Hank's Root Beer

I’ve had a few of the Hank’s line of sodas before, but there’s just something about the phrase “Hank’s Root Beer” that works out really well.  Hank sounds like a root beer making fool.  Someone who probably started tinkering with it in his kitchen until friends requested it by name.  “Hey, have you tried any of Hank’s root beer?”  “I’m making a stop in Greenville on the way to Springtown.  Yeah, of course I’m stopping by Hank’s place.  His root beer is great.”  See?  All of that seems really natural.  I really wish that this was just called Hank’s Root Beer, but the full name is sadly “Genuine Hank’s Gourmet Philadelphia Recipe Root Beer”.  That’s far too complicated.  Thankfully though, the overly long name doesn’t change the fact that this is a root beer made with cane sugar.  Not “pure cane sugar” or “100% natural cane sugar”, just cane sugar.  At least they kept that simple.

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Twist was the 2nd mayor of Philly.

The scent that comes off of the bottle upon opening shares the aroma qualities you’d find in a creamy root beer while simultaneously smelling like a root beer with some bite.  I’ve learned when these two properties share a home that the one that bites is usually the winner in the taste contest on your tongue.  Let’s find out if that’s the case.

Hank’s Root Beer does have a bit of a punch to it as I thought it would, but I was incorrect in thinking the aggressive side of the root beer would overshadow the creaminess.  There is a vanilla backdrop that hangs there during the entire act as both “Creamy” and “Bitey” act out their parts on stage.  Since “Bitey’s” mom dressed him in the same color as the backdrop, it’s “Creamy” that ultimately steals the show.  Which is the worse name for an actual child, Creamy or Bitey?  Anywho, the smooth sensation of vanilla coupled with the ultimately creamy mouth feel of this root beer really make it a beverage to try.  The sweetness level tastes like it’s on the higher end of the spectrum, but it’s nothing that makes your teeth feel like they’re going to rot out of your mouth if you drink a bottle or two.  I’m quite pleased with this bottle of Hank’s Root Beer.  It doesn’t do anything particularly amazing, but what it does do it does very well.

~A

RootJack

The folks at RootJack told the folks at ThirstMonger to tell me to drink RootJack without ice at an extremely cold temperature…purple monkey dishwasher.  I’m pretty sure the part about the purple monkey dishwasher was something added along the line, but needless to say I was quite pleased to see a beverage company tell me to stay away from ice.  So for a week this bottle of RootJack, Orange Flavored Root Beer, sat at the back of my fridge chilling.  Everytime I’d open the door I’d want to reach in and drink it, but I couldn’t… I must wait.  How does one keep oneself from drinking such an ususual product?  Orange flavored Root Beer, I’d never heard of such a thing, but my mind tells me it should work.  Looking at the label I’m happy to see that RootJack is sweetened with sugar and also contains a bit of guarana seed extract for energy.  This fun hybrid of flavors also has 100% of the vitamin C I need in a day, to fight scurvy of course.  With that said, it’s time for me to crack open this bottle and set sail for nowheres in particulars.

The scent that rises from the depths of Davy Jones locker is root beer heavy with a hint of the orange promised on the front of the bottle.  Do you know what a pirate’s favorite letter is?  You probably think it’s RRRRRRR, but he truly lives for the C.  Moving on.

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TWist is better known at the Dread Pirate Roberts.

That is super bizarre.  Wow.  The first few glugs were just straight root beer, but then the citrus took hold of my taste buds and punched them square in the jaw.  The hint of orange the aroma spoke about was just the tip of the krackens tentacle.  I thought that RootJack would be root beer with a hint of orange.  I thought wrong as each sip starts off like calm day at sea; just enjoying a root beer with my swabbies, then the orange whale throws itself on board looking for Ahab.  It’s really confusing for my mouth and brain.  Each is frantically trying to figure out if it’s ok with this mixture of worlds. 

The sweetness level of RootJack is just right as I would have no problem drinking this with a meal.  While the flavor is wild, I still feel like it could pair well with your standard fare of hamburgers and hotdogs without taking away anything from them.  I’m also seeing why they wanted me to drink this cold.  The orange flavor could come off as offending to some if this was room temperature.  Even the bottle tells you to “Serve Cold”.  When’s the last time you saw another soda tell you the obvious? 

As the soda bottle empties the orange flavor becomes a bit more bitter, but not enough to turn me away from finishing it off.  Now that I have a proper place to put my message written on parchment, I’ll give you my final thoughts.  RootJack is truly a unique beverage from start to finish.  The mixture of two common flavors may confuse the mind to the point of not knowing if what you’re ingesting is something you like or not, but once you get your mind right you’ll find you wish you had another.  I’ve gotta hand it  to RootJack for taking a chance and setting themselves apart from the rest of the sodas out there.  The flavor combo was a little too combative for my tastes, but I still want to recommend that you buy multiples if just for giving some to your friends.

