Well, I remembered this as being a premium root beer from when I was a kid, but I guess that shows you what kids know. I was pretty excited to drink this, as I hadn’t had one in a while, but I was quite disappointed. It just didn’t have very much flavor and tasted a bit like the aluminum can it was in. The whole drink was very thin, flavor-wise, but extremely carbonated with almost a fake sweetened taste. Sort of like Splenda or something like that, although it was actually sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Not a root beer I’ll be buying again. Sorry, Good Doctor…

This brand is now owned by Pepsi, and apparently it’s available in a 12 oz bottle, but around the south, I’ve only seen it in 12 oz cans.  Dr. Brown’s does have a pretty interesting history worth checking out, though:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Brown%27s

 

Monthly Root Beer Rating: 4

Stewart’s is another historical favorite of mine.  Although it doesn’t have the strongest flavor, it tastes like familiarity and childhood.  This has always been my go-to root beer after IBC.  Although they seem to have increased production and focused on a larger distribution.  What I get my hands on is contract bottled and uses HFCS, disappointingly.  I imagine those closer to the original location get a slightly different formula.  Smooth and creamy, this root beer goes down easily, without a thick aftertaste.  It is highly carbonated, and is one of the “burpiest” root beers around, which always makes for family fun .

http://www.stewartsdrivein.net/

Monthly Root Beer Rating: 8.5

Again, not a root beer, but a damn interesting drink.  This has some similarities to root beer in that there is a strong aniseed presence.  I’ve seen this and some of their other sodas around, but never tried them before.  Somehow, I was expecting a bitter taste, but this was super sweet, and a complex mix of flavors that were really quite pleasant.  Worth a try and I’ll definitely check out some of their other sodas.

www.fentimans.com

Monthly Root Beer Rating: 7

Yeah, I know, not a root beer, but I stumbled across some of this and had to buy it because of the nostalgic factor. When I was a kid, every summer when we went to the beach, we would drive through Blenheim, South Carolina. We’d stop and get gas, and my dad would buy us a Blenheim Ginger Ale, ice cold in the bottle out of one of those waist high chest coolers. The company has 3 different formulas, but #3 and #5 (#9 is diet) are the ones worth checking out. #3 is distinguished by the red cap, and it’s formal name is “Old #3 Hot”. This is truly an understatement. The 12 oz bottle is almost difficult to consume, and has an almost overwhelming spicy hot ginger flavor that burns your tongue off! #5 is a little less intense, but still holds it’s own. If you ever see this stuff, it’s worth a try, and it will leave you wondering how Canada Dry and Seagrams can actually be called Ginger Ale…

http://www.blenheimgingerale.com/

Monthly Root Beer Rating: 8

Meh, pretty average if you ask me.  There was nothing really “bad” about this root beer, but there was nothing particularly redeeming either.  The taste was pretty thin and watery without very much flavor presence of any kind really.  I didn’t detect any individual root or herb flavors that presented as forefront, just kind of a generic root beer flavor.  It was really sweet, with 43 g of sugar, thankfully pure cane, and not HFCS.  The root beer was pretty strongly carbonated, which was a plus, and held the carbonation all the way down the throat.  AJ Stephens claims to be “New England’s Best Tonic”, but I have to say that they haven’t tried Maine Root, then…

http://www.ajstephans.com/

Monthly Root Beer Rating: 4

Dudes, Dad’s is the bomb.  Seriously.  It used to be the real bomb, and then they changed the formula when it was distributed by Coke.  The formula was changed back in 2007, and has been popping up again in areas of the country.  If you come across it, get it.  IF you find it in the 12 ounce glass bottle or the 12 ounce can.  There is a 1 liter plastic bottle that I’ve seen at discount stores, but it’s made with with high fructose corn syrup, so stay away.

This drink has a big, full flavor and carries lots of calories (230). and uses inverted sugar to make it pretty sweet.  It has a fairly unique flavor, and everything I’ve read says that it tastes a lot like the root beers that were commonly brewed at home in the 1920s in the US.

Dad’s was the first beverage to use the 6-pack distribution format in the 1940s, making it a bit of beverage history!

This is one root beer I’m glad is back, and will drink again and again!

 

 

Monthly Root Beer Rating: 9.5

So, the Saranac brewery is mainly a beer brewery, but they have a line of soft drinks as well.  They offer a line of old school beverages (cream soda, root beer, ginger beer, Shirley Temple, Orange Cream) and some newer fruit based soft drinks.  The root beer is quite nice, and I stumbled on one today at a kid’s birthday party: it was floating in the drinks barrel, ice cold and calling my name.  I always prefer root beer in a bottle over canned or draft, and this one really hit the spot on a hot day.  Taste wise, it was subtle with the licorice and vanilla flavors.  The root beer had a somewhat thick texture, while going down smoothly, and I imagine it would have had a nice head if it was poured into a glass.  Carbonation was fairly light, consistent with a draft-type brew.

 

 

Monthly Root Beer Rating: 7