now here is a soda I have been after for years! as has the good doctor and he finally gave in and ordered some, then, very very kindly traded a bottle of it to me. you have to love the camaraderie in the root beer reviewing world! we help each other out. well, mostly. getting any of the many Australian or New Zealand sodas that are out there is always a huge triumph. in part because most companies are unwilling to even try to ship them and also because it is so crazy expensive to ship filled glass bottles across oceans and giant landmasses. this is actually made by Slade Beverages currently from an over 100 year old recipe and named after the son of Frederick O’Neil who founded a table ale bottler from North Fitzroy. my experiences with Australian sodas has mostly been good so I am always excited to try more. they seem to go for a much more licorice and generally herbal taste than their US counterparts.
i like their bottle, all short and stout, it is unusual and set it apart very well. again though, i think this size is more common in Australia, from my very limited knowledge of such things.
let’s pop the top and see how this one is… yes indeed, very licorice heavy! whoa! very nice! the sarsaparilla taste is also very prominent. those two tastes take over and the caramel and vanilla notes are really only noticeable on the aftertaste. this is not a soda one should just pound down. at least I hope not. one should take their time with this one, enjoying the flavors as they develop on your pallet. I really enjoy the more complex and herbal sodas when they are pulled off well. and this one does it excellently. something like Bundaberg goes a little too far, but they taste is pretty similar to this, if I were to reference a more readily available soda. this is reasonably sweet as well, and that balances the more herbal, heartiness of the brew well. i definitely enjoyed it greatly.
Anthony’s Rating: 95
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Type: | Root Beer | Comes In: | 375 ml glass bottle |
Available: | Australia | Obtained in: | trade with Eric |
Head: | Medium | Sweetener: | sugar |
Caffeine: | No | ||
Website: | http://www.slades.com.au/ |
Ingredients: carbonated water, sugar, sarsaparilla flavor, licorice extract, ginger extract, vanilla, caramel (150), citric acid (330), preservative (211)
I wish it were more available. Bundaberg…a little on the sour side for me. I think this one would hit the spot.