Fitz's root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Fitz's Root Beer first appeared in St. Louis at a local drive-in restaurant back in 1947. Famous for its tasty draft root beer and hamburgers, Fitz's quickly became a local tradition. After sadly disappearing for a number of years, Fitz's Root Beer was revived in 1993 when Fitz's Bottling Company, America's original soda microbrewery opened in the historic and vibrant Delmar Loop. Please come watch us bottle Fitz's Premium Sodas while sipping on a frosty mug of root beer and enjoying some good homemade food from our diverse American menu."

"Fitz's Root Beer, our flagship soda, is made according to an original recipe developed in St. Louis in 1947. Our unique formula features fine ingredients including select natural roots, spices, barks and is exclusively sweetened with all natural pure cane sugar. Thanks to its robust and creamy flavor, Fitz's Root Beer has been recognized as one of the best root beers in the United States. We keg Fitz's Root Beer in 15 gallon barrels in our bottling room right inside our restaurant and serve it ice cold right out of the tap."

(from the bottle) "Original Recipe Since 1947"


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Fitz's Bottling Co, St. Louis, MO. 160 calories, 40g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.fitzsrootbeer.com/


Ingredients: Filtered carbonated water, all natural pure cane sugar, natural flavors, caramel color, vanillin, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness) and citric acid.


My thoughts: Fitz's starts off with a subdued, but pleasant and simple rootyness that tastes very natural.  There is a hint of vanilla that grows in strength as the root beer flavor fades, becoming the dominant aftertaste.  I like it.  Other than those two flavors, there doesn't seem to be too much at work here other than a vague hint of wintergreen cooling, which is a pleasant and understated addition.  It seems slightly sweet, but doesn't have an overly sugary feel to it.  Carbonation is nicely balanced with the flavor, neither hiding it nor disappearing underneath the taste.  This drink also feels crisp, though slightly held back by the sweetness, yet smooth at the same time.  For some reason I wasn't expecting Fitz's to be that great, so it was a pleasant surprise when it delivered an perfectly good root beer expereience.


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

Bulldog root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Award winning honey root beer. Complex flavor blending root beer extracts, vanilla and organic honey. Sweetened with cane sugar, this top rated root beer is a rich blend of all the right ingredients for the perfect root beer flavor experience. Bottled in long neck glass bottles, each batch is made fresh at our facility in Mukilteo, WA. 12 - 12 oz. long neck glass bottled sodas."

(from the bottle) "Unleash the Taste"


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Orca Beverage Soda Works, Mukilteo, WA 98275. 160 calories, 41g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.orcabeverage.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated water, cane sugar, honey, maltodextrin, natural and artificial flavors, sodium benzoate, real vanilla, phosphoric acid, salt.


My thoughts: Bulldogs bring to mind the attributes of strength, stoutness, and maybe some face puckering, all of which this drink lacks.  It's not a bad root beer by any means, but is extremely underwhelming.  The flavor is fairly tame, but on the weak side.  After the rootiness fades, I'm left with a bit of vanilla flavor and perhaps a touch of honey; nice and pleasant, but also a tad weak.  I like the level of sweetness, one of this drink's strengths.  There is a very glaring weakness, however, as the carbonation is terrible.  As in almost completely flat.  Of course, this makes the drink incredibly smooth, but smoothness should be a balancing act with carbonation, and this one is out of whack.  Despite the good taste, this drink is all bark and no bite, dragged down by lack of carbonation, and isn't one I would particularly recommend.


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