Judge Wapner root beer

Background information: The website doesn't have much information on this drink, listing it in their "Soda Pop Labels of Fame" section and merely detailing it with, "I sentence you to drink my root beer!"


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Intellectual property of and bottled by Judge Wapner's real life family member Robert Powells of the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops, LLC, PO Box 3663 Camarillo, CA 93011.  180 calories, 45g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.rocketfizz.com


Ingredients: Water, cane sugar, caramel color, natural flavor, real vanilla, citric acid.


My thoughts: I can't say for certain whether this and the Gene Audry root beer I had yesterday are rebadges of the same recipe, or if they are merely very similar.  It seems that they are ever so slightly different, but it's entirely possible that the minute differences I think I'm detecting are due to variances with how my taste buds are registering it today.

Like Gene's, this has a basic root beer flavor, though it seems a little stronger and slightly less candy-like.  No individual spices seem apparent, the vague touch of vanilla in the aftertaste is still there.  Carbonation is okay, perhaps leaning a little more flat.  It could use a little more bubbly punch.  It feels a little bit thicker than yesterday's root beer, perhaps lending it a slight lead in smoothness.  That thickness seems to make the sugar stick a little more in my mouth, but not too badly.

Just as the Gene Autry root beer before it, this one isn't anything exceptional and doesn't offer enough to compel me to buy it again instead of the cheaper root beer in a can.  I feel like this could be a slightly different recipe, but it isn't enough to elevate it above the same average score.  The bottle has Judge Wapner proclaiming, "I sentence you to drink my root beer!"  Compared to some of the other root beers I've had, I'd be happy to accept the sentencing, knowing I got off relatively well.  But since the judge isn't going to make me drink this, I think there are better ways to do my root beer time.

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

Gene Autry root beer

Background information: The website doesn't have much information on this drink, listing it in their "Soda Pop Labels of Fame" section and merely detailing it with, "America's Favorite Singing Cowboy presents and exceptional root beer!"

The bottle has some info about the Gene Autry's foundation: Autry Qualified Intrest Trust and The Autry Foundation; Visit www.geneautry.com

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled by Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops, LLC, PO Box 3663 Camarillo, CA 93011.  180 calories, 45g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.rocketfizz.com


Ingredients: Water, cane sugar, caramel color, natural flavor, real vanilla, citric acid.


My thoughts: I have a sneaking suspicion that this root beer and my next one (Judge Wapner), both being made by Rocket Fizz, are likely rebadges of the same root beer, so I'm curious to see if tomorrow's root beer tastes the same.

As for this one, it has a basic root beer flavor, maybe leaning a bit towards the artificial.  There really isn't any hint of individual spices, though there is a hint of vanilla in the aftertaste.  Carbonation is decent, though nothing special either.  It merely does the job of carbonating the liquid, but doesn't create any pop or crispness.  Like the regular mass-market grocery store root beers, this one isn't particularly creamy and doesn't get any bonus points in the smoothness category.  Finally, it has the normal amount of sweetness that does it's job while leaving just a little bit of a sugary feeling behind, perhaps a tad better than the high fructose corn syrup variety.

In the end, this is just a run-of-the-mill root beer that doesn't offer anything exceptional for it's higher-than-typical price.  I can get virtually the same experience out of a can of A&W for a fraction of the cost.  It's not a bad root beer, but the value just isn't there to justify buying this again.  I will note, however, that this is a different root beer formula from Rocket Fizz's own Root Beer Float that I tried a little while back.

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