so this is about to get confusing, for you and for me. i reviewed the “Root Beer” above a while ago. then they sent me this “Sarsaparilla Root Beer” along with “Sarsaparilla” and “Root Beer!” and they all have different ingredients and so far, they seem to taste different. granted i cannot really recall the taste of the soda from 2 years ago or whatever, but i would not describe this one that way. at least not the part about the high carbonation as it is pretty low here. still a bit syrupy but not too much so that i would note it i don’t think. this is actually a kind of rich, quite creamy (yes creamy!) drink. i think the brown sugar is more distinct in this one too and i like it the best of their offerings so far.
Anthony’s Rating: 91
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User’s Rating: 81
# of ratings:16
| Type: | Sarsaparilla | Comes In: | 12oz glass bottle |
| Available: | CT | Obtained in: | mail from company |
| Head: | Large | Sweetener: | corn sweetener, brown sugar |
| Caffeine: | No | ||
| Website: | http://www.hosmersoda.com/ | ||
As the designer of the products for Hosmer, I have to make the following points: Sarsaparilla is merely an adjective used on our root beer label. Both our root beer and our sarsaparilla contain extract of sarsaparilla root, an ingrediant that is virtually absent from probably 99% of the root beers and sarsaparillas that are made.It is not a powerful flavor and has nothing to do with Sassafrass, another old ingrediant for root beers that was banned in the early sixties and set back some fabulous drinks incuding Hires and Moxie.Safrol was the culprit molecule,avery important part of the above mentioned soft drinks.Root beer and sarsaparilla differ more in nomenclature than ingrediants—we make our sarsaparilla somewhat less vanillery and creamy [root beer with an attitude]but other companies could take an entirely different approach.
Wow, a 91 is exactly what I too give this one. It is really really good. The only fault I have with it is that the carbonation makes you feel a little full. A pro for this one is that it does have a very nice sarsaparilla flavor on the aftertaste… in fact the best part of this soda is the aftertaste. All in all, this would probably make my top ten list of root beers/birch beers/sassparillas. This was one that I’ll definitely be purchasing again!
Also, one of the things that made this one stand out was the fact that it had brown sugar. There’s no HFCS in this one. Their website says that this is part of their “Antique Line”, meaning that they use high quality ingredients. The bottle cap states “hfcs and/or sugar” because it is just some generic bottle cap that is made so that any bottler can use it for their soda.
I gave this on an 80. These root beers I try really show the difference between me and my wife. The ones I like she does not and the ones I dont like she does. She hated this one. This one had a creamy side to it that I liked. This one wont make my top ten, but is good.
After buying a case of this stuff, I have to up my original review to a 95. This stuff is just way too good. The upfront taste is a spicy/creamy feel. Some may say there is not enough upfront root beer flavor; however it is perfect for me. It tastes good right out of the bottle, which is not real common for most sodas (as they taste best in a frosted mug).
This one’s for grown-ups. I like the way its bite balances with the brown sugar and the vanilla. And for the record, Hosmer has an excellent chocolate soda as well.