle, suggesting that he still signs off on every root beer bottle.  The label shows a hand holding an extra fizzy glass full of root beer.  Due to the low-end illustration, the fingers holding the glass could be confused with a pile of rocks or jelly beans, but Sparky’s gets its point across. The Sparky’s bottle cap  abandons the bland standard set by most other root beer companies, opting instead for a colorful red and white striped cap.  Finally, the label states Sparky’s laudable motto, “Leading The Root Beer Revival.”

Sparky’s has a serious root beer bite.  We are talking about a harsh bite.  Drinking this root beer is not like a simple walk through a meadow.  It is like climbing Mt. Everest and then getting kicked in the face by a donkey.  My daughter, and root beer review partner, summed the experience of drinking Sparky’s up this way: “It’s good.  It’s powerful.  It’s almost so powerful it’s disgusting.”  Although Sparky’s bite is almost overwhelming, that is not to say that the root beer is not good.  Both my daughter and I had mixed feelings about Sparky’s, and enjoyed the root beer at times much more than at other times.  Everyone should give this root beer a try to see where they stand on the flavor.

Overall Score: 6 of 10.