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Review

Gale's Root Beer Bottle

Gale's Root Beer

The Body is a little weak but there is a lot of ginger and cinnamon flavor. It is actually hard to taste anything due to the immense ginger, cinnamon Bite. So much ginger and cinnamon, it bites like a feeding frenzy of great white sharks. It's the first time my tongue was burning from the spices (at least for a root beer). Way too much! The Head is pretty tall but quickly fizzes down. The last centimeter of it does make a decent last stand. The Aftertaste is ginger, cinnamon and vanilla that is pretty good, but my tongue was still smarting from the Bite. So basically, if you want a root beer with the most epic Bite, here it is. Other than that, I can't think of a reason to drink this.

Berghoff Famous Root Beer

This was almost drinkable on account of a very sweet Body. It also had a nice Bite to it. The Head however was awful, almost none. The Aftertaste started out nice, but then turned icky and left a bad flavor in my mouth for quite some time. I had ordered this online.

Barrel Brothers Root Beer Bottle

Barrel Brothers Root Beer

The Body was good at first but then a strange herbal flavor surfaced that was not the tastiest one to have in my mouth. It was creamy though. The tingly herbal Bite attacks you with the first drink. The Head is excellent and frothy, just as the bottle boasts and the Aftertaste is the herbal and some vanilla. I think they put too much yucca in this or maybe it's that "vitamin C & calcium" that they brew it with but that flavor really ruins it. I found this at BYU.


Sprecher Honey Root Beer Bottle

Sprecher Honey Root Beer

The Body is light on standard root beer flavors and very heavy on the honey, being the only sweetener. It's sort of a fruity raw honey which overpowers the rest of the flavors. The Bite is a light honey bite on the back of your throat. If you've ever eaten a spoonful of raw honey, you know what I mean. The carbonation is severely lacking, sadly, which makes the brew even heavier. The Head is pitiful, just pitiful, which is very disappointing. The Aftertaste is more raw honey, some fruity raw honey. I do love me some honey, but this was too much honey and not enough of the other wonderful flavors that Sprecher has.


Kutztown Root Beer Bottle

Kutztown Root Beer

The Body is very dark and rooty with a hint of vanilla and wintergreen. The cane sugar is noticeable, but it isn't overly sweet. Though it is a strong flavor initially, it seems watered down afterwards. The Bite is ok, but not really good. The Head is moderate height but fizzes away quickly. Not too quickly, but doesn't linger long like it should. The Aftertaste is sort of a sticky, licorice, herbal flavor that thankfully vanishes quickly. It was a tough call, it's not really that bad, but I didn't really like it that much, and if I didn't like it much, it isn't really that good, and since my standards are high, it needs to be good to be drinkable.


Tower Root Beer Bottle

Tower Root Beer

The Body is extremely dark and rooty. The dominant flavors are sassafras, licorice, and mint. It's sort of creamy. There is a strong Bite, both from spices and prickly carbonation on the tongue. The Head is medium height but gone in mere seconds. The Aftertaste is sticky minty licorice with the faintest traces of vanilla. Definitely ye olde fashioned, not bad, but not really good, at least to my tastes.


Batch Brown Sugar Root Beer Bottle

Batch Brown Sugar Root Beer

The Body is mild and generic with fruity overtones and some vanilla. It's got the kind of fruity that you get if you put too much brown sugar in your oatmeal. There isn't much Bite and, unfortunately, it isn't very smooth. The Head is nice and tall with medium staying power, so it's pretty good. The Aftertaste is more fruity vanilla flavor. You know how I feel about a lot of fruity in my root beer.


Abita Root Beer Bottle

Abita Root Beer

Abita was a tough one to judge. The Body was strong rooty flavor, yet lacking in that there was no honey and it wasn't very creamy. There was also a hint of icky in the Body after the initial contact. The Bite was solid, though not overly pleasurable. The Head was fair. The Aftertaste was that same icky though not really strong. When it finally came down to it I had to ask myself if given the opportunity to drink this again, would I? After much deliberation and a few bottles, I must answer no. I ordered this online.


Round Barn Root Beer

The Body is rather bland. It's really REALLY sweet and syrupy but only a medium flavor profile. It's a tad creamy with the slightest shadow of wintergreen, but you really have to look hard. There's also a fruity hint. There is the slightest spice Bite but not much in the carbonation department. That all fizzes up to build a very nice Head that's tall and lingers awhile, though it's not a high froth Head. The Aftertaste is sticky corn syrup that turns bitter. Really this tastes like moderately flavored corn syrup drink, like if you watered down some Aunt Jemima.


Virgil's Micro Brewed Root Beer

This has a very complex flavor with all sorts of things that in my opinion have no business being in root beer in the quantities they use. However it has an alright Body but the absence of sassafras is very noticeable. The Aftertaste is of anise (one ingredient that I feel has no business being a prominent flavor in root beer). The Head could be much better, and there is not much Bite.


Pallino Root Beer

The sweet Body was light on everything else though the licorice was noticeable. The Bite was light as well, giving a smooth brew. The Head was rather large but fizzed away quickly. The Aftertaste was a sticky licorice and vanilla flavor. The licorice ruins what would otherwise be a pleasurable experience.


