Root Beer Eval

Sioux City Root Beer with pure cane sugar

2012-01-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

I had high hopes for the Sioux City brand, makers of the preferred sarsaparilla of Sam Elliott's cowboy character in the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski (one of my favorite films). The bottle I sampled had "pure cane sugar" stamped on the label, though it is apparently also available in a high fructose corn syrup variety.

There was an unsettling silence when I first twisted off the cap. Had I done something wrong? I don't usually expect to feel guilt when I'm about to enjoy a beverage. At any rate, I did expect--and got--a flimsy head with a dissapointingly meager bite. What was most unsatisfying about it, however, was the almost watered-down body. The essential flavors are there, but nothing extra, nothing surprising or even memorable. In fact, had this drink been built a bit more robustly, I think it would've made a good root beer as it is not too sweet and has a pleasant aftertaste. I would still try it again in case I just had a bad bottle, but I was nonetheless a little let down after all these years of hearing Sam Elliott drawl, 'Say, friend, got any more of that good sarsaparilla?' I'd still try it, though. The sarsaparilla, that is.

Grade: 3

160 calories per 12-oz bottle (13.3 calories/oz).

http://whiterockbeverages.com/SiouxCity.cfm

Thanks to Badger for sending me this root beer along with several others that I will be reviewing as I try them one by one.

Blue Sky Creamy Root Beer

2011-10-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

[IMAGE PENDING]Blue Sky Creamy Root Beer comes in a can, which frankly, leaves me a bit dubious form the start. Cans are metal, of course - not inert, whereas glass is inert. Which is another way of saying that metal may interact with the soda, altering its taste (and not in the good way that, say, an oak barrel influences the taste of wine aged within it). Glass, being inert, doesn't interact and so doesn't alter the taste.

But enough on that. Blue Sky root beer is creamy - vanillay, if you will, but without much else. There is a smell of vanilla on opening the can, and there is a bit of a good, earthy aftertaste, but not much. No liquorice, no ginger, nothing else. The soda is crisp, non-syrupy, properly carbonated, and enjoyable in its own right, but I hesitate to call it a root beer. If not for the earthiness of the aftertaste, I'd call it a cream soda.

Grade: 7

NOTE: Now through the end of 2011, Blue Sky will donate 5¢ to PetFinder.com for every one of their can tbs that you send them: http://www.blueskysoda.com/#/collect_tabs/

170 Calories per 12 oz can = 14.2 calories per oz
www.blueskysoda.com

Bundaberg Australian Root Beer

2011-10-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Bundaberg Australian Root Beer comes to us from the country down under, in stout brown glass bottles capped with a cross between a standard crimp-on bottle cap and a 1970s' style soda can pull tab. Kind of neat, actually - the top has a ring attached that you pull out, then up, pulling off the top.

As I've said previously, the bottle cap doesn't make the root beer. Unlike the last time I said that, though, in this case the cap is on a good drink. On opening the bottle I detected a faint smell of liquorice - good beginnings. The taste is earthy, with vanilla and a hint of ginger, and the body, if a little thin, is not unpleasantly so. It's light, and somewhat crisp. Certainly it's not syrupy. Carbonation is good - enough to be there, but not enough to overpower. Aftertaste is a bit of ginger. All and all a good root beer Crispness makes it more of a summer brew, but it can be enjoyed in the winter, too.

Grade: 9

190 Calories per 12.7 oz bottle = 15.0 calories per oz (high)
(not certified Kosher)
www.bundaberg.com

Maine Root

2010-10-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

I found Maine Root Root Beer in a local upscale supermarket, and was nearly carded for it, as if with my grey stripes I could really be too young to appreciate root beer. I wasn't too surprised, though, having encountered this before - the brown glass bottles can mislead the unwary cashier and in retrospect, perhaps she was trying to save me.

