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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Deerfield Root Beer

December 21, 2007
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 6:07 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 16oz 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: Walgreens, Bound Brook, NJ
Head: Small Sweetener: sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://walgreens.com

a few months ago i went to my local Walgreens to get something or other, maybe a prescription or perhaps some cold and flu medicine or whatever, that is not the important thing here, stay focused! anyway, so i go there and happen to glance at the soda selection as i have a habit of doing every time i pass any bottled beverages at all. to my shock and delight i see a new root beer brand! both regular and diet! whoa! as i think i was ill at the time and i had a huge backup of sodas in my fridge, i did not get it right then. but i went back recently, having totally forgotten it was there and was happy again to see it still there, yet annoyed at my memory for failing me yet again. ug, getting old i guess. so i bought it.
and now i am drinking it. and it is very tasty. which sort of goes against my slight bias against big corporations and their beverage attempts. i guess sometimes they get it right. glass bottle? check! no corn syrup, actual sugar? check! tastes good? check! sometimes i think i should do some sort of blind tasting so i am not influenced by the brand name or packaging or whatever. i do try to be impartial to that stuff though. but the fact that they went to the trouble of not using high fructose corn syrup and bottled in glass shows to me that they are trying to make something of quality. this soda has just the right amount of creaminess so it goes down well but urges you not to just chug it. the carbonation level is very good, it is present and adds its fun to the mix yet it does not overwhelm or strike back against you. i suppose it loses a couple points for being a bit too predictable in flavor, i hope for some, at least slight, variety to set it apart. i will be getting this a lot more often i think as it is probably the easiest o find, very good root beer. shocking! have i sold out my punk rock/DIY/indie ideals? stay tuned for my review of the diet version eventually and see!
Anthony’s Rating: 88
Your Rating: 89
# of ratings:13

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Dad’s Diet Root Beer

December 19, 2007
Filed under: diet root beer reviews — anthony @ 6:26 pm
Type: Diet Root Beer Comes In: 20 oz plastic 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: some convience store
Head: Tiny Sweetener: aspartame (NutraSweet)
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.dadsrootbeer.com/

ug, another diet soda from another highly respected root beer name. i am sure it will be vile, but i suppose i should not form an opinion already, before i even try it. this could be the one! a tasty diet soda! nah, what are the chances of that actually happening?
actually it is not awful. at least there is not that huge terrible aftertaste, for whatever reason. that is a huge step! granted the taste is not good. at least what there is of the taste. if you can even call this “taste.” i think i would term it “a kind of bitter, medicine-esque hint in my water.”
i think i have mentioned once or twice that i don’t enjoy diet sodas much so this should really be no surprise. perhaps i should hire someone who enjoys diet beverages to evaluate them. and by “hire” i mean hand them a bottle and publish what they write about it when i get around to it. but does anyone actually truly enjoy this stuff? maybe if i had to… well, this is better than a lot of them i guess.
Anthony’s Rating: 30
Your Rating: 53
# of ratings:4

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Frostie Vanilla Root Beer

December 18, 2007
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 1:57 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: OK, TX, online Obtained in: mail order from popsoda.com
Head: Large Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.leadingedgebrands.com/

whoa! holy vanilla! i guess you cannot say there is no truth in advertising with this soda right here. before i opened or sipped it i thought “anthony, do they really need a separate vanilla root beer?” my answer was “i am not so sure self, try it already and see!” so i did. and now my tummy feels like it is going to rebel. this is, by far, the richest root beer i have ever had. great googly moogly! i think my teeth rot a little more with every sip. i eat a good amount of sweet food and have even been known to eat packets of sugar straight too but my stomach may reject this outright.
i am not sure i understand the “best by” date as it is “11 . 40C” although that last letter may not be a “C” as it kind of fades out. i don’t think this went bad since i really did just get it about 2 weeks ago. who knows, just strikes me as weird.
so on the one hand i sort of like this. it is different. on the other, i don’t. it is sort of gross. to me, the taste is much more butterscotch than just straight vanilla i think. now if they had marketed this as “Butterscotch Root Beer” i would be more ready for that. i quite enjoy those gold foil wrapped candies given out by grandmothers and asian restaurants for whatever reason. and this soda reminds me of that taste. is that a good thing? occasionally i guess it is. i could have this once or twice a year and be fine never having it other times. the sweetness and the flavor are just so overwhelming and intense that i just can’t imagine me thinking “hey, i want some of that liquid butterscotch soda!” but who knows, maybe i would.
but it is definitely worth trying out this soda i would say. but be ready.
Anthony’s Rating: 65
Your Rating: 84
# of ratings:2