Death Valley Root Beer

The Body is dark and sticky. There is a faint licorice flavor that becomes more pronounced the more you drink. It has a candy like flavor as well, like you're sucking on a root beer barrel and eating licorice at the same time. The Bite is a little harsh on the carbonation. The Head is short but frothy and sticks around long enough. The Aftertaste is a creamy vanilla licorice flavor. I don't like a distinct licorice flavor in my root beer. I also don't like a harsh Bite and a short Head.


Triple XXX Root Beer Bottle

Triple XXX Root Beer

I drank more bottles of this root beer than normal and every time I got something different. The Body was sometimes sweet and full, sometimes watery and lacking. The Bite was sometimes harsh, sometimes smooth. The Head was never very frothy but ranged between nonexistent and not bad. It always fizzed away quickly though. The Aftertaste was sometimes (see a pattern here?) very nice and of vanilla, and sometimes very weak. The inconsistency of it all was appalling, though, sometimes the root beer was really good. Now, does Triple XXX = 9X, X^9, or 3X^3? I ordered this online.


Summit Vintage Soda Pop Root Beer Bottle

Summit Vintage Soda Pop Root Beer

The Body is a little hollow with a generic creamy root beer flavor. There's some sweet vanilla but nothing else really sticks out. The Bite is sharp from carbonation and spice. It even finishes prickly on your tongue after you've swallowed. The Head has good height but lacks staying power. The Aftertaste is sort of bitter and sticky with a slight wintergreen flavor. This isn't horrible, but isn't good either.


Tommyknocker All Natural Root Beer Bottle

Tommyknocker All Natural Root Beer

The Body is medium strength with maple and aged vanilla flavors that are all out of balance and don't ensemble well at all. It's also sort of sour The Bite is spicy yet smooth so that's at least good. The Head is excellent! The Aftertaste is a clumsy mix of maple, vanilla, and wintergreen wrapped in some sour herbs. Though the Head and the Bite are good, the Body and the Aftertaste fail hard. Tommyknocker, what have you done?


Fentiman's Old English Root Beer Bottle

Fentiman's Old English Root Beer

The Body is sweet but not overly so. There's a complex botanical sarsaparilla flavor with accents of fermented ginger and sweet pear nectar that somehow all works together in a way that makes it intriguing to drink. The Bite is mild but it isn't smooth. The Head is amazing. One of the best ever. The Aftertaste is a nectary sarsaparilla.


Signature Select Root Beer Bottle

Signature Select Root Beer

The Body is sweet and kind of creamy with a generic flavor. There's some vanilla and some sour tinge to it as well. The Bite is harsh on carbonation and low on spices. The Head is tall, but goes fast. The Aftertaste is an herbal vanilla that's not overly appealing. I want to like this brew, but I don't.


Rocky Mountain Root Beer Bottle

Rocky Mountain Root Beer

The Body is mild but spicy with licorice and wintergreen and I almost want to say vanilla. It's also a little bitter. There's a solid spicy Bite and the carbonation level is nice too. The Head is very tall but fizzes down very quickly. The Aftertaste is mostly a sugar. The first bottle of this that I had, however, was really hollow with no spice and with a bitter chemical flavor. Though the second bottle was much better, I don't think I'd risk drinking it again just in case.


Lost Rhino Root Beer Bottle

Lost Rhino Root Beer

This has a very dark Body with prominent licorice and wintergreen flavors. There's a bit of honey buried in there as well, but you really have to search. Additionally, it really isn't very sweet for a root beer. The Bite is rather mild with a little spice and light carbonation. The Head is medium-short but with good staying power. It just needs more carbonation. The Aftertaste is licorice and wintergreen that turns a little bitter. This isn't my style.


Real Brew Root Beer Bottle

Real Brew Root Beer

The Body is mild with some sweet birch flavor accented by a bit of vanilla and some other herbals. It's not a very standard root beer flavor to be sure, though it has a lot of the standard ingredients. The Bite is pretty mild with not much other than some carbonation. The Head is medium height and foamy; where this brew excels the most. The Aftertaste is some mild herbal birch that is gone very quickly. This is too far out of the standard root beer spectrum for me to consider drinkable.


JD's Old Fashioned Root Beer Bottle

JD's Old Fashioned Root Beer

The Body is dark and spicy with some caramel and vanilla undertones. Licorice and features prominently. The Bite is spicy but not carbonated enough for my liking. The Head is very short yet foamy. It's just there isn't enough carbonation to build a proper Head. It is gone too quickly. The Aftertaste is licorice and some wintergreen that turns a little bitter. This is alright, but not quite good enough for me to want again.


Tree Fort Root Beer Bottle

Tree Fort Root Beer

The Body is very herbal with ginger and honey and dominant flavors. There's sarsaparilla as well as some slightly bitter flavors. It has a spicy Bite from clove and ginger and cinnamon, but it isn't too strong. The Head is decent. The Aftertaste is honey and ginger. So this is another carbonated herb tea brew. It's one of the better ones.


