Crooked Oak root beer

Background information: The website, as I've noticed with many other root beer/soda sites, is pretty much pointless. This one has no information at all about the product and instead focuses on the feel they're trying to invoke, with a picket fenced house and rolling fields of green grass. Completely useless in learning more about the drinks they sell.

(from the bottle) "The contents of this bottle are crafted using a traditional recipe and original technique to create its unique and refreshing flavor experience."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Created by the fine people at Columbus Brands, Los Angeles, CA 90640 150 calories, 45g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.crookedoak.net


Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, caramel color, citric acid, sodium benzoate, natural flavors.


My thoughts: The bottle adorned with buzzwords such as "handcrafted", "single batch", and "limited production", I have lofty expectations for this particular root beer. It sounds very fancy, but was this merely an exercise in marketing gone wild, or do the contents live up to the bravado of the label? Tune in next time, in the next paragraph where all will be revealed!

One thing is for certain, this isn't a generic root beer. It's definitely a root beer and exhibits the expected sassafras flavor, but there is a nice mixture of spices floating in there as well. It a very harmonious blend, with all the flavors meshing together to make it hard to pick out the individual flavors. I can't quite figure out what all I'm tasting and, judging by the three completely different sets of flavors picked out by other reviewers, there is no consensus from them either. I don't think I've ever had such a hard time picking out individual spices. Suffice it to say, there is a hint of sourness to it (extremely subtle) and maybe the barest hint of wintergreen in the aftertaste. Overall, it has a very natural feel to the flavor.

Sweetness is well regulated, leaving a slightly less than average sugary feeling behind. This drink is extremely smooth, though could stand to be a little more creamy. I think the smoothness is a combination of the flavor as well as the very non-aggressive carbonation. The bubbles seem small, though they do a pretty good job of keeping the drink carbonated, but I personally prefer just a bit more bite out of my carbonation.

While this drink does a lot right (very natural tasting, interesting blend of spices, good sweetness), I feel that the flavor could use a little more separation and that the carbonation could be more aggressive. Back to the label jargon, I think this root beer has the traits I'd expect from such descriptors. This is a really good root beer that I don't hesitate to recommend, but it just missed the cut from the very best tier of root beers.


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

Dad-Gum-It! butterscotch root beer

Background information: You know what? I couldn't find anything about this root beer on the internet other than a couple other reviews. Perhaps, in a bid to be authentic, this root beer is like the stereotypical shotgun toting redneck and comes out of a double wide trailer in a swamp where they have no internet. Whatever it is, there isn't any info about this on the Rocket Fizz site either, even though they produce it.


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled by the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops, LLC. PO Box 3663, Camarillo, CA 93011. 170 calories, 42g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.rocketfizz.com


Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, citric acid, caramel color, gum acacia & natural flavors.


My thoughts: I do like my butterscotch, so how does it mesh with this root beer? Well, unlike the camouflaged, gun toting redneck on the bottle, the butterscotch is very subtle. In fact, if the bottle hadn't said "butterscotch" on it, I may never have guessed it was an attribute. The root beer factor is mediocre, with a moderately rooty flavor that quickly feels a bit thin. The aftertaste has some minty wintergreen to it with a very very slight hint of butterscotch, which I find an odd combination. Part way through the bottle, I felt like perhaps there was just a little bit of black licorice showing through, but extremely subtle.

Maybe it's just the lack of sassafras punch, but the sugar content seems to play just slightly too much of a role, as it's a pinch too sweet for the amount of flavor. It's still pretty decent, but worth noting. Carbonation is nice, with a bit of bite, though the last third of the bottle started to feel weak. It also didn't feel particularly creamy or smooth and could have used a little more froth.

Well, the redneck lifestyle has never particularly appealed to me and neither does this root beer. Really, I feel the same way about both: indifferent. The butterscotch failed to elevate this decidedly mediocre root beer and it had no particularly outstanding traits. There are much better options out there.


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

Deadworld Slow Decay vanilla root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Our premium beverage offerings provide great flavor by using all-natural blends of ingredients and are completely free of artificial substitutes.

