1927 Soda Co. root beer

Background information: The 7-Eleven website makes no mention of this drink. The 1927 Soda Co. brand name comes from 7-11 originally starting up in 1927 as an ice house storefront before becoming Tote'm Stores from 1928-1946. This is likely a rebadged third party produced beverage.

Product details: 20 fl. oz.  Distributed by 7-Eleven, Inc. Irving, TX 75063. 290 calories, 72g sugar.  Plastic bottle with twist off top.


Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavor.


My thoughts: Well, I've been having a tough time finding glass bottled root beers I haven't tried before, so I'm branching out a bit. This one is a root beer made for 7-11 convenience stores and comes in a regular plastic bottle. I'm keeping my expectations in check, as I don't expect a convenience store chain to really push the envelope of root beer flavor.

Okay, they definitely went with a wintergreen vibe. The root beer flavor is a bit flat and so the minty dominates. It's not bad, but it's not exactly what I look for in a root beer. The wintergreen isn't too intense so much as it's noticeable due to the weakness of the rooty taste. The aftertaste lets some vanilla show through, so I actually find it to have a very pleasant aftertaste.

The 72g of sugar may seem extremely high compared to the other root beers I've tested, but keep in mind that this is a 20oz bottle rather than the usual 12oz, so proportionally the sugar levels are right in line with the others. As such, it isn't too overly syrupy and at least uses real sugar. Carbonation, on the other hand, is abysmal. The first swig after opening was promising, but all the subsequent ones were almost completely flat. Where did all the carbonation go? It's hard to gauge smoothness with a complete absence of carbonation, but it does seem to have a decently creamy feel to it.

Consider me unimpressed. A mediocre flavor combined with terrible carbonation levels leave this one off my list. In spite of the good aftertaste, it's not one I'll drink again. Hopefully some of the upcoming plastic bottled and canned root beers can compete at least a little bit.
Rating: D
flavor: C-
aftertaste: B
sweetness: B
smoothness: C
carbonation: F-

Saint Arnold root beer

Background information: (from the website): "We noticed that we had a lot of families attending our tours with their children. As giving the kids beer, while legal in the state of Texas as long as they were with their parents, was frowned upon, we decided we needed an alternative. Root beer seemed like a fun idea.

And so the research began. Making root beer is much more of an immediate gratification process compared to beer. You heat up some water to dissolve the sugar, then you cool it down and add the root extracts. Most of the extracts are from real plants, but some, such as sassafrass, have pesky carcinogens in them and thus we opted to replace those with artificial flavors. We developed a good root beer base, but we wanted a great root beer so we started playing around with small amounts of other natural flavors. We finally found one that worked great and went with that. We could tell you what it is, but then we'd have to kill you. If we did tell you, you would immediately recognize it. Nobody has come up with it though without being prompted.

We use all cane sugar in our root beer which is stupidly expensive because of government controls on sugar pricing and imports. It creates a great mouthfeel to the root beer though and gives a much fuller sweetness than the thin sweet taste one gets with high fructose corn syrup.

We actually make no money on our root beer. We make it for fun and put no effort into selling it. Sales continue to climb on it even without our trying though. Oh well.

Strange fact: drinking root beer gives you very refreshing burps. It's the wintergreen."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Bottled by Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Houston, Texas 77020. 140 calories, 36g sugar.  Glass bottle with pry off top. www.http://www.saintarnold.com/


Ingredients: Water, sugar, root beer extract (water, caramel color gum arabic, yucca concentrate, propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, sodium benzoate, citric acid), sparkling foam (water, yucca extract, sodium benzoate), sodium benzoate (preservative), phosphoric acid.


My thoughts: Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been seven months since my last root beer. I am lusting after some new root beer and want to gluttonously consume them. I envy my neighbor who has a cold root beer in his hand and greedily want to hoard all the beverage for me, but I have been too slothful to acquire this nectar of the gods. I'm proud to say I now have one to drink, and if anyone tries to take it from me, they will face my wrath!

Bless me with your -WHOA! That's a lot of wintergreen! Yes, this is one minty root beer, with the main flavor of the day being wintergreen. I don't know if it's just been so long since I've had a root beer, but I don't mind the overwhelming mintiness as much as I usually do. Often they remind me of toothpaste, but this one not so much. There is a decent sassafras flavor underneath there, so it's definitely a root beer, however it's a little overwhelmed. There is a nice natural herbal and vanilla undertone, but again, it's overpowered by the wintergreen. The aftertaste does let these weaker flavors show off a tiny bit more.

Carbonation is pretty weak. Not a whole lot of fizz or bite to this one, which is a letdown. It comes across a bit flat for my preference. It is fairly creamy, however (thanks yucca extract!!!), so has a pleasant smoothness to it, though that may be helped along by the lack of carbonation. I'm always looking for that holy grail of sharp, biting carbonation with a creamy froth to smooth things out. This one is missing the first half of that equation. The sweetness is pretty good and I was surprised that it felt just a tiny bit sugary even though it runs on the lower end of the sugar content spectrum. Strange indeed.