Rainbow Root Beer Bottle

Rainbow Root Beer

This one is different for sure. The Body is sweet and mild on first contact, and then gets a sour fruity cinnamon flavor with some vanilla accents. That's because they actually add dried orange peel into this brew. The Bite is a sour and spicy from said orange peel and some cinnamon. The Head is decent a medium height and froth. Not exceptional by any means, but adequate. The Aftertaste is more fruity cinnamon with a bit of vanilla. It's just too fruity. They say it's a "true old fashioned style root beer ... just like you remember!" But I don't EVER remember orange peel in my root beer.


Brooklyn Soda Works Root Beer

It has a strange orange-ish color, I'm hesitant. The Body is different. It tastes fruity and herbal with ginger and some vanilla coming through. There really isn't a sassafras flavor to it at all, but rather, lemon and herbs and spices. It reminds me of those lemon ginger herbal teas that I love so much. The Bite has a decent ginger kick with a light carbonation tingle. The Head is on the short side, but very froth and lingers a long time. The Aftertaste is light lemon and ginger with the slightest hints of vanilla that fades quickly. So, this is basically a cold, carbonated herb tea. I do like it, but to be drinkable as a root beer, it actually needs to taste like a root beer.


Pure Soda Works Root Beer #4 Bottle

Pure Sodaworks Root Beer #4

The Body is light and creamy and with ginger and herbs the prominent flavors. It tastes like a spiced ginger tea with some vanilla. The Bite is good and robust. It's nice and spicy with ginger and cinnamon and some other spices with some carbonation burn mixed in. The Head is super tall and very frothy. The Aftertaste is a light vanilla and spice flavor. This is tastes really good, but not at all like root beer. More like an iced herb tea. You would never call it a root beer if it didn't say so on the bottle.


New York Seltzer Root Beer Soda Bottle

New York Seltzer Root Beer Soda

The Body is mild and generic, but decently sweet and quite refreshing. There's a hint of fruity to it but it is surprisingly not bad. There isn't really much Bite other than carbonation burn, and even that is light. The Head is horrible. Classic "Two-second Head". The Aftertaste is some vanilla and fruity – mild, but not bad. I was surprised by this as I really thought it would be horrible, but it isn't bad. It isn't really good though.


Whistler Classic Soda Butterscotch Root Beer Bottle

Whistler Classic Soda Butterscotch Root Beer

The Body has a nice full butterscotch flavor, but a conspicuous lack of anything else. There's also something off under the surface, an alkaline flavor of sorts. This flavor continues into the Bite, which is mild other than this alkaline burn. The Head is short, but it lingers. The Aftertaste is a light, sweet, butterscotch that is eventually replaced with this baking soda type flavor. Yeah, this is not the best. It isn't terrible though.


Oop Juice Root Beer Bottle

Oop Juice Root Beer

The Body is sweet and heavy. It's pretty syrupy with a spicy, yet standard, creamy root beer flavor. It's pretty tastey. There's not really any Bite, the smallest bit of spice tingle and that's it. The Head is non-existent and the whole brew is pretty flat. The Aftertaste is caramel spice and vanilla. This root beer tastes good, but needs more carbonation for me to want to visit it again.


Red Arrow Root Beer Bottle

Red Arrow Root Beer

This has a full Body that is loaded with wintergreen. Wow! So much wintergreen! There is also a very noticeable licorice flavor that makes the whole Body rather dark. I don't really like it that much. The Bite is solid, with carbonation first hitting the tongue followed by the spice kick, largely from the wintergreen. It still has a rather smooth finish, though, I prefer it smoother. The Head is pitiful, the classic Two Second Head. It's like they aren't even trying. The Aftertaste is strong wintergreen and licorice. There is too much licorice and it is sticky. If you love wintergreen and licorice, inseparable at every turn, this is the root beer for you. I on the other hand, will get my root beer enjoyment somewhere else.


Country Folk Root Beer Bottle

Country Folk Soda Root Beer

The Body is sweet and spicy and fruity with vanilla, kind of a sarsaparilla fruity. It's an odd combination but it works surprisingly well. There is a nice zippy Bite from the spices a plenty. The Head is excellent! It's what a root beer Head should be. The Aftertaste is more of the fruity sarsaparilla and vanilla. It’s kind of weird as a root beer but fine as a soda.


Farmer's Brew Butterscotch Root Beer Bottle

Farmer's Brew Butterscotch Root Beer

The Body is pretty weak on the standard root beer flavors but does feature decent butterscotch. It's a little fruity too. Too much citric acid perhaps? The Bite is adequate in carbonation though lacking in spice and is a little harsh. The Head, well, is the Two Second Head. The Aftertaste is some fruity butterscotch. This is the worst butterscotch root beer I've had so far.


Pirate's Keg Root Beer

This root beer has an ok Body a weak Bite and the Head is nothing special. The Aftertaste leaves something to be desired. The bottle and name are cool but all around, it is just not good enough to be drinkable. I found this in the Mystic Land of the North (Canada).


Avery's Root Beer

The Body is medium with a sweet caramel flavor. It tastes very generic. It is slightly creamy with maybe the tiniest hint of vanilla. The Bite is pretty nonexistent. The Head is the classic "two second Head." The Aftertaste is a fleeting caramel with a hint of sour fruity. This is a pretty much a "meh" root beer.