For Maine Root Root Beer is a disappointment. First off, it's very fizzy, so much so that much of what flavor there is is masked. Once past the fizziness, there is a thin sweetness, and not much else. New Yorkers may be reminded of seltzer; others will simply wonder where the flavor is.

The Fair Trade label on the bottle cap represents the "Fair Trade Certified organic cane juice and spices" used in the soda's brewing. Maine Root also supports the use of waste vegetable oil as an alternative to vegetable oil, and I approve. So the company is good, but the product isn't, really.

Grade: 4

165 Calories per 12 oz bottle = 13.75 calories per oz (slightly high)
(not certified Kosher)
www.maineroot.com

A&P Premium Root Beer Draft

2009-10-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

This was an impulse buy, while I stocked up on more basic staples like chicken and milk. In the middle of one of the header aisles there was an island of the stuff, root beer in brown glass bottles, and even though I knew it was store brand, and thus unlikely to be special, I caved. I can't remember the last time I posted here, so I bit the bullet and placed the four pack into the cart. The things a badger does for his readers.

As I said, I was not expecting this to be special, so I guess I wasn't disappointed. In its favor, I can say that it's appropriately carbonated, by which I mean not too much, and not too little. Many sodas carry more carbonation than necessary, so this is no minor point. Though high fructose corn syrup is the second ingredient, there is no syrupiness to the texture (body? would that be body?) of the drink. The flavor isn't unbalanced (none of the overpowering mintiness of Hansen's, for instance), but that's about as far as I can go.

Now for the negatives. Part of the reason the flavor isn't unbalanced is that there isn't much of it. After an initial sweetness with a bit of vanilla, the flavor evaporates, leaving only a sort of watery, slightly flat seltzer behind. Another strike against it is the pry-top cap, rather than a twist-off. I can't think of another root beer that forces me to reach for a church key (bottle opener, for those of you not in on badger-speak). Given how common twist-off caps are these days, I'm not sure how A&P came to that decision - maybe they thought that an old-fashioned cap might suggest old-fashioned flavor, but this old-fashioned badger isn't fooled.

Grade: 5

170 Calories per 12 oz bottle = 14.2 calories per oz (moderately high)
no website listed, couldn't find the product on the A&P website

Point Premium Root Beer

2009-07-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

This initially intriguing 'real draft style' root beer boasts the use of cane sugar and honey and comes in an attractive bottle with a twist-off cap.

I was greeted with a slightly sweeter-than-expected and relatively flat aroma and sure enough the taste wasn't far off. The most notable deficiency in this otherwise passable drink is its toothlessness. It's not for lack of carbonation, but rather I think the sweetness overpowers the spice that must be present in order to produce the characteristic root beer 'bite.'

Scanning the ingredients, there is--of course--the now requisite listing of 'natural and artifical flavors' (whatever they may be). Surprisingly, however, there is also 'cane sugar and/or fructose corn sweetener.' Pardon? That is like saying, 'your knee replacement is made of titanium and/or papier-mache.'

As the bottle sits for a while and my palate acclimates to the sweetness, I become more and more underwhelmed with the lack of other dimensions in the flavor. The label--and website--boast a creamy and smooth taste but I found it kind of thin and brittle. There is sweetness, carbonation, and a generic root beerish flavor that is unassuming to the point of spiceless mediocrity. This just ends up being more of a fountain root beer than a 'draft style' one.

Grade: 3

120 calories per 12 oz bottle (10 calories/oz).

http://www.pointbeer.com/point/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=5

Diet Stewart’s Fountain Classics Root Beer

2008-06-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Recognizing our limitations in the world of diet sodas, Haatem and I turned to our friend Louise for her connoisseurship of diet root beers. What follows is her first review:

Like its caloric cousin, diet Stewart’s Root Beer features the image of a froth-filled mug on its label. You will not encounter such foamy head on the diet product itself, although the finely-carbonated texture is pleasing to the tongue and makes for easy drinkability. Diet Stewart’s may be consumed quickly and needn’t be savored; it is a good choice for warm weather, when a desire for rapid thirst-quenching surpasses the need for a protracted gustatory experience.

