Death Valley root beer

Background information: (from the website): "Start with ice cold, pure artesian spring water from the historic Indian Wells Spring. Then, we use a blend of fresh sarsaparilla, birch root, natural vanilla, clean wintergreen, raw ginger, fresh licorice, pure cane sugar and a secret ingredient that gives this soda our signature Old West root beer taste."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Brewed by Indian Wells Brewing Co..  180 calories, 45g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.mojavered.com/


Ingredients: Indian wells artisan spring water, cane sugar, caramel color, natural flavor, real vanilla, citric acid.


My thoughts: After an initial hearty root beer flavor, the aftertaste is somewhat similar to this root beer's name, in that it dies off quickly.  This ends up leaving a bland flavor in my mouth.  Despite the ingredients list saying "real vanilla", there isn't much hint of this flavor.  The website claims all sorts of spices as well, but I can't seem to detect anything except maybe the vaguest hint of wintergreen.

Just like the aftertaste, the carbonation is dead on arrival.  There are very few bubbles here and it quickly feels flat.  Without any real creaminess, the smoothness factor suffers.  Sure, it feels moderately smooth since there's no carbonation, but it's not very impressive either.  Sweetness is mediocre, leaving my mouth feeling a bit more sugary than I care for.

If this is what the old west tastes like (according to the bottle, it's "A taste of the old west."), then I'm glad that we have moved on to the "new" west.  Extremely disappointing, I can't recommend this root beer.

Rating: D-
flavor: D
aftertaste: D-
sweetness: C-
smoothness: C
carbonation: F+

Stewart's root beer

Background information: (from the website): "In 1924, Frank Stewart set out to develop the world's best-tasting root beer which he intended to sell in order to supplement his income as a schoolteacher. With the secret recipes in hand, he soon opened his first Stewart's Drive-In where he served ice-cold Stewart's Root Beer in tall, frosty mugs. The creamy taste of Stewart's Root Beer was an instant success and has been enjoyed by consumers for over 75 years!

For the first 66 years, Stewart's Root Beer was only available at Stewart's root beer stands and later, at Stewart's Drive-Ins. In 1990, Cable Car Beverage Corporation acquired the bottling rights for Stewart's and began selling Stewart's Root Beer in 12 oz. amber glass bottles."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled under the authority of Stewart's Beverages LLC, Rye Brook, NY 10573.  160 calories, 41g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.drinkstewarts.com


Ingredients: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sodium Benzoate (a preservative), Citric Acid, Quillaia Extract, Gum Acacia, Yucca Extract.


My thoughts: With a nice, appealing rootiness up front, Stewart's makes it known that they're going for the classic root beer taste.  Alongside the sassafras, there is a pleasant vanilla sensation, with hints of other spices just beneath the surface.

The aftertaste fades quickly, but leaves a little more vanilla glimmer behind.  I do have to admit that I'm recovering from a cold and am at the tail end of it, but my sense of taste may be somewhat impaired still, so some of the intricacies may be lost on my palate.  Sweetness is satisfactory, with just the right amount to give the beverage it's needed boost, but not enough to leave an overly-sugary residue in my mouth.

Carbonation is spot on.  Many root beers tend to lose some of their effervescence as I reach the bottom of the bottle, but this one held strong up through the end.  The bubbles seem to foam up just right as I drink it (likely due to the quillaia extract), making it a nice smooth, creamy drink.

With so many things going right, how could I not put this towards the top?  Well, it seems that Stewart's played it a bit too safe in the flavor department.  It has a good taste, but doesn't try to do anything special, making it blend in a bit with the rest of the root beers.  It just needs a little extra spark to set it apart from the pack.  I'm quite pleased with this root beer and certainly wouldn't have any problem adding it into my rotation of root beers to drink on a normal basis.  But when I want to reach for that root beer that has a little extra something special, this probably wouldn't be my choice.

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