~A

Barrel Brothers Root Beer

Two guys dressed in barrels pose for a caricature of themselves.  Apparently they loved it so much they decided the picture would look great on a bottle of root beer.  These two guys I’m speaking of are the Barrel Brothers, and I will be consuming their soda today.  The label gives me no history of Barrel Brothers Root Beer, but it does tell me that this is from the makers of Apple Beer.  Apple Beer if you remember had the potential to be amazing, but faltered.  Here’s hoping the Barrel Brothers, Mac and Jack (two names I made up), do themselves proud with their product.  It’s a HFCS sweetened root beer so it’s not off to a great start in that department, although that doesn’t mean the taste can’t overcome the ingredients.

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Twist was once a brother, but there could be only one.

A pleasant vanilla aroma with a hint of marshmallow rises from the bottle.  I’m quickly forgetting I ever saw HFCS on the label at all.  Perhaps the taste will completely wash that memory away.

That’s good root beer.  That’s really good root beer.  The scent translates directly into the taste as each sip is smothered with the smooth sensation of vanilla.  The vanilla flavor is so rich that it made me forget I was drinking a root beer for a brief moment.  At the end of each sip though the root beer rises from the foamy grave and grasps at the roof of my mouth, biting it with carbonation and a tasty root beer taste.  Barrel Brothers Root Beer would pair very well with ice cream as the licorice/wintergreen flavors you might find in other root beers are absent.  This is strictly about the vanilla, almost marshmallow, sensations mixed with an already good root beer.  It doesn’t build on itself that much which is surprising to me given the richness of it.  If I must pick nits about this soda there is a slight chemical taste that arises occasionally, but it’s not enough for me to shoo anyone away.  All in all, Barrel Brothers Root Beer is a treat that any root beer enthusiast would enjoy.  No, it’s not made from the greatest ingredients, but the flavor more than makes up for it.

~A

Rocket Fizz Root Beer Float

In the infantile days of this site (I believe we were still on LiveJournal) we reviewed A&W Root Beer Float in a bottle.  I think the word that got tossed around a lot was “rancid” which left us a bit gun shy to try another Root Beer Float in a bottle.  Thankfully Rocket Fizz has such a beverage and since they rarely steer me wrong I have no worries about trying it.  Rocket Fizz Root Beer Float may not be the bees knees, but I can almost guarantee you that I won’t use the word “rancid” in its description.  Of course it’s sweetened with pure cane sugar, but after that the ingredients become a bit to chemical or vague (natural/artificial flavors) to really care enough to go into detail.  So my expectations are set carefully above “awful”… something tells me it will easily surpass them.

My nose has a hard time recognizing the “float” scent that should be coming out of the mouth of the bottle.  Of course this could easily be the result of a high level of grass pollen in the air that occasionally renders my nose useless.  I can smell a rich and sugary root beer flavor with something different in the background.  Hopefully the “ice cream” will arrive once I take a swig.

Well it’s a heck of a lot better than A&W’s version of the same flavor.  The root beer taste is burly and easily experienced, but the vanilla ice cream never shows up to the party… a different visitor must have stolen his invitation.  Roasted marshmallow is the secondary flavor in this soda and he’s quite brash about his presence.  You’d think that someone who was not invited to a shin did would show a bit of cowardice, but not R.M.  He kicked the door open, announced his arrival, spit on the floor, and kissed root beer’s sister.  It’s like he knows he doesn’t belong, but doesn’t care because he’s sure he’ll win you over… and he’s right.  I really did want to try a good root beer float soda, but with every sip of root beer and roasted marshmallow I care less and less that the ice cream taste is absent.  It’s an odd combination on virtual paper that works like gangbusters in my mouth.  Perhaps I should retool that last sentence, better not as then this sentence wouldn’t make any sense. 

Are there faults to Rocket Fizz Root Beer Float?  Well aside from the fact that it doesn’t exactly taste as the label states, yes there are.  The root beer flavor, while good, could be richer, creamier, just better in general for one.  A somewhat syrupy mouth feel is my last impression of the beverage.  I wouldn’t say it’s the velvet curtain I so often describe, but perhaps a sheer curtain used for fog effects.  All in all Rocket Fizz Root Beer Float is something out of the ordinary and I suggest you buy multiples to share.

~A

Twist is a Rocket Fizz Man, burning up his fuse up here alone.