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Triple XXX Root Beer

December 17, 2007
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 2:49 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle, On Tap
Available: IN, OK, WA, online Obtained in: mailorder from company
Head: Small Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.triplexxxfamilyrestaurant.com/

oh my gosh, how much have i heard about this soda?! people writing me all the time, seeing their old products all the time on ebay and junk. eventually i found out they not only still existed but had a website and i could order from it! i waited a bit until i knew i would be more on top of my reviews and got a case. it was an exciting day when it arrived at last! although that was at least a month or so ago and i have not actually drank any of it yet.
before that let me just say that i find the brand name very funny every time. “Triple XXX” would be nine (9!) X’s: “XXXXXXXXX.” now that is very X-filled. super straight edge or super naked i suppose. i feel like it may have made kids really enjoy it on several levels just from the name. i mean, you always see the bottles of alcohol in cartoons with the 3 X’s on em, so there is that level, pretending you are getting cartoon drunk. but then it also seems naughty in the adult film sense so you feel like you are mature or something for getting some. i don’t know, perhaps not.
so let’s twist off the cap! i must say i do very much prefer soda in glass bottles, nonetheless you have to remember to wipe off the bottle top or you get that weird rusty metal taste. i almost always forget myself. i also quite enjoy their slogan: “Tastes like root beer used to taste.” i am not sure how true that is but it very well could be right. so the taste here is rather good but not exceptional. it has a slightly different hint to it that just barely separates it from so many other brands. i can’t quite place just what though. maybe it is a little less creamy so a bit sharper than others. it just does not stand out for me. and i so wanted it to. i like so much about it, the logo, colors, history, wacky name, and it being root beer but i have been somewhat let down. alas.
Anthony’s Rating: 73
Your Rating: 42
# of ratings:4

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Simpson Spring Sarsaparilla

December 11, 2007
Filed under: sarsaparilla reviews — anthony @ 12:45 pm
Type: Sarsaparilla Comes In: 10oz glass bottle
Available: MA, online Obtained in: factory store
Head: Medium Sweetener: corn sweetener, sugar, fructose
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.simpsonspring.com/

how did this soda also elude my testing scrutiny for so long? i bought it last year when i went to Cape Cod for new year’s eve. i suppose i just assumed all along that i had reviewed it long ago as i have drank many a bottle of it since that time.
this is very well carbonated, particularly for being in my fridge for so long, impressive indeed. so this makes one rather gassy, that is one attribute. if it is a plus or a minus is up to you and the particular social situation you find yourself in at the time of consumption. although i am unsure just how often you would be at a fancy gathering consuming sarsaparilla unless it is an attempt to be ironic or something, which would obviously fail badly.
there is a definite “biting” quality to this beverage, in a good way. it is sharp somehow, even beyond the high carbonation level. i like it, it makes this pop different from others. but i don’t love it, it is a bit too sharp really. different does not always mean better, just ask Journey about that one. it also lacks body somehow, which is not really bad, just something i would think this soda should have. go all out and make it hearty and sharp and junk.
Anthony’s Rating: 77
Your Rating: 85
# of ratings:1

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Tommyknocker Root Beer Float

December 10, 2007
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 10:24 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MA, MI, MN, NE, NC, ND, OH, RI, SC, TX, UT, VA, WI, WY, online Obtained in: random town in Utah
Head: Large Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.tommyknocker.com/ourSoda.html

a few months ago my girlfriend and I went to Utah, to go to three national parks, do a load of hiking, see some rad stuff and all of that. and we did indeed do all of that. i was a bit saddened though that i did not find any new root beers, especially in Moab, that seemed the perfect place for a wacky brewery to be. that is until one of the last days when we stopped at a random store in a small town for some snacks for our final car ride back to Salt Lake City. and in the refrigerated section of that grocer’s inventory was the full line of Tommyknocker sodas! i was excited, mainly because i quite enjoyed their regular root beer but also because this soda was there too! but i never tried it until now.
here is the short review for those of you pressed for time: it tastes like bubble gum, exactly.
now for the longer part: yup, it really does indeed taste just like bubble gum. how in the world is that anything like a root beer float? what are you thinking Tommyknocker people?! i think this stuff may in fact be discontinued and i definitely see why, if so. if not, i think it should be as this wreaks mass havoc upon the fine name of “Tommyknocker!” so let this be a plea to anyone in anyway affiliated with that company, stop them! now! please?
Anthony’s Rating: 22
Your Rating: 29
# of ratings:3