Mercury Root Beer Bottle

Mercury Root Beer

The Body has a strong, dark sassafras flavor with slight licorice and wintergreen bits coming through. The Bite isn't that good. There are not really any spices though the carbonation is at the right level. The Head is short and gone fast but not one of those two second root beer Heads. The Aftertaste is heavy wintergreen with a bit of licorice that lingers too long. It's not really bad; it's just not really good either.


Dad-Gum-It! Butterscotch Root Beer

Dad-Gum-It! Butterscotch Root Beer

The Body is dark and spicy with licorice featuring prominently and some wintergreen as well. I also taste a distinct lack of butterscotch. The Bite is solid and strong from spices and ample carbonation, a little too strong. The Head is excellent! It's there as long as you drink it (within reason). The Aftertaste is a little wintergreen and licorice. Also, no butterscotch. Dad-gum-it! They tricked me.


Rogue Root Beer Bottle

Rogue Root Beer

The Body is dark and complex with licorice and a slight hint of vanilla. However, the dominant flavor is fruity sarsaparilla which is also a little sour. The Bite is spicy and sour, it's okay. The Head is excellent anyway you look at it. The Aftertaste is sour with a fruity sarsaparilla flavor. I wish they had toned down the sarsaparilla.


Mendocino Taubold's Private Reserve Home Brewed Root Beer Bottle

Mendocino Taubold's Private Reserve Home Brewed Root Beer

This is a very mild root beer. It has no real Bite to speak of and it also has a weak Body and Head. The Aftertaste is fruity. But it does have a nice tale on the back of the bottle and it is a yeast brewed root beer so that's pretty cool.


Babbling Brooke's Root Beer

The Body is very dark and complex. There's licorice and burdock in addition to the sassafras that give way to some wintergreen and a bit of vanilla and cinnamon. It also has molasses hints and is kind of bitter. Despite the cinnamon, there really isn't much bite. It's more a cinnamon flavor than any burn. The Head is short yet frothy and lingers. The Aftertaste is licorice, wintergreen, and cinnamon that lasts too long and ends bitter. It's different but not terrible. It is however too dark a flavor for my tastes.


Empire Root Beer Bottle

Empire Root Beer

Not the Galactic Empire or the Roman Empire, but Empire bottling works. So, will this imperialistic root beer conquer the world or at least the root beer market or at very least my taste buds and sense for a quality brew? In a word, "No." The Body is dark and rooty, but it is also lacking in some essential flavors. The Bite is nothing special but it's there. The head is a decent height but it doesn't last long at all. The Aftertaste is a sticky licorice and wintergreen flavor that lingers annoyingly long, especially since it isn't a good flavor to have lingering. All in all, I really don't like this root beer that much.


Rollie's Premium Stlye Root Beer Bottle

Rollie's Premium Style Root Beer

The Body has a strong licorice flavor with some maple and honey mixed in. It's not super sweet and has a dark profile with fruity undertones. There's not much Bite at all but it isn't a smooth brew by any means. The Head is nice and tall with good staying power. The Aftertaste is sticky licorice with some hints of maple and vanilla. It's unique but it's off, sadly.


White Rose Springs Root Beer Bottle

White Rose Springs Root Beer

The Body is dark and turns fruity after the initial contact. There's some anise and wintergreen hints in there as well. There's a strong Bite, mostly from carbonation, that hits after you first start drinking but it subsides quickly for a smooth finish. The Head is medium short and fizzes away quickly. The Aftertaste is fruity and minty and isn't my favorite. Take away the fruity and this could be decent, but not as it is now.


North Star Craft Soda Root Beer Bottle

North Star Craft Soda Root Beer

The Body is sort of sour and fruity with a generic creamy root beer flavor. It has a Bite that is sour and sharp, which is not what I like. The Two-Second-Head doesn't help it either. The Aftertaste is some nice vanilla with a slightly fruity tinge. This root beer just fails to impress in every category.


Pigeon River Brewing Company Root Beer Bottle

Pigeon River Brewing Company Root Beer

The Body is hollow. It’s a little minty, a little creamy, but weak overall. It's not near as sweet as would be expected with 65g of sugar. The Bite is dismal. Not spicy, not smooth, but rather harsh and prickly. The Head is medium height and foam, nothing special though not bad. The Aftertaste is a sort of sour acidic flavor with a hint of burned sugar. I'm not impressed.


Simpson Spring Root Beer Bottle

Simpson Spring Root Beer

The Body on this seems a little watered down sadly. There is a nice minty vanilla flavor on the initial contact but then the core is rather weak. The Bite is a tad sharper than I prefer. The Head is exceedingly tall and moderately frothy. As it fizzes down it forms larger bubbles to a point which gives a rather odd head of about an inch or so with bubbles about a centimeter in diameter. The Aftertaste is vanilla and wintergreen with a slight bitter hint that increases the more you drink so by the end I can hardly stand it.


Barton Springs Soda Company Root Beer

The Body, is sweet, very sweet, too sweet, near sickeningly sweet. It's all sticky and syrupy. It's caramely with some wintergreen and a strange chemically-something-out-of-place flavor. There is a prickly Bite but not too strong. It's pretty smooth. The Head is adequate, medium height and frothy. The Aftertaste is more sweet syrupy wintergreen with hints of some unfamiliar chemical. They put sucralose in this on top of 42g of cane sugar. The former is clearly the cause of this being something I don't want to touch again.


