Diet Stewart’s Fountain Classics Root Beer

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