Maine Root - Root Beer

The Maine Root brand has been great to us with all sorts of fantastic flavors, oddly enough though I’ve never tried their root beer.  That’s like going into Red Lobster and not trying their lobster…something I’ve also never tried.  Ok, so it’s like going to Whataburger and not getting a Whataburger.  I’d love to meet the person who’s done that… then shove a Whataburger down their throat.  Thankfully there will be no hamburgers force fed to anyone in today’s review, just good old fashioned root beer drinkin’.  Maine Root Root Beer is made up of carbonated pure water, Fair Trade Certified organic cane juice and spices.  That’s all it says on the bottle and I can’t wait to drink it. 

A very rooty aroma slithers out the top of the bottle.  From scent alone I would guess this will be more about strength of taste and less about being smooth and creamy.  I’ll only unlock this unsolvable riddle, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a bottle, once I drink it. 

Maine Root Root Beer is big on taste, but does not completely give up on being creamy.  Each sip I take has a flavor comparable to a root beer barrel, very sweet and full of delicious.  The carbonation begins as a sharp set of bubbles racing along the tip of my tongue, but by the end of the sip has transformed into a mixture of fizz and clouds.  A wintergreen taste peeks his head around the corner every once in a while, but it seem he’s too scared to really make a scene.  The aftertaste I’m left with is a pleasant one that mirrors the flavor of the beverage and not some terrible facsimile.  There aren’t many people out there wishing for an aftertaste that reminds them of what the soda would taste like through a sock and fortunately with Maine Root Root Beer you won’t know that “pleasure” unless you set that experiment up for yourself.

For all the good that goes into Maine Root products this is my least favorite of the bunch.  It’s still a good root beer that surpasses all the store brands, but other than the great ingredient list there’s nothing that really pushes it past “above average”.  You’ll be pleased you purchased a pack, but I doubt you’ll be hooked on the stuff.

~A

Twist is actually one of the spices used.

Sea Dog Root Beer

A dog whimpers from downstairs, unhappy that she has been put to bed for the night in her crate.  Another dog asks himself “why must I put up with this whining youngling?”  Yet another dog stares at me from beneath his fisherman’s cap.  His white fur poofing out in all directions much like that of a polar bear.  Two ropes lay behind his head creating a sort of skull and crossbones look, but the red tongue hanging out of his mouth removes any amount of fear I may have had.  The third dog is looking at me from a bottle of root beer, Sea Dog Root Beer to be exact.  If I was curious as to what “style” this root beer was made in that’s answered for me with the words “old style” beneath their canine mascot.  Sea Dog root beer is made with cane sugar, wintergreen oil, anise, vanilla, spices, herbs, etc.  All in all it’s a fairly impressive ingredients list.  The cat now waits with baited breath for me to consume the Sea Dog Root Beer.  Actually, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t care at all what I do just as long as her tailbone gets scritched and her supper dish gets filled.

A medium to mild root beer aroma escapes the mouth of the bottle.  Wintergreen is the first actor on the stage, but I can see the others peering from behind the curtain with vanilla looking particularly eager. 

Sea Dog Root Beer isn’t nearly as creamy as I thought it would be.  It has more bite (dog jokes avoided) than what you might find in your standard root beer.  The wintergreen is noticeable, as is normal when used in root beer, but does not overpower the taste to the point of disappointment.  I’m not finding the overall experience of Sea Dog to be as pleasant as I had hoped.  It’s not revolting by any means, but the way it sits on my tongue is almost crass.  The carbonation experience isn’t worth more than this sentence as it adds little to the root beer. It’s unapologetic in its lack of smoothness.  Much like the whining dog downstairs (who thankfully has fallen asleep) Sea Dog shows you that it knows how to do the tricks, but refuses to bow to your whim.  While I can appreciate a root beer with some spark I keep getting a taste in my mouth that reminds me of diet root beer and I know that’s not the case.  I’m not sure if it’s the anise giving off that dubious flavor, but this taste coupled with the fact that two of my friends just gave up on Doctor Who without even finishing the first episode have soured me from recommending that you buy Sea Dog Root Beer in multiples.  Ok, so the Doctor Who thing is an unrelated rant, but c’mon they’re missing out on so many great adventures.  Sea Dog Root Beer on the other hand has an above average ingredient list, yet only has an average taste.

~A

Yo ho ho and a bottle of something else.

C&C Draft Root Beer

It was inevitable that I would make it to a staple flavor of the C&C brand.  I’m not saying that Draft Root Beer is a staple flavor of theirs, but a staple flavor…of America.  Cola, root beer, and lemon lime are arguably the three main soda flavors that companies make.  They are a great (but not perfect) litmus test into what kind of quality you’re dealing with in a soda manufacturer.  Root beer has the most diversity of these three flavors followed by cola and then lemon lime.  So today’s review may very well be a summary of all C&C soda reviews.  Hopefully they take their root beer seriously, because I will.