The flavor is sweet and mild, with a hint of vanilla (think cream soda) and overtones of quillaia and yucca (or so one might surmise, in comparing the unique taste with the listed ingredients). This brew must be consumed ice-cold; as with most diet products, the essence of artificial sweetener (strongest in the aftertaste) is increased at warmer temperatures, and the subtle flavors are easily overwhelmed by the intrusive tang of aspartame as the product warms to room-temperature.

Regular consumers of diet beverages will not find fault with this blend, although to the uninitiated the “diet” taste is readily apparent and mars the pureness of the flavor. Nonetheless, for those who count calories or limit caffeine (diet Stewart’s is caffeine free), this root beer makes for a palatable alternative to a naturally sweetened beverage.

Grade: 5d

0 calories per 12 ounce bottle

Artificial sweetener: aspartame

IBC

2008-04-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Many years ago I worked on an Off-Off-Broadway show. We were reviewed in Backstage, a trade newspaper, and the review wasn't exactly flattering. However, as someone pointed out, they did review us, which meant that we had met a certain standard - we were good enough to review, even if the review wasn't particularly good. My review of IBC falls into this same, paradoxical category.

Simply put, IBC lacks personality. It's decently sweet, a bit creamy (though only a bit), and there is a bit of earthiness to it, but that's it. No licorice, no mint, no anise This is an uninteresting root beer. It has decent body, a little too much carbonation, and that's it, really. There's nothing else.

IBC's bottles do deserve note, though, as their labeling is molded into them. Until recently, this made returning them difficult (you can't mold a bar code into glass), but I see that they have started to affix a bar code sticker to their bottles. Aside from this sticker, however, all of the fine print is only on the bottle cap and the six-pack cardboard, leaving the bottles with a distinctive, slightly peculiar, slighlty old fashioned look.

But it doesn't make thre root beer any better.

Grade: 4

160 calories per 12 ounce bottle = 13.3 Calories per ounce (normal)
http://www.ibcrootbeer.com/

Virgil's Special Edition Bavarian Nutmeg

2008-04-25T01:38:00.000-07:00

This root beer vanished for so long that I thought it was no longer made, in spite of what it says on the Virgil's website. You will imagine my surprise and glee, then, when I discovered, on entering a Mrs Green's Natural market, that familiar half-liter swing-top bottle. I almost bought out the entire stock right there, but then it occurred to me - what if the recipe had changed? What if it wasn't as good as I remembered? Then I might have a lot of expensive, uninspiring soda ($5.49 plus tax per 500mL bottle) in cool bottles. So I only bought three (One for myself, one for my fellow reviewer, and one for - uh, in case of emergency).

Well, the product remains good, though I don't think it's quite as good as I remembered. The product I remembered would have rated an eleven. But, it's still good. It is similar to their general issue root beer - smooth, creamy, full bodied - but sweeter. Like the standard product, the Special Edition brew is sweetened with cane sugar, instead of corn syrup. Honey is also clearly present, and vanilla. I can make out some licorice, too, or perhaps anise. I think I can make out the nutmeg, but it's been a while since I tasted nutmeg, so I can't really be sure.

But nutmeg or no, this is a great product.

Grade: 10

120 calories per 8 ounce serving; 2.1 servings per bottle = 15 Calories per ounce (high)
Unlike their standard product, this does not appear to be Kosher
www.Virgils.com

Santa Cruz Organic Root Beer Beverage

2008-04-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

I found Santa Cruz Organic in a Mrs Green's store on my way home from work one day. I'm always on the look out for a new root beer, so of course I bought it, but the idea of an organic root beer is particularly appealing. Organic and soda aren't typically words that one finds in the same sentence.

