tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40154317654875500472024-03-12T16:50:44.744-07:00Cosmo's Root Beer ReviewsMy name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-11407652216236256442023-12-18T17:43:00.000-08:002023-12-18T17:43:26.570-08:00Hoover Dam Root Beer<div class="separator"></div><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMZz_l3EvhrV6FgqTSDUM7UeV7ni3AO-sLD8UJnWxufzR9BuxRj3JlGg3kdZnXXlKR_7zVSGofZoAFmOxkXw_uLeyb4IU9f9kjlhzNJPT-SdjYIr150vMwINyR0JsR9bXCkc9cKo9XbGy2egaqSXHB-Dg2mNkE0rrzFX_JHhe3sWFapuAOLa9P_XPkDM/s1698/Hoover%20Dam.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1698" data-original-width="566" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMZz_l3EvhrV6FgqTSDUM7UeV7ni3AO-sLD8UJnWxufzR9BuxRj3JlGg3kdZnXXlKR_7zVSGofZoAFmOxkXw_uLeyb4IU9f9kjlhzNJPT-SdjYIr150vMwINyR0JsR9bXCkc9cKo9XbGy2egaqSXHB-Dg2mNkE0rrzFX_JHhe3sWFapuAOLa9P_XPkDM/s320/Hoover%20Dam.jpg" width="107" /></a> Well... we finally did it kids. We cleaned out the years-long backlog in my fridge. This may seem like it's down to the wire getting this done before the end of the year, but truth be told i could have finished this months ago. I've just been lazy. To recap, i declared that i would clean out my backlog of root beers in my fridge by the end of this year. I documented this in the <a href="https://cosmosrootbeerreviews.blogspot.com/2023/02/joby-joes-root-beer-float.html">Joby Joe's</a> review in January. And this is the final one that has been taunting me every time i open the fridge doors. I picked this up at our local Rocket Fizz as it is one of the novelty root beers distributed and offered there. The Hoover Dam is an incredible feat of engineering that lies on the border between Nevada and Arizona. I've driven over and by it many times in my life and have even toured the areas they allow you to tour. The hydro-electric turbines turned by water flowing through the dam supply electricity to both Las Vegas and Phoenix as well as countless other small towns and areas both nearby and far away. </div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator">But the main thing i think of when i think of the Hoover Dam is the game Fallout: New Vegas, which i played through at least 3 if not 4 times to get all the different endings. There is quite the epic showdown at the end of that game which takes place at the Hoover Dam. Sorry for the lightest of spoilers any of you that have this 13-year-old game on your list of "things to eventually complete". Kind of like a fridge full of root beers to review and post about on the internet that is received by essentially no one, or maybe that noose you started tying and swear will someday be the way you take your own life. At least one of those things is true for me. At least one. What a great open-world game this was though, set in a dystopian post-nuclear war future that's gritty and violent but still fun enough to come back to multiple times to see everything they packed into it. </div><div class="separator"><p style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="220" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEileJbK6TGxyFoEhwFps0I3k_ejmflhdbp8mrcjniv_8xMin-SmhppQSd_lEPcZQwqdxnOwcaOqsQ86Cqj-UxpSNupCsez4AxMkMIB1MqJF-l29zmyW8husfD9e6a9KiQlRf6brdryihGKU3iIOD5WAqH4p2S20Sfk5n3for5vnHGOSXYBxOKZi7J5JpV0/s1600/Fallout_New_Vegas.jpg" width="220" /> </p>The form of currency in these games is bottle caps and the flagship soda is called Nuka-Cola, but in New Vegas they introduced another soda, a root beer variant called Sunset Sarsaparilla. This has nothing to do with anything other than i am mentioning it on this root beer review blog, so while the tie-in may be tenuous at best it is at least not meritless. Also there are lots of guns and copious amounts of violent combat pervasive in the game. And the Hoover Dam is central to all of it. So that's what i think of when i think of the Hoover Dam. Not the hundreds of actual men who died making it, but the hundreds of video game men i murdered while standing on it. Also, i've heard some of the actual men who died making it did so by falling into the wet cement while they were pouring it and are still encased and entombed within the dam walls. How cool is that? I mean, not cool that they died, but these guys are now legends, so much so that i don't know any of their names off the top of my head and i just make a passing comment about them and consider that as paying my respects. So to all those men who's bodies are permanently a part of the Hoover Dam in a physical and literal sense, just think... you're still remembered by me, but only after i first think about Fallout. </div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator">This root beer was purchased in a traditional 12 oz brown glass bottle. I like the label very much. It uses an old-timey sepia toned photo of the Hoover Dam as a backdrop with some delightfully sparkly gold font in handsome cursive to simply say "Hoover Dam Root Beer" with the very obvious but still fun tagline "dam good soda". You can see it coming from a mile away, but it still makes you smile when you see it. Cracking open the