Angus O'Neil's Root Beer

The Body is sour and fruity with a sarsaparilla flavor. The sour fruity, though, is by far the strongest profile. The Bite is acidic and with a hint of spice burn, not much. The Head is tall, but it fizzes down quickly. The Aftertaste is a light licorice flavor that gives way to ginger and vanilla. That part is rather nice actually. On the whole it's refreshing as a drink, but poor as a root beer.


Bawls Guarana G33k B33r Root Beer

Another energy drink root beer, I must admit I didn't have high expectations. The Body is sweet but with a strange fruity watery flavor. Something in it just tastes out of place. The Bite is sort of weird like teeny tiny needles on the tongue with some strange acidy burn. After that mild assault it goes down pretty smooth. The Head, however, is wonderful! It builds to a good height and is very frothy and foamy. It lingers long after the drink is finished. It doesn't taste the best though. The Aftertaste is a fruity weird guarana herbal-ness. Though this stuff is not good, it is probably the best energy drink root beer I have encountered. Sadly though, that isn't saying much.


Miss Lady Small Batch Root Beer

This has a very light Body with mild honey and sarsaparilla flavors. There's the slightest hint of licorice as well but really the whole thing is very subtle. It isn't overly sweet either. It reminds me of an herb tea sweetened with a little honey. There is a small Bite that's a little prickly, but it isn't very strong. There's nothing on the way of spice burn either. The Head is nothing special. The Aftertaste is honey and anise that doesn't linger very long. This has a lot of the right flavors but not a lot of them, and comes off as more a cold carbonated herb tea. Not what I would reach for when I want a root beer, but the waxed sealed 22 oz bottle is about as cool as they come.


Unkle Munkey's Nearly Famous Root Beer Bottle

Unkle Munkey's Nearly Famous Root Beer

The Body is sweet and mild and fruity. It tastes like maybe there's some cherry flavor or something, but not in a good way. The Bite is sharp from carbonation but doesn't really have much in the way of spices, which is the opposite of what should be. The Head is short and moderately frothy. There really isn't much Aftertaste at all, just a fruity hint. It's not nasty in anyway, it just also really isn't good in any way.


Wisco Pop! Root Beer Bottle

Wisco Pop! Root Beer

The Body has a strong and pleasant herbal flavor with notes of sarsaparilla and molasses and a little maple. There's quite a lot of other flavors going on in there and the net effect is that it comes across as an herb tea. The Bite is spicy and fizzy with lots of clove and cinnamon. The Head is very short but foamy. The Aftertaste is herbal molasses that lingers awhile. Another herb tea type brew. These are not my favorite.


Kiss Army Root Beer Bottle

Kiss Army Root Beer

The Body is really dark with a lot of licorice flavor. There's a bite of vanilla and it's slightly creamy, yet there is also a hollowness to it, despite the copious amounts of licorice. The Bite is there. It's got some spice and some carbonation. The Head is excellent! I'll give them props for that. But the Aftertaste is really strong licorice, maybe a tad bit of wintergreen. It lasts too long and builds the more you drink. So I like it less and less. I'm not a fan. I really don't like this.


Dorothy Isle of Pines Root Beer Bottle

Dorothy Isle of Pines Root Beer

The Body is sweet and creamy but watered down. There really isn't much Bite at all, not from spices nor carbonation. I do like it smooth but it's got to at least be there. The Head is medium height but is gone fast. Make sure not to blink or you might miss it. The brew is nearly flat after that as well. The Aftertaste is fleeting vanilla. It goes far too soon. This is like the ghost of an excellent root beer. It reminds you of what a good brew should be while not being able to deliver.


Judge Wapner Root Beer Bottle

Judge Wapner Root Beer

The Body is kind of watery and sort of fruity, maybe a little too much citric acid in it? The Bite is harsh from carbonation but very lacking in spices. The Head is a medium height but not overly frothy. It goes away all too quickly. The Aftertaste is a light fruity type flavor that is rather empty like the Body. So this is pretty lacking in all departments but not horrible.


Whistler Classic Soda Root Beer Bottle

Whistler Classic Soda Root Beer

It has a light and herbal sort of Body with a decent spiced Bite containing cinnamon. It isn't as sweet as most brews. The Head is worse than a "two-second-Head", though this is by design. The Aftertaste is anise and cinnamon. Interesting and unique, but not all there for me.


Pop Singles Crystal Clear Root Beer Bottle

Pop Singles Crystal Clear Root Beer

The Body is sweet with a mild, generic root beer flavor. It's refreshing and a little acidic and there's a slight hint of wintergreen and vanilla. The Bite is mild as well. There is a little spice and decent carbonation. The Head is medium and fizzes down quickly. The Aftertaste is mild and soda-ish. This really isn't particularly good.