At the same time, I was also a bit taken aback. Santa Cruz Organic comes in an aluminum can. Even IBC comes in glass bottles, but this comes in a can? What's the deal? Isn't glass supposed to be more environmentally friendly? Or maybe not, being heavier and all. But I digress - my real point here is that aluminum seems to interfere with the flavor of its contents, whereas glass doesn't. And what's with a root beer beverage?

That said, Santa Cruz Organic's root beer is a pretty good beverage. The drink is light and crisp, pleasantly sweet, and appropriately carbonated. On the other hand, it lacks the taste and personality of root beer, and tastes a lot like cream soda, or maybe a root-beer-cream-soda blend. Vanilla and sugar are the most prominent tastes, with maybe a bit of licorice at the end, but very little of the earthiness of a root beer.

So, while this is a pretty good soda, it's not very successful as a root beer.

Grade: 5 (grade 7 or 8 when simply considered as a soda)

150 calories per 12 ounce can = 12.5 Calories per ounce (moderately low)
Organic (USDA, Organic Trade Association, Quality Assurance International)
www.scojuice.com
made with 100% certified renewable energy (according to the label)

Thomas Kemper Low Calorie Root Beer

2008-03-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

NOTE: the Thomas Kemper Company, or one of their representatives, sent us samples of this product for our opinion.

I normally eschew diet products; there is something about artificial sweeteners that always seems to taste like chemicals. Normal, non-diet products just taste both more natural and more appropriate, and - well, better.

Thomas Kemper's Low Calorie Root Beer falls somewhere between these extremes in terms of construction, calorie content, and taste. It is sweetened with SPLENDA(R), but also with honey (indeed, the company symbol appears to be a honey bee). Honey is a sweetener that I've encountered in some other high-quality root beers, and it does a good job here, but it is battling against two things - one, the Splenda, whose taste does come through, and two, the carbonation. I may have been unlucky with my bottle, but after the first sip most of what I tasted was the carbonation.

The first sip was pretty good though. Creamy, sweet but not syrupy, slightly complex. After decarbonating the soda (through an ancient process including abrupt changes in soda velocity, and perhaps I did it a bit too much) I was able to recapture some of that initial taste, but the soda also lost some of its complexity. That said, I could taste honey, vanilla, perhaps licorice or anise. In any event, the soda was good enough that I'm interested in trying the normal, Splenda-free version, but Thomas Kemper is primarily a West Coast phenomenon at present and I haven't yet been successful in finding it in this area.

Grade: 6d (d for diet); those who enjoy low calorie sodas may well rate it higher.

20 calories per 12 ounce bottle = 1.67 Calories per ounce (very low)
Kosher (Vaad Harabanim of Greater Seattle)
www.tksoda.com

Thomas Kemper Low Calorie Root Beer

2008-02-21T20:23:00.000-08:00

Disclosure: We were contacted recently by an individual from Thomas Kemper's PR firm who offered to send us samples of their new low calorie root beer. We received three free bottles and I am reviewing it here.

I had never heard of Thomas Kemper before this, since they apparently don't distribute much on the east coast. I must also say that I'm not a fan of diet sodas but I understand that there is a market for them and, as someone who--in his other life--is a healthcare professional, I support efforts to reduce our caloric intake as a nation.

This diet soda is a little unique I think in that it's not totally artifically sweetened. Rather, they've used a combination of honey and sucralose (Splenda) for a total of 20 calories. I've never seen this approach before.

When the bottle is opened, it smells like vanilla, caramel, and a subtle spice, maybe anise ("natural flavor" says the label). The head is very creamy and surprisingly sweet with an excellent bite. Everything about this initial experience is good, but there is no escaping the aftertaste of sucralose. Though it typically lingers as a sickly aura at the back of one's tongue, I think that's been attenuated in this soda somewhat by the addition of honey.

This is a good root beer as far as low calorie sodas go. I wouldn't reach for it myself because I'm not a fan of Splenda, but I am certainly keeping my eyes open now for Thomas Kemper's regular root beer because if it's anything like this sans the aftertaste, it's going to be worth trying.

Grade: 7d*

* d is for diet I guess.

