to celebrate their 150th anniversary, this east coast grocery chain released this soda. kind of like Foodtown did a couple years ago although i am not sure Foodtown had any such motivation for their glass bottled soda line. one of my co-workers told me about it and i soon after rushed over to the closest A&P to get myself a 4 pack.
i am surprised this has a non-twist off cap. it is pretty rare actually that sodas do the bottle opener needed thing, especially in this day and age of people not really having them as handy and available. luckily i do for just such an occasion, but the common everyday soda drinker may not and i suspect that A&P does not have one mounted on their wall for customer use.
also surprising is the use of 2 different forms of potassium as preservatives. this stuff will probably survive as long as twinkies and cockroaches! wacky. i guess it will preserve my organs and junk if i drink enough. that would be strange so i will not do it.
this has to be one of the sodas i have had this the most carbonation and foam. perhaps that non-twist cap really does seal in the freshness better! it has actually overflowed with foam twice now. the second time i tried to stop it with my hand by cutting off the air supply but that just made it spray all over my phone next to it. i should clean that off soon or i will have a sticky phone forever. although soda is still slowly dripping out of one of the seam areas, several minutes later. weird.
i like their labels and design work pretty good too. at least the front label. an old photo of an A&P store with the soda info over it. they even sprung for a neck label too! after trying to do neck labels for my wedding root beer, i realize how hard it is to get them to go on with no bubbles. this bottles fails that area worse than my efforts did. no matter though.
this soda is mysterious. at first it was very sharp and stinging, but as i get closer to the bottom it is more smooth and almost creamy. perhaps that is a function of the carbonation being let out and the true taste coming through. interesting… in the beginning of the bottle i was pretty disappointed in it, but now i like it pretty well. it is still too generic and not a whole lot better than many bottled root beers, but it is better than other store brands canned offerings. the taste now is mellow, smooth, rather sweet and pretty normal. so a solidly good normal root beer is what we have here. i think it is worth the price, check it out if you are in A&P territory.

Ingredients:

carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, natural and artificial flavor, potassium benzoate (a preservative), citric acid, potassium sorbate (a preservative)

Anthony’s Rating: 71
User’s Rating: 75
# of ratings:1
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my friend Rob Base got some of these for me several years ago for my birthday or some such holiday. i tried em at the time and was amused by them but did not think to review them. then i just never saw them in stores myself when i did decide i should do so, they are a form of a root beer beverage after all. finally i was ordering some soda from popsoda.com for my dad and dad-in-law and noticed they sold them so i threw in a box for myself. in the intervening decade or so, they had redesigned the packaging, as is to be expected in that time. i think before it was not even in a box.
the concept is kinda of interesting. it is a tablet, you get eight in a box, which, must like Alka Seltzer, when plop plopped in water causes it to fizz fizz. strangely though it does not fizz nearly as much as Alka Seltzer or Airborne even. once it is all dissolved, there is no carbonation remaining. by the time i had entered all of the ingredients (did you check that crazy list out?! scary!!) it had fully dissolved and just sat there in my carefully measured 6 oz of water.
it tastes like a watery, ok diet root beer. i wish they had made this fully sugared but i suppose sugar takes up more room than weird sweet non caloric chemicals so that may not have worked in a dissolving tablet. sugar also is harder to dissolve in cold water. so it tastes funny, gives you that aftertaste. i shall use less water next time, maybe that will resolve the watery issue. it should. it does vaguely taste like root beer and is not awful besides the artificial sweetener thing happening.
i suppose if you are backpacking or going to jail or doing something else where you absolutely have to have something that tastes sort of like root beer but you have very limited space or need to smuggle it in or whatever, this may be for you. or it may entertain small children who don’t care too much how stuff taste as long as it is presented in an entertaining fashion or environment (ie Chucky Cheese).

