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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Sainsbury’s Root Beer

March 1, 2002
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 2:26 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 2L plastic bottle
Available: UK Obtained in: Mail from Sam!
Head: Tiny Sweetener: sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.sainsburys.co.uk

alright, so this was shipped from over the pond so it may have more head when you actually get it. it has a pretty unique taste too. rather subtle in fact. i kind of expected this to stink, i mean, could a british company make an american drink well? actually i think they did a pretty admirable job. the taste is slightly herbal, which makes sense as it says “made with… natural herbal extracts” on the label. i like it, but i don’t love it. if it was all i could get though i’d be pretty content.
Anthony’s Rating: 75
Your Rating: 76
# of ratings:25

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A-Treat Sarsaparilla

February 26, 2002
Filed under: sarsaparilla reviews — anthony @ 4:39 pm
Type: Sarsaparilla Comes In: 12 oz can, 20 oz plastic bottle, 2L plastic bottle, keg
Available: NJ, PA, online Obtained in: online from the Amish Country Store
Head: Medium Sweetener: sugar, fructose
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.a-treat.com/

hhhhmmm, this soda tastes totally different than it smells. weird. the scent is very herbal, “rooty” if you will excuse the pun. the taste though is rather sweet. it does have a slight kick but on the whole it is pretty root beer-ish. the weirdest part is that i really feel like i taste honey in here, which is not listed. i enjoy it yet i feel it tastes a little kooky. in a good way though really. yummy stuff here. especially for a canned soda.
Anthony’s Rating: 86
Your Rating: 74
# of ratings:55

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Kutztown Birch Beer

February 26, 2002
Filed under: birch beers reviews — anthony @ 2:44 pm
Type: Red Birch Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle, 24 oz plastic bottle, keg
Available: OK, PA, online Obtained in: mail from company
Head: Medium Sweetener: cane sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.kutztownbottlingworks.com/

another solid soda from Kutztown. this is a red birch which for some reason, i enjoy more than brown ones but a little less than clear ones. usually as least. the head seems to get bigger and longer laster the more i drink which is sort of strange. i think some people will find this too sweet but i do not. in fact, i can’t really tell it has cane sugar instead of regular sugar, that distinct cane sugar taste just is not here. oh well. so much the better really.
Anthony’s Rating: 93
Your Rating: 83
# of ratings:32

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Publix Diet Root Beer

February 25, 2002
Filed under: diet root beer reviews — anthony @ 3:29 pm
Type: Diet Root Beer Comes In: 12 oz can, 2L plastic bottle, 3L plastic bottle
Available: AL, FL, GA, SC Obtained in: Roswell, GA
Head: Tiny Sweetener: aspartame (NutraSweet)
Caffeine: No
Website: http://publix.com

as usual, i will issue the disclaimer that i don’t like diet sodas much. nonetheless this is not half bad. yeh, there is a slight aspertame taste, but it is quite slight. sure, it doesn’t taste a whole lot like root beer per se, but i won’t count that against them too much. it is a valient effort and i would recommend this to those who can’t have sugar
Anthony’s Rating: 43
Your Rating: 64
# of ratings:7

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Kutztown Sarsaparilla

February 21, 2002
Filed under: sarsaparilla reviews — anthony @ 2:31 pm
Type: Sarsaparilla Comes In: 24 oz plastic bottle, keg
Available: OK, PA, online Obtained in: mail from company
Head: Tiny Sweetener: cane sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.kutztownbottlingworks.com/

this is a nice soda. a great scent, a very good flavor that is not overpowering, a fine amount of carbonation… the only flaw is that the flavor could be a little stronger. it has a little bit of a mint taste, a little strange for a sarsaparilla. not a bad thing though at all. i like the label, although a 24 oz bottle is a bit weird. whatever. i will have to try to get a keg of this, as i suspect it is even better that way.
Anthony’s Rating: 87
Your Rating: 81
# of ratings:42

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Publix Root Beer

February 11, 2002
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 3:31 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12 oz can, 2L plastic bottle, 3L plastic bottle
Available: AL, FL, GA, SC Obtained in: Roswell, GA
Head: Huge Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup
Caffeine: No
Website: http://publix.com

the can is pretty nice. the root beer is pretty bland. a slight fruity flavor and a ton of carbonation. not really the most classic “root beer” tasting soda, but they should not really be marked down for that. they should be marked down for making me get so much gas though. (or as my grandmother puts it “repeating on me.”) i don’t enjoy it highly but it is ok. i just don’t think they know what root beer is about down south. or maybe i just can’t think of any good southern brands right now. Root 66 is kind of southern and they are darn good. whatever.
Anthony’s Rating: 53
Your Rating: 61
# of ratings:33

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Shotz Root Beer

February 8, 2002
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 2:24 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: WI, online, discontinued Obtained in: mailorder from company
Head: Small Sweetener: sugar
Caffeine: No

so i really think this is the same as Alder Brau, just bottled for someone else. (it does say “brewed for Brew City… By: Appleton Brewing Co.”) but i will pretend it is not. after all, i spent $20 for a 6 pack of it. some of that money i will have to regain by selling the empties on ebay. plus you get a glove that says “doing it our way on it.” several of those in fact. after tasting this, i am more convinced it is the same as Alder Brau although that was reviewed a crud-load of time ago, so i kinda forget. light, refreshing almost. sweeter than i thought it would be. in fact the sweetness is very honey-like. today i will be less lazy and i will get a glass to pour some into, as it seems clear. ok, it is a golden colour, almost like a (ICK!) ginger ale! it definitely taste better from the bottle. so yeh, this is good. unique and all of that.
Anthony’s Rating: 92
Your Rating: 64
# of ratings:10

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