Welcome!

November 14, 2011
Filed under: random junk — anthony @ 12:56 pm

Hello and welcome to the oldest, largest and frankly the best root beer reviewing site in the world! over 550 brands reviewed so far! i also throw in birch beer and sarsaparilla reviews occasionally while i am at it since to me, they are the same genre. once in a while i even detour into other branches of the root beer tree, such as spruce beer, dandelion & burdock and the like. a new review publishes every week on Monday with the random post or review of root beer related stuff every once in a while. feel free to submit your own ratings, check out the rankings from me and other visitors, see what sodas are available near you and more. make a float, tap a keg or mix some extract up and enjoy!

anthony (me) started reviewing root beer related drinks in '96 but has always loved the delicious joy of root beer and birch beer and just kept it going ever since. if you have any suggestions of features you'd like to see or sodas you want reviewed, let me know!

 
 

The Edge Olde No 43 Homemade Root Beer

March 3, 2014
Filed under: root beers — anthony @ 5:00 am
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: MA, online Obtained in: sent by John
Head: Tiny Sweetener: cane sugar, brown sugar, molasses
Caffeine: No
Website: http://olde43.webs.com

so one day a kind fellow named John emailed me and told me about this soda, made only for a diner close to him, the Edge Diner in Shrewsbury, MA. i have probably driven within 10 minutes of this place 20 times but one never knows about such things really unless you have the connections. he raved about the soda and offered to send some my way although the latest batch was not up to snuff. of course i wanted it no matter what so with some careful timing in the cold winter months, it arrived at my doorstep.
even without the hype from the sender, seeing molasses as an ingredient makes me very happy, i do love me some molasses. in part it reminds me of olde tyme molasses candies that i used to always get at a penny candy store on the way home from skiing with my family in Vermont every year. couple that with the killer triple ginger molasses cookies i make for the holidays every year and my affection is explained in part.
twisting the top off, there is virtually no gas release, which is a shame as there will probably be no head or carbonation. i did try a second bottle with the same results so i will assume that is how they intended it.
now the soda itself is killer! wow, really really good. super sweet with the brown sugar and yes, the molasses coming through. but it does not weigh it down like the Olde Rhode Island that comes off as quite heavy and hearty but also yummy. it also seems to have a good cinnamon flavor to it that i like a lot. if this had a better head it would be one of the best i have ever had. as it is, it is still amazing and up there though. i am tempted to mail order some and will definitely get more when i am in the area myself. it is made by Empire Bottle Works for the diner who, I am told, have gotten such a great response to the root beer that they may sell the diner to concentrate on the soda. i wish them luck which ever way they decide to go with that. definitely seek this out if you can and enjoy a very good root beer.
Ingredients:artesian spring water, pure cane sugar, brown sugar, molasses, natural and artificial flavors

Anthony's Rating: 95
User's Rating: 0
# of ratings:0
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AG Barr Diet Dandelion & Burdock

February 24, 2014
Filed under: other reviews — anthony @ 5:00 am
Type: Diet Dandelion & Burdock Comes In: 12 oz can
Available: UK Obtained in: trade
Head: Small Sweetener: aspartame (NutraSweet), Acesulfame-k
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.agbarr.co.uk

i honestly have no clue how long this has been in my fridge. years would be the answer, at least 5, probably more like 7? the best by date on the bottom says 'NOV 01′ but there is little chance it has been in there for over 11 years. i put it off as i have not enjoyed the previous dandelion and burdocks i have had which when coupled with my dislike of diet sodas in general, this just kept being pushed back. but the time has come, i am running dangerously low on sodas to review. thus for the sake of the internet i will try it out and risk my belly's happiness for the next few hours.
the design is alright. as this is not a brand i am familiar with, perhaps it is more known as "D&B" and not AG Barr Diet Dandelion and Burdock, especially since the company name is very not prominent at all on the can. even on the website, the product is listed at "D&B". oh well. it looks like a diet drink, white can and gold lettering really lend themselves to the "diet" feel for whatever reason.
so time to try it out. yes, i was right to be apprehensive. this is another vile concoction from the UK. i almost pity the taste buds of my mates over the pond since there are so many awful drinks from there. ug. this tastes pretty much what i would imagine liquid dandelions to taste mixed with aluminum. it could of course be worse because of the age, but i suspect not. it is just not good and probably never was.
Ingredients:carbonated water, colour (caramel e150d), flavourings (including dandelion & burdock extract), citric acid, sweeteners (aspartame, acesuleame k), preservative (sodium benzoate)

