Root Beer Project | Christopher B. Mann

My kids and I like root beer. But all root beer is not equal. Good root beer is a flavor party. Bad root beer can be truly gross. My kids have quite discerning tastebuds (which they get from their mother, not me). The Root Beer Project started in Saratoga Springs, NY, but it’s roots are a couple of years ago in New Orleans where I re-discovered good root beer (thank you, Abita Brewing Co.). Living in NOLA, my kids and I tasted and rated beignets and donuts, but we needed a new project in upstate NY. Thus the Root Beer Project was born.

The ratings below are a collective assessment among me, my son (age 9), and my daughter (age 11). It’s entirely subjective. We have no expertise. Our rating process is simple: Step 1: Open a bottle of our favorite (or at least one we have rated highly when trying new things on the road); Step 2: Open a bottle of a new root beer; Step 3: Drink and compare. Eventually, we will try making our own root beer… but that’s a separate project. Much harder than just drinking it.

General guideline for buying: 7 and higher are worth buying. Higher is obviously better. Below a 7 is “drink at your own risk of blandness or worse”. The order within the same overall rank reflects our preference.

A few notes: The kids like sweeter root beers than I do, so the overall ratings tip slightly towards sweet. I like a mint flavor a bit more than the kids do, but not overwhelming. “Spicy” covers the rest of the flavor profile, including licorice (which I like). Other root beer rating sites seem to call spicy “bitey”. We like flavor, especially complex flavor. We’re not fans of lots of carbonation, especially my daughter.

A couple of rules for what we rate: Nothing sweetened with corn syrup. We lean towards craft root beers. Local is a plus (the reigning favorite is from 23 miles up the road), but “local” travels when we travel… and we drink any root beer we can find that looks promising.

Overall

Sweet

Spicy

Minty

Fizzy

Color

Bear Wizz

by Lake George Soda Co. (picture of old Moose Wizz label)*

(9)

Our reigning favorite

(7)

Sweet but not sticky sweet

(7)

Well rounded flavor

(5.5)

(5)

Small, disappear quickly

(9) Dark Brown

[Jan 2017]

Frostie Vanilla

(8)

The kid’s silver medal

(8)

Vanilla enhances sweetness.

(Less sugar than Bear Wizz)

(4)

Not a big flavor. Just good flavor.

(3)

Vanilla, not mint.

(6.5)

(9) Dark Brown

[Feb 2017 with regular Frostie]

Abita

(8)

Rekindled my love of root beer. Deserves its spot near the top.

(6)

(5)

Flavor? Of course, it’s from NOLA!

(3)

(6)

(9.5) Dark Brown

[Feb 2017]

Boylan’s

(7.5)

The best widely available brand.

(5)

Not very sweet (in a good way)

(5)

Bland except for mint finish

(7.5)

Strong mint finish

(7)

Small to medium active bubbles

(7) Medium Brown

[Jan 2017]

River City

(7.5)

We will drink a lot of this when visiting N. California.

(5)

(3.5)

A bit of a licorice aroma.

(6)

This is a dominant flavor, in a good way

(7)

Best foam head of any we have tried.

(9.5) Dark Brown

[March 2017]

Ithaca

(7)

Runner up in the upstate NY division. Very tasty.

(4)

(6)

A six with a lot of flavor

(7)

A very refreshing minty flavor.

(7)

(7) Medium Brown

[April 2017]

Dang Butterscotch

(7)

Butterscotch is an excellent addition to root beer.

(Makes an excellent float too.)

(7)

Butterscotch is sweet. And good.

(4.5)

(3)

A very refreshing minty flavor.

(7)

(9) Dark Brown

[June 2017, rated in S. Utah vs. Frostie Vanilla]

Manhattan Special

(7)

(5)

(7.5)

Licorice, but the kids liked it too.

(4)

(4.5)

(9.5) Dark Brown

[Oct. 2019]

Crazy J’s

(7)

A tragedy that Davidson Bros. isn’t making it anymore. Bring it back!

(6.75)

(7)

(4.75)

(4)

(8) Medium-Dark Brown

[Dec. 2017]

IBC

(7)

Remarkably good offering from the giants at Dr. Pepper / 7-Up.

(4.5)

(6)

A licorice flavor, but it went over well with the kids.

(6)

(7)

(9) Dark Brown

[June 2017, rated in S. Utah vs. Henry Weinhard’s]

Jackson Hole

(7)

A fine root beer from (?) another of my former hometowns. Too bad it wasn’t there when I was.

(6)

(6.5)

(5)

(6)

(9) Dark Brown

[June 2017, rated in S. Utah vs. Frostie Vanilla]

Johnnie Ryan

(7)

Great but for an odd aftertaste. 4th place in NY (1st in W. NY)

(7)

(5)

(4)

(7)

(8) Medium-Dark Brown

[April 2017]

Henry Weinhard’s

(7)

There were votes to rank this one higher. Very easy to drink.

