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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!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Oogave Esteban's Root Beer


Who Made This Stuff?       Oogave Sodas, Denver, CO

Website:                            www.oogave.com

Where’d It Come From?   ???

Review Date:                     12/13/12

Commentary:  This one had had been lounging in the back of the fridge for a while now.  I was intrigued by it because it is sweetened with agave nectar instead of cane sugar or HFCS.  However, I was hesitant to try it for a long time just because I wasn't impressed with what I saw in the bottle.  It just looked weak.  This is a very light-colored root beer.  It almost looks like iced tea.

When I opened the bottle I got a little hint of licorice but nothing too strong.  It poured well, producing a decent, foamy head.  Even with the foam, it just looks weird in my glass since it is such a light brown.  The first taste was kinda medicinal.  No bite. Not great.  The carbonation is leaving town with haste.  Things are going downhill fast here.  

I don't really notice anything good in here as a result of the agave nectar.  Of course, I've never tried agave nectar before, so maybe that's the one thing that is making this a bad one and I just don't have the agave chops to recognize it.  Second, third, and subsequent sips are not improving.  This brew can't even claim to have smoothness or creaminess going for it.  Unfortunately, there isn't anything memorable in this one.  It does have enough root beer taste to make sure the drinker understands that this is, in fact, supposed to be a root beer, but that's about it.

Sorry Esteban, but I'm not even going to finish this one.  I definitely would not serve this one to friends.  I'm not sure what to do with the other one I still have in the fridge.  It breaks my heart to have to pour out an entire root beer, but I just might have to.  Blech.

Okay. Enough is enough.  I have no choice but to score this one as..................................................52.

What about you?  Have you tried this stuff?  Am I way off base here?