Why I Like Root Beer – It has nothing to do with the Taste

My love of root beer has nothing to do with the taste of root beer, and everything to do with the memories I associate with root beer.  These four experiences illustrate my point. 

Uncle Judson’s Root Beer

Uncle Judson (my mom’s uncle) would bring homemade root beer to our family reunion.  At  6 years old, I remember looking into the refrigerator and seeing several jugs of homemade root beer.  There was an energy from the anticipation for when the root beer would be served.  My mom told me stories about how Uncle Judson made the root beer. One time, he used salt water – no surprise it turned out terrible.  Another time, he used naturally carbonated “soda water” from Soda Springs in Idaho.  And of course, at least once the yeast fermented too long. Uncle Judson’s root beer became so synonymous with family reunions that my own uncle tried making root beer himself, but the bottles exploded. (I was so traumatized after hearing about the bottles exploding that I was scared to make root beer for decades.)

Root Beer Floats

Root beer floats were the dessert of choice for family reunions on my dad’s side. My dad grew up in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, while not technically a desert, the area is hot and dry and a glass of root beer with a scoop of cold ice cream sounds refreshing.  After my wife and I moved closer to home, we would occasionally have dinner with family.  I didn’t think having root beer floats for dessert was unusual until my wife pointed out my family always has root beer floats for dessert. 

Root Beer Tasting with Dad and Brothers

One year for Father’s Day, my two brothers and I took my dad to the local root beer store, bought a variety of root beers, and had a taste testing.  Other than the ginger beer, which I absolutely hated, I don’t remember a single brand we tried, but I remember being together doing something we all enjoyed.  My dad and one brother lived almost an hour away, but made an effort to be there.  We never went on fishing trips, or camping trips, or any of those other things that fathers and sons do, but we did have that one moment.  That time tasting different root beers is the only time I can remember doing something with just my dad and brothers, and it became something special to me.

Root Beer reviews on YouTube with my son

My son saw the Father’s Day taste testing, mentioned earlier, when he was young and I think seeing his grandpa, uncles, and dad having a good time together made an impression on him.  When he was a teenager, he suggested we make videos reviewing root beers to post on YouTube.  And while we did post our reviews on YouTube, our videos became less about root beer and more an opportunity to sit down and talk.  We have had a lot of fun looking for root beers, describing the taste, and, more importantly, sharing memories.  We have a good time together – a really good time.  As we approached our 100^th episode, I suggested we stop because video editing is a lot of work.  My son was genuinely disappointed.  Right then I decided I would continue to make root beer videos as long as my teenage son is willing to sit down and talk with me.  It was no longer about root beer, it was about spending time together.

So while I love root beer, I don’t love root beer because of how it tastes. I love root beer because of the memories it has been a part of.  For me, root beer is not just a drink, it’s a way to spend time together with my family. And someday, I hope to have a root beer with my grandchildren and tell them stories about their father.