While I’m not wowed by the generic root beer scent that came wafting out of the bottle I am at least now under the impression that the aroma is strong enough to warrant a decent taste.  Hopefully the smell is masking some sort of hidden awesomeness.

My first impression is that C&C Draft Root Beer is a fairly refreshing beverage.  The syrupy mouth feel found in many other root beer is absent, instead a delightfully light flavor (in comparison to other root beer) takes its place.  Carbonation is light to the point of almost not being discernible.  I don’t mind root beer having a little less carbonation than other sodas so that they can keep their smooth feel, but take away too much of the fizzy stuff and the soda my start to seem flat.  C&C Draft Root Beer is walking a very fine line between flat and “just fizzy enough”.  With that said I won’t be writing home about the flavor of this root beer unless of course my mother is reading this right now.  The flavor is very simplistic with very little character.  You could probably find a similar flavor in a store bought root beer kit.  So does this mirror what I’ve experienced with C&C sodas so far?  Yes, it really does.  While I haven’t made it through the 24 flavors sent to me I’ve already seen a theme amongst most of what I’ve tasted.  C&C Draft Root Beer, much like so many of their other flavors, is safe.  It’s Honda Civic of root beer.  I used to drive a Civic and enjoyed my time with it, but I was always looking for something with a bit more character.  Now Honda makes a few models that will turn some heads just like C&C makes a few flavors that make me want to buy multiples, but overall it’s safe and safe can be boring if it’s not handled just right.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by C&C

So safe that Twist keeps his money in it

Capone Family Secret Root Beer

It’s a chilly day outside here in Texas with a high of 59.  I’d be interested to see how many of our readers are scoffing at me right now.  Scoff all you like as a chilly day brings out my taste for root beer.  So if I didn’t think it was chilly you probably wouldn’t be getting a review right now… about root beer.  Ah well.  Today’s bottle on the chopping block is Capone Family Secret Root Beer.  For those of you not in the know, Al Capone was a gangster during prohibition that did a host of illegal things one of which was running booze.  The story I’m going to give to Capone Family Secret Root Beer is this.  Of course Al Capone needed to smuggle his booze in a container of some sort and before he got smart about it he just put them in root beer bottles instead.  Yes, I know that’s the equivalent of putting them in a bottle labeled “Not Beer I Swear”, but it’s the story I’m going with. 

Wait… I just found that the bottle has a story as well.  Let’s compare shall we?

“During the 1920’s Capone’s warehouses were raided by the police 137 time, eager to seize their inventory of illegal alcohol.  There were only a few items found on every single raid and it was not alcohol.  It was cases of the “Capone Family Secret” Soda.  After 80+ years the “Secret” Soda was finally made public, so families can enjoy great sodas, while experiencing a piece of history.”

So there you have it, a more complete tale to go with the soda at hand.  Apparently these are the ingredients of the “Secret” Soda:  Carbonated Water, Sugar Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Natural Flavor, and Citric Acid.  That sounds like something that would be in a 20’s soda to me… I’m sold.  I was wavering at Sugar, but once I saw that Sodium Benzoate was in there I knew this was a legit Capone family recipe.  Kidding aside, I’ve written way to much without drinking anything.  Onward!

This smells to be a rather rooty root beer.  A stronger than usual licorice scent smacked me the nostrils only to be followed up by what seems to be a rather noticeable vanilla aroma as well.  Well I’m leaning back towards impressed now that I’ve gotten a whiff.  Drinking time!

That is some of the most carbonated root beer I’ve ever tasted.  It attacked my mouth with a flurry of tiny bubbles all trying to break the legs of my taste buds.  With that said the high amount of carbonation creates a very foamy head that gives Capone Family Secret Root Beer a light and airy feel the likes of which I have never experienced before.  I’ll be interested to see if this particular mouth feel lasts the entire bottle.    Now the flavor is quite unique as well.  Even though some of Capone’s ingredients are a little suspect the taste is wonderful.  There’s an immediate burst of vanilla that lingers though each sip to the last possible moment.  As the vanilla taste begins its transformation into memory a familiar root beer flavor takes over.  Immediately my mind goes to Al Capone sending two of his guys out to take care of some “business”.  Sure he could have just sent Vinny Vanilla out to do the job, but he told Roddy Root to go with him and make sure it got done right.  The result is my tongue experiencing a one, two punch of vanilla and root beer that makes me wish it had ticked off the Capone family even more.  Now that I’m done with the bottle I can tell you that the foamy light mouth feel does decrease some, but lasts long enough that I can safely say it’s one of the most unique root beer sensations I’ve ever had.  The differences in mouth feel and flavor make it almost seem like I’m drinking two completely different delicious root beers and for that the Capone Family should be rewarded.