Jones Pure Cane Soda

2008-01-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

I've always liked Jones (Sooper Dooper) sodas, especially their cream soda. They're a little company who will put photos that customers send them on their clear glass bottles. I decided to try their root beer.

It's made with cane sugar, and as such it smells like cotton candy. It's also made with "artificial flavors" not otherwise specified.

The consistency is totally devoid of creaminess. The flavor is good, if overwhlemingly sweet, and the carbonation just right. The aftertaste is pleasant, but it's not that of root beer. Nowhere is any part of the earthy spectrum I would expect. Note that I don't describe much else of the flavor because there isn't much else. It's a sweet soda that tastes kind of like root beer. I suppose it would be unfair to compare it to Boylan's or Virgil's, as it doesn't compare, especially since it's not that much cheaper.

If you like sweet, thin root beer, this isn't a bad one. Otherwise, you might want to try their cream soda. It's very good. But this is not Cream Soda Eval is it?

(Jones also makes a sugar-free root beer which is absolutely abominable and I will not rate it.)

Grade: 5

Steaz Green Tea Soda

2008-01-19T05:02:00.000-08:00

It seems conundrums abound in the world of root beers. Obviously, I'm about to discuss one of them.

I like green tea. I like root beer. I like soda sweetened with cane sugar. The combination is not compelling, though, and I can't imagine why anyone thought it would be. I can think of a few combinations that might make sense--root beer plus vanilla, root beer plus licorice, maybe even root beer plus chocolate (hmm...)--but I kept an open mind about this one and I really thought that if they're selling it, somebody must be buying it, or at least before it left the factory somebody must've tasted it and said, "Yeah, I'd drink that. Let's sell it."

After twisting off the cap, it doesn't smell like root beer at all. In fact, it smells more like cream soda. It is appetizing anyway. The head distinctly lacks bite, however, perhaps because of the soft carbonation and intrusive flavor of fresh-cut grass. The root beer taste is conspicuously weak. Still, the first few sips are interesting. I wasn't put off.

After a while the mildly bitter aftertaste of oversweetened green tea and the light carbonation hardly recalls root beer. It's not a bad soda, it's just not root beer, and as such it may have a place in my fridge next to the lemonade and the V8. All the same, I applaud the effort to craft an organic soda with the benefits of green tea and will probably try their other flavors.

Grade: 5

Boylan’s Root Beer

2007-11-14T13:46:00.000-08:00

In the absence of Virgil’s, Boylan’s root beer is probably the root beer that I reach for first. It’s well great straight from the fridge, with a sweet taste of honey (a bit strange, given that it’s sweetened with pure cane sugar” a bit of vanilla, and a bit of wintergreen. The company says there’s a taste of sassafrass in there, too, but I don’t know what sassafrass tastes like, so I can’t say. I don’t taste any licorice, which I would normally say is a bit of a shame, but somehow doesn’t seem to matter here. It’s not syrupy, but not too thin, either. Boylan’s is a solid, simple, straightforward, great root beer, and is well worth your time.

Boylan seems to know that they’ve got a good thing in their root beer, too, as it appears to be the flagship soda (flagsoda?) of their flavored soda product line-up, appearing first in lists and centered prominently in group soda photos. This may also becaue their bottle looks good, too, with butterscotch-tan and white printed directly onto the brown glass.

*Note, though, that the Boylan company has two root beers out there (excluding diet varieties). This is their normal, traditional variety, not their “Natural” variety, which I reviewed earlier.

Grade: 9

170 calories per 12 ounce bottle = 14.2 Calories per ounce (moderately high)
Kosher Parve (Kosher Technical Konsultants)
www.boylanbottling.com

Boylan Bottleworks: Near perfection

2007-11-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

One of the four root beers gifted to me by Badger, this one fared much better than the last. Much better.

To be clear, this is different from Boylan's 'Natural' variety of root beer, as reviewed by Badger.

