now the root beer comes under scrutiny! i do hope it is better than the birch was. the name is a bit clunky. granted it does not actually appear that way, with all eight words, anywhere. it is more for my own reference and ease of showing its connection to the birch beer. i hope it tastes better than the birch did.
the label is quite cool once again. this time they have put a very detailed pen and ink drawing of what i would call a “mountain goat” or perhaps a “ram”. i don’t know if those are actually the same beast or not. i am sure their website would tell me exactly what it is but i will wallow in a lack of certainty/rest easy not really caring.
the taste? it is pretty high in the licorice flavoring, which is not a bad thing to me, but is to many people. you can taste the root beer flavor behind that so it is not overwhelmed by licorice on my tongue. again though, i enjoy licorice so others may not be able to see beyond that aspect of the flavor. it is a semi-hearty root beer, the root flavor being upfront although it is not bitter in any way. i am not sure if the beet sugar makes a real taste difference, the sweetness is good and tastes like sugar to me. they could up the sweetness a bit for my tastes but i am ok with where it is as secondary to the roots and other flavors.
I felt the carbanation was a little to high, it really made my tounge tingle and as a result it ruined this soda. I gave this a 75, if the carbanation was a little lower I might have ranked it higher.
I agree on the licorice flavoring, it was not overwhelming but it was still high enough that it took away from the other flavors that make root beer what it is.