Frostop Root Beer

Who Made This Stuff?           Frostop Beverages, Inc. 
                                                               Columbus, OH

Website:                                          www.frostop.com

Where’d It Come From?       Angeli's Market, Iron River, MI

Review Date:                                   8/15/13

Commentary:  I think this is another brew I picked up in WI last fall.  I can't remember for sure.  All I know is it's been waiting very patiently for me to review it.  This one looks like it has potential.  According to the label, this root beer has been around since 1926, and they claim that "NOTHING tops it...but the foam!"  That's quite a claim, especially since the used both ALL CAPS and italics within the same claim.  Let's get down to business.

When I opened the bottle, I detected a definite spicy, wintergreeny aroma.  As I poured it in my mug, it did form a nice head but it wasn't anywhere near huge or anything.  Most of the head dissipated in short order, but a small amount of foam remained on top for quite a while as I worked may way through this one.  

The first sip was definitely sweet and smooth.  There was just a wee little bit of a bite in there but it didn't really last long.  Things started nicely, but then everything got weird.  There was some sort of odd finish and aftertaste in this one.  It kind of overshadowed everything else.  Each sip started with the potential to be really good with its balance of creamy and spicy but then that strange aftertaste would kick in every time.  It left a lasting impression and almost made me forget about the good start to each sip. 

The carbonation was actually pretty good.  The brew held its fizz all the way to the bottom of the mug, and I didn't rush through this one.  I took my time with it because I was so puzzled by that aftertaste.  I couldn't ever really figure out exactly what I was tasting in there. My best guess is that it was licorice but there had to be some else along with it.  It also left just a little bit of a syrupy mouth feel.  My guess is that is from the corn syrup.  According to the ingredients list they use corn syrup and cane sugar, but the corn syrup precedes the sugar in the list.

As I was drinking this, I couldn't help thinking that someone else might actually like this one.  Maybe that aftertaste would appeal to them.  This did have a few things going for it, like the sweet, creamy, spicy start and the good carbonation.  Personally, I couldn't get past that weird taste.  This isn't a bad root beer.  It just isn't for me.  

OK.  Now I'm really confused.  After I finished writing up most of this review, I read a few reviews of this same root beer by other root beer aficionados.  They all had very positive reviews of it, with no mention of the weird taste.  Maybe I just got a bum batch.  Oh well, I can only review and rate the root beers I drink.  Maybe I'll give this a second chance the next time I see it in a store.   

Enough typing, time to for scoring.  I'll give this one a......................................................................................71.

What about you?  Have you tried this one?  Any weird aftertaste for you?       

Dang! That's Good Root Beer

Who Made This Stuff?           Imperial Flavors Beverage Co., 
                                                               Milwaukee, WI

Website:                                          www.imperialflavors.com

Where’d It Come From?       Mars Cheese Castle, Kenosha, WI

Review Date:                                   8/14/13

Commentary:  Based on the name of this brew, this review could go really well or really poorly for our good friends over at Imperial Flavors.  With a name like that it has a lot to live up to.  I found this one at the famous Mars Cheese Castle near Kenosha, WI.  If you ever get the chance to stop in there, you should definitely stop.  If the abundance of cheese isn't enough to draw you in, they also have a fine selection of bottled sodas.  But enough about cheese.  Let's get down to business here.

As I removed the cap from the bottle, I got a nice little "pop", which told me the carbonation had held up well since I bought this back in November (almost 9 months ago now).  It also had a good spicy aroma.  So far, things were looking up.  When poured into my frosty mug, it produced a small head that dissipated rather quickly.

The first sip was really good.  This one has a nice little bite to it.  It's spicy and sweet at the same time.  The spice was up front as soon as it hit my tongue.  It made a nice transition to a creamy vanilla on the back end, but the bite sticks around for just a bit after going down the hatch.  I did detect a little wintergreen in there, but that flavor is far from overpowering.  That same aroma I picked up when I first opened the bottle was able to stick around all the way to the very last sip in the mug.  Nice.

This one isn't super smooth, but that's really okay.  It has so many other things going for it that I'm fine with it skipping the smoothness.  It is definitely sweet, but because it's made with sugar instead of HFCS, it doesn't leave any syrupy mouth feel at all.  I would consider this a "sipping" root beer.  It's one I think deserves to be enjoyed slowly so you can take in the different characteristics of this brew.  If you were to gulp this down, you'd miss out on the really nice balance between the bite and the creamy.  The carbonation level is just about perfect too, so you really can take your time with this one and it will hold its fizz all the way to when you're ready for that last sip.

I liked this one a lot.  I would gladly serve this one to friends and as I mentioned, I'd recommend that they take their time and enjoy it.

I think this root beer lives up to it's name.  I'm giving it a score of........................................................................................89.    

Have you ever tried this one?  Did it live up to its name for you?  Did you shout "Dang!" when you drank it?  Let me hear about it in the comments.        

Bundaberg Root Beer

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?