Deadworld Zombie Soda is a premium beverage line conceived, marketed and sold by Caprice Brands LLC based in Livonia Michigan. The premium bottled drinks are manufactured by Intrastate Distributors located in Detroit Michigan. Intrastate Distributors is one of Michigan's largest beverage bottlers with brands such as Frostie Root Beer and Towne Club.

Currently the Deadworld Zombie Soda beverages are available in 12 flavors. What makes the zombie sodas unique is our partnership with various comic book artists who have provided their own creative spin to the bottle labels with depictions of various zombie images. Primarily based on the characters and events that take place in Deadworld comic book universe."

(from the bottle) "All natural flavors for un-natural tastes."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled by Intrastate Distributors Inc., 20021 Exeter St., Detroit, MI 48203. 144 calories, 382g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.deadworldzombiesoda.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated water, pure cane sugar, caramel color, sodium benzoate (a preservative), citric acid, natural flavor.


My thoughts: Having just recently reviewed Deadworld's regular root beer, I'm curious to see what the "vanilla" version brings to the table. I can tell you one thing (okay, I can tell you many things, but I'll start with this one thing), this is an entirely different taste than their regular root beer. In fact, it hardly tastes like a root beer at all. If I was handed this drink without being told what it was, based on the flavor, I would have said it's a cream soda. No root beer involved. But dang, it's one fine cream soda. Is there some root beer components in there? That's hard to say, as the strong, delicious vanilla flavor overpowers everything else. Complimenting this vanilla is ample amounts of butterscotch. The aftertaste is just more vanilla/butterscotch.

Like it's root beer counterpart, Deadworld absolutely nails the sugar content. A typical bottle runs around 42g of sugar, while this one gets by with 37g and doesn't feel at all like it's lacking for it. This one is also nice and carbonated, with a strong fizz. Like it's rooty counterpart, however, the last bit of the bottle tends to run a little flat. Even though it's probably just as equal in effervescence, somehow the vanilla aspect makes the lack of carbonation towards the end not quite as egregious as it seems on a root beer. And boy, is this a smooth drink. It seems so creamy, the sensation, no doubt, aided by the vanilla taste.

So, how do I rate a root beer that doesn't taste like a root beer? Well, in this case I'm going to rate it high, as I was thoroughly impressed with the drink, with the caveat emptor that this is more a cream soda, and not really a root beer in my book. If you have a hankering for specifically a root beer, look elsewhere. If you enjoy a high quality cream soda, like myself, then you'd be hard pressed to pick up a better example. I'd be curious to try this side by side with Deadworld's cream soda and vanilla cream soda to see what the differences are.


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

Deadworld Twilight Shuffler root beer

Pictured here, the "Tattoo" version of the bottle.

Background information: (from the website) "Our premium beverage offerings provide great flavor by using all-natural blends of ingredients and are completely free of artificial substitutes.

Deadworld Zombie Soda is a premium beverage line conceived, marketed and sold by Caprice Brands LLC based in Livonia Michigan. The premium bottled drinks are manufactured by Intrastate Distributors located in Detroit Michigan. Intrastate Distributors is one of Michigan's largest beverage bottlers with brands such as Frostie Root Beer and Towne Club.

Currently the Deadworld Zombie Soda beverages are available in 12 flavors. What makes the zombie sodas unique is our partnership with various comic book artists who have provided their own creative spin to the bottle labels with depictions of various zombie images. Primarily based on the characters and events that take place in Deadworld comic book universe."

(from the bottle) "All natural flavors for un-natural tastes."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled by Intrastate Distributors Inc., 20021 Exeter St., Detroit, MI 48203. 144 calories, 382g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.deadworldzombiesoda.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated water, pure cane sugar, natural and artificial flavors, phosphoric acid, caramel color, sodium benzoate (a preservative).


My thoughts: This root beer looks so metal. Like if Metalocalypse had a love child with The Walking Dead.

