Joby Joe's root beer float

Background information: Joby Joe's is produced by Rocket Fizz. This particular variety came about after Rocket Fizz president and co-founder Robert Powells participated in the television show Undercover Boss, where he went undercover to see what improvements needed to be made to his business. During the course of one of these visits, he learned of franchise owner's Marianne Banales' loss of her brother and bonded with her due to his own experience with the passing of his girlfriend.

After concluding the show, Powells decided to honor Banales' brother, Joe, by creating a beverage based on his favorite soda, root beer. It's now carried in every Rock Fizz store.


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Intellectual property of and bottled by the Rocket Fizz Soda and Candy Shops, LLC, P.O. Box 3663, Camarillo, CA 93011. 170 calories, 42g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://rocketfizz.com/


Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, citric acid, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), gum acacia, natural & artificial flavor.


My thoughts: Root Beer *Float*, eh? I'm a big fan of floats, so can this root beer live up to my lofty expectations? Well, I admit that I do like it. The flavor is good, though not super "rooty". It almost tastes like a vanilla and butterscotch drink, with a little bit of root beer hiding underneath those flavors. Certainly an interesting mix. It does feel pretty artificial in it's approach to taste, but at least it isn't a root beer candy kind of artificial. The aftertaste is primarily dominated by the butterscotch sensation.

The drink is pretty sweet and doesn't let you forget you're consuming a sugar-filled liquid. It has a candy-like feel to it, making it less refreshing on a hot day. It does seem to be moderately creamy and smooth, but not as creamy as I would expect from a "float". Carbonation is great, feeling fairly strong but it does lack a little bit of the crisp bite of the very best.

At the end of the bottle, I was quite satisfied, even if it isn't necessarily one of the best root beers. And perhaps that was one reason that I enjoyed what it did, giving me a little bit of the root beer experience while also providing a drink with a whole other appeal to it. I think this is one that I'd be happy to drink again.


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