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+
No comments:
Post a Comment