cap (and pocketing this precious currency for during the end-times) i was immediately met with the rich aroma of wintergreen, which anyone who reads these reviews will know i am a fan of the wintergreen flavor profile in a root beer. So that was a nice treat. However, like most of the root beers churned out by Rocket Fizz, the novelty of this root beer doesn't carry it in the long run. It is essentially displayed right on the label with the "dam good soda" joke. I can only assume this joke was the entire reason for naming this Hoover Dam Root Beer. Kind of a work backwards from the ending type thing. The wintergreen flavor, while good, is STRONG. Honestly, a bit too strong for my liking, and i generally have a decent liking for that kind of thing. It just overpowers everything else in the flavor profile. It basically tastes like drinking an Altoid. There is very little room left for a root beer flavor once you get past the wintergreen. And to add to that, it just overall tastes fairly watered down and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It is sweetened with pure cane sugar but i can't seem to get any of that when i drink it. Just a very sharp and aggressive wintergreen taste. I would say this ultimately suffers from a classic case of "too much of a good thing". </div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiee3A1QZ3PSLwJGb_Ukxw1JleXdhcqciCupFNLngLmfWdlglXhyECckJjtHPPbQ-NPZBNRkzQ_PP_xQjV71Pj5dORC4zn8G-3o1BObqqB4zg7JmtccF0Txt-NmvXtNL1fAr4fnq3UpuVpDdVOheowishaleIzLPOXg1TibgtRoLrd-VBKqmINNNd2JMIE/s696/4IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="80" data-original-width="696" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiee3A1QZ3PSLwJGb_Ukxw1JleXdhcqciCupFNLngLmfWdlglXhyECckJjtHPPbQ-NPZBNRkzQ_PP_xQjV71Pj5dORC4zn8G-3o1BObqqB4zg7JmtccF0Txt-NmvXtNL1fAr4fnq3UpuVpDdVOheowishaleIzLPOXg1TibgtRoLrd-VBKqmINNNd2JMIE/s320/4IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator">My official review is that Hoover Dam Root Beer gets 4 (four) IBCs. I don't hate this enough to trash it but it's simply not even good enough to be middle of the road. If the Hoover Dam historical monument and power station gets a rating of 8 and the game New Vegas is an easy 10, then this can't be anywhere above a 4. Because unlike both the game or the monument, i won't ever be revisiting this one. Better luck next time Rocket Fizz. </div><div class="separator"></div><p></p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-80207128000888406322023-08-08T18:59:00.000-07:002023-08-08T18:59:47.248-07:00Ramblin' Butterscotch Root Beer<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2OvXdQ1_KH-guaurd_IwB5us1uCRLYBYqkozrzXeWrQSwVXa8LB4M6joySyNfv8YF3Vp9an2ljqmgpL8AdLHZS8d4HclPuY6abvSvLD8iKNSGgYA4NyODcrAoTJO7RQbpiiWelEZFA0_Fe_N8bGQxrnAJX6GJvz_J8c8z4nYUPZTcO6A2btaz9KvLXg/s1844/Ramblin'%20Butterscotch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="641" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2OvXdQ1_KH-guaurd_IwB5us1uCRLYBYqkozrzXeWrQSwVXa8LB4M6joySyNfv8YF3Vp9an2ljqmgpL8AdLHZS8d4HclPuY6abvSvLD8iKNSGgYA4NyODcrAoTJO7RQbpiiWelEZFA0_Fe_N8bGQxrnAJX6GJvz_J8c8z4nYUPZTcO6A2btaz9KvLXg/s320/Ramblin'%20Butterscotch.jpg" width="111" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">I’ve
been told on more than one occasion that I have an angry resting face. This
means I naturally look angry when internally I am simply at my equilibrium; not
happy, sad, angry, anxious, anything, etc.
I’m just in my default mode and not thinking about it. I would say
“emotionless”, but that’s probably not accurate and is just what my wife calls
me. I’ve been told it’s off-putting, meaning people don’t want to approach me.
This I find works in my favor as I generally don’t care to engage with
strangers, being an introvert by nature. But I never really grasped the full
weight of this until I met a woman who bears the same affliction. In general,
she looks like the weight of everything in the world has taken its toll on her
for 30+ years, and most of the time it didn’t go the way she wanted. This woman
is my niece’s mother-in-law, and when I met her was at the wedding of her son
to my niece. I’m telling you I’ve never seen someone look more miserable, and
it was at her son’s wedding no less. You would have thought she was completely
against the union of her son and my niece but decided to keep it to herself,
sitting and sulking while the couple read their vows. It was only during this
moment I really understood what has been said to me for most of my adult life.
“Is everything ok with you?” “You seem upset.” “You should smile more.” I never
took any real offence to these comments, but they were annoying. I’m just being
me. Why do I care if you think I’m upset or not? Well, now I understand that in
social situations (like at a wedding) there is a general demeanor that is expected,
and my unintentional broadcasting of faux personal distress or perceived lack
of approval turns out to be a real downer for everyone else. So I’m trying to
be more conscious of it, but old habits die hard and I find it’s too much
effort to appear pleasant and happy all the time with little to no payoff.
