Man cannot live on coffee alone, even when facing the menu at one of L.A.’s leading coffeehouses, Intelligentsia Venice. Luckily, tucked away under the pastry case, hidden in plain sight, the well-caffeinated Chicago-based company features a row of craft sodas, including two bottles from Wisconsin based Sprecher Brewing Company, a business that dates to 1985 and also produces superior sodas. I had a choice between cream and root, and opted for the latter ($3), which featured a cartoon bird with a yellow beak on the bottle, and a well balanced brew inside. The company admits to incorporating honey and vanilla, and they also include botanicals that deliver a balancing bitterness. Unfortunately, Intelligentsia must not sell many bottles of root beer, since my sips of soda were a little flat. Try to find Sprecher Root Beer on tap, which I’ve seen at some of the better gastropubs in Southern California, and you’re bound to experience improved carbonation.