My initial impression is that this doesn't completely rock my world, but it is pretty good. There is a nice strong rooty sassafras flavor that seems pretty natural, instead of the faker candy-like flavor of the lesser drinks. There is a fairly noticeable vanilla component and some wintergreen going on, though the wintergreen becomes stronger with the aftertaste. There may be some other spices lingering underneath there, but none strong enough that I can specifically call them out.

Sweetness is almost just right, though just a little bit on the sugary side for me. But it's very close to what I prefer. The carbonation is pretty strong and slightly prickly on the tongue. Just how I like it. By the last third or quarter of the bottle, however, and it's lost a lot of it's fizz. A little more longevity and this would be great. Always at odds with the carbonation, the smoothness really isn't bad. It has a creamy feeling to it, even as it seems slightly harsh on the tongue. It's a very difficult property to pull off without the carbonation suffering too much, but Deadworld makes an admirable effort.

In the even of a zombie apocalypse that halts all other root beer production, I could be satisfied with just this root beer. It does a lot right and not too much wrong. I'd like for there to be a little more definition to the different spices, helping them pop out a little instead of just blending in with the sassafras, wintergreen and vanilla. But for a bottle of root beer that I thought would rely mostly on the gimmick of zombies to sell it, the drink itself is pretty good.


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

Triple XXX root beer

Background information: (from the website) "The first drive-in restaurant in the Pacific Northwest was established in 1930 in Renton by A.H. Rutherford. The combination of Triple XXX Root Beer and food turned out to be a great idea which spread nationwide. Of all the XXXs that ever graced our country's landscape, Issaquah's is the only one left which sports the traditional barrel. Another Triple XXX still thrives in Lafayette, Indiana.

Issaquah's original XXX Restaurant was located on Sunset Way near the location of Flintoft's Funeral Home. That restaurant, which was known by locals as "The Barrel", operated until the 1950's when the location was needed for a car dealer's parking lot. Today's XXX Root Beer Drive-In opened in 1968 at its current location.

The restaurant serves up 1950's style hamburgers and dairy concoctions in large serving sizes, and is proud to host frequent gatherings of vintage automobile and motorcycle enthusiasts.

 Now a family-owned business, the restaurant was purchased in March 1999 by Jose Enciso and his wife. Originally from Mexico, Jose has worked in restaurants since he was a young teenager.  He takes special pride in owning and improving such a visible Issaquah landmark and says, 'XXX may not be the oldest historic building in Issaquah, but it's probably the one which is most visited and enjoyed.'"


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Tripple XXX Root Beer Co., W. Lafayette, IN. 160 calories, 42g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://triplexrootbeer.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated water, pure cane sugar, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), citric acid.


My thoughts: When one drinks a root beer such as Triple XXX, should one expect it to be similar to xXx Vin Diesel, or closer to "I am Groot beer" Vin Diesel? I'm hoping my Triple XXX root beer is closer to the later than the former.

You know, as long as I'm on a tangent, I have to ask, is it "triple x" or "triple triple x"? Are we adding it up and getting Sexa-X root beer? Multiplying and getting X9 root beer? Or, since the "Triple" is over the "XXX", is it division, giving us "Single X" root beer? Who knows?

My initial impression is that the rootiness is little weak, an odd trait seeing as how Vin Diesel is not known for being a weak specimen of the human race. It's serviceable, but not super impressive. While it avoids the candy-like qualities of many other root beers, there isn't a whole lot of apparent complexity. There may be a bit of vanilla, but I can't seem to detect anything else. Nothing is revealed by the aftertaste. Just the watery rootiness fading away.

Vin Diesel usually plays gruff, manly characters. Not too many would call them overly sweet people. And this root beer holds true. It's sweetness is spot on. Another word that would not describe Vin Diesel's personality in these films is "bubbly," and true to that description, this root beer is decidedly not bubbly. In fact, it's pretty dang flat. I'm not impressed. As such, there is little carbonation to take away from the smoothness, so it ends up feeling quite smooth, though not particularly creamy.

Well, I hate to say it, but this drink hails much closer to xXx Vin Diesel than Guardians of the Galaxy Vin Diesel. If anyone says this is the only root beer they have on hand at the party, I suggest hoping into your souped-up car and racing down to the store to select something better. It's not terrible like Babylon A.D. by any means, just uninspired and boring, the Riddick of root beers if you will. In the meantime, I'll be out trying to track down The Iron Giant of root beers.