We’re all just doing the best we can out here. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">And speaking of doing the best we can, i am almost done with all the root beers i have had backlogged in my fridge for at least the last 5 years or so. I am closing in on the last few. This one is really just an extension of my last review, which was related to a review i wrote back in 2016. I'm taking of course about the Ramblin' Root Beer family with a line of flavors both common and uncommon to root beers. As discussed in my last post, it appears that Ramblin' has gone out of business but has licensed the right to brew and distribute their root beer flavors to Rocket Fizz, which is where i found this root beer. You can go back and look at my last review of Ramblin' Maple Root Beer or the original Ramblin' post if you so care to learn more about the company, or more-so, how i came to first find these root beers. It's not a thrilling read and holds little to no value to anything, so i wouldn't recommend it. But it's there if you want it. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">As i've already stated regarding the label, i'm a fan. It's fun, professional, colorful and conveys a sense of adventure in a bottle. But the reality is that this root beer is anything but an adventure. It's a very, very, very watered-down butter beer. I don't mind the butterscotch flavor that is the keynote finish to this elixir. But i wouldn't call it the dominant flavor because the dominant flavor is nothing. This tastes like nothing. It barely tastes like real cane sugar, which it is sweetened with. It just tastes like nothing, or maybe just water. The carbonation is so slight that it's not really even there. The root beer flavor does not exist. And the only other flavors are unpleasant and artificial at best. Indeed, the butterscotch is the star here because it swoops in at the end to save you from the terrible things this has done to your palette. But don't give it too much credit. The butterscotch flavor, which is still the most pleasant part of this drink, is also so weak and thin that it's barely noticeable. You really only taste it after it has sat on your tongue for a bit. Overall it seems like a waste of a drink. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkjDHyxQodsuxcqUiAK76WrYwB_bleqh75eIk3X68cPIdJebeqRVZ1Rvzy7yMwBaLbPfMS8dyvHRKzRFZEuTjt7GNoSMcuxCw_6bzPAG4FtX9Ms8if7-Ldgc16WRM_1iK6d7V4dBahUGiXfE8woZQEGNDEaEwHBnaTZVxmp7Kjfo46XM9RmEjnUpyEe8/s696/2IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="74" data-original-width="696" height="34" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkjDHyxQodsuxcqUiAK76WrYwB_bleqh75eIk3X68cPIdJebeqRVZ1Rvzy7yMwBaLbPfMS8dyvHRKzRFZEuTjt7GNoSMcuxCw_6bzPAG4FtX9Ms8if7-Ldgc16WRM_1iK6d7V4dBahUGiXfE8woZQEGNDEaEwHBnaTZVxmp7Kjfo46XM9RmEjnUpyEe8/s320/2IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">My official review is that Ramblin' Butterscotch Root Beer gets 2 (two) IBCs. The other flavors of Ramblin' i tried both got a score of 4, so i didn't have high hopes for this one. But i wasn't expecting it to be as big of a letdown as it was. Man is this a disappointing drink. I'd advise you to stay clear of this one as it really has no merit to it, not even as a novelty. There are plenty of other butter beers or butterscotch flavored root beers out there that put on much more of a show than this garbage. </span><p></p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-43469079549649137682023-07-30T13:46:00.000-07:002023-07-30T13:46:19.360-07:00Ramblin' Maple Root Beer<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Pblw0P-EN7TJvgrW5zCNgRJbqNFwgrymoU_Jm8AURG1dJG5Z_6Nnpgksh9JnIqor8Q0CribXfzLFjqx61wtKkg3pYX9F46cI3IAgZIZOLeJROwFBVx9GopqmEnvbisoUUe_KvLqB6Im803aGonqHF7tDJhVTYZobucmdnIpCPxKiYZYQfKYUgJyAd34/s1981/Ramblin%20Maple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1981" data-original-width="623" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Pblw0P-EN7TJvgrW5zCNgRJbqNFwgrymoU_Jm8AURG1dJG5Z_6Nnpgksh9JnIqor8Q0CribXfzLFjqx61wtKkg3pYX9F46cI3IAgZIZOLeJROwFBVx9GopqmEnvbisoUUe_KvLqB6Im803aGonqHF7tDJhVTYZobucmdnIpCPxKiYZYQfKYUgJyAd34/s320/Ramblin%20Maple.jpg" width="101" /></a></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">As I’ve stated several times in these posts, I grew up in a small town in northern Arizona. With a population of around 2000 people at the time, it’s the kind of town where everyone knows everyone. I went to school with the same small group of kids from kindergarten until I moved away my sophomore year of high school. I don’t keep any kind of regular contact with any of those people and only recently ran into one of my old childhood friends by random chance. But outside of that I haven’t talked to anyone from that town in probably 25 years. Even my last interaction with Brandon, my best friend growing up, was about 16 years ago right before I was getting married. But I still think about a friend of mine named Carl. He was the very definition of a nerdy kid. Big glasses, into video games, characteristically nebbish and weak, not super athletic or coordinated, and just rather awkward. My friend groups changed and shifted several times growing up but it was always the same churn of kids being in a small town, so all my friends either knew Carl or were also friends with Carl. He and I lived fairly close to one another and would hang out a lot, mostly to play video games or watch America’s Funniest Home Videos. His family took me along on a trip for Carl’s birthday to Phoenix one year to go to a water park. It was a classic childhood friendship. </span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">I think around 7</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> or 8</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> grade my friendship with Carl was put into a rather precarious situation. Carl’s dad’s name was Doug and he ran the local newspaper. As it turns out, Brandon’s dad’s name was also Doug. And wouldn’t you know it, Doug and Doug really didn’t like each other. I don’t know all the specifics of their beef or disagreements as it was mostly adult politics or whatever. I just know that tensions