~A

Faux Fact:  Al Capone's pet of choice was an iguana named Twist.  Coincidence?

Triple XXX Root Beer

Today’s fantastic voyage into my fridge paid off with a bottle of Triple XXX Root Beer and until this point I thought it was “Triple X” Root Beer or “XXX” Root Beer… you know, three X’s.  Upon looking at said bottle I see that it’s actually “Triple XXX” Root Beer which actually means we’re dealing with nine X’s here.  Now I’m not sure where that rates in terms of root beer, but I do know that you’re one X away from having a pretty nice Stetson hat.  The slogan of Triple XXX Root Beer is that it “Makes Thirst a Joy.”  I must say that this is one of my favorite slogans to date as its simplicity is perfect for an “old school” beverage such as itself.  Upon writing that last sentence I felt it was imperative to look up the history of Triple XXX Root Beer and was surprised to see that it’s “roots” (haha) stem from Galveston, TX which is right down the road from me.  If you’re interested at all in soda lore I recommended checking it out on the Triple XXX website.  Don’t worry; we’ll explain it to your parents when it pops up in their history.  Enough of the non-tasting portion of the review, it’s time to hopefully enjoy some cane sugar sweetened Triple XXX Root Beer.  Onward!

Oooh, I like the smell of this.  A rich rooty aroma escapes from the mouth of the bottle enticing me to drink its contents.  Normally smelling root beer doesn’t make me thirsty, but I can honestly say that the scent of Triple XXX Root Beer has me salivating a bit.

Upon first drink several thoughts fill my head about Triple XXX Root Beer.  First off the carbonation levels are higher than I expected, but not so much that the somewhat creamy mouth feel is completely lost although it’s walking a fine line.  Secondly, the root beer flavor is unoffending.  It’s not amazingly powerful nor is it weak and watery nor is it filled with numerous spices and flavors.  In fact with each sip I take I’m realizing how “normal” this root beer is.  There’s nothing really about Triple XXX that sets itself apart from other root beers, unless you count the fact that it could be the root beer baseline.  Fortunately there is a bit of caramel taste at the end of each sip which pleasantly lingers in my mouth.  This “Grand Finale of Flavor” if you will, is the highlight of Triple XXX Root Beer.  Personally I like IBC Root Beer better even if it is sweetened with HFCS, but then again I have a bias towards IBC that delves into the world of nostalgia.

Now for the sentence that makes the previous three paragraphs pointless.  Triple XXX Root Beer has no obviously faults or victories in terms of root beer taste and aside from a pleasant caramel finish just doesn’t make itself that memorable.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by The Dublin Bottling Works.

Twist was valued at over 9000 x's

Trader Joe's Vintage Root Beer

Just like all the hybrids parked outside of Trader Joe's, their own root beer is a hybrid of its own. Now in the past I have been known to speak out against birch beer, and being from Pennsylvania, I feel like I'm allowed to do that as we know our birch beer. Verdict: all birch beer is bad. Well, at least I think so. 

Trader Joe's Vintage Root Beer is like a car, but it wouldn't be a vintage, it would be a hybrid. Oh, I already used that comparison. What I mean is it would be a hybrid of root and birch beer. That's not necessarily a bad thing in this case. In fact, I actually quite like it. You know I do too cause you peeked at the score below. Shame on you.

While I'm the type to prefer a light carbonation, this has a slightly heavier one, but it feels foamier, which is more appropriate for root beer, so I'm okay with that too. Ingredients include wintergreen, birch, anise, sassafras, and tahitian vanilla extract. Cane sugar too, of course. You can certainly taste all those flavors. Although the wintergreen comes before the birch, as I said, the birch really stands out the most.

Unlike their cola, Trader Joe's Vintage Root Beer is worth more than a try. Although in their stores it is on price parity with Virgil's, it's unique enough to give it a shot. If you're a huge fan of birch beer, you may even like it better than I did, considering my disdain for birch.

-Mike

The Pop Shoppe Root Beer

We’ve reviewed countless root beers in the past 3 years and its music to my ears when I hear of another beer, in fact I cheer.  Now the Pop Shoppe will have its top popped before I stop so I can make sure this isn’t slop.  It’s sweetened with cane which goes against the grain and steers it from plain although anyone that’s sane wouldn’t complain about the cane being a bane.  The bottle is stout, but there is little doubt that the scent will shout into my snout before I pour it from its spout and drink like a trout.

Ok, I can’t do that anymore.  This Pop Shoppe Root Beer was going to be hot by the time I wrote the aroma portion of this review and we can’t have that.  Licorice is the scent of this root beer which is a slippery slope if they haven’t executed the flavor correctly.  Let’s find out shall we?

