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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Archer Farms Premium Sarsaparilla Soda

September 14, 2006
Filed under: sarsaparilla reviews — anthony @ 8:30 pm
Type: Sarsaparilla 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, everywhere Obtained in: Target, Birdgewater, NJ
Head: Medium Sweetener: sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://target.com

everytime i go to Target (which is really way too much i must admit) i browse their soda aisle as they seem to randomly have some good sodas, which are often on clearance. that is unfortunate in ways since it means they are not selling so they won’t be restocked, but it is good for me to get that brand for cheap. anyway, they now seem to have a line of premium sodas of their own devising which they have released under their Archer Farms imprint. the flavor is not so bad. a little bit sweet and a little bit watery somehow. it just does not impress me but it does not gross me out. it is a little tame for a sarsaparilla though, in my opinion, kind of a sweet, slightly root-ish flavor that might be good as something to not think about so much. maybe when you are reading or watching a movie or something and don’t want to be distracted by your beverage’s awesomeness. i would buy it again i am sure, just as something easily available and different.
Anthony’s Rating: 82
Your Rating: 76
# of ratings:14

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Soho Natural Root Beer

September 14, 2006
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 5:51 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 23oz can
Available: discontinued Obtained in: Springfield, NJ Big Lots
Head: Small Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar
Caffeine: No

what the hey is up with this weird size can? there are just all sorts of bizarre things about this stuff. yeh, the can size, but they say all over it how it is “made with pure cane sugar” but it also has high fructose corn syrup. how come? well, i am sure it made it cheaper to make, but still… oh wait! it is a product of the Arizona Beverage company! that explains the wacky size. and the 99 cent price. the taste is alright, but not great. you can taste the cane sugar, which is good and it has a carmelly flavor otherwise yet it doesn’t wow me at all. it is not the expected flavor which is a good thing but there is not much else there beyond that carmel thing. i like the lack of preservatives and artificial color but coloring it at all seems a bit silly. oh well.
Anthony’s Rating: 68
Your Rating: 100
# of ratings:1

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Gale’s Root Beer

September 14, 2006
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 5:41 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: IL, OK, online Obtained in: sent in mail
Head: Huge Sweetener: corn sweetener
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.trurestaurant.com/chefs/gand_endeavors.cfm

i have been wanting to try this soda for a long time, after seeing it appear as one of the best on many other sites. i am surprised to see they use corn syrup in here, seem to go against the whole point of a gourmet root beer but oh well. ok, wow does that have a huge head! crazy stuff. hhhmmm, the label declares this to be “Cinnamon Ginger Vanilla Flavored” and it is definitely cinnamon! geez. now i do very much like cinnamon, don’t get me wrong here and it does add a unique flavor to this but it overwhelms the rest of it so much. in fact i can’t even taste the ginger and the vanilla is there only slightly. as a root beer i am just not that into it. as a soda it is decent and interesting though so i should judge it more on that side of things. sadly and quite disappointingly, it is just that, decent, not great.
Anthony’s Rating: 79
Your Rating: 85
# of ratings:23

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Benchmark Old-Time Sarsaparilla

September 14, 2006
Filed under: sarsaparilla reviews — anthony @ 5:40 pm
Type: Sarsaparilla Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: NH, VT Obtained in: gift from friend
Head: Small Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup
Caffeine: No

another vanity labelled soda. strange how they all seem to be in New Hampshire. i suspect one of the other ones has just changed their name or something here, but i could be all wrong and this is yet another one. this is rather good too, which surprises me also. the flavor has suggestions of the usual “root beer” flavor yet deviates from that with some extra spice. i am trying to place the spice, perhaps a hint of clove with some cinnimon? the sweetness is a little too syrupy for me, but corn syrup seems to have that effect on things that are liquid.
Anthony’s Rating: 81
Your Rating: 42
# of ratings:2

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La Mundial Zarsaparrilla

September 14, 2006
Filed under: sarsaparilla reviews — anthony @ 5:38 pm
Type: Sarsaparilla Comes In: 470ml plastic bottle
Available: Costa Rica Obtained in: Costa Rica someplace
Head: Tiny Sweetener: sugar
Caffeine: No

my friend Cathy got this for me on a recent trip to Costa Rica. who would have known that sarsaparilla is made/sold outside the US, let alone what it is called in spanish? certainly not I! I might even have missed this in the refrigerated section of a Costa Rican’s grocery store. i was quite apprehensive about tasting this as almost all non-American versions of root beer, birch beer and sarsaparilla have been some very bizarre (and often quite unsuccessful) versions of the expected flavor. nonetheless this one is actually good. really good! it is quite light and very refreshing, especially for a non-clear soda. (why colored sodas are less refreshing i am not sure. maybe the artificial coloring is syrupy and thick or something in general? i don’t know.) there is almost no carbonation which i think adds to the soda in this case. although the flavor is definitely recognizable as sarsaparilla, it does deviate a bit with some more herbal flavor, a hint of licorice perhaps? the real sugar also is a good thing here, making it sweet without being syrupy and heavy. the only problem is that i can’t get anymore unless i go to Costa Rica myself! oh well, just have to enjoy this one bottle for now.
Anthony’s Rating: 89
Your Rating: 80
# of ratings:5

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