Gene Simmons Moneybag root beer

Background information: (from the website): "My Moneybag sodas are made only with the most elite of ingredients. This is soda royalty!!! If you have expensive taste, drink Moneybag!"

Aside from this short blurb, the website seems to be quite light on actual information.


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Gene Simmons Company. 180 calories, 45g sugar (bottle says "45mg" but I'm pretty certain that's a typo).  Glass bottle with twist off top. www.http://www.genesimmonsmoneybag.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid, sodium benzoate (used as a preservative), natural flavour and caramel color.


My thoughts: A root beer brought to us from legendary KISS rock and roller Gene Simmons? Sure, I'll give it a try. I can only hope it rocks my mouth like KISS rocked the Popcorn Club on January 30, 1973.

After my last root beer, it was nice to once again have a strong, rooty sassafras taste. It leans a little more towards the candy root beer flavor, with less emphasis on subtle notes of other spices, but there is wintergreen in there. It's not necessarily doing anything special, but it has the basics down. The aftertaste is pleasant, with the wintergreen growing a little more noticeable, but never too strong, and the rooty taste slowly fading.

It is a little on the sugary side from the ingredient list, but not any more so than any other average root beer. I do like how strong the carbonation is, with fairly aggressive bubbles initially though they fade to average by the last third of the bottle. It's not super smooth up front due to the strong carbonation, but become smoother as the bottle empties. Strong carbonation is generally a tradeoff with smoothness, and this does a decent job. It's not super creamy, but good.

Well, it didn't quite rock my face off the way KISS was known to rock their concerts, but it is a solid, just above average root beer. And some days that's all I need. It doesn't quite compete with the best out there, but I wouldn't hesitate to grab one of these out of the fridge. I also have to note that I find it interesting that Gene made his own root beer, seeing as how there's already a KISS Army branded root beer in existence (and one that seems to have similar flavor characteristics).
Rating: C+
flavor: C+
aftertaste: C
sweetness: B-
smoothness: B-
carbonation: B+

KISS Army root beer

Background information: (from the website) "KISS wants you to join their Army! The KISS ARMY is the legendary and official fan club for the most exciting and electrifying rock band in the world, KISS! KISS ARMY ROOT BEER is loud & Proud."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  KISS Catalog, Ltd. Under license to Epic Rights. Bottled and distributed by the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Store, LLC. 170 calories, 42g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  www.RocketFizz.com


Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, citric acid, ester gum, caramel color & natural flavors. No preservatives. Flash Pasteurized for Safety.


My thoughts: Another product of the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop people, who manufacture a variety of root beer labels, most of which are more towards the generic end of the flavor spectrum. But KISS is known for rocking sold out stadiums, putting on a show with explosions and fire, and generally creating chaos and commotion. So, will their root beer follow in their footsteps and face paint, offering a raucous experience, or will I get another ho-hum re-label? Let's dive in.

The rootiness is strong with this one, with a very powerful root beer flavor that's strong on the sassafras flavor, though more towards the artificial side, as there don't seem to be much spice action happening. It does have wintergreen, as that is the predominate secondary flavor and the major aftertaste, with some anise hiding underneath.

Sweetness is good, but maybe a bit sugarier than I prefer by just a small amount. The carbonation is nice and strong, though the bubbles must be tiny because I don't feel them bouncing around so much as leaving a bit of a sting on my tongue. I usually like strong carbonation, but this one is a bit more sting and less effervescence. Still, I'll take that over flatness any day. This isn't a particularly smooth root beer, lacking a creamy feeling and the carbonation sting adding some bite.

Strangely, even though I don't love any particular aspect of this root beer, the parts seem to work together decently well, as it's not a bad root beer by any means. In fact, I think I would slightly prefer it to the middle of the road, root beer in a can. But with so many other great bottled offerings, I doubt I'll be seeking this one out again. Oddly enough, if ordering from the Rocket Fizz website, it says, "Due to limitations beyond our control only 1 bottle per order. However if desired, you can place multiple orders." Seems like an odd way to make fans pay a bunch in shipping costs if they want multiple bottles, but hey, who am I to give the multi-million dollar KISS conglomerate business advice when they make more in a week than I've made my whole life?


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