The cap comes off and for a few seconds the smell of licorice and even cinnamon is quite strong. It has a fantastic head, with crisp carbonation and an absolutely creamy consistency. In fact, it's the creamiest root beer I've tried yet (yes, creamier than Virgil's). It has a sweet, woody, rooty aftertaste that tugs at you to take another sip.

The bottle is also attractive; it's tall and slender, and it's dark brown with yellow insignia printed right onto the glass. There is also embossed lettering on the bottle ("Boylan Bttlg Co Vintage Soda Pop Family Owned Since 1891").

A big plus for Boylan is that it's sweetened with cane sugar. But it is also, for me, where it falters because it is a little too sweet for my taste. But that will not keep me from seeking out more of this brew.

Grade: 9

Natural Brew Draft Root Beer: To the bitter end

2007-11-11T17:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of four root beers I received as a thoughtful gift from Badger. A Smucker brand root beer, Natural Brew is a bit of a quagmire, flavorwise. Again, here's a soda made with unbleached cane sugar (I assume that's what "evaporated cane juice" implies). It smells wonderful, and promises a nice blend of licorice and vanilla. On first contact with the brew it is delicious, with a strong birchy-minty sweetness that I could enjoy if it lasted. It is creamy, not too sweet, and the carbonation seems just right.

But as I said the flavor is a quagmire because after a few seconds there is a bitter aftertaste that is almost off-putting and all the more surprising when contrasted with the initial flavor. The odd thing is that sip after sip I get the same sequence of licorice, vanilla, and sweet birch that is terminated by an odd stale bitterness that clashes strongly with the rest of the experience, almost leading me to believe that I just might have had a bad bottle. Then again, vanilla does have a bitter aftertaste. So, because of how good this root beer tastes initially, I may give it another try at some point and render another evaluation at that time.

For now, however, I'm going to have to knock off some points for the bitter aftertaste. A shame.

Grade: 4

Steaz Green Tea Soda: Root Beer

2007-11-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

If you're a root beer purist, then you needn't read any further than this: Steaz isn't pure root beer. Instead, they appear to have mixed our beloved drink with tea - green tea, based on the label - and this as caused a divide in the badger community. Since those who do not classify Steaz as root beer ("root beer is made with roots, tea is made with leaves - entirely different") won't be drinking it anyway, this review is for those who are willing to classify it as root beer.

Steaz tastes of sweetened iced tea (say, Arizona?) mixed into cream soda, with a bit of lemon for character. It's sweet, but not really syrupy. Carbonation is mild, yielding a smooth drink, and the bouquet is of vanilla. All in all, Staez reminds me of the old Lemonade commercials with the old guy on his front porch, and I think that's really where this drink would fit - at the end of a full day, watching the sun go down, when you want something cold, something like root beer, but don't want all the fizz of soda. It would probably also fit in at an occasion where soda was deemed too vulgar, as tea brings with it the suggestion of genteelity.

Incidentally, Syteaz is another clear-glass-beer-bottle soda, but the tea aspect of the drink somehow makes this acceptable.

So, a neat idea, and a neat drink, but not one that I expect I'll purchase regularly.

Grade: 6

90 Calories per 8 ounces = 11.25 Calories per ounce (low)
Organic (USDA, Organic Trade Association, Quality Assurance International)
[Price] for four
www.steaz.com

Olde Brooklyn Root Beer

2007-10-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

I probably should start out by observing that I have a thing for Brooklyn. My mother is from there, friends of mine live there. Brooklyn gave its name to the Brooklyn Bridge, and though Ebbet's Field is long gone, Brooklyn was the home of the Dodgers. So, when I found a root beer bearing that boro's name, it was a cinch that I would buy it and try it.

Unfortunately, the soda is a disappointment. Olde Brooklyn is lightly carbonated, which I have nothing against, and it isn't particularly syrupy, though it is sweetened with corn syrup. However, though the soda isn't watery, it still seems thin, somehow. Flavor is dominated by sweetness, though some wintergreen, and perhaps some other flavors are distinguishable. For those watching calories, but not intrested in diet sodas (and I don't blame you), Olde Brooklyn comes in at a low 120 Calories per 12 oz bottle.