Hippo Size Root Beer Bottle

Hippo Size Beverages Jumbo Root Beer

This has a dark Body with a prominent licorice flavor along with sassafras and some wintergreen. It reminds me of a generic root beer barrel candy flavor (not the A&W ones). There is a strong carbonation Bite like sharp needles on the tongue. You can feel and even hear a bubble release unless it is poured from higher than normal into the glass, strange. Yet, despite all of said carbonation it still sports a "two second Head" which is quite a letdown. The Aftertaste is wintergreen and licorice that is a bit sticky. The whole taste and feel is of a very generic stout root beer that I wouldn't ever touch again.


Red Ribbon Root Beer Bottle

Red Ribbon Soda Works Root Beer

This has a Body that's a little weak. There's some wintergreen and maybe a tad bit of licorice in there as well. It's pretty generic and also fruity. I never like that sour fruity. There's not a lot of Bite but it really isn't smooth either. The Head is tall but fizzes down quickly. The Aftertaste is fruity with faint traces of vanilla that don't really mix well together. It's fair to say that I was whelmed by this brew.


Sky Valley Root Beer Bottle

Sky Valley Root Beer

The Body is not very sweet. There's vanilla and a decent core with some slight licorice notes, but then there is some strange aged, fruity, sour, flavor that surfaces. Perusing the ingredients shows apple cider vinegar, which fits the flavor perfectly. Why would they do that? There really is no Bite to speak of. None whatsoever, a big gaping hole is all there is. For the lack of Bite, it is only sort of smooth. The Head is decent, both with height and staying power. The Aftertaste is vanilla and apple cider vinegar. Again, why would they do that?


Hockeytown Old Style Root Beer Bottle

Hockeytown Old Style Root Beer

The Body is weak. There's a classic flavor profile but it's watered down and there's a bit of fruity to it. The Bite is also weak. Light on spice and on carbonation. The Head is medium but fizzes down very quickly. The Aftertaste is fruity with faint vanilla. This isn't good. Not unpleasant, but also not good.


Waialua Root Beer Bottle

Waialua Soda Works Root Beer

The Body was weak and not very flavorful, you could taste the right stuff but you had to look very hard to find it. The Bite was nothing special. The Head was large but not frothy at all. It fizzed away in several seconds. The Aftertaste was a very weak vanilla flavor that was almost instantly gone after it appeared. Maybe if they put two to three times the flavor it would be something worth talking about, however, as it was, when I finished drinking it, I looked down at my empty glass asking myself, what did I just drink? If it hadn't said root beer on the label, I wouldn't have known. I ordered this online.


Oogave Esteban's Root Beer

The Body is sweet, crisp, and refreshing but hardly tastes like root beer. There is a fruity hint to it which most likely comes from the agave nectar used for sweetener. The Bite is prickly on the tongue but otherwise weak. The Head is decent but fizzes away quickly. It doesn't go flat though. The Aftertaste is the same sweet, fruity, agave flavor that intensifies as you drink it. The more you drink the less it tastes like root beer and the more it tastes like agave nectar. Good soda, bad root beer. It is stamped with Esteban's Seal of Approval which I can only assume is based off of something other than the quality of the root beer.


Hummingbird Hill Rootbeer

The Body isn't very sweet and is rather hollow. There's a strong wintergreen and spice flavor, but it feels like there's a big gaping hole in the flavor profile. Something is missing. It's also a little bitter. The Bite is strong with wintergreen and cloves featuring prominently in the burn. The Head is short yet lingers. The Aftertaste is the fading traces of the Bite which ends bitter. While this brew is unique, it's missing a lot and I don't like it. I'm also not a fan of how they combined 'root' and 'beer' into one word in their name.


Frankie's Root Bier

The Body is fruity, really fruity, with a decent amount of vanilla. It's also kind of sour and not very strong. It's a very smooth brew without a lot of Bite to it. The Head has a good height but lacks the staying power to really be great. It's alright. The Aftertaste is more fruity vanilla. I never was a fan of sour fruity root beers.


Napa Valley Soda Company Root Beer

The Body is ok, very sweet but fruity and kind of weak. The bite is really not there at all. The Head is awful; it fizzes away in like two seconds. The Aftertaste is fruity as well, but luckily it goes away quickly. It is an organic root beer with such organic ingredients as "caramel color" and "natural flavor". It has a hint of the right stuff, but not enough, most likely because natural flavor is the last ingredient. Like other root beers from the Napa Valley area, they wrote some spiel about Napa Valley and quality and what not, but once again, the product does not live up to the "tradition of excellence."


Mad River Root Beer

Fabulous Bite. But the Head is terrible, the Body is weak and the Aftertaste is strange. I found this online.


Gray's Brewing Company Gourmet Root Beer

The Body is hollow, very hollow. There's a little flavor in there but not much. There is also a hint of something strange that I cannot place. The Bite is very sharp, like needles on the tongue. It bites you like a school of piranhas. The Head is low in height and medium froth content. It goes away quickly but not too quickly. The Aftertaste has that same strange flavor with some wintergreen and a little bit of fruity. Gray's Brewing Company is one of the oldest family owned beverage companies in America, over five generations. I guess their other stuff is much better than this.


AJ Stephans Root Beer Bottle

AJ Stephans Root Beer

The Body is not very sweet and "dark" tasting if you know what I mean. There is lots of "flavor" (one of the ingredients) but I wouldn't say that that is necessarily a good thing. There is not much Bite at all. The Head is nice though it could be frothier. The Aftertaste is sticky, almost cola-ish, and with more of the "flavor." I think that I caught a hint of anise in there too. My reaction when I finished it, "Yeah, it's a root beer." I ordered this online.


