Sprecher Makes Hard Root Beer, Too—and I Tried It

I went to Sprecher Headquarters for three things: anything new, anything exclusive to Wisconsin, and as many cans of their Honeycrisp Apple soda as I could responsibly carry. Judging by my bill at the end of my visit, I definitely found all three. Stay tuned for my review of three brand-new Sprecher sodas; for now, let’s tackle this rare alcoholic variant of their most popular soda. Y’all, I’m cracking open a can of Sprecher’s Fire-Brewed Hard Root Beer.

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What does “fire-brewed” mean?

Fire-brewed refers to Sprecher’s gas-fired kettle brewing method. Since Sprecher’s sodas are sweetened with real honey, the gas-fired process brings out plenty of natural sweetness and flavor. When I toured Sprecher’s headquarters-slash-brewery last year, I actually got to see the whole process from start to finish. (Some of Sprecher’s drinks are still created on the original hardware their founder welded together from equipment he bought at livestock auctions decades ago.)

Sprecher Hard Root Beer Review

Hard Root Beer!

Pros: I’ve had more than a few hard sodas; this is definitely a solid take on hard root beer. The same honeyed sweetness you expect from Sprecher Root Beer is tempered by the malt’s harshness, creating an interesting flavor combination. By taste alone, there’s no doubt this is a hard root beer… which isn’t a positive for everyone.

Cons: My biggest issue with this hard root beer is that it’s hard. I’m not a big drinker, but I do tend to learn towards “hard” variants of familiar drinks (or hard ciders) when I indulge. This is so reminiscent of Sprecher’s classic root beer that every sip has me wishing I were drinking that fantastic soda instead.

Instead, I get 80% of that lovely fire-brewed root beer I expect from Sprecher and 20% of that unavoidable “malt beverage” taste. There are a few hard drinks out there that manage to hide the hard-iness of it all, but this isn’t one of them. Don’t get me wrong, if Not Your Father’s regularly rotates through your fridge, this will have you feeling right at home (maybe even a step up). I’m just not enough of a grown-adult soda drinker to reach for this over the original.

Credit: Griffin Parker / Sprecher Brewery

Rating:

7/10

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Where can I find Sprecher Hard Root Beer for myself?

Y’all, I wish I knew! While the product image above suggests Sprecher did bottle their hard root beer for a time, I actually got mine in a crowler straight from the brewery itself (along with a trio of new “Fruit & Cream” sodas I’ll be reviewing for Sporked in the near future). I’m not 100% sure whether this rare variant of one of America’s favorite root beers is widely available outside Wisconsin; if I hear back from Sprecher with more info, I’ll update this piece ASAP.