(6)

(7)

A lot of flavor in a bottle.

(4)

Mint is there, but so are a lot of other flavors.

(6)

A good foam head.

(8) Medium-Dark Brown

[March 2017; benchmark was River City because we did this while traveling.]

Cicero Salted Carmel

(7)

Sweetness had more kid appeal than adult appeal, but a solid 7.

(7.5)

(6)

(2)

(3)

(9.5) Dark Brown

[May 2017]

Rocky Mountain Soda Company

(7)

Top of the leaderboard in the Colorado division. Lots of flavor, not too sweet.

(4)

(7)

Notable licorice, but didn’t turn off the kids.

(6)

(7.5)

(7) Medium Brown

[January 2018, rated vs. Henry Weinhards]

Cariboo

Note: 0.5% alcohol. (There is a 5.5% alcohol version from Cariboo too – adults only).

(7)

Highest rated can. Great in hot tub after skiing.

(6)

(7.5)

(6)

(5.5)

(8.5) Medium-Dark Brown

[April 2019, Canada]

Pop Shoppe

(7)

(5)

(4)

(7)

(8)

(9) Dark Brown

[April 2019, Canada]

Zuberfizz

(7)

An strong offering from Durango. Yet another reason to visit the Four Corners region.

(5)

(5.5)

(6)

(7.5)

(8.5) Medium-Dark Brown

[January 2018; rated vs. Henry Weinhards]

Hansen’s

(7)

Tasty. Widely available. Highly portable can.

(7)

(5.5)

(2)

(7)

(9) Dark Brown

[June 2017]

Capt’n Eli’s

(7)

A nice all around drinkable root beer.

(5.5)

(6)

(3)

(7.5)

(8) Medium-Dark Brown

[April 2017]

Indian Wells Special Reserve

(7)

(3.5)

(8)

Lots of flavor, not a lot of sweet.

(5)

(2)

Creamy, not flat

(10) Very Dark Brown

[July 2019]

Blue Sky

(7)

An old favorite, back when it was the local root beer in NM, which sadly it is not anymore.

(5)

(6.5)

(5.5)

(3)

(9) Dark Brown

[March 2017]

Frostie

(7)

Past family favorite, but pushed down rankings by others.

(6)

(4)

Good flavor, but not over-powering.

(5)

(6)

(9) Dark Brown

[Feb 2017, with Vanilla Frostie]

WBC

Originally from Goose Island Brewery in Chicago

(7)

Why didn’t they have this when I was growing up in Chicago?

(6)

(7.5)

Kids thought this had lots of flavor.

(4)

(9) Dark Brown

[July 2019]

Hank’s Root Beer

(7)

Very solid, across the board.

(6.5)

(4)

(9) Dark Brown

[Jan 2019]

Polar

(7)

(6)

(4)

(2.5)

(9.5) Dark Brown

[July 2019]

Bulldog

(7)

A dispute among the judges. C wanted it lower. T wanted it higher.

(8)

Not sure where the kids found this much flavor…

(6)

(4)

(7) Medium Brown

[June 2017]

Caldera

(7)

Disputed ranking. The kids wanted it lower. I wanted it much higher… and others agree.

(3.5)

Very low sugar – only 15 grams.

Maybe why the kids weren’t so high on it?

(7)

Split decision on the flavor. I liked it a lot. The kids… not so much.

(4)

(3.5)

(8) Medium-Dark Brown

[August 2017]

A&W

Canadian, not US. With sugar.

(7)

Not bad from a classic root beer brand. If only I could find this version in US…

(7)

(3.5)

(5.5)

Strong on mint. In a good way.

(7)

(7) Medium Brown

[August 2017]

Brownie Caramel Cream

(7)

If you like caramel, you’ll like this… but not a classic root beer taste.

Potentially excellent for floats.

(7.5)

(6.5)

Caramel!

(4)

(2)

Very little carbonation.

(9.5) Very Dark Brown

[June 2017, rated in Southern Utah vs. Frostie Vanilla]

Grizzly Paw

(6.5)

Nothing bad, but more sweet than real flavor.

(8.5)

Kids said it was too sweet. That’s says it all.

(7)

Still more sweet than anything else.

(2)

(5)

(5) Medium Light Brown

[April 2019. in Canada]

Stubborn

(6.5)

Pretty good, but stevia aftertaste is too high a price for fewer calories.

(5)

(4)

(6.5)

(5)

(9) Dark Brown

[June 2017]

Steelhead

(6.5)

Good, but honey and vanilla makes it sweet.

(9)

(2)

The flavor is… sweet. Vanilla and honey.

(1)

See spicy

(4)

(8) Medium-Dark Brown

[March 2017]

Barq’s

Canadian, not US. With sugar.

(6)

Real sugar in Canada, but still bland mass brand flavor.

(3.5)

(7.5)

High number does not mean good.

