Who Made This Stuff? Bundaberg Brewed Drink Pty Ltd., Queensland, Australia
Website: www.bundaberg.com
Where’d It Come From? gift
Review Date: 8/11/13
Commentary: I received a four-pack of these funky little bottles as a gift recently. I had seen this brew on the shelves in a few stores before but I'd always been hesitant to plunk down my own cash for it simply because of the (usually) less-than-flattering reviews it has received. Well, now I don't have to worry about wasting my own money.
This root beer comes to us from Australia. It has an unusual pull top on it, but I'm not really sure why. It doesn't seem to be any easier to open than a standard twist-off cap. Maybe once I drink it everything will makes sense. A quick review of the ingredients list is actually encouraging. It's got cane sugar (yea!), molasses, ginger root, sarsaparilla root, licorice root, and vanilla bean. Based on that list, I'm expecting a bold, medicinal flavor. Let's open it up and see what happens.
When I popped the top, I did pick up a medicinal aroma but it wasn't anything unusual. It quickly formed a medium-sized head when poured, but it disappeared almost as fast as it appeared and left no residual froth. That's unfortunate. The first sip yields a very unusual flavor. There isn't anything too strong or overpowering, just weird. Okay, after a few more sips, I am picking up some slight hints of licorice and vanilla. There seems to be some sort of fruitiness in there. I can't put my finger on exactly what kind of fruit, though. This isn't creamy or smooth and there's just a wee little bit of bite.
The carbonation is holding up decently as I take my time with this one. The bubbles in here are tiny, just the way I like 'em. This just doesn't taste like a root beer to me. In fact, if I were doing a blind taste test and didn't know this was supposed to be a root beer, I don't think I would even guess that it is trying to be a root beer. I'm trying to figure out how to describe this one -- maybe a cross between a Vanilla Coke and a Dr. Pepper? I don't know.
Honestly, it's not nearly as bad as I had expected. I'm not going to bother finishing it, though. As I've been sipping my way through the glass, it just isn't growing on me. I just don't think it's worth the calories. This isn't terrible, but I can't even justify an average score for it simply because it is so far off from what I expect a root beer to taste like or at least try to taste like.
Sorry, Bundaberg. I'm going to have to give this a score of.........................................................................55.
Have you tried this stuff? What did you think? What kind of flavors did you pick up in there?
This root beer comes to us from Australia. It has an unusual pull top on it, but I'm not really sure why. It doesn't seem to be any easier to open than a standard twist-off cap. Maybe once I drink it everything will makes sense. A quick review of the ingredients list is actually encouraging. It's got cane sugar (yea!), molasses, ginger root, sarsaparilla root, licorice root, and vanilla bean. Based on that list, I'm expecting a bold, medicinal flavor. Let's open it up and see what happens.
When I popped the top, I did pick up a medicinal aroma but it wasn't anything unusual. It quickly formed a medium-sized head when poured, but it disappeared almost as fast as it appeared and left no residual froth. That's unfortunate. The first sip yields a very unusual flavor. There isn't anything too strong or overpowering, just weird. Okay, after a few more sips, I am picking up some slight hints of licorice and vanilla. There seems to be some sort of fruitiness in there. I can't put my finger on exactly what kind of fruit, though. This isn't creamy or smooth and there's just a wee little bit of bite.
The carbonation is holding up decently as I take my time with this one. The bubbles in here are tiny, just the way I like 'em. This just doesn't taste like a root beer to me. In fact, if I were doing a blind taste test and didn't know this was supposed to be a root beer, I don't think I would even guess that it is trying to be a root beer. I'm trying to figure out how to describe this one -- maybe a cross between a Vanilla Coke and a Dr. Pepper? I don't know.
Honestly, it's not nearly as bad as I had expected. I'm not going to bother finishing it, though. As I've been sipping my way through the glass, it just isn't growing on me. I just don't think it's worth the calories. This isn't terrible, but I can't even justify an average score for it simply because it is so far off from what I expect a root beer to taste like or at least try to taste like.
Sorry, Bundaberg. I'm going to have to give this a score of.........................................................................55.
Have you tried this stuff? What did you think? What kind of flavors did you pick up in there?