Ingredients:

citric acid, sorbitol, sodium bicarbonate, natural and artificial flavors, potassium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium benzoate, polythylene glycol, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, FD&C yellow #5 lake, FD&C yello #6 lake, FD&C red #40 lake, FD&C Blue #1 lake, docusate sodium

Anthony’s Rating: 35
User’s Rating: 5
# of ratings:1
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this one slipped through the cracks for a long while. i knew it was out there but couldn’t get any. but then they started to mail order it so i placed my order and promptly received a case. but then i got a whole load of other sodas which i suspected where not as fresh as this one, straight from the factory. thus i have not reviewed it for a bit. i still think it is ok and as it was before. i will try to drink a few bottles in the coming days to make sure they are all the same.
this soda has an ingredient i have never seen before, “dextrin malt.” i had to google that stuff. apparently it enhances mouth feel, foam retention and body without affecting flavor or color. as there is barely any foam here i can’t exactly comment on its effectiveness. i suspect that since these guys are primarily a beer brewery, they know what they are doing. at least as far as brewing beer is concerned.
i must admit that for at least a year or 2 i thought this soda was “Ill Dachshunds” as in sick dogs. i guess the roman numeral 3 (III) threw me off, especially starting off a name. and the lower case “l” and upper case “I” sometimes have the same exact appearance. oh well.
this root beer is pretty good. above average but not extraordinarily so. it is a straight up normal root beer. sweet but not too much so and not syrupy. these types of brews are always the hardest to write about, it does not distinguish itself but is solid and fine all the same.

Ingredients:

filtered carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and or sugar, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, dextrin malt, citric acid and sodium benzoate as a preservative

Anthony’s Rating: 73
User’s Rating: 0
# of ratings:0
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if what the website tells us is true, then this stuff has been made continuously since 1935 in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls, NY area. the key word there being ‘continuously’. i say that because a lot of soda companies now say ‘since 1927′ or whatever but really they operated from 1927-1965 or whatever and then their grandkids found the recipe and started it all up again in 2008 or so. the 40 year lapse is not really mentioned. whether it should be or not is somewhat irrelevant but i just wanted to note it. the company was also very helpful in trying to assist me in finding their product. it is supposed to be in many Wegman’s stores or else inter-store order-able at least, but my local Wegman’s had no idea what i was talking about. oh well, a kind reader sent some to me in a trade anyway. perhaps the company will do mail order at some point also as right now they are mainly available only in that western upstate NY region.
i was surprised too that this company does the very old school thing by having the same bottles for all of their flavors and only differentiating the packaging with the bottle cap. most of the companies i have seen that do that seem to use the returnable bottles so this may be a first for the more universal non-returnables.
speaking of the bottle, i do enjoy the design work of it mainly. my only qualm is the use of a variation on the Comic Sans font in a couple spots. if it were not for that i would buy into it being an old timey sort of beverage. i do appreciate the screened bottle graphics though, nice touch.
the soda itself is merely decent. the flavor is a little weak for my tastes, as if some ice had melted in the drink. the carbonation is pretty good when drinking it but it is one of the quickest dissipating heads i have encountered. the bubbles pop and die within 2 seconds of putting the bottle down. i enjoy the flavor that is there, the sweetness is at a good level, the flavor is an interesting slight variation of the expected ‘root beer taste.’ i cannot place what it is in the taste that is different. maybe cinnamon? just a hint of whatever it is. despite that, the flavor is a little weak and i am a little let down and can’t rank this too terribly high. i enjoy drinking it yet could survive without having it again.

