Judge For Yourself! root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Judge For Yourself Root Beer is crafted for those who appreciate the true, unadulterated essence of a classic fountain root beer. We put the power back in your hands, relying on traditional craftsmanship and a blend of natural spices to deliver a verdict of undeniable quality.

Every batch honors artisanal brewing methods, marrying the deep, earthy tones of classic root bark with the bright aromatic lifts of star anise and spicy ginger. We rest our case."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Real Soda in Real Bottles, Gardena, CA. 190 calories, 40g sugar. Brown glass bottle with twist off top. https://www.realsoda.com/

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sodium Benzoate (preservative).

My thoughts: Since I'm obviously a lawyer (okay, I saw a movie about a lawyer once, so that's close enough), I think I'm well within my rights to execute summary judgement on this root beer. No need to bring this to a jury. I can determine whether this root beer goes free or gets a "straight to root beer prison" decree.

Okay, I'm not unhappy with the initial rooty flavor. It has a decent amount of that traditional rooty sassafras taste with a bit of vanilla. It's pleasant, though not necessarily unique. The aftertaste leaves behind a good amount of that flavor, with a slight wintergreen hint. I didn't really feel the ginger that the website mentions, but a maybe I'm just used to the much bigger ginger kick from my ginger beers.

After several complete carbonation failures in a row, I'm happy to report that I judge this one just fizzy enough! It has a mild effervescence, not super aggressive, but it maintains that level through nearly the entire bottle, tapering off slightly at the end, but still decent. This one has a good sweetness level that might feel a tad on the sugary side, but not unpleasantly so. With the more laid back carbonation, this doesn't really froth up with a foamy feel, but the tiny carbonation helps it feel smooth.

After reviewing the evidence on behalf of this root beer, I render my final verdict of: Guilty...of being good. It's a pleasant root beer that won't knock your socks off (that would be 2nd degree assault), nor does it scream at you (disturbing the peace) with new and exciting spice formulations. The carbonation won't stab (attempted murder) at your tongue with bubbles either. So it might not excel in any category, but it's solid all around. Overall, I'm happy with this one.

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

carbonation: B-