between these adults grew to the point where Brandon’s dad Doug (who used to go by the nickname “Pyro”) got into a fist fight with other Doug (Carl’s dad) right outside of the newspaper office in broad daylight and Pyro sprayed pepper spray in his face. After that, Brandon took a turn against Carl. He had also been friends with Carl growing up, but that was quickly cut off. I continued to be friends with Carl and unbeknownst to me Brandon wasn’t too keen about it. </span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">I played a lot of basketball as a kid (not particularly well) and Brandon and I signed up to go to a basketball camp in Prescott, AZ as we had done the summer before. This was probably the summer after 8</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> grade. It was a week-long camp where we stayed at a local college in the dorms and played basketball for several hours a day all week long. I was casually mentioning it to Carl one day and somehow convinced this goofy, uncoordinated nerd to come to basketball camp with us even though he had little to no athletic skill. He went home and talked to his parents about it and signed up soon after. I told Brandon that Carl would be joining us at camp and sharing a dorm with us. That was over the line for him. He wrote me a note telling me that he didn’t like Carl (we were kids who were too afraid or incapable of telling each other our feelings in person). It stemmed from the fight between their dads. I don’t remember the specifics of the note but it boiled down to me making a choice; I could be friends with him or with Carl, but not both. I didn’t deliberate it that much. The choice was clearly Brandon. He was my best friend. </span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Carl still came to basketball camp with us and was completely unaware that I was suddenly no longer his friend. Not being Carl’s friend anymore is one thing, but the lengths to which i/we took to torturing him is unforgivable. We made his life a living hell that whole week. Looking back I am ashamed of how I acted. He walked into this camp thinking he would be spending a week with a good friend of his and instead got ridiculed, mocked, physically assaulted, tormented, and eventually shunned. About halfway through the week he started waking up early and leaving the dorm room before we woke up and wouldn’t come back until late night after we were asleep. I only saw him during basketball drills when I wouldn’t acknowledge him and sometimes in the cafeteria where he would eat alone. He existed like a ghost to avoid any kind of interaction with us. I’m disgusted when I think back to what I put him through that week. And when the camp was over and we came home I didn’t stop there. I continued to torment him as a show of loyalty to Brandon. </span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Carl lived right across the street from the high school where his mother taught English. Her classroom faced their house and one day she got a full view of me taking a bike out of their yard that probably belonged to his sister and then ghost riding it into the curb and leaving it in the middle of the street. Brandon was with me and I was showing off for him. We walked to my house and just shy of reaching my properly we were stopped by Carl’s mom. She drove up behind us and stopped in the middle of the street, got out of the minivan that she left running and came up to me to chew me out. She was furious, and being a parent now I don’t blame her in the least. She let me know I was reprehensible in her eyes. She told me she watched me with the bike and that I was to never ever come near their house again. She sealed the whole deal by giving me a big shove. Yes, she laid her hands on me and pushed me as hard as she could, causing me to stumble backward a few steps. She didn’t say a word to Brandon and we both stood silent and motionless through all of the probably 30 second interaction. Then she drove away. </span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">When I got home she had called my mom and told her all about the bike incident and my actions at basketball camp. And that’s kind of where it ended. I never really got in trouble for it and I never really talked to Carl again. But I’m regularly haunted by this still. I consider this the greatest failure of my life. I forsook my friend at the drop of a hat because my other friend told me to, but even Brandon and I drifted apart not long after this. It was one of the first times the weakness of my character was revealed to me. Carl didn’t deserve the way I treated him and I will always be sorry for it. I don’t expect him to ever see this or know about this confession, and I’m not asking for his forgiveness because I truthfully don’t feel like I deserve it. I would just say that I hope he is well and I am forever sorry for what I did. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Well... with that somber confession out of the way, let's talk about this new root beer. Ramblin' Maple Root Beer is another flavor offered by the Ramblin' line of soft drinks which are produced by Monarch Beverages and bottled by Rocket Fizz, which is where i found this. I originally was introduced to <a href="https://cosmosrootbeerreviews.blogspot.com/2016/08/ramblin-root-beer.html">Ramblin' Root Beer</a> (classic flavor) back in 2016 on a visit to Winchester Farmstand outside of Hemet, CA. You can go back and read that if you care. This looks like the case where Rocket Fizz acquired the rights to reproduce this root beer because the previously sited website on my post now leads to a dead end. Indeed, even the website www.drinkramblin.com that is listed on the label leads no where. So i imagine these guys just aren't in the game anymore. Fair enough, but in my opinion i am glad Rocket Fizz stepped in and is still putting this stuff out because it's good to have a variety of root beers for both historical and posterity sake.