It does taste a little of licorice, but surprisingly it’s still a rather creamy root beer.  Many times when licorice is part of your ingredient population he scares away all the creamy goodness and smooth mouth feel.  The folks at The Pop Shoppe have brought us a nice blend of both in their entry.  Like many sodas you are first greeted by a small flurry of bubbles that rush along your tongue.  Then a rich root beer taste, with a hint of licorice, makes itself known to all corners of your mouth.  After consuming your current sip the flavor lingers for a long while, but it never feels as if it overstays its welcome.  What makes this root beer somewhat unique (oxymoron anyone?) is how light it feels in your mouth yet the flavor stays put as if it were a heavier beverage.  Thankfully I can’t compare this to one of the Big Three root beers.  While they make for an easy way to describe a flavor when you can’t make a comparison you know you have something north of average.  The licorice taste might run some off, but I’ve tasted much stronger.  Throughout this entire review process The Pop Shoppe Root Beer has kept a respectable head.  This aspect makes it constantly refreshing to look at, something I feel is notable in a soda.  With all that said this isn’t a upper echelon root beer, but it is something I think all root beer lovers should try.  The duality and concept of creamy licorice should be enticing enough for you to at least buy one bottle even though I think you should…(see what I’m doing here)

~A

Don't resist being kissed on the wrist by Twist, if you do you'll be pissed.

The Pop Shoppe Root Beer (Fan Review!)

Classic flavors abound in the soda world.  So with that being said I was somewhat skeptical when I came across a brand of Root Beer I haven’t tried yet.  The Pop Shoppe is the brand at hand and the red and white label looked inviting.  I looked over the necessary information to see if anything jumped out at me.  “Cane sugar” written in a unique font called to me from the front of the label and cemented the buy. So I dropped the necessary combination of dollars and cents on a polished counter and tucked my new found bottle away. 

Back at the humble space I call home the already chilled bottle was opened with an old school bottle opener.  Stock root beer scent wafted toward my nose holes and beckoned for me to take a large gulp, and gulp I did.  Tremendous root beer flavor graced my taste buds like fine wine.  Anther gulp ensued producing a fine symphony of amazing cane sugar sweetness combined with a taste uncommon to the root beer world.  Angelic harps of yumminess played in concert as this beverage was consumed.  The bottle was consumed leaving nothing but satisfaction and euphoria behind.  The Pop Shoppe has captured lightning in a bottle and produced a soda almost unparalleled in taste and quality.  Now all I need is another bottle of this amazing concoction!

If you are a fan of root beer, soda, or life then you will love The Pop Shoppe Root Beer.

C.W.

Berghoff Famous Root Beer

We already have a fan review up of Berghoff Famous Root Beer, but I’d take 100 reviews of it if possible.  When I say “100 reviews” of Berghoff Famous Root Beer I really mean 100 reviews of any soda out there.  You see, I feel opinions are important so if you see a beverage on our site that we’ve reviewed and you disagree with said review then please feel free to write one of your own and we’ll post it.  With all that said it’s probably time to start this review of Berghoff Famous Root Beer.  Honestly the bottle looks like a fairly generic somewhat upscale root beer and a look at the ingredients show that it’s fairly upscale since sugar is their substance of sweet.  I’m not sure how often you’re concerned with the amount of sodium in your root beer, but Berghoff has “very little sodium”.  Every bottle of root beer out there might say this, but I haven’t noticed it until right now.   Like I said the labeling is boring and not worth much commentary, hopefully the fluid inside will be more lead performer and less plywood tree.

Well the good news is that Berghoff Famous Root Beer has a nice odor to it.  It’s not wowing the ol’ olfactory glands or anything, but it’s a sweet, inviting scent none-the-less.   This is appearing more and more like a single step up from your mainstream root beer.  Sadly I’ve been spoiled in creating this site… I need more than one step up because that one step isn’t always worth the extra cash spent in the purchase.  Drink time.

Hello?  Carbonation?  Are you there?  The idea of carbonation that is contained in this bottle of Berghoff is all that keeps it from being root beer juice.    Root Beer Juice.  I can’t tell if it’d be good or not… my mind leans towards the direction of no.  Alright, now that I kind of grossed myself out with the newly coined product “root beer juice” I should probably continue the review.  Berghoff Famous Root Beer has a bit of a licorice taste to it which might be off putting to some, but licorice is nowhere to be found in the makeup of this soda.  Taste wise, aside from the faux licorice, this is most similar to Barq’s when compared to the big three and the aftertaste is as dirty as 7th grade limerick.  I really can’t seem to get over the lack of carbonation I’m experience (or not experiencing) here.  Honestly I don’t feel that Berghoff is any better than A&W or Barq’s Root Beer… Mug on the other hand it could probably beat.  It’s not a terrible root beer, but it won’t be winning any Twisty’s… the now made up award presented by this site.  **(Now for your obligatory Gary Berghoff reference)** After reading this review you should have known that this rating was coming from over a mile away... much like Gary Berghoff as Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly in the Emmy Award winning television show M*A*S*H.

