Soda Beers root beer

Background information: (from the website): "A German soft drink developed over a century ago by Bavarian Brewmeisters, called Fassbrause, was prepared using fruits and spices and stored in wooden kegs. When served it poured like a beer, with a thick foamy head, but without any alcohol.

We brought the Fassbrause tradition to the Rocky Mountains in the 1960’s, combined with high-quality ingredients, and Apple Beer was born!

Our family operation is focused on flavor. We bottle Apple Beer using all-natural ingredients and pure cane sugar. The result is a fruity, crisp, alcohol-free drink with a clean finish that can be consumed alone or used as a delicious base for mixed drinks.

We first expanded the Apple Beer line with the Apple Beer FIVE. This delicious 5-calorie drink is made with Acai Berry and Ginseng and delivers a refreshing guilt-free taste.

We recently launched two new flavors - in 2018 our Ginger Beer and in 2019 our Root Beer. The growing family of beverages gave birth to the SodaBeers brand, soft drinks that employ similar methods to produce a variety of unique soda beers. Along with our four current sodas, we are pleased to announce the addition of Butterscotch Beer—coming to stores in 2021."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled Under Authority of the Apple Beer, Corp., Holladay, Utah 84117. 180 calories, 44g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. www.sodabeers.com

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Quillaja Extract.


My thoughts: "Family owned" brings to mind a smaller operation, one that might be willing to take a few more risks to stand out from the corporate behemoths that flood the store shelves with their products. Hopefully this is one of those stand outs that rises above the average. I've consumed their Apple Beer before on many occasion and really like it, so am looking forward to their take on a classic.

The initial flavor is nice and strong, with a very obvious rooty sassafras taste and vanilla. It does have a minor hint of wintergreen in the main flavor which becomes more apparent in the aftertaste. I like the initial mint flavor, but am not the biggest fan of it being so overpowering, leaving little room for other subtle flavors in the aftertaste.

Carbonation is not something this one lacks, having a good kick to my tongue. The bubbles stay strong throughout the bottle. One thing I really like is that even though it's quite prickly, it foams up into a creamy, smooth feeling that nicely balances out the strong effervescence. As far as sweetness, it's just ever so slightly more sugary feeling than what I deem perfect, but certainly doesn't cross over into being syrupy.

This is a pretty good root beer with some great attributes, but it ultimately plays it safe with the formula. Where it lacks is in the more subtle flavors and a bit too much mint for my sensibilities. If you are one that loves the wintergreen aspect, then this one may be a winner for you. If a bottle came around I wouldn't have any qualms giving it a drink.

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

Barrel Brothers Creamy Vanilla root beer

Background information: (from the bottle): "From the Rocky Mountains a creamy new twist on an American Classic."

*note: the website briefly covers Apple Beer, but makes no mention of their root beer.

(info from a distributor): "Barrel Brothers Root Beer is brewed with the tradition of old-time homebrews in mind. Its long-lasting, foamy head and aroma of vanilla is matched with a creaminess and body that exude a draft root beer tone. And, it’s brewed with vitamin C and calcium! Over a century ago, home-brewed sassafras gave birth to root beer as a popular cure-all. Now the Barrel Brothers have introduced a 19th-century tradition into the 21st with a root beer that satisfies body and soul like the old-time homebrews. So blow the foam and savor a cold draft of Barrel Brothers’ creamy dark blend!"

*additional note: it seems that Barrel Brothers used to produce a regular root beer that has since been suplanted by this "Creamy Vanilla" version, and they taste different.

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Apple Beer Corp., S.L.C., UT 84117.  170 calories, 43g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.applebeer.com


Ingredients: Water, High Fructose Corn Sweetener, Natural and Artificial flavors, Quillaja Extract, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate as preservatives.


My thoughts: As a big fan of Apple Beer Corporation's other soda offering, appropriately entitled "Apple Beer", I had high expectations for their take on root beer.  Also, having never heard of "Quillaja Extract" before, I did a little research to see what it was.  According to Wikipedia, it's an Evergreen tree (also known as a soap bark tree) whose bark contains quillaia, a food additive that creates "foaming for drinks."

The bottle claims to be "creamy vanilla" and in that aspect I was not in the least bit disappointed.  Initially, there is a very strong vanilla flavor with a weak showing of rooty sassafras.  There may be some other flavors in play, but the vanilla is so overwhelming that I can't pick anything else out.

As far as aftertaste is concerned, it too is dominated by vanilla.  Good thing I like vanilla.  It is a pretty sweet drink and does leave a sugary residue behind.  Not terrible, mind you, but a just bit more than I usually care for.  This drink is nice and smooth, even creamy, so it seems that the Quillaja is doing the trick.  Carbonation is well balanced; not too sharp and just enough bubble to it.

My overall feelings are a bit mixed.  I like this root beer, but it unfortunately falls a bit short in the "root" department, feeling more like a cream soda (another favorite soda of mine) than anything else.  While I'd love to give this a higher score, I'm gonna have to dock it a bit for not quite living up to the full potential of the root beer moniker.  It is, however, a beverage that I would be more than happy to consume again, keeping in mind that my ratings are based on rankings as a root beer, and not as a soda in general.

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