Myers Avenue Red Root Beer

Website: http://cripplecreekbrewing.com/

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Sweetener

Bottled at: Naperville, Illinois

Purchase Location: Real Soda In Real Bottles

The Myers Avenue Red Root Beer bottle lists http://cripplecreekbrewing.com/ as the brand’s website. That website was not working over the several days that I tried to access it, so the information I have on the company has been gleaned from other sources. If the stories are true, Cripple Creek Brewing’s root beer has quite a history. Cripple Creek, Colorado was a booming mining town in the late 1800s. As explained here, on August 19, 1893, Frank J. Wisner, owner of Cripple Creek Brewing, invented the the first root beer float or “black cow.” Inspired by the moonlit view of the nearby, snow-capped Cow Mountain, Wisner added a scoop of ice cream to his Myers Avenue Red Root Beer. Initially, he called his new beverage a “Black Cow Mountain.” The name was later shortened to “black cow.”

The label for Myers Avenue Red Root Beer is an old time, sepia toned stock certificate. The certificate depicts the mining history of Cripple Creek and hearkens back to the days of the original black cow. I really like the label. Being a “red” root beer, I though it might be nice for it to come in a clear bottle. However, upon further inspection, it is a decidedly brown root beer. I am not sure what the “red” refers to.

Myers Avenue Red Root Beer earns high marks in the froth department. It has a fruity tones capped off with a mild cinnamon flavor. Those flavors combine to make something different than a traditional tasting root beer. Eric from gourmetrootbeer.com claims that Myers Avenue Red Root Beer was always a family favorite but at some point the recipe must have changed, and not for the better. Eric rues the change to the new recipe, describing the soda as sour. You can find his post here. I did not find Myers Avenue Red Root Beer to be sour, but I do wish I had a tastier version.

Overall Score: 5 of 10.