In California birch beer is pretty rare. I had not actually even heard of it until this summer. We were having lunch at a Ukrainian restaurant in Vancouver and they had a Boylan birch beer on the menu. I am always game for a different soda. It was excellent! How have I lived so long without knowing about this?

I ordered some birch beer syrup from Northwoods Soda. It is not exactly the same as the Boylan, but it hits the notes I was looking for. The mixture ratio of 5:1 is recommended, but I found that 7:1 or even 8:1 made for a pretty good drink. At the higher ratios the taste was not so much watered down but more of a lighter taste. For me the down side is the fact that the color of the syrup is bright red. It is way too red for my eyes. But, according to the very nice people there it is possible to order the syrup without color. This is good news for next time.

If you are going to order from them be aware that the shipping for one 32oz bottle is the same as two 32oz and one 8oz bottle. I have some other syrups to try but the birch beer is calling me.