the old Ithaca Soda Co. Root Beer was reviewed almost 14 years ago at this point. i think i bought it once more after that so don’t exactly know what it tasted like. i seem to recall it rated pretty highly though. recently i checked their ingredients and saw it had changed, so was super jazzy excited to try the new blend! woo! i do hope it is even better now!
the label is actually more generic and i think a downgraded in my rather humble opinion. it is even hard to figure out just what brand it is. although not it is “soda of the finger lakes” yet in all caps. but hey, i am no marketing guru or really any sort of guru i wouldn’t say. perhaps a birch beer guru? yeah, that might be the extent of my guru-ness. or is it guru-ocity? guru-ality? guru-ittude? i like that last one best. whatever, i am just making all of those up i suspect.
although, as i said earlier, i don’t recall the old taste of this drink, i don’t think this is an upgrade. it is one of those drinks where the carbonation just takes over too much. there is a sharp initial mouth feel and a licorice/anise taste that quickly is taken over by the carbonation bite. it isn’t really an awful thing, but i just get very burpy and it makes the drink less enjoyable. the actual taste is rather good, but i feel like i can’t taste it for too long. as i drink more, i think it is mellowing out more. i am getting more of a vanilla taste creeping in as well. alright, this is a better beverage. yeah, it has calmed down significantly. more of a unique taste going on, there is also some sarsaparilla hitting me as i take the last couple swallows. i don’t know what would make this more consistent, it is not like you can shake a root beer to mix it better without is causing a mess. hhhmmm… so in end, a solid job by the Ithaca people. i just wish the whole bottle was as smooth as the last third.
Anthony’s Rating: 91
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User’s Rating: 90
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| Type: | Root Beer | Comes In: | 12oz glass bottle |
| Available: | NY | Obtained in: | Ithaca, NY |
| Head: | Large | Sweetener: | cane sugar |
| Calories: | 160 | Sodium: | 5mg |
| Carbs: | 41g | Sugar: | 41g |
| Caffeine: | No | ||
| Website: | http://www.ithacabeer.com/ | ||
Ingredients: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, potassium benzoate (a preservative), citric acid, natural and artificial flavor
That’s why you pour it into a frosty mug first. Take the edge off of the carbonation.
Oh, no . . . I used to LOVE this root beer. It truly tasted like root beer for grownups; as I recall, it even had hops (hey, a brewery is likely to have them around, no?). I used to bug colleagues who were headed up to Cornell to haul four-packs back for me. This doesn’t bode well. :`(