Virgil's (can) root beer

Background information: (from the website) "REEDS, Inc. is making extraordinary beverages and confections using very old-fashioned, natural methods and wholesome, fresh ingredients. We are a growing family of passionate entrepreneurs who have developed food and drink, which in our opinion exceed any products within their categories in taste, quality and imagination, as we are certain you noticed by now!"

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Manufactured for Reed's Inc., Norwalk, CT 06851. 170 calories, 42g sugar. Aluminum can. https://www.virgils.com/ (listed on the can, but website isn't functioning)

Ingredients: Sparkling filtered water, cane sugar, natural root beer flavor, natural cream flavor, caramel color, citric acid, natural mushroom extract (to protect quality).


My thoughts: Virgil's comes, in a can. They were put there by a man, in a factory downtown. If I had my little way, would I drink Virgil's every day? Let's open the can and find out.

Okay, my initial taste impression is pretty good. It has a good rooty sassafras flavor with some anise (licorice) and vanilla going on. The aftertaste doesn't reveal any spices that I wasn't tasting with the initial flavor, but after letting the aftertaste sit for a while, it has a strange, extremely subtle soap taste/sensation. It's so subtle that I almost doubted it was there at all, but after several tries and really letting it sit and paying attention, I still feel like there's a soap feeling maybe more than a flavor. It's very hard to describe, as it's not strong enough to really say for certain what it is; just that the sensation it leaves reminds me of soap for some reason. It's very weird.

The carbonation on this one is pretty good, with medium sized bubbles and a fair amount of them, which keeps this feeling peppy all the way to the end. Partly due to the not-too-aggressive carbonation, this one feels pretty smooth and creamy, though not overly foamy. Sweetness is spot on, giving a tasty drink without feeling overly syrupy or leaving my mouth coated with too much sugar.

So, I'm a bit mixed on this. It has some interesting things with the flavor that are good and not so good, but nothing amazing or outright terrible, though the soap sensation throws me off a bit. I've heard they reformulated this since I last reviewed it in bottle form, and I don't know that they've really made an improvement.

Rating: C-
flavor: B+
aftertaste: D-
sweetness: A
smoothness: A-

carbonation: B+ 

Freddie's root beer

Background information: (from the website): "Throughout the challenges of floods, fires, tornadoes and even Prohibition, the American family-owned Buffalo Trace Distillery has never compromised. A timeless dedication to respecting the past while fearlessly innovating for the future has served us well for more than two centuries. No matter the challenge, be it Mother Nature or man, the people of our Distillery have been part of the story that shaped America and the spirit industry as well."

"Crafted with natural herbs, real birch oil & imported vanilla."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled under the authority of Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601. 180 calories, 44g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/

Ingredients: Purified carbonated water, high fructose corn sweetener and/or cane sugar, pure vanilla, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative) and phosphoric acid.


My thoughts: Back to a bottled root beer! I've mostly been finding new root beers in cans lately, so I'm glad to get back to the traditional glass bottle. While that doesn't necessarily promise a better root beer, it's how I prefer to drink mine.

It's been a long time since I've had a root beer, so maybe I'm just missing that flavor, but this one tastes really good! It has a vanilla-forward root beer flavor that is nice and strong, with a bit of mint to it (probably due to the birch oil), but not so strong as to give me that toothpaste feel. It has a very pleasant aftertaste and it might have a hint of anise, but I'm not totally certain on that one.

Okay, with a really good flavor, I hate to say it, but the carbonation is pitiful. There are hardly any bubbles and what little it has are fairly weak. I don't like my sodas flat, and this one is disappointingly so. The lack of carbonation and strong vanilla do give it a very creamy, almost root beer float sensation, so I do like the creaminess. And I feel like they got the right amount of sugar dialed in, even though I would have preferred real sugar instead of "high fructose corn sweetener and/or cane sugar".

I really like the flavor, but this one let me down with the almost complete absence of carbonation. I may want to give this a try with some dry ice to add in some of the lacking fizz, but that seems like a lot of extra work when I can just grab a bottle of good tasting and well carbonated root beer instead. I think if they got their carbonation issue solved, this would be a much more compelling contender.

Rating: B-
flavor: A-
aftertaste: B+
sweetness: A-
smoothness: A-

carbonation: D 

Cove Soda probiotic root beer

Background information: While not a fan of probiotic root beers, I've been hard up to find new root beers to try, so I'll give any sort a go. While shopping at my local grocery store, I ran across a new brand I hadn't seen before, Cove Soda. Cove makes "healthy" probiotic sodas and kombuchas and has zero sugar while being certified organic.

(from the website): "Hi, we’re John and Ryan 👋 Brothers and Co-founders of Cove Soda

Growing up, soda was a rare treat, enjoyed only on the most special of occasions. Tucked away in our most cherished memories of birthday parties, pizza nights, or an A on a test, soda was there.

While we outgrew our soda fixation, deeming it forever unhealthy; the nostalgic craving lived on. Our guts were telling us not to walk away from those classic flavours we knew and loved. 

So, we took a sip down memory lane to create a soda that isn’t meant for special occasions, rather, for everyone and everyday enjoyment. Enter Cove Soda, the first-ever, zero sugar functional soda made with 1 billion probiotics, and real organic ingredients.

We’re making way for a new generation of soda drinkers."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Brought to you by Cove Drinks Inc., 1A Johnston Ave., Trenton NJ 08629. 0 calories, 0g sugar. Aluminum can. https://www.covesoda.com/

Ingredients: Filtered water, Erythritol*, Caramel*, Citric acid*, Natural flavour*, Vanilla extract*, Himalayan salt, Stevia extract*, Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), Bacillus subtilis DE111 (probiotic). *Organic


My thoughts: I can't believe it's been almost a year since my last review. I haven't had much luck finding new root beers to try, but finally came across this. I'm not much for probiotic, nor zero sugar, root beers, so let's see how this goes.

"Fttzzzzz...pop!" Ah, the good old sound of cracking open an ice cold can of root beer. I prepare myself for the worst, but it smells okay... As the liquid flows over my tongue I think, "Hey this isn't so bad!" It has that rooty sassafras taste, with a decent vanilla flavor helping it out. It has a little of that sort of sour probiotic taste to it, but it's really not all that bad, with the rooty flavor strong enough to help hide the healthy bits. The aftertaste isn't unpleasant, not revealing any new spices or anything, but also not getting overwhelmed by the probiotic elements. There is very little hint of the stevia sweetening altering the taste, which is usually not the case.

The carbonation is fairly strong, though not with the most aggressive bubbles, so it doesn't prickle the tongue. Some of these probiotic drinks can feel a little flat, but this one holds up just fine. I tend to feel like these probiotic drinks tend to have a creamy quality to the texture and this one is no different, offering a satisfying smoothness. The thing that really surprised me is the stevia sweetener. As I mentioned above, it only has a hint of that typical stevia taste (though it is there), but manages to be properly sweet without the sugar.

Well, consider me surprised. I was fully expecting to not like this root beer based on past experience with stevia sweeteners and probiotics, but I came away not minding it. While it wouldn't be my choice among regular root beers, it does offer a moderately satisfying root beer experience and a very good probiotic root beer taste. Seems like they got the formula right on this one.

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

carbonation: B+