Rating: C-
flavor: C-
aftertaste: C-
sweetness: B
smoothness: C
carbonation: D-

The Three Stooges Wise Guy root beer

Background information: Another root beer brought to us by Rocket Fizz - "The Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops, LLC was founded in 2007 by Robert (Rob) Powells and Ryan Morgan and in 2012 Rich Shane became the company CEO. The original "flagship" store located in Camarillo, California opened in 2009. The Camarillo and Sherman Oaks, California locations are company-owned. In under five years the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops has become the largest and fastest growing soda pop and candy shop franchise brand in America. Besides the two company owned stores all of the other Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop locations throughout the U.S.A. are franchised and are independently owned and operated. As the creators and co-owners of the entire Rocket Fizz system, Rob and Ryan carefully select each Rocket Fizz franchise store operator."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled by the Rocket Fizz Sode Pop and Candy Shops, LLC P.O. Box 3663, Camarillo, CA 93011. 170 calories, 42g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.rocketfizz.com


Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, citric acid, ester gum, caramel color & natural flavors.


My thoughts: I have to admit, I'm not a fan of the Three Stooges or their slapstick style of humor. Even as a child, I thought them very unfunny. So here we have a root beer named after them. Will I find it as incredibly unsatisfying as the Stooges themselves? Or will this drink transcend their terrible humor and achieve the lofty heights of Buster Keaton status? Find out, in the exciting* review below! (* disclaimer: the review may not be exciting).

Okay, I'm not going to make you wait. I'm not terribly impressed. This seems to be another fairly generic root beer cranked out by Rocket Fizz and then a zany label is attached. Not that it's bad, but for a bottled root beer, I expect more than a generic soda that I can get in a cheap can. It has a candy-like rootiness to it, with nary a hint of other spices other than a strong wintergreen presence and some slight vanilla, but the wintergreen is by far the dominating spice. The aftertaste has no major revelations, but I *might* be tasting a little bit of anise (licorice).

With it's candy-like taste, it comes off as feeling a bit on the sweet side. It isn't thick or syrupy, so isn't awful for a soda, so I can't really knock it down too far, as soda is fairly sugary on average. Now to the carbonation, I can only compare it to how the humor of the Stooges lands with me: flat. There is a little fizz to it initially, but as I hit the halfway point in the bottle, the carbonation has faded away to minimal amounts. Smoothness is nothing out of character with a flat drink and I wish it was creamier.

I'm glad Buster Keaton's name wasn't slapped on this root beer, as its qualities are more befitting the Three Stooges and their very unfunny brand of humor. I feel like Rocket Fizz isn't trying to make any exceptional root beers, but spends more time coming up with clever names to repackage their bland root beers. Don't get me wrong, I like the Rocket Fizz store with their huge selection of sodas, but their own branded drinks leave a lot to be desired. They aren't turning out anything super terrible, but nothing amazing either.

Rating: C-
flavor: C-
aftertaste: C-
sweetness: C
smoothness: B-
carbonation: D-

Old Red Eye root beer

Background information: (from the bottle) "Legend has it, there was a craggy old bull named Red Eye - with a glint and a gnarly attitude, he could only be coaxed from his pen to do his daily duties when a brave soul would pop open a bottle of his favorite root beer, pour it in his tin bowl, then run like heck before being stomped. Red Eye preferred his root beer frosty cold."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled by & under the authority of Orca Beverage Soda Works, Mukilteo, WA 98275 (425) 349-5655. 170 calories, 42g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.orcabeverage.com


Ingredients: Carbonated water, cane sugar, natural and artificial flavors, phosphoric acid, caramel color, sodium benzoate (a preservative).


My thoughts: Yet another root beer coming out of Orca Beverage. These guys seem to make a lot of different root beers. But the question about this one is: will this be one of the good ones, or is it just a piece of bull****?