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">I like the label on these Ramblin' drinks. They are lively and have lots of color. This one has a real autumn feel to it, including the maple leaves that grace the bottom of the label. You'd think a root beer like this comes from Canada but it Monarch Beverages is situated in Atlanta, GA and even the label claims this is a product of the USA. The label also boasts of real sugar and natural flavors. Regarding the taste, i think it's no surprise that this carries a strong maple syrup flavor. And that's really all it tastes like. It's like a very thin syrup that you drink. Almost no carbonation to it and nothing else to really stimulate the pallet. Just maple syrup. It's not as heavy or assaulting as <a href="http://cosmosrootbeerreviews.blogspot.com/search?q=wards">Ward's</a>, which also has a strong syrup taste to it, but i'm not in the practice of drinking straight syrup so this just isn't really my cup of tea (even though it's a root beer). </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwszk4CqpdIf5i-TOpFai0FuDfvhlvF0D9n9dXrnGAbqg4wVBlrZK6k_mwqnaZYvRXcBR4KZvn01R9Fz2SarKWFejPUu7dUb3YJy8ubvHt176WD2n-WzK2FTviIz8KHBNBqN8u5TFGd_RCxdGg4CeLciTzH6rJO29IpT4ieg2IvKuiRKry3DXJDspPrJM/s696/4IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="80" data-original-width="696" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwszk4CqpdIf5i-TOpFai0FuDfvhlvF0D9n9dXrnGAbqg4wVBlrZK6k_mwqnaZYvRXcBR4KZvn01R9Fz2SarKWFejPUu7dUb3YJy8ubvHt176WD2n-WzK2FTviIz8KHBNBqN8u5TFGd_RCxdGg4CeLciTzH6rJO29IpT4ieg2IvKuiRKry3DXJDspPrJM/s320/4IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-kerning: none;">My official review is that Ramblin' Maple Root Beer gets 4 (four) IBCs. Like Ward's and the classic Ramblin' before this, a score of 4 is the order of the day. These aren't "bad" root beers, but they certainly aren't good. Not even good enough for a middle of the road score. I poured some in cups for my kids to try and neither of them even finished it. They both had a single sip and said no thanks. So that's pretty damning if children don't even like your product considering that's like the core demographic. So like i said, while i'm glad this stuff is still around, some things may best be left in the past. </span><p></p></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-66529236855780099702023-06-28T20:50:00.007-07:002023-06-28T20:59:44.068-07:00KISS Army Root Beer<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXluLa5bdzJ7HEHNuC2yP4deJ2ywcQmERzxzjlLz7kVKQ4_gw-DDAx_zDaCeqoO4BIhfxvtoxevjqy4vylQU-y_QWHAag-kss6HG0aAcgzTUMpokTzhem0xOfoUHV51wNdH_ymKAvENyI9rbDQ8vpG6zx5mhBSC9wBzG6Tjjw9prarlfti5bpi3NY6xaI/s3703/KISS%20Army.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3703" data-original-width="1176" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXluLa5bdzJ7HEHNuC2yP4deJ2ywcQmERzxzjlLz7kVKQ4_gw-DDAx_zDaCeqoO4BIhfxvtoxevjqy4vylQU-y_QWHAag-kss6HG0aAcgzTUMpokTzhem0xOfoUHV51wNdH_ymKAvENyI9rbDQ8vpG6zx5mhBSC9wBzG6Tjjw9prarlfti5bpi3NY6xaI/s320/KISS%20Army.jpg" width="102" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">I don’t think I’m very good with money. To be completely honest, I do fine. I have a good job making a fairly compensated income and I’m the sole breadwinner in the family. We live a comfortable life. We have a nice home that we are fixing up ourselves and all our necessities are covered. And on top of all this I have very little debt, a decent retirement account and some money in the bank for emergencies, so I’m by no means in dire straits. In fact, while I would likely fall squarely into the middle of the middle class nationally, I’m considered one of the richest people in the world in global terms (as are many of you, my dear readers). But I constantly feel like I just “get by” rather than thrive. We have used cars that are paid off and falling apart. We eat out one to two times a week and take family vacations a couple times a year. Truthfully, it’s all I really deserve. But any of my attempts to “get ahead” rather then “get by” are thwarted by events out of my control as well as my own poor money managing decisions. Let’s go back to our home that we are fixing up. Buying a fixer upper has out of necessity made me into a DIY guy. It doesn’t hurt that I have a bit of knack for it as well as a natural interest in fixing things and working with my hands. So when our washing machine started to go out, I dove into YouTube videos to diagnose and understand the issue in an attempt to be frugal and thrifty and to make do with what I already have, the main goal being to avoid spending $600-$800 on a new washer when this one was perfectly adequate at cleaning our clothes and shouldn’t be too hard to figure out for a guy like me. Cut to more than a month of weekends spent removing suspect parts and replacing them with new parts only to find out that the suspect part likely wasn’t the issue at all and ordering other new parts to replace other suspect parts. A few rounds of that and a lot of frustration and swearing led me to finally call in the experts and get a tech out to the house to officially diagnose the problem, which is what I should have done in the first place. This is the downside of DIY. Unless you really know, you don’t know, and in this case, I didn’t know. Now I’ve put around $700 of new parts and service calls into this 10 year old washing machine when I should have just gone out and got a new one. My latest replacement part was just delivered, the part the technician guaranteed will fix the issue. Well I installed it and guess what… it didn’t fix the issue. But when he came back out to look at it again he told me to try replacing the same things i already replaced. So do I keep dumping money into this garbage fire or just bite the bullet and sell this on craigslist and get a new one? Either way, I feel like a failure. