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.
Root Beer Respect 