The initial flavor is very heavy on the rooty sassafras. There's no mistaking that this is a root beer and it comes on strong. Mixed in with this is a very apparent wintergreen, but mintier than I care for. Beneath all this is a hint of the anise/black licorice taste. As the aftertaste kicks in, while still dominated with wintergreen, the anise becomes slightly more apparent. I typically am not a fan of black licorice, but the flavor is subdued enough (or perhaps overwhelmed by the wintergreen) that I don't mind it at all.

Sugar content is right about where I'd expect it to land, but it does feel a tad on the sugary side, leaving a noticeable coating in my mouth. Carbonation is nice, as it's slightly aggressive, which I like. I can certainly feel some bite on my tongue, but I don't particularly feel the effects in my throat. I think they did a good job on the carbonation. That said, the aggressive carbonation takes away a little from the smoothness in my mouth (though it does have some creaminess to it), but it's a nice tradeoff.

In the end, it's a pretty decent root beer, but goes a little overboard on the wintergreen. If they'd tone that down a little, I think they'd have a winner on their hands. As it is, I'm fairly pleased with this root beer and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to those that enjoy the minty side. It's not a bull**** drink, but neither is it one I'd sing its praises until the cows come home.


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

Polar Classics root beer

Background information: (from the website) "A savvy bartender from Worcester, Massachusetts, who already made his own whiskey and gin, began crafting a bubbly new beverage. Using pure cane sugar, natural fruit, and herb extracts with his own carbonation style, he was working on a hunch that “soda pop” would be a hit. That was 1882 and the man was our great-grandfather, Denis Crowley.

Since ice was scarce back then, he adopted the Arctic Polar bear as a mascot so folks would know his drinks were cold and refreshing. For over 130 years we have remained a family business and that bear is still on every bottle we make. The world has changed since then, but nothing has replaced the pure enjoyment of a ice-cold, well-crafted American soda.

We still rely on quality ingredients, great people, and great-grandad's original recipes to craft Polar Cane Sugar Sodas - except now we call them our Classics."

*note: Polar "Classics" are not to be confused with Polar's regular line of sodas, the latter of which use high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors.

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled Under the Authority of Polar Beverages, Worcester, MA 01615, USA. 160 calories, 45g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.polarbev.com


Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Natural Flavors, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Acacia Gum, Quillaia Extract, Citric Acid.


My thoughts: Any time I see polar bears, I think of LOST and how they never did provide a satisfactory explanation for where the polar bears came from...or really for any of the mysteries of the island. So, I'm hoping that this drink doesn't leave me equally unsatisfied at the end.

First off, this has a nice strong rooty flavor to it, though it battles with a rich vanilla taste. As the initial flavor fades, it takes on an even stronger, creamy vanilla aspect. Perhaps it was the sweetness, but I felt that the taste was a little on the "candy" side. I'd wager that it's also due to the simpleness of the sassafras and vanilla, with no other apparent spices to give it more complexity. Into the second half of the bottle, I could detect a faint anise/black licorice undertone as well in the aftertaste, but the main flavor remained fairly simple.

My biggest gripe is certainly the sweetness. It feels stronger than it needs to be and almost tastes a bit sugary to me. It's not bad, but could stand to be dialed back a notch or two. But what it lacks in sugary perfection, Polar more that makes up in carbonation and smoothness. It's a very hard balance to manage. Too little carbonation, and it'll feel smooth but flat. Too much, and it looses that creamy texture. But Polar finds a perfect match, perhaps one of my favorites to date. It has a nice strong carbonation, not too aggressive (though it could be slightly more so, as I enjoy a bit a sting on my tongue), and it has a great creamy feel to it, giving it an extremely smooth complexion.

I'm torn on where to rate this. I was toying with a "C+" overall, but felt that makes it closer to just average than it deserves to be. But a "B-" felt generous considering it's overly simplistic approach to flavor. In the end, I decided that the creaminess made me enjoy it enough to round it up into the "B score" category. It's a good root beer and I wouldn't hesitate to drink it again should the opportunity arise.


