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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Chuck Wagon Birch Beer

March 31, 2008
Filed under: birch beers reviews, diet birch beer reviews — anthony @ 5:59 pm
Type: Red Birch Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: PA, online Obtained in: mailorder from company
Head: Medium Sweetener: sucralose/splenda
Caffeine: No
Website: http://chuckwagonsoda.com

and now it is time for the sampling of the birch beer! hooray! i do so enjoy a good red birch i must admit. probably not as much as a good clear birch, but still a very good amount. i hope this one lives up to the other sodas in their line which i have tried so far.
hhhhmmm, i do like it OK but it does fall a little short. the flavor has a hint of wintergreen but otherwise i don’t taste a lot here. it may be another case of the crazy amount of carbonation hiding the actual flavor of the beverage though. plus there is something weird about the taste that is there and an after taste, like it has an artificial sweetener. let me see… oh crap, there it is: sucralose! i assumed this had sugar like the other two varieties i have sampled. so i suppose this is a diet beverage. there is no nutrition information anywhere though to confirm calorie or carbohydrate content. isn’t that illegal or something? curious… well, anyway if it IS indeed a diet drink, it is not bad. but if it is not, it is just OK. i would think they would label it as diet if it was, or maybe they think it stacks up with full sugar brands of birch beer. it does not so much but is a valiant effort nonetheless.
i am a bit sad, i thought this would be the best yet in the Chuck Wagon line. alas.
i just can’t get past that aftertaste, it wrecks it for me. i take a swig, it is decent and then i type a little bit and the aftertaste kicks in and i go “bleeeeh” and people look at me funny and i pretend nothing happened.
Anthony’s Rating: 67
Your Rating: 1
# of ratings:1

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Chuck Wagon Root Beer

March 22, 2008
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 1:16 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle, fountain, On Tap
Available: PA, online Obtained in: mailorder from company
Head: Medium Sweetener: cane sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://chuckwagonsoda.com

ah, so i just had to review this one next as i was just oh so curious how this stacked up against their sarsaparilla. if i was really wise and had a good chunk of free time i should have done the reviews back to back i suppose. but i did not, so hopefully this will suffice. as it is only actually one day later, no matter when i actually post this review, i don’t think that is so bad really.
ok, yeh, this is definitely different. it is not nearly as strong and hearty and powerful of a presence in your mouth. instead they have upped the creaminess factor. i can definitely see how this is more of a “root beer” where the sarsaparilla is pushed more firmly into that camp. indeed. this soda i could just drink down, it is smooth, somewhat refreshing but still very good. the sarsaparilla is much more a soda i would drink slowly, taking my time with it. it commands your attention, this can be ignore somewhat, but if focused on you realize it is very tasty. i don’t like the root beer quite as much, but it is definitely better than the majority of sodas out there in the root beer realm. and i suppose i should know. well, at least i should know what i think, i have no real idea what others will think. another fine brew by the Chuck Wagon peoples! nice work on that.
Anthony’s Rating: 92
Your Rating: 96
# of ratings:8

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Chuck Wagon Sarsaparilla

March 14, 2008
Filed under: sarsaparilla reviews — anthony @ 1:59 pm
Type: Sarsaparilla Comes In: 12oz glass bottle, fountain, On Tap
Available: PA, online Obtained in: mail order from company
Head: Medium Sweetener: cane sugar
Caffeine: No
Website: http://chuckwagonsoda.com

i happen to come upon this brand in my relentless web searches for new sodas i have not tried. let me tell you though that it is such a wonderful feeling to actually find a new brand, never mind a brand that makes root beer, birch beer, sarsaparilla AND diet root beer, let alone one from which i can mail order all or any of these things. so it was an exceedingly happy day when i came upon this company’s website!
i really like the concept of this company too, they seem to have this mobile soda fountain on a wagon which they take to various events. plus they sell the whole set up to other people who want to do the same. although, to me, it seems rather hard to transport a chuck wagon with all of this stuff, it must not be so bad really.
so how is it you may ask?
the answer, dear readers, is “really stinkin’ good!” the flavor is very full and up front and strong but not overwhelming. it starts a little sharp, then the sweetness comes in with the root flavor and finally that fades into a licorice taste. i quite enjoy this and am glad i got a couple of bottles of this. i am very curious how the other sodas are and if they are all that different from this one. i mean, if i were to guess, i would call this a root beer, not a sarsaparilla, but it is a tough call.
Anthony’s Rating: 93
Your Rating: 83
# of ratings:7

