Product details: 12 fl. oz. Distributed by Better Living Brands LLC, P.O. Box 99, Pleasanton, CA 94566-0009. 170 calories, 46g sugar. Aluminum can. https://www.safeway.com
Ingredients: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, potassium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavors, citric acid.
My thoughts: As I continue to encounter a drought of new, bottled root beers to try, I came across a single can of root beer in my grocery store's discount pile (they sell singles when a case breaks open). So not only is it not in a bottle, but it's a store brand, so I don't have high expectations for this. I figure I'll be happy if it comes in with a C-average score.
With a strong crack of the can opening, I toss back a swig of this store brand root beer and...it's pretty dang good! It has a strong, rooty flavor that is bolstered by vanilla, but not a lot else. It's a good flavor, but quite basic, with no hints of spices like wintergreen, licorice/anise, cinnamon, etc. that make for a really great root beer. But, in spite of only including the basics, I really do like this. The aftertaste leans a little more into the vanilla, but mostly resembles the initial flavor.
As I mentioned above, the can opened with a strong crack (and the sound of fizzing), which is a good sign. The carbonation is quite satisfying, though a little short of the really aggressive prickling bubbles that I prefer. But if you want something well carbonated but with a smoother profile, this one gets it just right. It also has a nice, creamy feeling, making it a very smooth root beer in spite of the carbonation. I think it's an excellent blend of properties. It does run a touch on the sweet and syrupy side, not too terribly so, but not quite as crisp as the best root beers manage to achieve.
Going in to this one, I wasn't expecting much from a generic, store brand root beer, but in the end it was a surprisingly competent root beer, punching above it's average appearances and, while doing almost nothing exceedingly well, manages to match up a lot of good attributes for a pretty decent root beer.
Rating: B-
flavor: B
aftertaste: B-
sweetness: C-
smoothness: A-
carbonation: A-
