Root Beer Field Trip: Bruxie

 (Old Towne Orange, August 2012)

Ninety-nine bottles of root beer on the wall…

Just north of the Orange Plaza in Old Towne Orange, the largest historic district in all of California, sits Bruxie. Co-owner Dean Simon, inspired by the waffle vendors he encountered a little over a decade ago on the streets of Belgium, developed a recipe for “Brux Waffles” which he sold to restaurants and cruise ships. With the help of chef Kelly Mullarney, Brux Waffles expanded beyond the narrow confines of breakfast to become vehicles on which all manners of sandwich items could be devoured. Thus a mini Belgie empire was born, having since expanded to include 2 locations in addition to its original Old Towne presence (source). At peak production, according to a recent OC Register write-up, the three Bruxie restaurants combine to produce up to 560 waffles per hour – 160 alone at the 400 square foot Old Towne stand – which by any estimation is a lot of waffling around (source).

While the weekend-special Carolina pulled-pork waffle sandwich is probably in and of itself worth the trek to Old Towne (particularly if antiquing is your thing…), we need more compelling reasons to stand out in the 100 degree heat today. And compulsion is delivered in the form of Bruxie’s Old Fashioned Cane Sugar Root Beer. 

The Pooj wonders if this root beer is – what – Belgian??

Bruxie’s root beer is not produced in-house, but rather produced specifically for Bruxie by local soda makers (who apparently remain nameless). Cane sugar appears to be Bruxie’s selling point for their soda offerings, and cane sugar is the dominant flavor that hits first. The sugar lingers for a little while before it’s followed by a birch-y root-y flavor that’s good, lightly sharp around the edges, but isn’t especially strong nor especially long-lasting. It finishes with a cola-ish tang that resolves back into the cane sugar.

That cola-ish tang makes me wish I had also sampled Bruxie’s cola for contrast. All in all, the root beer is good, but still tastes more like a strong root beer mixed with a pure-sugar cola to maybe a respective 60/40 ratio. Either way, it’s still pleasant refreshment on a hot day. Bruxie’s Cane Sugar Root Beer gets a 3.5.