Ingredients:

carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid, sodium benzoate (a preservative), natural & artificial flavor and caramel color

Anthony’s Rating: 77
User’s Rating: 86
# of ratings:3
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alright, so i suppose a consequence of having reviews actually publish a year or so after i write them, especially in the fast paced root beer world is that occasionally a soda formula is changed or the soda is no longer made or whatever by the time it appears online. right after the original review was posted and tweeted, Oogave emailed me and told me they had changed their recipe and design and all and i should review the new one as the old version i had just posted a review of was no longer made. so they send some over and here i am reviewing it.
i must say it is indeed better. it is sweeter and not harsh at all now. i would even say it is a light beverage. plus there is a little bit of creaminess to it now. it is not insanely flavorful but that is ok and actually works well here. i would compare it to when you are used to something like Lipton instant iced tea powder mix and you make sun tea one day and realize what iced can taste like. i see too that they are now certified organic so that is also a good thing! it is also vegan and gluten free if that matter to you. of the more natural root beers, this is up there. and the agave sweetening kicks it up a little more. there are not a lot of root beers that lay into the “refreshing” category, not too heavy and syrupy but this is right there. much improved from the old recipe!

Ingredients:

purified, carbonated water, organic agave nectar, citric acid, natural flavors, caramel for color

Anthony’s Rating: 83
User’s Rating: 0
# of ratings:0
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so here is the fully sugared version of their drink! again i very much like the graphic design, well done. actually i think it works a little better on this color scheme than it did on the diet’s lighter version. i find interesting that the ingredients vary so much between the two though actually. where the diet had “natural artisan water” this one has “pure carbonated water.” there is less random stuff in this one too, no citric acid or phosphoric acid. good good. that stuff just makes me more scared of diet drinks anyway.
so on with the show, right? how is this stuff? was grandpappy’s recipe worth re-introducing to the 21st century? i’d say “yes.” it is quite good. not my ideal soda but solid nonetheless. it remind me of Kay Koola root beer actually although that may just be the somewhat similar color scheme clouding my mind. although now that i investigate a little, they are both bottled by Empire, although with different recipes. interesting indeed though. anyway, it has a rich, herbal taste that develops on your palette over time. it is definitely a soda that should be taken in slowly so that taste can be appreciated. if you guzzle it, you miss out on all of that. it starts with a slightly bitter, sharp taste than slowly fades into a sweeter, more herbal taste. creamy and rich this is not. but that might be an advantage in making a float with it. i may have to try that! so anyway, Boston, you have a solid, new/old soda, check it out.

Ingredients:

pure carbonated water, cane sugar, natural and artificial flavor, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness)

Anthony’s Rating: 91
User’s Rating: 97
# of ratings:4
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the second offering from this company is very similar in style to the first. which is a fine and expected thing, company continuity in look and feel is good. just the color scheme of the flavor name changes slightly. here we have a maroon background and text and junk instead of the green stuff on the sarsaparilla bottle. good good.
you know what, this soda is actually very good. a touch watery and that keeps it from being in the upper echelon, but it is yummy in any case. it is sweet and slightly tart at once, hitting you with the herbal side of things. but not a hard hit with a big mallet used in circus strength testing, bell ringing con schemes, but instead a nerf hammer that my toddler daughter would wield against the forces of evil headed by the evil purple plastic star she seems to have decided was her enemy and cannot be in her bathtub with her. i want that side to come out a little bit more, which is why i said that ‘watery’ comment above. i feel i may be nitpicking, it is tasty and you should try it. i merely want it to be a touch more intense in the flavor department. the sweetness is quite high so if you don’t like a sweet drink, this is not for you. but me, i do like a sweet drink so it is A-OK in my book. and on my website. as you can see since you are on it right now. my website, not my book. the book is proverbial, theoretical if you will. there is no actual book.
as the company seems to be based very close to me, i will have to see if i can go there and get another case. especially since i told my wife it was ok to drink the last of the birch beer, thinking i had more of it when i in fact did not. no worries, i will get more.