Anthony's Rating: 16
User's Rating: 0
# of ratings:0
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Yacht Club New England Style Birch Beer

February 17, 2014
Filed under: birch beers — anthony @ 5:00 am
Type: White Birch Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: MA, RI Obtained in: mailorder from Old 52
Head: Small Sweetener: cane sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.yachtclubsoda.com

i don't know what makes this "New England Style" at all really. perhaps being clear? that would sort of make sense. it seems the the dark birches are more "PA Dutch style" for some reason. if i were to guess and did not know anything about this i would think that the PA Dutch, being a simpler people would not add caramel color to their sodas just for the sake of having a colored drink. thus the PA Dutch style would be clear. yet it is not so much. there are of course white birches from PA and dark birches from New England but in general i would say that my initial hypothesis is correct. look at me, all scientific or something. putting the "science" back in "computer science" and junk!
this is one brand of soda that i have gotten all of the flavors of in a very piecemeal fashion. usually i can get all two or three or four kinds at once but this one i have gotten each one individually, years apart at times. not that it matters too much really, but just unusual.
the flavor of this one is alright. i always hope for a pretty wintergreen dominated soda when i have a clear birch but this one is lacking a bit in that realm. it does have some wintergreen but i would like a bit more. it is pretty light and refreshing otherwise which is nice. and it is tasty but not great enough to vault it into the higher levels. it has a very good level of sweetness too, just about right.
Ingredients:carbonated natural artesian water, pur cane sugar, natural and artificial flavor, citric acid, benzoate of soda (as a preservatove)

Anthony's Rating: 81
User's Rating: 0
# of ratings:0
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Beehive Grill Beehive Brew Root Beer

February 10, 2014
Filed under: root beers — anthony @ 5:00 am
Type: Root Beer Comes In: On Tap
Available: UT, online Obtained in: order from brewery
Head: Small Sweetener: cane sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.thebeehivegrill.com/beehive.html

400th root beer review!! woo hoo!! crazy stuff. anyway, carry on…
ah, a draught root beer! from Utah! which would ordinarily mean i had been to Utah as it would only be available at the brewery itself and it is a rare thing when someone will send me a huge growler of soda. going to Utah would indeed be an amazing awesome thing, but alas, in this case it does not apply. the company was kind enough to sell and ship me a growler of their brew. and that is an amazing awesome thing in and of itself. plus growlers were on sale when i ordered so i got a couple bucks off. granted, shipping an already heavy glass bottle filled with a liquid is rather pricy but as i run low on sodas, i must do what i must do!
i am impressed that they have special growlers with their root beer logo on them! that is dedication to the cause. and an expectation to sell a good amount of them. it seems most other breweries i have been to and asked to get a growler of root beer, they are unsure if they can even do that.
this one is made with root beer extract, now that could mean that they make the extract themselves but i suspect that they bought it elsewhere. granted i am sure most sodas are made with extracts really, but i always hope for more. the flavor is excellent, but pretty standard. with a name like 'Beehive Brew' i had hoped for some honey in there but i do not taste any such thing. i think it would have helped make this more distinct though. after 500 or so root beers, one must really be amazing if it is going to be pretty standard and wants to stand out. if that makes sense. it does in my head but less so as pixels on the screen. you get my gist though.

Anthony's Rating: 77
User's Rating: 0
# of ratings:0
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