Firemans Brew

The Pooj reminds us that only you can prevent root beer fires.

(Rocket Fizz Westwood, February 2012)

Fireman’s Brew is in fact brewed by firemen. Well, it’s probably more accurately brewed by professional brewers now, but it was in its nascent days brewed by firemen – two firemen to be exact. To be more exact, those firemen are Rob Nowaczyk and Ed Walker of our very own Los Angeles County Fire Department. Back in 2000, the pair were fighting a brush fire in Glendale when the barley growing around them (which presumably was not on fire at that very moment) left them craving beer. Seeing as they were in the middle of a barley-covered incline (in flames or otherwise) at the time and nowhere near actual beer, they instead dreamed up the idea of making their own beer and even came up with a clever slogan for it which is now emblazoned across their product’s label. After starting and stopping production (for principled reasons – they did not want to appear as though they were using the post-9/11 swell of support for first responders as a business advantage, proving once and for all that these firefighter fellows are an honorable lot), Firemans Brew launched again in earnest in 2006, first selling beer and coffee exclusively to firehouses and then selling to the public once they had some momentum going. Coming full circle, the company donates part of their proceeds to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (source).

Yet another reason why everyone likes firefighters: they make some really good root beer. It’s got a really good herb-y scent that leans heavily towards licorice, and the taste follows suit. There’s a spicy sting to it, but I’m pretty sure that comes from a strong carbonation that holds a solid head. Once the carbonation settles down, there’s a good strong root-y flavor that I can’t pin down entirely, but is certainly high on sassafras, wintergreen, and as I mentioned earlier, licorice. All together, it’s a bold and rich flavor, with a sweet aftertaste. While I don’t usually mention much about color, I think it’s worth noting that Firemans Brew is completely opaque, even when I hold it up to a light – I don’t know that this has any actual bearing on flavor, but it did stand out to me.

This is definitely one of the best root beers I’ve had in a while. As I said earlier, it is a bit strong both in the herb sense and in the carbonation sense, so it’s definitely not for everyone. In fact, there’s little indication of the honey and vanilla flavors that dominate the root beer palette these days – if there is any in there, it’s blended in well enough to not dominate. Either way, carbonation stinging aside, which, if you don’t let it wear off a bit, will make things taste somewhat acrid - my only criticism - I highly recommend it.  Firemans Brew gets a very high 4.5.