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Speaking of failures, this is another </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">novelty</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> branded "joke" offering from Rocket Fizz, this time capitalizing on the fandom of the 1970's glam rock band KISS, aptly named <a href="https://rocketfizz.com/media/soda-labels/soda-pop-labels-of-fame/">KISS Army Root Beer</a>. I already mentioned this in previous posts but i am not a fan of the band KISS. I know </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">they</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> have a following, though i think their fans are likely dying off in droves by this point and i doubt they are on-boarding new recruits. I just don't get it. Some of the music is "fun" i guess, but i was too young to enlist in the KISS Army. Not to mention, with my religious </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">upbringing</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> i was told this band was evil because their name is an acronym for Knights In Satan's Service, though from my limited exposure to their music i can find no indication of Satanic symbolism or suggestive themes. I don't </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">think</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> my parents needed to worry though. Their music itself was enough of a </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">deterrent</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> for me to find interest in other things entirely. Not to mention the iconic face of the band, Gene Simmons, is a legendary whore in the sense that he will shill anything with KISS attached to it. Truly the Garfield of the rock world (shots fired, Jim Davis). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My original plan was to review this next to the previous root beer i just reviewed, <a href="https://cosmosrootbeerreviews.blogspot.com/2023/06/jimis-hey-joe-root-beer.html">Jimi's Hey Joe Root Beer</a>, because i had a sneaking suspicion that they are the same root beer. But when i went down to my local Rocket Fizz i was unable to find either of these root beers in stock, and it's been a few days since i tried the Jimi's. To be fair, i no longer think these are the same based on the distinct "Christmas" aftertaste i get from this root beer (think Dad's Root Beer). Nothing on the ingredients list indicates this has anything distinctly different from most basic root beers. It seems to be perfectly synthetic in flavor. And the pure cane sugar lends a sweet finish to the overall taste. I must say, it's better than i thought it would be and definitely better than the Jimi Hendrix root beer. You've surprised me on this one Rocket Fizz. Well done on not recycling the same fluid in different labeled bottles. Still, it's a derivative root beer flavor for sure, much like the music of KISS (shots fired, again. It's a regular shooting gallery around here).</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyxxI8WZfTYJZNwUooGsUlQ8oMWy6Q2BK4P2jCEQUohxI2mwjHjgt2Jhs6YKrFsucsYHCzRC1QyaxFv2bjFf6463xExlQX8_O3Xp-24XNhOO6fLszLkzQNiRfIR8-uzM2xny3vAmljLa1xhNvNaNfzCuXetV7fuj8ThBRsmGUttHHCX1FUXRytFia7_Q/s696/6IBC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="77" data-original-width="696" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyxxI8WZfTYJZNwUooGsUlQ8oMWy6Q2BK4P2jCEQUohxI2mwjHjgt2Jhs6YKrFsucsYHCzRC1QyaxFv2bjFf6463xExlQX8_O3Xp-24XNhOO6fLszLkzQNiRfIR8-uzM2xny3vAmljLa1xhNvNaNfzCuXetV7fuj8ThBRsmGUttHHCX1FUXRytFia7_Q/s320/6IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My official review is that KISS Army Root Beer gets 6 (six) IBCs. I'm feeling generous for some reason with this one. It exceeded my expectations, so i bumped the score up to 2 more than Jimi's root beer. This in no way reflects how i feel about the music of each of these individuals/groups. If that were the case these scores would be flipped and pushed toward the limits in opposite directions. It's a shame the root beers don't reflect how Jimi is truly a rock legend and a god and KISS will be forgotten about entirely in the next decade or two. Sorry to any of you KISS fans out there. But not really. And you're too old to still be wearing that makeup, you freaks. </span><p></p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-66640415058071822792023-06-17T14:56:00.002-07:002023-06-17T14:56:53.676-07:00Jimi's Hey Joe Root Beer<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZIdJOwelwjG1ejM205GWZJ_dWuyxD2q5KTCtRQU7VO8DXZ-zEb0do9J4XUeMLkwm1L9NGk0spKsuBXdZ7n2RHoA0ydiI3_6Z8VqO2L_Utu0dak6bYNnHof-uXKutoaq0NIMnPvdn9jYpIL4aF3WTmXluAKEtjDAmMVKHJUJj_wqHHEZtik9EKLrG/s1902/Jimis%20Hey%20Joe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1902" data-original-width="583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZIdJOwelwjG1ejM205GWZJ_dWuyxD2q5KTCtRQU7VO8DXZ-zEb0do9J4XUeMLkwm1L9NGk0spKsuBXdZ7n2RHoA0ydiI3_6Z8VqO2L_Utu0dak6bYNnHof-uXKutoaq0NIMnPvdn9jYpIL4aF3WTmXluAKEtjDAmMVKHJUJj_wqHHEZtik9EKLrG/s320/Jimis%20Hey%20Joe.jpg" width="98" /></a><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">I don’t know if I mentioned this already but my wife and I invented a national holiday called Ice Cream’s Birthday. I have no idea when ice cream was really invented, and I doubt the internet does either which is why I refuse to Google it. We choose to celebrate the birth of Ice Cream on June 17</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> every year, kinda like how Jesus wasn’t really born on Christmas. And wouldn’t you know it, that means Ice Cream’s Birthday is… TODAY! We just figured it should be during the summer time, which is peak ice cream season, and this arbitrary date holds a bit of personal significance to me that is completely un-ice cream related. It’s something we came up with 20 years ago this year when we were just friends and before we ever dated. We were hanging out at night in a park eating some ice cream and the conversation led us to creating this holiday that is now celebrated annually by a very small group of people. But I’m hoping to make it catch on, so please spread the word (all 4 of you that read this blog). This year we are going to a new ice cream shop that we haven’t been to before. That’s one of the more popular ways we have done this in the past, but I’ve also celebrated by bringing ice cream sandwiches to work and handing them out to people in an attempt to get this thing to catch on. And in case I need to say out loud what everyone already knows, it hasn’t. I’m not affiliated with any ice cream stores and I’m not plugging or shilling for anyone’s