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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Frostie Root Beer

December 20, 2001
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 5:37 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle, 12 oz can
Available: CA, OK, TX, online Obtained in: mail from Seattle Specialty Beverages & popsoda.com
Head: Large Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup, sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.leadingedgebrands.com/

at last! frostie is mine to drink! you don’t know how many people told me to just go get some at Costco or something. finally i just ordered some. then i also got a bottle in my sampler pack from Seattle Specialty Beverages. the drink itself is pretty much regular root beer. a little spicy, a slight wintergreen kick, a pretty lot of carbonation. creamy. a good drink though. it may be somewhat generic but it falls on the good side of that fence. the foam lasts forever also, which is weird but not really bad so much.
Anthony’s Rating: 85
Your Rating: 84
# of ratings:274

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Great Montana Soda Factory Root Beer

December 19, 2001
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 5:39 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: MT, online Obtained in: mailorder from Seattle Specialty Beverages
Head: Large Sweetener: sugar
Caffeine: No

strange. this has a taste that makes it seem like it has cane sugar, but supposedly it does not. it is not too strong thing or even a bad thing, so i can get over it. very creamy even though it has no vanilla. at least not listed by name, it could be one of the “natural and artificial flavors.” i am not really impressed here. it is slightly unique but the taste is off to me. something is just not right. slightly herbal? perhaps. overly sweet in a bad way? could be. i am just not sure. i’d drink more i suppose, but i wouldn’t special order it.
Anthony’s Rating: 59
Your Rating: 44
# of ratings:7

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Clearwater Rootbeer

December 17, 2001
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 5:26 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: MA Obtained in: Pizzapalooza, Newton, MA
Head: Medium Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup
Caffeine: No

another company that makes custom labels and junk for restaurants and so on. this one was for Pizzapalooza in Newton, Mass. i believe my friends Kath and Mike got this for me. in any case, it is decent. a sharp taste, possibly from over-carbonation, although people like that i suppose at times. not exceptional, but it is something i would enjoy drinking with a couple slices of pineapple pizza or a nice calzone or something. not that i know how the food is at this “Pizzapalooza” establishment or anything of course. it is Massachusetts afterall.
Anthony’s Rating: 68
Your Rating: 78
# of ratings:13

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Journey Beverage Co John Barleycorn Root Beer

December 13, 2001
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 2:39 pm
Type: Root 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, everywhere Obtained in: mailorder from popsoda.com
Head: Medium Sweetener: cane sugar, natural sweetener blend, fructose
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.journeyfood.com/

the 3rd and final one of the “Historic Brews.” this one claims to be “Nutty Malty Foamy” and derived from Scottish and Irish American recipes. although it is not the swill that the normal Journey beverages are, this is quite bad. i suppose it is malty, which is a bad thing to me. nutty? sort of i guess. verging om rancid? yes indeed. the taste is quite complex, changing drasticly from initial sip to swallow and afterwards. i think it is just too thick and hearty tasting for my liking. the irish part of me feels no connection to this soda either. granted it is a small part so perhaps it forgets.
Anthony’s Rating: 19
Your Rating: 37
# of ratings:8

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Journey Beverage Co Desert Sage Root Beer

December 13, 2001
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 2:33 pm
Type: Root 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, everywhere Obtained in: Hudson Valley, NY
Head: Tiny Sweetener: cane sugar, natural sweetener blend, fructose
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.journeyfood.com/

the 2nd of the 3 “Historic Brews” and this one is actually alright too. better than the first in fact. this one is supposed to be in the tradition of the Native Americans who put Sage in their sassafras “root beer” way back when. who knows if that is true, but who cares also? this still tastes herbal but it is a pleasent taste and it makes this brew very distinct from any other kind i have tried. i can barely finish a bottle though as the the taste begins to grate on your taste buds after a bit. i hate the fact that the cap has little arrows indicating twist off, but you need a bottle opener for it. annoying journey people!! arg!
Anthony’s Rating: 69
Your Rating: 35
# of ratings:7

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Dave and Buster’s Old Fashioned Philly Root Beer

December 12, 2001
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 5:32 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, IL, MD, MI, MO, NY, OH, PA, RI, TX Obtained in: Atlanta, GA
Head: Medium Sweetener: sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://daveandbusters.com/

if you have never been to a Dave and Buster’s it is basically a restuarant with a big arcade and a bar. pool tables, shuffleboard tables, and so on. anyhow, they have their own root beer. i tried a couple of bottles while visiting the future in-laws in Georgia although the original and biggest Dave and Buster’s is right in Philly. the soda is good. quite tasty. but nothing spectacular. i think that is the problem with reviewing tons of root beer, the ones that are good, but not amazing don’t really stand out, they are kind of middle of the road. if i had reviewed this 2 or 3 years ago i think i’d love it more. oh well. creamy, sweet, a little too carmel-y maybe. good though
Anthony’s Rating: 83
Your Rating: 84
# of ratings:101

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