Private Selection Creamy Ginger Root Beer Bottle

Private Selection Creamy Ginger Root Beer

The Body is sour and a little fruity with a strong ginger flavor and an utter lack of any of the quintessential flavors that characterize a root beer. There is a strong Bite from all of the ginger. The Head is nice. It's tall and foamy with little tiny bubbles. The Aftertaste is more sour ginger. This is not a root beer, this is a ginger beer, and not a particularly good one either.


Virgil's Hand Crafted Root Beer Bottle

Virgil's Handcrafted Root Beer

The Body is kind of dark and rather complex. There’s sarsaparilla, licorice, a hint of fruity, and some other stuff going on but it doesn’t really work. The Bite is mild with no discernable spices yet harsh at the same time in mouthfeel. The Head is tall initially but fizzes down really quickly. The Aftertaste is sarsaparilla with licorice hints and fruity notes. I like this less than their original and I wasn’t a fan of that.


Hummingbird Hill Birch Root Beer Bottle

Hummingbird Hill Birch Rootbeer

The Body is very birchy, but not full at all. There's a good amount of wintergreen and it has some sour hints to it. The Bite is unimpressive. There's some carbonation burn but not much else. The Head is inconsistent in height but lacks staying power so it is gone quickly. The Aftertaste is empty. There's some wintergreen and a tad of vanilla but it doesn't last at all. This brew is unfulfilling.


Blumers Root Beer

This has a sweet and creamy medium Body with vanilla. There is a strange caramelized corn syrup herbal flavor that tastes a lot like bubble gum. The Bite is solid and spicy. The Head is short and fizzes down much too quickly, though it doesn't leave in mere seconds so it could be worse. The Aftertaste is the bubble gum flavor that last way too long. It builds the more you drink until that is almost all you can taste. At the end of the long and gross bubble gum Aftertaste, it turns bitter. This is a shame because it starts out good but the nasty Aftertaste makes it so the more I drink it the less I want to keep drinking it.


Natural Brew Draft Root Beer

I am not too fond of this one. It starts out with a full Body and good Bite. Then a strong licorice flavor surfaces that grows stronger the more you drink, however. The Aftertaste is very strong licorice.


Health Valley Old Fashioned Root Beer

This is all right at first but an absence of vanilla ruins the Body and the Aftertaste. It's also not very sweet. The Aftertaste is a strange herbal flavor and there is not much Bite at all. Head is mediocre at best.


Crater Lake Root Beer

I remember a trip to Crater Lake when I was 17. It was beautiful. I had hoped that this root beer would capture the majesty of the lake and caldera in a brew beyond description. Sadly it was not to be. The first thing noticeable when drinking this is a very sweet cane sugar flavor. That is about all that this root beer has going for it though. The Body is watery with a sweet sassafras and wintergreen flavor. Not creamy at all. The Bite is pretty weak but still not smooth going down. The Head is pathetic. It is less than a centimeter and fizzes away in seconds leaving the root beer nearly flat. The Aftertaste is sort of sticky sassafras and wintergreen which are two necessary ingredients to root beer but not the only ones. This reminded me a lot of FLM root beer. Maybe they have an agreement that all root beers named after a lake have to be bad.


Briar's Root Beer Bottle

Briar's Root Beer

It's a medium Body in this brew with a distinct caramel flavor. Then it gets sour unfortunately. It is mildly creamy with hints of vanilla. Then comes a sharp and sour carbonation Bite that sadly is rather devoid of spices. The Head is short yet foamy which is ok at best. The Aftertaste is a sour caramel vanilla that lasts too long and is kind of icky. The first few drinks of this are decent but it quickly deteriorates.


Rider Root Beer Bottle

Rider Root Beer

The Body isn't very sweet. There's sarsaparilla and molasses as the prominent flavors with some cinnamon as well, but it they don't find the proper confluence to create a beautiful harmony. Rather a shrill off-key mess. The Bite is sour with decent cinnamon burn. Half there. The Head is good. It's medium height with decent staying power. The Aftertaste is some molasses and sour. This tries to tread a fine line between being a herb tea brew and a normal root beer, and ends up doing the splits and landing on its groin.


Levis Root Beer Bottle

Levis Root Beer Soda

The Body is weak with a prominent sour and icky fake sugar taste. Why did they put sucralose in it instead of another 15g of sugar? The Bite is a bit harsh from carbonation and sour. The Head is medium-tall and lingers an average amount of time. It's not super foamy but it's okay. The Aftertaste is an icky sucralose flavor that coats my teeth and doesn't go away. This stuff is bad, and is what happens when somebody wants to reduce the calories in their root beer a little bit.


Way 2 Cool Root Beer Bottle

Way 2 Cool Root Beer

The Body is very interesting and unique. It isn't very sweet. It is mild and has a minty clove flavor with some anise. There is also a pronounced sour flavor that comes in after the initial contact. The whole combination comes off strange and not good. It has a solid bite from the cloves that isn't too much. The Head is tall but fizzes down very quickly. The Aftertaste is sour minty licorice with a hint of clove. Yuk. It is a strange brew indeed. I wouldn't say it's way 2 cool, but I think they got the 2 right.