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Lotsa Root Beer

December 9, 2007
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 10:21 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 3L plastic bottle
Available: OH Obtained in: Odd Lots, Springfield, NJ
Head: Small Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup
Caffeine: No

i suppose when a beverage can be obtained at a rate cheaper than water, in this case 99 cents for a three (3) liter bottle, it probably won’t be all that high quality of a delight. in this case, that statement is true indeed. i am not telling you this is awful, but it is not good. i would honestly rather not have it though. i might pick the aforementioned water instead even if given the choice. it is a mainly generic root beer taste but washed out. it does not command the full attention of your taste buds and tongue, it just sort of lazily slides over them, too tired or bored or timid to do much except lazily sprinkle them all with a hint of root beer. and not in a good way either mind you. so the moral of this fine tale is to just get the store brand or something instead of this if you have a dollar and change and need a huge jug o’ root beer goodness since this won’t get that job done so well.
Anthony’s Rating: 42
Your Rating: 0
# of ratings:0

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IBC in a weird can

December 9, 2007
Filed under: random junk — anthony @ 9:57 pm

so, last week i was coming home from teaching a Spin class when i thought i would swing by the local dollar store. that sort of establishment seems to be a very fine hunting ground for new and/or random root beers. i mean, something like Odd Lots or Big Lots is better since it is a much more wacky and bizarre collection of stuff from all over the place but dollar stores sometimes play that same role. anyway, i head for the beverage aisle and see this thing sitting on the shelf.
at first i saw just the one can so i grab it but soon after i saw a whole pile of em. now i do not know when IBC started canning their drink, but it seems a weird move. which could very well be why it was at the dollar store afterall. nonetheless, i am glad this did not succeed. if a soda can be put into a glass bottle and sold profitably, it should be. not just because it tastes better but because it recycles/reuses better, save the earth and all of that stuff. i will try this canned craziness sometime and be sure to report back, yet i hope it is not a sign of things to come. although i see Independent Brewing Company’s root beer less often these days, they should be doing well enough to continue with the real glass bottle strategy i would think. so is this a common format for them in other parts of the nation? do share people, i am curious.
i will get some more reviews up this week, do not fret, my fridge is not quite empty yet.

 
 

Frostie Diet Root Beer

December 6, 2007
Filed under: diet root beer reviews — anthony @ 3:07 pm
Type: Diet Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: CA, OK, TX, online Obtained in: mail ordered
Head: Large Sweetener: sucralose/splenda
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.leadingedgebrands.com/

*sigh* why do diet sodas have to be gross? and give me a stomach ache pretty much immediately? i really thought that sucralose (Splenda) was a better option, but it clearly is not that much better judging from this brew right here. Frostie is such an exalted name in root beer circles. well, i think it must be. or it might be. if there are any root beer circles. i wouldn’t know myself i suppose, being outside of all that, or perhaps being my own little circle. so yeh, this is not so good. it tastes a little more like root beer than a lot of diet ones do, but it still does not taste all that much like it. the one good thing here is that the bottle is quite cool. fun labels, embossed “Frostie” logo in the glass around the neck, that is cool. i suppose this is sort of the opposite case of the Kutztown Root Beer I reviewed earlier, this one has a craptacular liquid in a cool packge, that one had a very tasty beverage in a cool, yet grammatically wrong package. but hey, it has no carbs! woo hoo, rejoice that we can swill crap and think we are doing good for ourselves somehow.
Anthony’s Rating: 22
Your Rating: 0
# of ratings:0

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Kutztown Root Beer

December 6, 2007
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 2:31 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle, 20 oz plastic bottle
Available: OK, PA, online Obtained in: mail from company
Head: Small Sweetener: cane sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.kutztownbottlingworks.com/

i am really going to have to order another bottle or 10 of this since it has been in my basement for a good long time. i assumed i had reviewed it long ago but when i took inventory yesterday i noticed i had not! which is a huge shame as i quite liked the other offerings from Kutztown Bottle Works.
i like the taste of this one. it has a hint of a birch-like wintergreen-ness which works well here, in a more hearty package than most birch beers provide. this brew has a body to it that does not go down quite as simply as your average clear birch does is what i am trying to get at here. some people say that corn syrup and cane sugar taste exactly the same, but i just don’t believe that at all. cane sugar has a dsitinct taste and it seems to linger longer in your mouth. i can tell this beverage is made with cane sugar. i quite like the text on the bottle too, which i shall reproduce as best i can, errors intact, or intentional:
When you're bad for something
mighty good, reach for a foamy
mug of Kutztown Root Beer!
Tastes chust like old-fashioned,
'cause you know we make it
that way. Drink 'til you ouch,
there's more back!
now i myself find it endearing that they did not catch the errors. but who is to say they ARE errors really? perhaps there really is more back. somehow. whatever that means. as long as the quality of the soda is high, the packaging is less important.
Anthony’s Rating: 77
Your Rating: 95
# of ratings:2

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