Olde Brooklyn Root Beer comes in clear glass 12 oz beer bottles with clear plastic labels. Bottles are sold individually.

Grade: 5

120 Calories per 12oz = 10 Calories per ounce (low)
Kosher (OU)
$0.89 per bottle, plus deposit (Hastings A&P)
No website listed on bottle

Virgil's Creamy Brew

2007-10-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

Remember when nobody used high fructose corn syrup? Everybody used sugar and nobody had to brag about it. It wasn't that long ago at all.

The people at Virgil's say that their root beer is microbrewed, as opposed to being just stirred together and filtered like other sodas. They also eschew the use of high fructose corn syrup. They claim to use spices and herbs from Jamaica to Madagascar to Indonesia. Well, I don't know what they do for sure but whatever it is, I have a weakness for it and have been an ardent fan since my first swig.

It is impossible for me to be impartial (or unexcited) about Virgil's. I have to say that Virgil's holds a special place in my heart and I do not think of it as a soda. To say that Virgil's Root Beer is creamy is to say that sugar is maybe a little sweet. Rather, I reach for a bottle of Virgil's at the end of a long day as though I were partaking in a fine brew. I sit in silence and sip, and I rediscover a multitude of flavors: from the initial brisk wave of anise and cool licorice to the subtle vanilla and nutmeg that follow and finally the warm cinnamon and outro of molasses that round out the experience.

The folks at Virgil's even sponsor a cooking contest where they award the best recipes created using Virgil's. But I am in complete agreement with my esteemed colleague Badger that a bottle of Virgil's is not to be sullied by the intrusions of the likes of ice cream or other such extraneous flavors--it stands firmly on its own merits as a drink to be savored by itself and without haste.

Grade: 10

Hansen's Natural Soda: Creamy Root Beer

2007-10-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

I found Hansen's root beer in the organic section of our local Stop-&-Shop. This in itself was not too unusual, as a few other brands are also often there, but what continues to strike me as strange is that it comes in twelve ounce cans. I don't know that I can think of another limited-distribution root beer that comes in cans. Adding to the peculiarity, it comes in single cans, rather than in six or twelve packs. The label notes that Hansen's supports City of Hope, to fight breast cancer, and encourages you to do the same. But enough about the packaging.

On opening the can there is a distinct, slightly minty smell that reminds me a bit of Wintergreen Altoids. The soda is not syrupy, nor is it thin, and carbonation is good. There is a wintergreen aspect to the flavor, too, but there's another flavor there, too. Unfortunately, it's mostly overpowered by the wintergreen, and I can't figure out what it is. Some sweetness becomes apparent as the soda warms from cold to cool.

Hansen's is a distinctive root beer, which will be enjoyed by wintergreen fans. Others may find that it is too far from normal to be enjoyed as a root beer.

Grade: 4

160 Calories per 12 ounce can = 13.3 calories per ounce (normal)
Kosher (OU)
www.hansens.com

Stewart's Original Fountain Classics Root Beer

2007-10-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

I'm never sure whether to classify Stewart's as a microbrew or a mainstream offering. Their brown glass beer-bottle package suggests microbrew, but their wide availability argues for their being a mainstream bottler. In any event, Their root beer has just about the right amount of carbonation straight from the refrigerator, which is noteworthy in itself, but also because it allows the vanilla/caramel flavor to show from the beginning. Stewart's does have a bit of a syrupy nature to it, but not so much as to leave you wanting to brush your teeth after you drink it. Aftertaste is so minimal that I'm not sure what it reminds me of. The aftertaste isn't bad, but I think the soda would be better without it.

Strangely, the flavor seems to become a bit thinner as the soda approaches room temperature.