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

New York Seltzer root beer

Background information: (from the website) "The groundbreaking brand known for its signature rounded bottles and crisp, clear, all natural flavors. No artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or corn syrup. ONYS took over the beverage landscape to become a staple in countless New York shops & eateries. The love spread quickly, catapulting ONYS to national and international success. We’re bringin’ seltzer back. Original New York Seltzer ®"


Product details: 10 fl. oz.  Bottled under the authority of Original New York Seltzer. 130 calories, 33g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://drinknewyorkseltzer.com/


Ingredients: Carbontated water, cane sugar, citric acid, natural flavor.


My thoughts: That's one short ingredients list and this root beer tastes a bit different from what I'm used to. It has the obvious, typical root beer flavoring and feels a bit minty, but there is a strange undertone that I can't identify, but it is vaguely fruity, but without evoking any particular fruit. The aftertaste is more of the same.

I'm a fan of the sweetness. Per ounce, this comes in around the lower end of what you would typically find (3.3 grams per ounce) and I like that the drink feels crisp and light, rather than thick and syrupy. As a "seltzer", I'm not quite sure where on the carbonation scale this should sit, but I think it could use a little more kick to it. It does come across as nice and smooth and creamy, so it's a very pleasant drink without any harshness that higher carbonation content tends to add.

Overall, I like it. It isn't one of my very favorite root beers and, at 17% less root beer per bottle than the usual 12 ounce drink, tends to go a bit faster than expected. If I had to sum up the drink with one word, I'd use "crisp". While it won't be at the top of my list to buy again, I liked the experience enough that I plan on hunting down some of their other flavors (peach, raspberry and blueberry).

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

The Pop Shoppe root beer

Background information: (from the website) "1969 - The summer of love: Two straight-laced business guys from London, Ontario who are clearly not into music have a great idea. They make their own pop and sell it out of their own stores. They figure that without a middleman, they can sell their amazing pop at an even more amazing price to their customers and bam! “The Pop Shoppe” is born. So they miss Woodstock and probably all of the most legendary summer in history. Big deal. From the returnable bottles affectionately called stubbies to mixing and matching from original flavours Lime Ricky, Black Cherry, Sparkle Up and Festival Dry, their great idea and personal choice not to attend a really cool concert creates a North American cultural icon that will become synonymous with growing up."

(from the bottle) "Dad's favorite pop. Somehow the flavour blast of The Pop Shoppe Root Beer takes socks, sandals, comb-overs, lame jokes, wearing your pants too high, mowing the lawn and bundles them up together in one surprisingly cool package. Hey, how did the hot dog vendor tackle his job? With relish!"


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Distributed by LA Bottleworks, Los Angeles, CA 90640, USA. 180 calories, 46g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.thepopshoppe.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated water, cane sugar, caramel color, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), propylene glycol, natural and artificial flavors, phosphoric acid.


My thoughts: Some of my earlier memories involve going to the store and buying Pop Shoppe soda pop. Back then, you'd get a plastic crate that held 12 or 24 bottles (I don't recall precisely) and you could mix and match bottles of all the available flavors. Once you drank them, you'd bring back the empty bottles for credit towards the new ones. Pop Shoppe was discontinued in 1983, but several stores kept it around for a few more years. I was so young that I don't recall how the root beer tasted, so I can't say if the current flavor is similar to the one I drank back in the 80s, but when it came back in 2002, "Great pains are taken to recreate each and every flavour exactly as it existed nearly 20 years ago."

So how does it taste now? Well, it has a strong root beer flavor. It's pretty basic, with a little bit of wintergreen, but not much else stands out. The aftertaste isn't much different, and the flavor just slowly fades away without revealing anything else.

It doesn't feel overly sugary, with just the typical amount of sugar coating left behind in my mouth, though perhaps feeling slightly cleaner than the average root beer. This surprised me, as the sugar content is a little higher than average, so I was expecting more of a sugary feeling. Carbonation is average. I would have preferred more pizzazz and bubbles. Because of the less than aggressive carbonation, if goes down fairly smooth, with a small hint of creaminess. Again, pretty mediocre.

