Jack Astor’s Brewski Root Beer

this soda is another one that i had not a whole lot of hope of getting. granted it is still made, but it only seems to be sold at the Canadian Jack Astor’s Bar & Grille locations. which is not to say i do not enjoy visiting that fine nation, but i think the chance of me getting there anytime soon is slim. so my root beer trade with Jon worked out very well for me yet again in this case.
the first thing i noticed about this root beer (or “racinette” as the French call it) is the top, it is the old style wider metal twist off top, like what used to be on 2 liter bottle of pop before they were replaced with the plastic version. i have seen a couple of companies do this but very rarely. the second thing i took note of was the green glass bottle. the only other ones i can think of that come in green glass are Empire Bottling Works Root Beer and Naturale 90 but the first has the smaller metal twist off cap and the latter is a bigger bottle but with the same cap style. curious.
then i finally opened it up.
there is a unique flavor here. perhaps it is caused by the “botanical extract” in the ingredient list. it is definitely something herbal in there. it makes it somewhat of a light taste but with a decent amount of sweetness which makes it feel heavier. they balance out somewhat and exist in harmony. this reminds me of a better version of the Journey Historic Brews in that i get that “root” flavor and it actually taste pretty good. notice i said “pretty good” and not “great” or “amazing” or something. my girlfriend would probably say that is because i so rarely say that sort of thing about anything but in this case it is because it it true. i enjoy it because it is different but i am content having it just this once because it is not so great.
Anthony’s Rating: 72
User’s Rating: 72
# of ratings:1
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Local Color Brewing Rug Rat Root Beer

for years i knew OF this soda but could never get any. the company did not mail order and none of the soda mail order places carried it. plus i just have not been to Michigan in many years so i never got any. but it had some of the coolest label art i had seen in a while, cute and fun. it was obviously directed as a playful jab for the parents towards the children to which they were marketing the only non-alcohol offering they made. then one day i was checking my links to be sure they were all ok and valid and all of that crazy intertubes magic stuff when i noticed that the old website for Rug Rat Root Beer was gone and the whole localcolor.com site had changed. it used to be quite visually exciting and fun. now it is lame. but perhaps that brings in the clients, i do not know.
nonetheless to the rescue comes the mighty Jon once again! during our recent email exchanges he listed Rug Rat as one of the sodas he had extra of, and not even too old either! so of the seven sodas i got in our trade, this is the one i was probably most excited about getting. hooray, at long last you are mine Rug Rat!
as i pop the cap (non-twist off, so i did indeed need a cap popper. i actually wrote “pop capper” but then realized that that device is what caused me to need the cap popper, weird how that works…) i am slightly concerned that this brew may be too old as there was not much of the releasing of air. oh well, not a huge deal.
ok, this right here is one of the BEST drinks i have ever had. wow! it is creamy yet hearty with a full body and strong presence. it has preciously the right amount of sweetness so that one’s taste buds and stomach are not overwhelmed by it but they are still forced to stand up and recognize that this drink is tickling them and making them happy.
every time i take a drink of this soda i put it down and am quiet for a moment as i savor the flavor and decide again that i have not been over selling it. i shake my head in wonder. i lick my lips to try to get every last molecule of taste that i can. this soda is not something i could just drink absent mindedly. if i tried to, each time i drank my full attention would be forced to my taste buds. it must be sipped and savored. as this is the one and only bottle of this i will probably ever have, it makes it rather bittersweet.
this is a very excellent brew to have for my 350th review. i certainly hope #400 is nearly as good.
sorry Boylan’s Natural and Bulldog, we have a new champion. you can relax though knowing that this is no longer made. but sleep may be difficult knowing that out there somewhere is a recipe for this soda.
and thank you to Local Color Brewing for restoring my faith in root beer. every once in a while i do wonder a little about just why i love root beer so much and this right here is why.
thanks.
Anthony’s Rating: 99
User’s Rating: 79
# of ratings:6
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Red Ribbon Home Brewed Style Root Beer

ah, at last! i have been meaning to make a trip out to PA to get a case of this and visit the brewery for a long time. but then Jon offered to trade me a bottle of it along with six other brews i had not had in exchange for seven root beers i had. perhaps you can imagine just how rare it is these days for me to find almost any root beers i have not had which are still made, let alone to find someone with seven of them. but if anyone out there would fit that bill it would be Jon. so let’s do this!
there is a very good, strong root beer scent as i open the cap, i always love that. the anticipation is wonderful! the taste though leaves a bit to be desired. it has a sharp flavor and not much else there. perhaps it is the citric acid in there although i doubt that adds a real taste. yeh, i am just not really enjoying this very much. that is a real shame. i think i went into this with an open mind, no expectations really. but it has let me down.
perhaps i will not make that exodus to the factory after all now.
Ingredients:filtered carbonated water, sugar, natural and artificial flavor, citric acid, caramel color

Anthony’s Rating: 59
User’s Rating: 66
# of ratings:6
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lots of new sodas!

so in my recent fit of searching for root beers and junk that i have not had or heard of i came upon a couple that i could mail order. that is very thrilling to me. but the bigger thing is that that “sodas i am looking for” thing on the sidebar there has been working quite well as a couple of companies have contacted me and i also did a trade for seven (yes, 7!) other brands i have not had. thus there will probably be a huge onslaught of reviews in the next month or so while i try to stay semi-current with this stuff. although that then means i probably won’t have many reviews for a while as there are even less sodas out there for me to review. oh well, that is the price i/we pay i guess. probably better to get reviews up i suppose.
anyway, i of course am always on the lookout for other new brands, so let me know if you know of anything i have not reviewed or can get any of the stuff which i have listed in my “Wanted” sidebar thing or on my Availibility page that does not have a review. thanks for visiting, please recycle your empties. =)