Ingredients:

carbonated water, cane sugar, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), citric acid, natural and artificial flavor, quillaia extract, acacia, and yucca extract

Anthony’s Rating: 91
User’s Rating: 94
# of ratings:2
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ah, a vanity label! the birch was quite disappointing so my expectations for this are rather low. i actually got a couple different bottles of this from different establishments but i will just pick one randomly to review, trusting that the others are the same.
you know what? this is actually very good! nice work NJ vanity label company. in fact it is so tasty i may even get it for my wedding! although it having HF corn syrup does drag it down a little in my opinion. the flavor is a step up from the norm yet still sticks with the expected flavor. they add extra sweetness for sure without making it syrupy sweet. there is also a little bit of a sharp undertone that shows up after a few seconds but is rather yummy actually. granted it is not the top tier, it is not the perfect combination of some of them or the unique take of others, but it is solid and very enjoyable. i would be happy to grab this when given the chance.

Ingredients:

carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, natural & artificial flavors, citric acid and sodium benzoate (preservative)

Anthony’s Rating: 88
User’s Rating: 0
# of ratings:0
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i was sent this by a very kind reader some time back. actually it was much less time back than when this review will actually appear, at least a year or so. at this point it is only a couple months i believe. anyway, i had never heard of this beverage before so i was very excited to get to try it out. i suppose it falls sort of into the “natural soda” category, it has no preservatives, is sweetened with agave nectar and is all around all natural. i like natural stuff and i like the label design here too. it is different but still with the traditional brown root beer action going on. the yellow is a nice touch, grabs the attention.
the taste? oh yeah, i should get to that huh? it is pretty decent. a little sharp, a little harsh, totally lacking in the “creamy” side of root beer and also the “sweet” side too. and that is fine, you can do that in this world. but it does not mean i am going to love it. in the realm of natural sodas, this ranks pretty well. yet in the world of all sodas it is just ok. i know they are trying for a minimally sweetened drink here, so they succeed at that indeed. if you are a person who drinks a lot of soda, you should get this, save yourself all of those calories and weird sweeteners. but if you are like me and only have a soda maybe once a week or so, there are yummier choices. i do want to like this a lot, more drinks sweetened with agave would be excellent, it is a very underserved market, in fact i had to add it to my database so i could review this. in the end though i am a bit underwhelmed, sadly. i would like to try their other flavors though, they seem interesting.

UPDATE the kind folks at Oogave have told me this is their OLD formula and they have a new version which they are sending over for review. so expect a new review soon.

Ingredients:

purified carbonated water, organic agave nectar, citric acid, natural flavors, carmelized sugar for color. vegan, gluten free

Anthony’s Rating: 75
User’s Rating: 82
# of ratings:3
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i had neglected to review this root beer for a long time since it is made by the Joseph Huber Brewing Co and i always assumed that it was exactly the same as their other root beer, Blumers. they also make (or made, i am not sure anymore..) Berghoffs root beer. but i don’t think this one is the same as either of those, i believe they make a recipe just for the Cubby Bear. now, i have heard of this restaurant, being a baseball fan and all but i actually don’t know a ton about it. of course it is right across the street from Wrigley Field where the Chicago Cubs play and it seems lots of people then go to this place after games. i have never done that. or even set foot in the place. although i have gone to a couple of Cubs games in my life. i also did not get any pizza while i was in Chicago which seems even sillier. silly anthony!
i am quite amazed at just how precise their nutrition info is. that they know there is exactly 43.7 grams of sugar in here is real quality control! good work peoples! so despite this having been in my fridge for probably 2 years now it is quite very fresh and bubbly! again, good bottling work!
the flavor here is pretty good, a touch weak for my taste but the sweetness level is very high. just below being TOO sweet, so that is good. i imagine some people will find this overly sweet as my threshold for such things is rather high. it is a smooth drink, not really much of a suprise on the flavor beyond the slightly weak aspect. it tastes like a root beer is expected to taste, a good amount of vanilla in there along with the rooty spices. i would not turn this down but it is not among the elite brews for me.

Ingredients:

carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, natural & artificial flavors, citric acid, sodium benzoate, yucca foamer

Anthony’s Rating: 72
User’s Rating: 0
# of ratings:0
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