welcome to anthony's root beer barrel! here anthony reviews root beers, birch beers & sarsaparillas, randomly rambles about the topic and probably some more stuff. so check it all out, feel free to comment on reviews or rate brews yourself.

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Tommy’s Naked Soda Righteous Root Beer

October 31, 2001
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 4:14 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, online Obtained in: Northern MA
Head: Small Sweetener: cane sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.tommysnakedsoda.com/

very rarely do you see a clear root beer. a clear birch? sure, pretty common, but not root beer. of the “natural” root beers i have had, this one is probably the most normal. it only has four (4) ingredients: carbonated water, cane sugar, natural flavors, citric acid. the flavor is not the most distinctively “root beer” but it is pretty decent. subtle really, not in your face at all, like some brands *cough*VIRGIL’S*cough*JOURNEY*cough* whoa, excuse me! this drink is really light yet still sweet and almost refreshing. not like a lemon-lime drink or some such nonsense, but better. i enjoyed it.
Anthony’s Rating: 80
Your Rating: 83
# of ratings:51

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Roundhouse Rootbeer

October 31, 2001
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 3:45 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: IL, online Obtained in: mailorder
Head: Small Sweetener: cane sugar, honey
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.walterpaytonsroundhouse.com

this is a heavy rootbeer. i think the honey does that. you’d probably feel a bit ill if you just chugged the whole bottle. i did not really expect that from this brand. i dunno why. probably since Walter Payton makes the stuff and most athlete endorsed products stink. but his restaurants seem to be doing well so most likely he has little to do with any of it. nonetheless, this root beer is pretty good. creamy but slightly bitter. yet still sweet. i dunno, it is kinda weird, i know. not the best stuff, but i think i’d be in the mood for it sometimes.
Anthony’s Rating: 76
Your Rating: 76
# of ratings:14

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Stewart’s Soda Original Birch Beer

October 29, 2001
Filed under: birch beers reviews — anthony @ 4:10 pm
Type: Brown Birch Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY, online, Canada, everywhere Obtained in: Warren, NJ
Head: Small Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.drinkstewarts.com/

I don’t really know how long this has been around. i never noticed it until this summer myself. and no one ever told me about it or got me any so i figure it is new. it is about time Stewart’s came out with a birch beer. i mean, they have been doing the root beer thing a long time now. just as their root beer is pretty much standard, generic “root beer”, this birch beer is standard, generic birch beer. a slight wintergreen taste, not a ton of carbonation, quite sweet. but good on the whole.
Anthony’s Rating: 70
Your Rating: 75
# of ratings:43

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Old Soaker Root Beer

October 29, 2001
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 2:53 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: ME, online Obtained in: mailorder from company
Head: Large Sweetener: cane sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.atlanticbrewing.com/

strangely enough, i mailordered a case of this just a couple of weeks before i went to Maine for vacation. it turned out to be a good thing since i did not see any of this root beer while i was there anyhow. unfortunately it tastes like nothing. for real. it is pretty much carbonated water to me. nope, nothing. that isn’t BAD so much i guess. i’d rather something tasted like nothing than that it tasted bad but i now have a case of tasteless root beer to drink. perhaps i just get a bad bottle and my next one will be good. in which case, i will add to this review. i doubt that though. if this is “Bar Harbour’s favorite” then i pity the people from Maine even more than i did before. no, wait, i do taste a little bit of yummy sweetness now that i am almost done. alright, maybe my palette was not clear enough or something. that raises my rating a little.
ok, now it is a bit later and i have had more and it is actually quite tasty. creamy, sweet, root beer yummyness. i am glad that is the case. so i will up my rating from a 54.
Anthony’s Rating: 86
Your Rating: 81
# of ratings:41

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