So, is this one getting in through the pearly gates or condemned to burn in an everlasting pit of flames? I don't think it deserves either status. It's not a bad root beer, but it certainly isn't worthy of being exalted either. I'd drink another if it was offered, but won't go out of my way to buy again.
Rating: C
flavor: C
aftertaste: C
sweetness: B-
smoothness: B
carbonation: D+

Ozark Mountain Bottleworks root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Ozark Mountain Bottleworks, Inc. was started in 2009 as a way to share our unique recipes."

"The OZMB team is comprised of the mother and daughter combo of Debbie Walters and Tina King. Tina’s husband, Chris King, is also a joint owner in the company. The OZMB team brings together years of business experience and an entrepreneurial spirit to form a company based on family values and community involvement."

"Our Root Beer is handcrafted with 100% pure cane sugar. It is designed to highlight the classic flavors of Root Beer and Sarsaparilla to create a unique taste unlike anything else on the market."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Ozark Mountain Bottleworks, Branson, MO. 160 calories, 30g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top. www.ozmb.com


Ingredients: Carbonated Spring Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Natural Flavors, Caramel Color, Quillaja Extract, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative).


My thoughts: With a lower than average sugar content, I'm curious to see how this root beer turns out. I'm always happy when I see quillaja as an ingredient, as I know it'll have an excellent creamy sensation, so hopefully this one doesn't let me down. Okay, time to drink!

The root beer flavor is strong with this one...but in a generic way. It has a strong sassafras taste, but seems to lack most of the usual spices that add variety. Oh yeah, except the "punch you in the face" wintergreen, which almost overwhelms the rest of the flavor. There might be other things going on in their mix, but I can't taste it over the mint, which becomes even more pronounced as an aftertaste. While I don't mind a mintier aftertaste and I like a little wintergreen, this one is too much for me. If you're a wintergreen fan, this might be the root beer you're looking for.

Carbonation is nice, with smaller feeling bubbles that provide just a little bit of sting. It seems to be fairly consistent through drinking the whole bottle, only slightly lessening in strength as I reached the bottom. The quillaja extract makes for a nice, creamy sensation, helping it to feel smooth and frothy. Sweetness is spot on, which comes at a bit of a surprise with only 30g of sugar instead of the 40g or so in the average root beer. It doesn't leave my mouth feeling overly syrupy or sugar coated.

While the flavor is pedestrian and too minty for my taste, I like what Ozark Mountain Bottleworks is doing with the other aspects. They certainly nailed the carbonation, smoothness, and sugar, but those aspects are overshadowed by the taste. I'd like to see what they could do with better proportioned ratio of the spices they use. Alas, I don't think this will be one I'd make the effort to buy again.


Rating: C-
flavor: D+
aftertaste: C-
sweetness: A
smoothness: A
carbonation: A

Foxon Park root beer

Background information: (from the website): "Foxon Park Beverages, Inc. was founded in 1922 in East Haven, Connecticut by Matteo Naclerio, an immigrant from Italy. He quickly embraced the entrepreneurial spirit of his era and decided to open up a beverage company called “Foxon Park,” named after the street on which it resided at the time. Home delivery and a vast variety of flavors were the key to success back then, and unique flavors such as Iron Brew (a drink made famous in Scotland), Gassosa (a lemon flavored Italian soda), Birch Beer, Root Beer, and many others set Foxon Park apart from the vast competition. Ownership has been passed from generation to generation and still remains in the family today, continuing the tradition that was started so long ago."

"Although much has changed over the years, the recipe has remained the same. Using only the best ingredients, including real cane sugar, Foxon Park has become a drink of choice throughout many parts of Connecticut and has started to garner interest in other parts of the country as well. Thanks to its ever growing distribution radius, this soda has been spotted in restaurants as far west as California and as far south as Florida."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Foxon Park Beverages, INC. East Haven, Conn 06513 CT.  130 calories, 34g sugar. Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.foxonpark.com


Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, and sodium benzoate.


My thoughts: Whoa!  There is some wintergreen in this thing and it's pretty strong.  The initial flavor is fairly weak in the rootiness, but I there are some spices in there but it's hard to single them out with the overwhelming mint.  Not only does it dominate the upfront flavor, but the aftertaste as well.  It's certainly not a well balanced mix of flavors.

I do like the crispness of the carbonation.  It's strong and a bit prickly, just how I like my CO₂.  Of course, high carbonation usually means less smooth, which is the case here, but not negatively so.  There is still a hint of creaminess and I think it works well.  The sugar seems to be just about right too, not leaving the dreaded coating behind that some of the more poorly sweetened beverages can.

Unfortunately for this root beer, it just doesn't have what it takes in the flavor department.  With a lack or rootiness and an overabundance of wintergreen, it's unable to take advantage of the strengths offered by the other criteria, which is too bad.


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