Stewart's comes in the familiar brown beer bottle. The company name appears on a clear sticker in front of a diamond, which is orange in the case of their root beer. Below the diamond is a wooden keg with a handle, apparently filled with Stewart's root beer with a substantial head. Heathen that I am, I'm drinking from the bottle, so I couldn't comment on the accuracy of that.

The company name is also molded into the bottle, and on the bottleneck a clear sticker bears the legend "since 1924". Another clear sticker holds the nutrition info on the bottle's back.

Grade: 7

160 Calories per 12 ounce bottle = 13.3 Calories per ounce (normal)
Kosher (OU)
www.drinkstewarts.com

Jones Pure Cane Soda Root Beer

2007-10-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

Jones sodas come in clear glass beer bottles which bear metal twist off caps similar to those of large soda bottles back in the 1980s. Personally, I think the clear bottle is a bit weird, not to say creepy. The label is silver, with white trim and black print, and a color photograph, the nature of which varies from one bottle to the next. The label encourages users to "Send us your photo. If we like it we will put it on our label".

The soda bears a faint scent of sugar and caramel.

This is another root beer that is sweetened with only cane sugar, and it feels slightly thin, though not so much as Boylan's Natural Kind. An initial fizzy sweetness is followed by a definite taste of mint, and the soda is not at all syrupy. A slight flavor of - nutmeg? appears as the soda cools. The fizziness also falls as the soda cools, though not quite enough.

Grade: 6; the photos are a nice gimmick, but they don't make Jones a great root beer.

180 calories per 12 ounce bottle = 15 Calories per ounce (high)
Kosher (Star-K Kosher Certification)
www.jonessoda.com

Virgil's Root Beer

2007-10-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

Virgil's comes in a 12 ounce brown glass bottle with a twist-off cap. The front paper label bears a painting of a pair of children seated at a table, being served soda (Virgil's root beer, no doubt). The neck label on the test bottle advertises a sweepstakes, and notes, for the environmentally conscious, that the bottle is "constructed of 100% recycled material".

There is a very faint odor of - licorice? and perhaps - caramel? The soda is not at all syrupy and has the right amount of carbonation.

Straight from the fridge, Virgil's tastes like cold, fizzy licorice. Once it is allowed to warm up a bit, caramel, licorice, and wintergreen appear; and as the drink moves from cold into cool, cinnamon also becomes distinguishable, and perhaps some nutmeg, creating a pleasing blend of flavors and carbonation. This is not a root beer to hide in a root beer float, but one to enjoy in its pure state, cool and unadulterated.

Grade: 10

160 calories per 12 ounce bottle = 13.3 Calories per ounce (normal)
Kosher (OU)
www.Virgils.com

Boylan's Root Beer: the Natural Kind

2007-10-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

I found this in the store yesterday. I was familiar with (and will have to write a review on) the standard Boylan's root beer, but this variety is "sweetened with pure cane sugar; 100 natural," according to the legend on the bottleneck's front.

The root beer comes in a brown glass 12 ounce bottle, with the label printed directly onto the glass, much like Boylan's other products. The legend around the circular label reads "BOYLAN'S" in normal writing, then "THE NATURAL KIND" in reverse letters, with the and kind in smaller letters. The tan twist-off bottle cap bears a logo similar to that on the front of the bottle.

There is a faint smell of what I take to be licorice. The soda is a little thinner than I expected, and not very syrupy at all. Although its flavor is light and not overpoweringly sweet, it has very little behind the sweetness, leaving it somewhat bland. As the soda starts to warm up to room temperature, it gains a very slight aftertaste of artificial sweetener (peculiar, given that it's marketed as only being sweetened with cane sugar).

Grade: 5

170 calories per 12 ounce bottle = 14.2 Calories per ounce (moderately high)
Kosher Parve (Kosher Technical Konsultants)
www.boylanbottling.com

[Image added 9 Oct @ 12:30am]
[Nutrition info added 9 Oct at 1:30am]