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Foodtown Old Fashioned Root Beer

March 7, 2008
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 4:31 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: NJ Obtained in: Foodtown in Point Pleasant, NJ
Head: Large Sweetener: high fructose corn syrup
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.foodtown.com

when i was but a young lad i used to ride my bike, basically every day, to the Foodtown in the next town over with my best friend. we would get a drink there as it was the only place near by with a water fountain. sometimes we would get a bottle of soda or something even. but mainly we would sit on this planter thing under an overhang area in the corner of the building. sometimes i would ride my scooter there instead and do tricks on the planter. then one day it got taken over my Kings and took out the water fountain. so it was not the same at all anymore. this has nothing to do with this soda except for maybe the fact that i stumbled upon this over New Years as there are no Foodtowns near me anymore. which is a slight problem as i need to get another bottle of this for an upcoming trade. well, i will find it.
so anyway, i have a feeling this is made by one of the vanity labellers as it seems to be their bottle style and fonts, but there is no credit on any of that sort of thing so i will treat it as different and new.
i like the graphic design of this a lot, very cool and retro and fun, which i think is what they were going for here. the rest of the flavor line up has the same label just with the flavor line changed, so i approve of that.
the soda itself though is mediocre. i mean, it is fine just nothing special. it is very creamy but otherwise lacks a lot in the taste category and that is what really keeps people coming back and buying more. well, at least for me. i suppose i can detect a little bit of the traditional root beer flavor but i feel like it is more a mouth feel thing here than the actual taste. it is a creamy, smooth yet carbonated thing. it is though better than their canned offering, so definitely chose it above that if it comes down to such a choosing.
Anthony’s Rating: 70
Your Rating: 0
# of ratings:0

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Vermont Sweetwater Rugged Mountain Rootbeer

March 3, 2008
Filed under: root beer reviews — anthony @ 6:28 pm
Type: Root Beer Comes In: 12oz glass bottle
Available: VT, online Obtained in: mailorder
Head: Small Sweetener: dehydrated cane juice
Caffeine: No
Website: http://www.vtsweetwater.com

ooo, wow, a clear root beer! i don’t think i have had one of those since i had the Snapple Tru Root Beer many years ago. but i am sure i am forgetting something so feel free to correct me if you know better. oh wait, that Tommy’s Naked Soda root beer is clear i do believe. indeed, the ole memory is slowly gearing up again
i have enjoyed several other sodas from this company and i think they are the only ones to make any sort of rhubarb soda, which is a big plus in my book.
i also like the fact that this stuff is quite natural, just water, evaporated cane juice, spices and natural flavors. although that last part could be almost anything, what is not natural somehow? even chemical flavors have to be made from stuff you got in nature at some point. there is no where else to get stuff, at least that i know of. i am curious where that line is between natural and artificial. so yeh…
i have been taking drinks from this bottle for the past 20 minutes or so and i seriously think i have been duped. this is a ginger ale, not a root beer. now i like ginger ale and ginger beer quite a bit. if i were to create a companion site to this one it would probably be for ginger beverages. this very much reminds me of Regatta Ginger Beer in fact. but it is certainly not a root beer. but then again, i do enjoy root beers that don’t taste like traditional root beer, ones that take a chance and go in an unusual direction. going in the direction of putting a root beer label on a ginger ale is a different concept, sure. it tastes of ginger, has a very pleasent sweet taste, decent carbonation level that is not overwhelming but still makes me burp afterwards.
hhhhmmm, this is a challenge indeed, how do i rate a beverage that is tasty yet not really a root beer? i suppose if it is good i should rate it as such, i don’t take off points for other sodas tasting different. alright, well, just be warned that this is a bit unique, ok?
Anthony’s Rating: 82
Your Rating: 59
# of ratings:2

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