(3)

(6)

(9) Dark Brown

[April 2019, Canada]

Rogue

(6)

A strong flavor that adults liked better than the kids.

(5)

(8)

Very clear, strong flavor.

(8)

(5.5)

(9) Dark Brown

[March 2017]

Mug
(Real Sugar)

(6)

Mass brand usually has corn syrup. Sugar version hard to find… and not worth effort.

(5)

(4)

(8)

(9) Dark Brown

[June 2017]

Real Brew

(6)

(5.5)

(8)

Strong flavor but not one we liked much.

(2.5)

(5)

(4.5) Light Brown

[April 2019, Canada]

Saranac

(6)

Decent but bland. A root beer for people who don’t really like root beer.

(5)

Saranac uses corn syrup! We only rated it b/c it is local to upstate NY.

(6)

(3)

(8.5) Medium Dark Brown

[May 2017]

So Duh

(6)

Label says “Soda with Attitude”. The attitude is love or hate the flavor, but you won’t miss it.

(4)

(9)

Very distinct flavor.

(2)

(6.5)

(5) Very light brown.

[March 2017]

Harmony Springs

(5.5)

Kids rated lower than me. So try it for yourself when in W. Massachusetts

(3.5)

Low sugar… maybe why kids were negative?

(4)

(1)

(3)

(6) Very light color

[Nov 2017]

Bundaberg

(5.5)

I like licorce, but…

(4)

(9)

Distinct licorice flavor

(4)

(6.5)

(9) Dark Brown

[Feb 2017]

Natural Brew

(5)

Comment after first taste: “Too watery.”

(4)

(3)

(2.5)

(6)

(5.5) Very Light Brown

[May 2017]

Sky Valley Organic

(5)

(3)

Just 26g of sugar.

(8)

The younger judges felt it had strong flavor, but not a good flavor.

(7)

(2.5)

Virtually flat.

(6) Very light color for root beer.

[Jan 2017]

Dad’s

(4)

The more we drank, the less we liked it.

(5)

(6)

One flavor note. Vaguely medicinal.

(2)

Barely. Might be less than 2.

(3)

Very small bubbles.

(9.25) Dark Brown

[Jan 2017]

Ratings for Non-Bottled Root Beers

Deschutes Brewery = 7 Only available at the Brewpub in Portland, made from house-made syrup and sparkling water. Nice flavor. Sweet, but not overwhelming. Low fizz. Little mint, lots of licorice.)

Oaktown = 7 Only available from fountains in restaurants near the Alameda Point Craft Soda Co. brewery [CA Bay Area]. Worth ordering if you see it in the restaurant.

Blue Corn Cafe = 7 Only available at the cafe in Santa Fe, NM. A bit sweet and no strong flavor, but worth drinking. Served in a big frosty stein. Goes great with green chile.

Glenwood Canyon Brewpub Root Beer = 6.5+ Good in-house root beer, available only at the Brewpub (growlers are available). Worth stopping if you are Glenwood, but not worth going too far out of your way to get it.

Preliminary Ratings

These are root beers we have tried but not formally rated. Usually, it means we tried it at a restaurant or while traveling. The scores are the range where we think it might end up.

A J Stephans ~ 7

Route 66 ~ 7

Fireman’s Brew ~7 Definitely worth rating. Rich flavor. Strong licorice. Good cause too.

Margo’s Bark ~6.5-7.5 Nice flavor. Better story & cause. Worth rating.

Death Valley by Indian Wells ~6.5-7.5 Good. Strong licorice taste. Kids might put it lower than I do. Pretty sure it is different from Special Reserve already rated.

Zia ~6.5-7 Higher if not for the yucca aftertaste. Nice mint flavor. Not to sweet. Refreshing on hot Santa Fe day. Good cause.

Sioux City Sarsaparilla ~ 6.5-7

O-zell ~6 Kinda bland. Not terrible, but not very interesting.

Faygo ~ 6-6.5 Drinkable. A bit sweet. A bit on the bland side.

Bull’s Head ~6-6.5 No mint. No licorice. It had some flavor but all sweet. No bite. Not bad, but not good.

Labrador Butterscotch ~6-6.5 Not sure where the butterscotch is in this. Or much else for interesting flavor. Not bad, but bland.

Triple XXX ~ 5-7 Major dispute about this one: I thought it was lousy. T thought it was fantastic. C didn’t try it. Need to formally rate to resolve the dispute.

Gale’s ~5-6 Weird aftertaste. Kinda medicinal. Kids would not like it.

Olde Brooklyn ~4-5 Bad. No flavor at all. Tasted like sugar and maybe some caramel. And nothing else. Didn’t finish it. Not sure I would call it root beer based on the lack of flavor.

* Adirondack Brewing lost a trademark lawsuit to Moosehead Brewing Company, and therefore changed the original “Moose Wizz” name to “Bear Wizz”. Either way, you can see how the name adds some appeal to some of the judges.