Deadworld Creeper root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Dead World Premium Zombie Soda is a premium craft soda beverage line conceived and marketed by Caliber Entertainment LLC, located in Michigan. Based on the Dead World comic book series published by Caliber Comics.

Currently, the Dead World Premium Zombie Soda beverages are available in FIVE flavors. What makes the zombie sodas unique is our partnership with various comic book artists who have provided their own creative spin to the bottle labels with depictions of various zombie images. Primarily based on the characters and events that take place in the Dead World comic book universe."

Deadworld used to be produced by Intrastate Distributors (who also made Frostie and Towne Club root beers) and came in 12 different flavors. Fast forward to today and they are now made by Orca Beverage and only come in 5 flavors. Orca is a pretty large conglomerate that houses many sub-brands under its roof.


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Produced and bottled by Orca Beverages Inc., Mukilteo, WA 98275. 170 calories, 43g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.deadworldzombiesoda.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (A Preservative), Caramel Color & Blue #1.

My thoughts: This is the third Deadworld root beer I've tried, having already reviewed their Twilight Shuffler and Slow Decay vanilla root beers, both of which I liked. It appears both of those root beers have met their doom, however, and this new Creeper root beer has risen from their worm-infested corpses to live again.

This is a very strongly flavored root beer, though the actual sassafras rootiness isn't super prevalent, with a sweet vanilla and butterscotch-like flavor dominating the flavor profile. In a way, it reminds me a bit of a root beer vanilla ice cream bar. The vanilla/butterscotch taste holds over into the aftertaste, where there is little "root beer" to be be found. If you really like butterbeers, butterscotch, and vanilla profiles, then this hits all those notes.

As mentioned above, there's a sweet vanilla butterscotch flavor that gives this a kind of candied sweetness. Perhaps a touch sweeter and sugary feeling that I prefer, but it's not syrupy at all. The carbonation is good, with a fair amount of bubbling and it persists throughout the duration of drinking the whole bottle. I'm a big fan of super aggressive carbonation, which this is not aggressive, but I was still pleased with it. With the vanilla/butterscotch flavor comes the sensation of a creamy smoothness. It doesn't quite froth up as much as my very top tier rankings for smoothness do, but it offers a pleasant drinking experience.

With the old version of Deadworld root beers (produced by Intrastate Distributors) having been put in their graves, and this new one risen in their place, Creeper root beer, like its human zombie counterpart, has lost something in this death and zombification process, rising as a lesser version of its former self. While I still like it, it's a bit less of a "root beer" and more of a "sweet vanilla butterscotch treat" drink, so I have to knock the flavor score down a bit as this is a "root beer" review. But if I'm not confining it to just root beer, then it's a fine soda on it's own and one I would certainly not mind enjoying again.

edit: I went back and looked at my Slow Decay vanilla review from a decade ago and I see almost identical thoughts on the flavor, so I suspect this "Creeper" version is just a rebranding of the "Slow Decay vanilla" flavor they offered before, with very minor changes in formula (such as the 5g sugar increase). You may notice I gave Slow Decay vanilla an "A" at the time while this is getting a "B". While I'm guessing there isn't a big change in taste, I suppose the score drop reflects a change in philosophy that an "A" flavor drink doesn't necessarily make for an "A" level root beer, so consider my scores in that context.

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

Deadworld Slow Decay vanilla root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Our premium beverage offerings provide great flavor by using all-natural blends of ingredients and are completely free of artificial substitutes.

Deadworld Zombie Soda is a premium beverage line conceived, marketed and sold by Caprice Brands LLC based in Livonia Michigan. The premium bottled drinks are manufactured by Intrastate Distributors located in Detroit Michigan. Intrastate Distributors is one of Michigan's largest beverage bottlers with brands such as Frostie Root Beer and Towne Club.

Currently the Deadworld Zombie Soda beverages are available in 12 flavors. What makes the zombie sodas unique is our partnership with various comic book artists who have provided their own creative spin to the bottle labels with depictions of various zombie images. Primarily based on the characters and events that take place in Deadworld comic book universe."

(from the bottle) "All natural flavors for un-natural tastes."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled by Intrastate Distributors Inc., 20021 Exeter St., Detroit, MI 48203. 144 calories, 37g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top. http://www.deadworldzombiesoda.com/


Ingredients: Carbonated water, pure cane sugar, caramel color, sodium benzoate (a preservative), citric acid, natural flavor.


My thoughts: Having just recently reviewed Deadworld's regular root beer, I'm curious to see what the "vanilla" version brings to the table. I can tell you one thing (okay, I can tell you many things, but I'll start with this one thing), this is an entirely different taste than their regular root beer. In fact, it hardly tastes like a root beer at all. If I was handed this drink without being told what it was, based on the flavor, I would have said it's a cream soda. No root beer involved. But dang, it's one fine cream soda. Is there some root beer components in there? That's hard to say, as the strong, delicious vanilla flavor overpowers everything else. Complimenting this vanilla is ample amounts of butterscotch. The aftertaste is just more vanilla/butterscotch.

Like it's root beer counterpart, Deadworld absolutely nails the sugar content. A typical bottle runs around 42g of sugar, while this one gets by with 37g and doesn't feel at all like it's lacking for it. This one is also nice and carbonated, with a strong fizz. Like it's rooty counterpart, however, the last bit of the bottle tends to run a little flat. Even though it's probably just as equal in effervescence, somehow the vanilla aspect makes the lack of carbonation towards the end not quite as egregious as it seems on a root beer. And boy, is this a smooth drink. It seems so creamy, the sensation, no doubt, aided by the vanilla taste.

So, how do I rate a root beer that doesn't taste like a root beer? Well, in this case I'm going to rate it high, as I was thoroughly impressed with the drink, with the caveat emptor that this is more a cream soda, and not really a root beer in my book. If you have a hankering for specifically a root beer, look elsewhere. If you enjoy a high quality cream soda, like myself, then you'd be hard pressed to pick up a better example. I'd be curious to try this side by side with Deadworld's cream soda and vanilla cream soda to see what the differences are.


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

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