Boylan Root Beer
Website: https://www.boylanbottling.com/product/root-beer/
Sweetener: Cane Sugar
Bottled at: Teterboro, New Jersey
Purchase Location: Total Wine & More
Boylan Bottling began in 1891, when pharmacist William Boylan created an elixir in his Paterson, New Jersey, apothecary. His creation, which was a derivative of birch trees, was Boylan’s Birch. Boylan sold individual cups of Boylan’s Birch from a barrel in the back of a wagon. Today, Boylan makes multiple root beer and birch beer sodas. One need not wait for the Boyan wagon to come by in order to enjoy one of these sodas, as they are now available in long-neck embossed glass bottles.
According to the Boylan website, the general shape of the bottle and its embossed patterns have remained relatively unchanged from early iterations. Although extremely simple, there is no reason for Boylan Root Beer to change its design. The circular label serves as a sort of seal of approval that the bottle contains a true Boylan Bottling product. The embossed phrases “BOYLAN BOTTLING CO.” and “SINCE 1891” on the neck of the bottle add a nice feature.
It was in response to the embossed “SINCE 1891” phrase that my daughter commented, “people who lived in 1891 sure were lucky.” I think I prefer living in the 21st century, but her point is well taken that whoever drinks Boylan Root Beer, whether in 1891 or today, is a lucky person. Boylan has a very unique malt flavor. Perhaps it is the yucca extract that provides the unique taste. All I know is that what I call the malt flavor works seamlessly with the root beer flavor to create a very fine root beer that I highly recommend.
Root Beer Respect 