~A

And now presenting the Twisty for most average root beer...

Big K Root Beer

Quickly… think of your favorite Root Beer.  Did you?  Is it Big K Root Beer?  For those of you who said “yes” then you can refute whatever I’m about to write.  For those of you who answered the negative then just sit back and find out what category I’m about to fall into.  Big K Root Beer is Kroger brand root beer.  For those of you not familiar with Kroger, it’s a super market.  So yes, Big K Root Beer probably won’t be my favorite as very few stores actually try to make a good soda.  I’m pretty sure this won’t be my new favorite root beer, but hopefully this chemical concoction will at least please my taste buds somewhat.  The label even says that they “promise” my whole family will enjoy this or my money back… or a replacement.  I’m kind of curious as to what a proper replacement is of Big K Root Beer.  My imagination is shot for the day so I think I’ll just continue the review.

Big K Root Beer does indeed smell somewhat like a root beer… so… that’s a plus, although there is also something odd about this aroma.  After smelling the somewhat obvious root beer scent the smell just kind of vanishes.  The fragrance (I’m running out of words for ‘smell’) doesn’t seem to be strong enough to maintain a simple inhalation thus frightening me just a bit as to what this will taste like.

Not terrible, not good.  Big K Root Beer is most similar to Barq’s, but without the bite that makes Barq’s slogan so memorable.  The initial mouth fell is very watery and a bit off putting.  As you might expect this is a very generic tasting root beer.  It does have a bit of a licorice flavor to it and just a whisper of wintergreen as well.  Did they actually use these ingredients?  No idea, but the artificial/natural flavors they used somewhat replicate them.  There’s not much else to be said about Big K Root Beer except this.  If you have an extra dollar just buy the Barq’s instead.  While there are better root beers out there than Barq’s at least you’re not rewarding a grocery store for making a less than stellar product… instead you are rewarding the Coca Cola company.  If you want to take a few steps up from that then look no further than these two.

~A

This is Twist's "meh" face

Gale's Root Beer (Fan Review!)

They sell this at my local supermarket, so I thought I’d give it a try. I opened the bottle and it has a really different taste. It had a hint of vanilla but wasn’t very sweet, it has kind of a spiced flavor. This isn’t A&W. I tried to figure out what was making it taste so “different” and remembered those wise words from my father:

 “When all else fails, read the instructions”.

 So I looked at the label and found it is is flavored with cinnamon and ginger. It’s a unique taste and probably not going to suit everyone’s palate. Available in selected parts of the USA.

http://www.galegand.com/booksandproducts.asp#grb

Gray's Root Beer (Fan Review!)

150 years and five generations ago, Irish immigrant Joshua Gray moved to Janesville, Wisconsin to brew ales and soft drinks.  The Gray Brewing Company is now one of the family owned beverage companies in the country.

 The root beer recipe dates back 140 years and is made with pure cane sugar. It’s a nice grog, good creamy head, rich vanilla flavor and decent carbonation. It’s one of the better root beers I’ve tasted. It’s only available in southern Wisconsin as far as I know, so a road trip might be in order.  Definitely worth a trip to the brewery and the tied house in Verona, WI.

www.graybrewing.com

Black Bear Root Beer - (Fan Review!)

So when I was a kid growing up in Milwaukee in the 60s and 70s, we had loads of local soda bottlers. We used to drink Graf’s, Jo Jo, Jic Jac and Ting. Graf’s was the big one, they had a great Root Beer and a drink called 50/50 which was a grapefruit / lemon line blend. When Graf’s folded, the brands were sold to Canfield’s in Chicago which also eventually went bankrupt.

The one we liked the best was Jo Jo, which came in 7 oz returnables in a wood crate. It was dirt cheap and the only flavor really drinkable was the orange, some were well and truly bad. With clowns and balloons on the bottles, I think it was aimed at kid’s birthday parties, where cheap was the order of the day.  We used to joke the secret formula was crayons, water and a bag of sugar.

Unfortunately, they are all gone now, put under by the marketing machines of Coke, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper / 7up. The only local bottler remaining is Black Bear of Oak Creek, which is doing remarkably well. Until recently, they also did the returnables in a wood case, but now have come into the 21st century with throw-a-way plastic bottles.