Ramblin' Butterscotch Root Beer Bottle

Ramblin' Butterscotch Root Beer

The Body is overwhelming with the flavor of butterscotch extract. There's some traditional root beer flavors in there, but they are overpowered by an alcoholic extract flavor seething with butterscotch. The Bite is a sharp burn, like if you drink straight flavor extracts. The Head is tall and frothy. It doesn't last forever but it lasts a long time. The Aftertaste is more butterscotch extract. It's so strong it doesn't taste like butterscotch. Maybe if they put in half as much extract it'd be good, but as it stands, stay away from this.


Thomas Kemper Purely Natural Root Beer Bottle

Thomas Kemper Purely Natural Root Beer

The Body of this is weak in the normal root beer flavors but really strong in honey and fruity. I mean there is a very significant citrusy fruity flavor that comes in after the initial flavors and overpowers them. I think this can be blamed on the pectin they put in there for some reason. There isn't really much Bite, a little carbonation tingle but a distinct lack of spices. The Head is excellent, tall and frothy, and is the one redeeming feature of the brew. The Aftertaste is a fruity honey flavor that lasts far too long. This flavor compounds so the more you drink the stronger it gets and the less you want to drink it. When compared to regular Thomas Kemper, this is worse in all categories. Thankfully, it has been discontinued so the masses can be spared its vileness.


Bundaberg Root Beer

The Body on this is not really like anything I've ever tasted before. The very first drink of the bottle makes me almost gag of surprise but then it isn't so bad. Then is a strange and complex flavor that is fruity, so much fruity. I didn't expect that fruit flavor at all. Not really much root beer flavor, but not terrible. It is actually very sweet. The Bite is very mellow and sour. The Head is actually not bad. It builds to a medium height and has a decent amount of frothiness to it. It still fizzes away faster than it should, though. The Aftertaste is a very tart fruity flavor with the faintest trace of some creamy vanilla. It actually isn't bad, but it doesn't seem to be a root beer. If you relabeled the bottle and called it something else (I'm not sure what) I am sure that it would be a quite good whatever it should be called. It's from Australia so I suppose this is what they think root beer should taste like. It is also pretty disappointing because based on the ingredients, it should be much better than this.


Francis Hartridge's Celebrated Root Beer

The Body is fruity with a noticeable sarsaparilla flavor on the initial contact but then quickly fades to a watery sour flavor. There really isn't much root beer flavor but there is a lot of sour fruity. Perhaps that's due to there being more citric acid in this than flavor (as per the ingredients). There is a strong acidic Bite, both from the sour and carbonation, not the best. The Head's pretty decent. It's very tall but quickly fizzes down, kind of like the Head on Barq's. The Aftertaste is a faint fruity sarsaparilla but rather empty. So yeah, really sweet and fruity, not really root beer. It's from the UK, seems that they, like the Aussies, don't quite know what root beer should be.


Oogave Agave Root Beer

The Body is very mild with a prominent agave nectar flavor and some herbal notes. There's something bitter and out of place as well. It isn't very sweet and it isn't very good. The Bite has a strange sort of burn to it. The Head is a little shorter and fizzes down a little quicker than I prefer but isn't bad. The Aftertaste is sort of sour and bitter with an herbal agave flavor. I'm not going to mince words, this is not good.


Eric's Famous Energy Root Beer

First of all, I am NOT affiliated with this root beer (thankfully). Second of all, Ew! This is one of those energy drink, caffeinated, guarana enriched type root beers (see the Bad Root Beers Section). The Body is weak with an herbish flavor that is mildly sweetish. It doesn't make me gag though like other root beers of this genre. The Bite is sharp like needles on your tongue, too much. The Head is decent, but it fizzes away in a few seconds. The Aftertaste is sweet with a hint of vanilla. Though this isn't very good, it is the best strange energy drink root beer that I have had. It seems from the bottle that this Eric makes famous colas. My advice to him, stick to your core competencies. I found this in Seattle.


Red Jammer Root Beer

The Body is weak and indistinct, not very sweet and has a hint of anise flavor in it. It is kind of gross if you ask me. The Bite is alright. The Head is bad. The Aftertaste is kind of gross with a mild anise flavor. All in all it tastes like a Flathead Lake Monster Root Beer that some one stuck a licorice stick in over night, which is actually an improvement over normal FLM. I wonder if that is because they are both made by the same brewery ... This is the official root beer of Glacier National Park. If you want it I do suggest to take a trip there and enjoy the beautiful scenery.


Flathead Lake Monster Root Beer

The Body is weak, hollow and fruity which I attribute to the citric acid. The Bite is medium. The Head lives up to its name. The Aftertaste is fruity as well. It says on the bottle that the root beer is fresh. If this is true I wonder why they needed two preservatives (Citric Acid and Sodium Benzoate). It also says "Fight Corporate Root beer." My suggestion to them is that if this is their objective a good battle plan would be to make a better root beer. Finally, the bottle says "Root beer we make from the bottom of the lake." I must say that the taste of the root beer validates this claim.




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