Product details: 12 fl. oz. Manufactured by Stubborn Soda, LLC, Riviera Beach, FL 33404. 100 calories, 25g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. www.stubbornsoda.com
Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, caramel color, natural flavor, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), phosphoric acid, purified stevia leaf extract, citric acid, calcium disodium edta (to protect flavor).
My thoughts: I'm a little apprehensive about any "low calorie" root beer, but at least this one is a split of good ol' regular sugar and stevia, instead of just the latter. I've had sodas sweetened by only stevia before and they were downright terrible. With only 33% less sugar than the average root beer, I'm hoping this isn't complete garbage.
My initial impression is pretty positive. This root beer has a nice, strong rooty flavor with a lot of vanilla; typically something I enjoy. And I have to admit, I like it, but can tell the taste isn't quite right. Where the flavor starts to break down is the aftertaste, as the flavor quickly fades and the dreaded stevia taste becomes noticeable, but never overbearingly so. It's certainly there, but doesn't completely ruin the root beer. I think the lingering vanilla helps to cover it up. Though the longer I let the aftertaste sit, the worse it becomes as all the other flavors fade away and leave a more noticeable stevia taste behind. As far as root beers in general go, it's not beating out everybody due to the stevia flavor that lurks beneath the surface, only becoming more pronounced as an aftertaste. As a lower-calorie, lower-sugar root beer, it's probably the best one I've had.
Carbonation is really good, with crisp, biting bubbles. They settle down a bit in intensity by about half way through the bottle, but still leave a little sting. I like it that way. It offers a pleasant juxtaposition with the smooth, creamy body. As far as texture goes, they are doing a lot right with this root beer. Sweetness is my biggest qualm, not because of how sweet it is, but with the side effect the stevia has on the taste. If you don't mind stevia, then this isn't a problem. But for somebody like me that finds the flavor objectionable, it's a bummer that such a great root beer is let down in this way. What I find equally confusing is why they'd do this to the root beer, as that gap between fully sugar sweetened root beer and this Frankenstein's monster of a drink is narrow. There is still so much sugar that it doesn't make sense to use stevia for that last little bit of sweetening. Just go all in one the sugar!
In the end, I wouldn't get this over a run-of-the-mill store brand root beer. Though this has a better initial taste, the aftertaste, with all it's stevia induced baggage, isn't worth it. If, however, you're looking to cut back your sugar intake and the extra 12g and 50 calories is a make it or break it proposition, then this would be the root beer for you. I'd love to see this same root beer formula but with a fully sugar based sweetener. I think it would have a more consistent place in my fridge, if so.
Rating: C-
flavor: A-
aftertaste: D
sweetness: D-
smoothness: A
carbonation: A
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