OK, so I’m not going to be 100% objective here. But it is a nice root beer, sweet with a whole bunch of vanilla. My bottle didn’t seem to be full, maybe they should check their QC (!). Black Bear also have a great pink lemonade for the summer which I recommend! Still family owned since 1920, not run by Harvard MBAs.  One of the minority shareholders is Junior Bridgeman, a former Milwaukee Buck.

http://www.blackbearbottling.com/

Grand Teton Brewing Company - Root Beer

I was approached by the fine people at Grand Teton Brewing Company to review their line of sodas.  There were four flavors in all, thus giving me the difficult decision on what to try first.  Thankfully they have a root beer as I feel you can almost always judge a company on how serious they take their root beer.  You see root beer is a beverage that can be made unique with effort, and with even more effort it can stand away from the crowd.  The use of interesting ingredients often sets one apart from the other.  That said I don’t know if Grand Teton has used any of those ingredients because they’ve chosen to list them as “Natural and Artificial Flavors”.  Fortunately it does say that it’s made with Sugar and Spring Water, two ingredients that should help this experience. 

The label itself is brown with their logo on it.  The logo consists of what a quick Google search confirms are the Grand Tetons.  How embarrassing would that have been if it was Old Smokey… awkward.  There is also a river running from said Grand Tetons that a moose has wandered next to.  Here is where you might insert a Monty Python and the Holy Grail joke.  Grand Teton Brewing Company’s bottle also mentions that it’s a Kettle Brewed Soda.  I’m not sure how that factors into the taste, but I do know that kettle chips are delicious versions of chips so maybe the same is true for soda.  Don’t quote me on that… unless it’s on a very popular website that will get us thousands upon thousands of hits, thrusting us into the upper echelon of internet stardom.  Enough babble, time for drinking.

Grand Teton Root Beer has a very rooty aroma that reminds me a bit of Moxie.  I’m sure, without even tasting it, that Grand Teton Root Beer will not taste like Moxie though.  Huzzah!  With that said the scent that flows from the top of this bottle is faint and doesn’t give me much of a clue as to what this will taste like.  Only one way to find out!

Wow, that has more carbonation than I’m used to root beer having.  The root beer itself isn’t that rich or creamy, but I’m not saddened by this.  The strong carbonation gives it a coke like kick to the back of your throat, setting it apart from most other root beer experiences.  The flavor you initially experience is root beer barrel candy, but not as strong.  The finish to Grand Teton Root Beer is most certainly licorice.  This will keep it from being a lot of folks beverage of choice, but fortunately for me I like licorice.  Is this out of this world amazing root beer?  No, not really, but it is better than your average fare.  Grand Teton Root Beer gives you a mouth feel that is unique to its type and a flavor that any licorice lover will like.  I really wish I knew that benefit kettle brewing had on this soda, but I guess that’s going to have to be a life lesson for another day.

~A

(This beverage was supplied to us by the Grand Teton Brewing Company)

Twist enjoyed this so much he licked part of the label off.

Berghoff Famous Root Beer (Fan Review!)

Berghoff has its roots in the famous Berghoff restaurant of Chicago, IL which specializes in fine German food. The restaurant has been in operation, nearly continuously, since 1898. At one time the Berghoff family also operated a brewery in Ft. Wayne, IN, which sold to Falstaff in the 1950s. The brewery closed in 1990.

Berghoff Root Beer is sold in liter bottles throughout Chicagoland, and is sort of to the root beer world what 40 oz. malt liquor is to beer. It’s a cheap and cheerful sugar rush.

It has a nice taste, a bit of vanilla and sweet and practically devoid of carbonation. One might say it almost tastes flat. A good brew, and easy on the pocket book compared to more upscale brands.

http://www.theberghoff.com/about_us/history.aspx

Triple XXX Root Beer (Fan Review!)

Triple XXX had its origins in the Galveston Brewery of Galveston, TX and dates back to 1908. Following the advent of Prohibition, the brewery put its full efforts into soft drinks in order to survive.

By 1923 Southern Beverage had licensed 150 Triple XXX bottlers and 100 “Thirst Drive-Ins”.  The Washington state distributor had developed a unique twin barrel design for his Triple XXX restaurants along the West Coast.

In the 1950s the brand began to decline and in 1960 the FDA ruled that Sassafras could no longer be used in food products which robbed Triple XXX of its distinctive flavor and head.  Eventually chemists were able to develop a substitute but sales and outlets continued to decline.

The brand changed hands a number of times and had a brief resurgence in the 1980s, but the brand was basically doomed as the number of independent bottlers declined, and both Coke and Pepsi had their root beer flavors.

The brand is now marketed by the Triple XXX Family Restaurant of West Lafayette, IN.

It is a pretty good root beer, not too sweet, but seems to have too much carbonation and a bit of seltzer kind of aftertaste. Not bad, though I’ve tasted both better and worse.

John

http://www.triplexxxrootbeer.com/history.html