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Welcome to the Root Beer Rundown. Over the last few years, I've had a lot of fun drinking a lot of root beer and posting my root beer reviews for your reading pleasure. Use the tools on the right to see the complete history of my reviews, find all the brews within a given scoring range, or simply search for your favorite brew to see if it's one I've reviewed. I always like to hear what other root beer lovers like and dislike about different brews, so feel free to sound off in the comments of the reviews. I've also provided some links to a few other great root beer resources. Let me know if I've missed any so I can add them to the list. Enjoy the site!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Thomas Kemper


Who Made This Stuff? Thomas Kemper Soda Co.

Website: www.tksoda.com

Where’d It Come From? Cost Plus World Market, Kennesaw, GA

Review Date: 9/15/09

Commentary: It had a pleasant, traditional root beer aroma when I first opened the bottle. Then the real fun began. It created a beautiful foamy head when poured. Really, the head was impressive. Plus, it was kind enough to stay around for quite awhile, through a few sips and some photos. The first few sips proved to be very creamy, with just a little bit of bite. This stuff goes down smooth. Carbonation is on the light side, with some nice tiny bubbles in there, and doesn’t get in the way of the brew itself. The taste is very pleasant, starting with a bit of spiciness and finishing nice and sweet and creamy. This is really a great brew. I could see myself downing a couple of these things in one evening. I am getting near the bottom of the glass now, and the carbonation has hung around, just like it should. There is still a slight ring of foam around the top as well, which I think is a nice touch. My suspicions about sweeteners were confirmed with a review of the ingredients list. No HFCS here, just cane sugar and honey – and it shows!

I was very happy to find this brew on the shelves at Cost Plus World Market. Actually, it came in a variety pack of 8 bottles, so I still have one more bottle of root beer to drink, as well as two bottles each of Cream Soda, Orange Cream, and Ginger Ale. I was pretty sure this one would get a good review, even before I opened the bottle this evening. I had read a few reviews of this brew on some other root beer sites, plus I was fortunate enough to drink one of these a few years ago on a business trip to the west coast. Tonight’s bottle certainly lives up to the memory of that first bottle. I like the bottle and label design too. Nothing fancy, just a classic style.

I would gladly serve this root beer to friends. On second thought, I may only serve it if they notice it in my fridge…otherwise it’s all mine. I think I’ll score this one as………………………..94.