Jones root beer

Background information: (from the website) "As of August 1st, 2000, Urban Juice and Soda Company Ltd. officially changed its name to Jones Soda Co ("JONES"). The story of the company began in 1987 when company founder Peter van Stolk recognized the potential of emerging "alternative" products in the beverage industry.

The company's start in the beverage world was not as a manufacturer of its own brand, but as a distributor in western Canada of other successful lines, including Just Pik't Juices, Arizona Iced Tea and Thomas Kemper sodas. By 1994, Jones was firmly established as a full line beverage distributor in western Canada, with a reputation for picking winners."

(from the bottle) "If you're like us, you think for yourself.  Come on...do they really believe we'll fall for flashy ad campaigns that cost more than a solid gold private jet?  Don't expect to find any of that here - we let what we do speak for itself.  At Jones, we're just regular people who make good soda.  While we can't promise you more popularity or better hair, if we like your photo, we'll put it on a bottle.  Jones Soda, independent since 1996.  Your photo.  Your soda.  Your brand."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled under the authority of Jones Soda Co., 1000 1st Ave. S, Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98134.  180 calories, 46g sugar.  Glass bottle with easy twist off top.  www.jonessoda.com


Ingredients: Carbonated water, inverted cane sugar, caramel color, natural flavors, sodium benzoate (as preservative), gum acacia, phosphoric acid, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor).


My thoughts: "Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones" - The Counting Crows.  I like that the bottles feature photography submitted by fans and was hoping their approach to making the actual root beer would be similarly innovative.  Jones has an average root beer extract flavor, seeming very artificial and not at all complex.  Pretty much the flavor you would expect from a generic, off-the-shelf can of root beer.  Aftertaste is exactly the same, with maybe a little bit of wintergreen stepping forward.  Carbonation is decent, but could use a little more zest and bubble.  The drink feels a bit sweet, as there is only the syrupy extract to mingle with, so the whole thing ends up feeling a bit syrupy and candy-like.  This root beer is alright, but not any better the cheaper run-of-the-mill root beer in a can.  Decisively average.

Rating: C
flavor: C
aftertaste: C
sweetness: C-
smoothness: B
carbonation: C-