Welcome to Brews Of Root Extraction Online. This post reviews Steelhead Root Beer, which I purchased in a 12 oz glass bottle at my local chain grocery store for $1.99. Steelhead is produced and bottled by Orca Beverage Co. in Mukilteo, WA (which also makes the “Bulldog” root beer I’ve reviewed before…as you’ll see below Steelhead is identical to Bulldog in almost every way).
I score five criteria from 1-5 to evaluate brews.
A. Sweetness: 5. Perfect. I almost gave it a 4 because it’s just a tiny bit too sweet straight from the bottle, but I always pour it in a glass with ice, so when the ice melts a little the sweetness is perfect. They use cane sugar and honey.
B. Lightbody Spices: 1. No bite. If you try hard, you can taste a little wintergreen in there. This is the one Achilles heel of Steelhead.
C. Heavybody Spices: 5. Plenty of vanilla and a hint of anise mingle well with the honey flavor. This gives the root beer a candylike quality, kind of like an old “root beer barrel” hard candy in liquid form.
D. Uniqueness: 4. The strong honey vanilla flavor coupled with the cane sugar gives Steelhead (and Bulldog) a unique flavor that makes me nostalgic for the old candies that only used cane sugar.
E. Mouthfeel: 5. This is where Steelhead differs from Bulldog. Steelhead (at least the bottle I tried) is highly carbonated, which helps to counter the syrupy sweetness of the brew. The result is a nicely balanced sip that’s both smooth and fizzy.
Total score 20/25. Solid root beer I’d buy again.
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