personal business. I’m not interested in being compensated or even recognized for creating this glorious holiday, I just want it to be celebrated. I’m just saying go eat some ice cream on June 17</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">, people. </span></p><p><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Now, another completely un-ice cream related topic, Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix is considered one of the greatest (if not the greatest) guitar players of all time. His career was cut short when he overdosed at the age of 27. Still, his music is celebrated world wide and he definitely left his mark with his iconic appearances at huge music festivals like Woodstock. Still, for me he was only a passing casual listen. My best friend growing up was obsessed with Hendrix so i've definitely had exposure to most of his catalogue of songs, but even now i don't ever just throw on some Hendrix while I'm driving or working or what have you. </span></p><p><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">So what does he have to do with root beer? Nothing, as far as i'm aware. This is another cheap exploitation of a famous person to sell sub-par root beer by the candy store we've all come to know and love; <a href="https://rocketfizz.com">Rocket Fizz</a>. They probably put the same generic root beer into the same bottles as all the other ones and then allocate which ones get which labels. Nothing about this root beer distinguishes it from any other run of the mill average basic root beer. It is flavored with cane sugar and has a thin, weak, watery root beer base flavor laced with a light carbonation. It also leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Truly a terrible root beer to disgrace this man's legacy. I say boo to you Rocket Fizz for this one. I'm about to review a KISS root beer that likely tastes identical to this but still seems more rightly fit for such a mediocre beverage.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_aBkDlFsMekYWro9S_8Gm2eOqjXdp7Ibbweqj7Fqg4o8eMgcYYiOKhcbdw5wlN7dkreIfydIPjimuZl2nFA6OLiQj13Zzrv0eAnL8B48ZPJJSRSiXIkgXTJhvwgfmotGi3ZF4PiH3iP8uFcc0rV3ibEgIm4vyDMUbwfZYC4KuW4nRKYZVi4Vacbn/s696/4IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="80" data-original-width="696" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_aBkDlFsMekYWro9S_8Gm2eOqjXdp7Ibbweqj7Fqg4o8eMgcYYiOKhcbdw5wlN7dkreIfydIPjimuZl2nFA6OLiQj13Zzrv0eAnL8B48ZPJJSRSiXIkgXTJhvwgfmotGi3ZF4PiH3iP8uFcc0rV3ibEgIm4vyDMUbwfZYC4KuW4nRKYZVi4Vacbn/s320/4IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">My official review is the Jimi's Hey Joe Root Beer gets 4 (four) IBCs. I toyed with giving this a 3 because of how insulting it is to use Jimi's name on this, but on it's merits it's still not an absolutely garbage root beer. It's bad, but i've had worse. And do not be surprised at all when i review the KISS root beer and give it the same rating because i'm fairly certain it's the same liquid in both bottles. </span><p></p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-70985807161579241872023-05-30T23:34:00.000-07:002023-05-30T23:34:26.398-07:00Black Bear Root Beer<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgWRG03U-BnLAprkn8iibgsHchfgUvNf9rUGea65FNjXBAWJGLtxkov6l6vSpqocyN8Urs4n2D_DEpGaGd0JGsdEesxpQJtBsLqL4_415Na9pTKg9nt2W0sHWmFnrYszTWJWFgLrZoSSJQXXvzimHNYKZlMbM5GpEPUAZldV1ewShODmaQoNsHCC6/s3868/Black%20Bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3868" data-original-width="1079" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgWRG03U-BnLAprkn8iibgsHchfgUvNf9rUGea65FNjXBAWJGLtxkov6l6vSpqocyN8Urs4n2D_DEpGaGd0JGsdEesxpQJtBsLqL4_415Na9pTKg9nt2W0sHWmFnrYszTWJWFgLrZoSSJQXXvzimHNYKZlMbM5GpEPUAZldV1ewShODmaQoNsHCC6/s320/Black%20Bear.jpg" width="89" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I want to talk a bit about hummus, or as <a href="https://www.carolines.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Dave-Attell-Headshot1.jpg">some</a> call it, terrorist peanut butter. It’s a food product that I came to late in life due to my long-time personal bias against hippies. And i know hippies aren’t the source or origin of hummus as a food, but the current incantation of hippies in society today certainly gravitates toward hummus as a means of sustenance. There’s lots of hummus you can get out there in the world today. All different kinds and flavors and consistencies. Store bought, restaurant prepared, homemade… it turns out whatever your specific desire can be fulfilled without a whole lot of fuss or effort. But the one that really sold it for me, really turned the tides against my hippie-centric bias against this food, was the cilantro jalapeno hummus from Pita Jungle. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMeA0kz5_emRmLkNCwgzE20OvgwDS8STCUU4KCLa-zLifHwfOTZpIDkDPwWRDk1hTWt_vssYPSeM0ZJNPx8LzxN4pMQy7X7Q8K3ZLOcGFohqtI-RgnEZCeGdw_7EAFiX0L2PYhx4D1UL5937uFAp0YfOq-6WcWKns2d-xcB7KHYfw0WJQrVF7e2gf/s4032/IMG_5988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMeA0kz5_emRmLkNCwgzE20OvgwDS8STCUU4KCLa-zLifHwfOTZpIDkDPwWRDk1hTWt_vssYPSeM0ZJNPx8LzxN4pMQy7X7Q8K3ZLOcGFohqtI-RgnEZCeGdw_7EAFiX0L2PYhx4D1UL5937uFAp0YfOq-6WcWKns2d-xcB7KHYfw0WJQrVF7e2gf/s320/IMG_5988.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">For those not in the know, Pita Jungle is a chain of restaurants here in the greater Phoenix area which caters to those looking for a health-conscious meal, mostly delving into Mediterranean cuisine. It’s a local hotbed for hippies. There are several locations just around where I live and all of them are simply lousy with white dudes with dreadlocks, unshaven ladies, and body odor that could strip the paint off a car. I swore this place off for years and refused to go near them, but as it turns out my wife has a soft spot for hippies and enjoys the fruit platters from Pita Jungle very much. SOOOO… not-so-long story even less long, I went there one night with my wife and some friends and we end up getting a starter plate of pitas and cilantro jalapeno hummus. And that was it. I’m officially in love with this hummus. I’ve tried to find similar mixtures from stores, my wife has attempted to make some at home from a recipe she found online, and each time I’m left disappointed because no one can recreate the magic that Pita Jungle has captured in their preparation. It’s crazy how perfectly balanced it is and just seems to cut through all the nonsense that gets packed into other hummus recipes. Even the other hummus flavors at Pita Jungle can’t compare. I mean, many of them are fine, but this stuff is in a whole different league.