Mar-Apr2016_Final-FlipBook

the Seafood issue

by Nora D. McGunnigle L ocal brewery Abita has been sugar. Then, over the past year or so, boozy root beers have hit the market in full force, followed by other flavors, and Abita realized it was time to step up. Abita brewmaster Mark Wilson says of the trend and Abita’s foray into it with their own version, that “the inspiration for Bayou Bootlegger is our root beer that we have been brewing since the early 90s. Local bars have been making cocktails with our root beer for some time and customers have been asking for us to make a hard version. It only seemed natural to give them what they want!” Consumers are definitely seeking out these new hard soda “malternatives” (also known as beer alternatives) in droves. Not Your Father’s Root Beer was the first to get in the game, followed by Boston Beer’s Coney Island Hard Root Beer and AB-InBev’s Best Damn Root Beer.These alcoholic root beers range between 5 and 6% alcohol by volume (ABV), though Not Your Father’s Root Beer has released limited special editions that are significantly higher in alcohol — 10.7 and 19.5% ABV. So check the bottle before indulging. Abita’s version is the latest, released around the 2015 holidays. The root beer craze inspired the hardening of another soda favorite, ginger ale. Both Not Your Father’s and Coney Island produced hard ginger ales, and MillerCoors got on the hard soda train with a version of their own, Henry’s Hard Ginger Ale. Hard ginger ale seems like it would be the perfect thing for people with upset stomachs that want to nap soon. It’s easy to see the play on words that making non-alcoholic root beer for many years using Louisiana cane

The Hard Stuff

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY MARCH | APRIL 2016