1927 Soda Co. root beer

Background information: The 7-Eleven website makes no mention of this drink. The 1927 Soda Co. brand name comes from 7-11 originally starting up in 1927 as an ice house storefront before becoming Tote'm Stores from 1928-1946. This is likely a rebadged third party produced beverage.

Product details: 20 fl. oz.  Distributed by 7-Eleven, Inc. Irving, TX 75063. 290 calories, 72g sugar.  Plastic bottle with twist off top.


Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavor.


My thoughts: Well, I've been having a tough time finding glass bottled root beers I haven't tried before, so I'm branching out a bit. This one is a root beer made for 7-11 convenience stores and comes in a regular plastic bottle. I'm keeping my expectations in check, as I don't expect a convenience store chain to really push the envelope of root beer flavor.

Okay, they definitely went with a wintergreen vibe. The root beer flavor is a bit flat and so the minty dominates. It's not bad, but it's not exactly what I look for in a root beer. The wintergreen isn't too intense so much as it's noticeable due to the weakness of the rooty taste. The aftertaste lets some vanilla show through, so I actually find it to have a very pleasant aftertaste.

The 72g of sugar may seem extremely high compared to the other root beers I've tested, but keep in mind that this is a 20oz bottle rather than the usual 12oz, so proportionally the sugar levels are right in line with the others. As such, it isn't too overly syrupy and at least uses real sugar. Carbonation, on the other hand, is abysmal. The first swig after opening was promising, but all the subsequent ones were almost completely flat. Where did all the carbonation go? It's hard to gauge smoothness with a complete absence of carbonation, but it does seem to have a decently creamy feel to it.

Consider me unimpressed. A mediocre flavor combined with terrible carbonation levels leave this one off my list. In spite of the good aftertaste, it's not one I'll drink again. Hopefully some of the upcoming plastic bottled and canned root beers can compete at least a little bit.
Rating: D
flavor: C-
aftertaste: B
sweetness: B
smoothness: C
carbonation: F-