Ramblin' root beer

Background information: (from the website) "A quick history of Ramblin' Root Beer. Following its introduction in 1979 Ramblin' became one of the most popular root beers in America.

The vintage brand's first commercial featured a cameo by a young Sarah Jessica Parker, and the accompanying jingle, "Ramblin' Root Beer's something more!" would be in the minds of Americans for years to come.

Today, with a lineup of new flavors and fresh, new package designs, the best root beer is back and brought friends along to remind the passionate fans what they've been missing."

So yeah, the website is pretty light on information. Not the worst I've seen (there have been some extremely sparse websites), but very basic.


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled under the authority of The Monarch Beverage Company, Inc., Atlanta, GA 30326, USA 800-241-3732. 150 calories, 37g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  https://drinkramblin.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Sugar, Natural Flavors, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Quillaja Extract, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative).


My thoughts: Speaking of Ramblin', sometimes I enjoy prefacing my review with a bit of a ramble on a semi-related topic, usually related to the name of the root beer. Now, it might seem questionable to be so verbose when all people are looking for is a simple review about the beverage. I'd like to think that I'm whimsical and charming in my approach, but real life has revealed to me that I'm not quite so appealing and that I mostly come off as annoying in the real world. But what is the real world? Are we a simulation? A three dimensional projection from the two dimensional surface of a black hole? Perhaps we are part of the multiverse, where every possible version of ourselves exists somewhere out in the infinite cosmos. Science has a lot to say about that and...wait...what was I talking about before I started to ramble on about other stuff? Oh yeah, the root beer. So here are my thoughts.

This root beer has a very strong vanilla presence, which I like. It is certainly rooty, with a bit of the classic sassafras flavor root beer is known for, but falls a bit short on strength as that rootiness feels slightly watered down. Are there other flavors in there? Maybe, but the power of the vanilla overwhelms whatever else might be going on. Aftertaste is also dominated by the same.

Sweetness is pretty good, though perhaps a tad on the sugary side, as it leaves a moderately stronger than usual sugary feel in my mouth. That sensation is odd, seeing as how it has less sugar (37g) than the average root beer (generally 40-45g). Carbonation is decent, with a very fine bubble structure that doesn't prick the tongue. I wouldn't mind a slightly more aggressive effervescence to it, but it certainly isn't flat. As for smoothness, this is one of the creamier root beers, likely aided by the inclusion of quillaia extract, which usually lends a hand in this regard. It goes down nice and smooth.

Overall, this is a solid drink. It bests the generic store shelf cans of root beer, even if it does fall short of being one of the better ones. The vanilla makes a good showing, but the rest of the flavors don't pack quite enough punch. I'm sure that somewhere in the multiverse, this is the best root beer there is, and that isn't necessarily a bad place. In this part of the multiverse, however, there is stiff competition and plenty of alternative root beer options I could reach for when choosing a drink.


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

Reading Draft root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Same taste. New times. At Reading Soda Works, we produce 17 delicious flavors that are still packaged in glass bottles and have a true “old-fashioned” feel combined with a Pennsylvania Dutch taste that many appreciate and love. Handcrafting soda since 1921, the business has continued without interruption and has maintained its original location.

In addition to using pure cane sugar and natural ingredients, our sodas are triple filtered and undergo a slow carbonation process before bottling. Unlike many large soda manufacturers that flash carbonate, Reading Draft sodas contain pinpoint carbonation that is absorbed slowly and persists longer, leading way to smaller bubbles that give a smoother mouth feel and more pleasant taste.

Reading Draft is one of the few sodas on the market that employs this carbonation technique. The flavors in our sodas really get to shine and aren’t buried underneath excessive carbonation. When you sip our products, you can comfortably gloat without the bloat!"


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Brewed and bottled by: Reading Soda Works & Carbonics Supply Inc, 614 Gregg Ave, Reading, PA 19611 610-372-2565. 170 calories, 43g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://readingsodaworks.com


Ingredients: Triple filtered carbonated water, pure cane sugar, natural and/or artificial flavors, caramel color, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness).


My thoughts: I've been away for a bit, but it's time to kick off my first root beer review of 2018. I like reading and have a fairly large library, so I want to like this drink, as it's named after one of my favorite leisure activities. Alas, upon opening the top, I'm met with a slightly unpleasant smell, one that reminds me of the sickly sweet and sour taste of some of my least liked root beers. The odor did not betray the flavor, as it was exactly what I was expecting. It's more towards the less sour end of the sour spectrum, but still there nonetheless. Yes, it has a sort of rooty taste, but I just can't get past the initial flavor. The aftertaste is slightly improved, as the sourness fades fast, but there's not enough good taste remaining to save it. On the plus side, the sourness lessened as I got to the bottom of the bottle.

Sweetness is decent, but as I mentioned in the flavor, kind of a sickly sweet, so it's not very appetizing. I'm not sure I can separate the actual sweetness of the sugar from the sickly sweet flavor, so it's hard to judge. The intensity of sweetness is fine, but the flavor accompanying it isn't. At this point, however, we arrive at the one bright spot on this blighted drink: carbonation. It has a strong effervescence that tickles the tongue, with the actual bubbles being on the smaller side. While I do like sharp, strong carbonation, this one is strong, but mild (it doesn't bite my tongue). Smoothness is okay, though it's not a particularly creamy root beer.

Oftentimes, when I get one of these sour root beers, I can't help but wonder if maybe the root beer is old or something. Unfortunately, many of the bottles have no "best buy" or expiration dates, so I'm not certain if that's an issue or if a root beer can even expire. Whatever the answer, this was not one of my more pleasant root beer experiences and was a terrible way to kick off my 2018 root beer year. Alas, I'll stick to my reading of books and keep the Reading root beer off of my "things I enjoy" list.

P.S. I often will read other reviews of a given root beer after I complete mine (but not before, as I don't want other opinions to influence my impressions). It turns out that others have reported the same sour, fruity (that word feels like an adequate substitution for the "sickly sweet" taste I mentioned) flavor, so I guess it's not just me.


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