Squamscot

In the process of drinking the Pooj under the table…

(Rocket Fizz Ventura, October 2010)

Squamscot Beverages hail from New Hampshire, home of the Squamscott Tribe and the Squamscott River. Much like other regional soft drink companies, the Conner Bottling Company, producers of Squamscot, has been family-owned since its inception in the mid-19th Century, seeing boom years during Prohibition. Generally, these companies make good root beers (in my opinion) because they are hold-overs from an era when root beers were made from real roots and herbs, instead of the “natural root beer flavor” or simply “natural and artificial flavors” you get in many commercially available root beers today. Squamscot Root Beer's bygone-days stand-out in the ingredient list is clove oil.

While the clove flavor is dominant, it is not overwhelming at all – more of an aftertaste on the back of your tongue. Unfortunately that’s where all of the flavor stops. Aside from that clove-y aftertaste, there do not appear to be any other roots and herbs present in the brew, even though the nice initial scent would lead you to believe otherwise. I was disappointed, since the scent and the ingredients list had me expecting more – I can only give Squamscot Root Beer a 1.5.