In my last blog post I talked about how apple is one of my favorite flavors of Fall. I stand by that, but I want to add another flavor to the list. Maple is arguably more of a Winter seasonality, but it reminds me of Fall. Sprecher Brewery sent me a few bottles of their Maple Root Beer and I was thrilled to crack into them.

I love Sprecher Root Beer. It’s one of my favorite root beers out there, and creating a variant with maple syrup replacing some of the cane sugar and honey in the original is inspired. The original root beer has a fair amount of vanilla creaminess in the body, but this maple variety enhances the wintergreen and other sharper root/bark flavors. You still get a sweet caramel roundness, but the maple flavor makes itself known as a welcome compliment. Still a root beer, definitely not a maple breakfast sausage. They showed a bit of restraint. It smells spicy (maybe even a bit medicinal) which is probably why some find root beer to be an acquired taste. The dark color, elegant label, and intricate layers of flavor make this a sophisticated soda.

Tough to review a root beer without reviewing a root beer float. In general, any bold soda like this should pair well with vanilla ice cream. I poured it over Tillamook Old Fashioned Vanilla and would give it my full endorsement. You have to let it melt for a minute or two to get the full effect, but this adds back more of that vanilla flavor I love in a root beer. It’s smooth, creamy, and super satisfying.

Sprecher is predominantly in the Midwest, but you can order bottles/cans online. I’d recommend trying a few of their sodas, but if you’re mostly a root beer fan you could always try their Root Beer Variety pack (not sure if this will be available forever). Make sure to click on the tags below, or this link, for reviews of other Sprecher sodas. This one was fantastic and I recommend that you give it a try.