Well, all around this is just a run of the mill root beer. It doesn't go out of the way to try anything other than appealing to the mass market, playing it safe with a decent, but unremarkable take on root beer. While it, on it's own, doesn't really warrant the nostalgia I feel when drinking the sweet nectar, it doesn't necessarily negate the positive feeling I have about the brand. At the end of the day, it only deserves an average score.


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

O-Zell root beer float

Background information: Normally, I would include a brief summary of the history behind the drink. But this one, which involves the Disney family (specifically Walt's father) is interesting enough to warrant reading the whole history, which can be found here: http://www.o-zell.com/the-o-zell-story/


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  The O-Zell Company, Silverlake, CA|Chicago, IL 323-663-7878. 140 calories, 35g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.o-zell.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Hawaiian Cane Sugar Blend, Caramel Color, Natural Flavor, and Phosphoric Acid.


My thoughts: Since my last root beer was a "float", I figured I'd follow it up with another float to better compare the two. Kind of makes me want to attend a parade. Speaking of parades, I hate to rain on this one, but this is a completely different experience than the last root beer. Gone is the dominate vanilla. Instead, this root beer exhibits one of my least liked flavor traits, the dreaded sour note. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I don't know why some of these root beers have a tangy, sour flavor to them. It's not pleasant. This drink isn't particularly rooty, or at least in the sense that one expects from a root beer. I can definitely taste some very natural, plant based flavor, but can't quite put my finger on what it is. It's not bad, but combined with the root beer flavor, it leaves an aftertaste that reminds me of licking the wooden stick in a frozen root beer popsicle: part root beer, part woody -though subtly reminiscent of an apple as well- kind of taste. Weird.

This isn't an overly sweet feeling drink and doesn't seem to leave an egregious sugary coating behind. I like where it's at. Carbonation started out fine, but by halfway through the bottle it had fizzled out, leaving behind only very weak bubbles. It's not particularly smooth or creamy, which is a disappointment.

If I were attending a parade and needed a root beer float to satiate my thirst, alas, this would not be a consideration. Seeing as how the Disney family was originally involved in the company, I would have hoped for a bit more magic in the bottle. It was not meant to be, so I'd have to recommend passing on this one.


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

Joby Joe's root beer float

Background information: Joby Joe's is produced by Rocket Fizz. This particular variety came about after Rocket Fizz president and co-founder Robert Powells participated in the television show Undercover Boss, where he went undercover to see what improvements needed to be made to his business. During the course of one of these visits, he learned of franchise owner's Marianne Banales' loss of her brother and bonded with her due to his own experience with the passing of his girlfriend.

After concluding the show, Powells decided to honor Banales' brother, Joe, by creating a beverage based on his favorite soda, root beer. It's now carried in every Rock Fizz store.


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Intellectual property of and bottled by the Rocket Fizz Soda and Candy Shops, LLC, P.O. Box 3663, Camarillo, CA 93011. 170 calories, 42g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://rocketfizz.com/


Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, citric acid, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), gum acacia, natural & artificial flavor.


My thoughts: Root Beer *Float*, eh? I'm a big fan of floats, so can this root beer live up to my lofty expectations? Well, I admit that I do like it. The flavor is good, though not super "rooty". It almost tastes like a vanilla and butterscotch drink, with a little bit of root beer hiding underneath those flavors. Certainly an interesting mix. It does feel pretty artificial in it's approach to taste, but at least it isn't a root beer candy kind of artificial. The aftertaste is primarily dominated by the butterscotch sensation.

The drink is pretty sweet and doesn't let you forget you're consuming a sugar-filled liquid. It has a candy-like feel to it, making it less refreshing on a hot day. It does seem to be moderately creamy and smooth, but not as creamy as I would expect from a "float". Carbonation is great, feeling fairly strong but it does lack a little bit of the crisp bite of the very best.

At the end of the bottle, I was quite satisfied, even if it isn't necessarily one of the best root beers. And perhaps that was one reason that I enjoyed what it did, giving me a little bit of the root beer experience while also providing a drink with a whole other appeal to it. I think this is one that I'd be happy to drink again.


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