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">What does this have to do with root beer? Nothing, as far as i can tell. But i figure i'd just get that admission off my chest. So switching gears entirely, lets talk about this root beer. I think i got a 6 pack of this either from my wife of from a friend of mine. <a href="https://sprecherbrewery.com/products/black-bear-root-beer-soda-12-pack">Black Bear Root Beer</a> is bottled by Sprecher Brewing Company in Glendale, WI. I reviewed the standard Sprecher Root Beer years ago as one of the first ones when i started this blog and remember being fond of it but i couldn't tell you anything about it right now off the top of my head. Going back to read <a href="http://cosmosrootbeerreviews.blogspot.com/search?q=sprecher">my post</a> about it didn't provide much insight either. But just know this root beer is another offering from the same brewery/distributer. It comes in a standard bottle with an image of a large full moon in the background with the silhouettes of a mama bear and two cubs walking in the foreground. There is a short paragraph on the website about a bear named Clara, dubbed "the Legend", that was spotted in 1931 drinking from a puddle of root beer in the Northern Wisconsin woods under a full moon. I don't know how a puddle of root beer came to be in a remote area of the Northern Wisconsin woods, but sometimes it's not for us to know and just to believe and accept. Like religion. Or dying of cancer. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Let me just say this is a classically good tasting root beer. Like i said, i was fond of Sprecher Root Beer but ultimately deemed it a middle of the road root beer only worthy of 5 IBCs. There is a smooth, creamy sweet base with strong root beer notes that carries this flavor profile quite well. I like the bite of the aftertaste and the overall sweetness. It's just a solid root beer is all. I can't really think of anything else to say about it. So i won't.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAs7GIKpYcvFEvkI-6qSLtJM977TkqLCjgT0ww2xoakzr-mL7imr3ZY6EFZ5hTTkvAKMWgvfhpQaLlJErZYCD1Glfhz4LZpE5FbbLpRuPZrn4WkmpUS-zCnsjEGxPB5tcXCMhpcIlcs4gr02X2Ia0hqg5lWXFYbqxUVxXIxgVQ3pApkjaqg5oBen5A/s696/7IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="80" data-original-width="696" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAs7GIKpYcvFEvkI-6qSLtJM977TkqLCjgT0ww2xoakzr-mL7imr3ZY6EFZ5hTTkvAKMWgvfhpQaLlJErZYCD1Glfhz4LZpE5FbbLpRuPZrn4WkmpUS-zCnsjEGxPB5tcXCMhpcIlcs4gr02X2Ia0hqg5lWXFYbqxUVxXIxgVQ3pApkjaqg5oBen5A/s320/7IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">My official review is that Black Bear Root Beer gets 7 (seven) IBCs. Like the cilantro hummus from Pita Jungle, this one came out of the gate strong to make it's mark. I really enjoyed this root beer, likely because i have been limiting my sugar intake for the past couple months so having any soda for me right now is a real treat. This stuff is worth picking up if you come across it. </span></span><p></p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-13047155633693841442023-04-30T16:40:00.000-07:002023-04-30T16:40:05.799-07:00O-So Butterscotch Root Beer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxh9q9wNsi0P0jX4ZRUCH93OmVPPKAPcXS-Mr2Bo2HIVi_lSetOhlupBXSzgTMGOhjuY32b70zqMEXDPPiork3iH1fyrJ72MvvkO1_U26IoFq_fv0P5YZo1x2VN9gyXUMbOx7dR5Io-AzFx2YdphPSnyEt0QyDJgZpuvgOJpfv5uGTNAWabIp03D_O/s3907/O-so%20Butterscotch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3907" data-original-width="1113" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxh9q9wNsi0P0jX4ZRUCH93OmVPPKAPcXS-Mr2Bo2HIVi_lSetOhlupBXSzgTMGOhjuY32b70zqMEXDPPiork3iH1fyrJ72MvvkO1_U26IoFq_fv0P5YZo1x2VN9gyXUMbOx7dR5Io-AzFx2YdphPSnyEt0QyDJgZpuvgOJpfv5uGTNAWabIp03D_O/s320/O-so%20Butterscotch.jpg" width="91" /></a></div>Well, summer is here in Phoenix, AZ and it's time to get our summer bodies in shape. I have been trying to exercise regularly and cut out sugar in an attempt to slim down so i don't embarrass myself when i go to the public pool. I find my biggest problem is that i have a seriously concerning sweet tooth. I love sweets; candies, ice cream, pies, cookies, soda, etc. All of them have been a non-stop for me basically since the holidays. There wasn't an eggnog i would say no to during that time, and now i have to pay the price for my gluttony by depriving myself of all of it to satisfy my vain ambition to be "decent looking" with my shirt off. It's really all i can hope for at this point. So for the past 2 weeks i have cut sugar out of my diet, and i've been quite good about it. Aside from a sip or two of Pepsi when my wife cracks a can or a small taste of her dessert after a meal, i have cut it out of my diet, and it SUCKS. I still have a crazy craving for sugar, and even with my best efforts to exercise and run at least 3 times a week i am just now starting to see the results of my efforts. It's kinda like driving in a car. You can't be going 60 mph and throw it into reverse and all of a sudden be going backward. You have to slow the speed of your car until you come to a stop and then you can start to go backward. So i'm working this stuff through my system and getting ready to go in reverse and start shedding some lbs. (Every nutritionist out there is calling me an idiot right now, and you know what? They are right.) All of this is to say i've been doing good with my diet but i am breaking it for the sake of this blog. That's how committed i am to getting the truth out there about root beers. Will it be worth it? Probably not.<br /><p></p><p>I thought for sure i did this one before because it's one i've heard about several times in several places, but it appears i am just now getting to reviewing <a href="https://orcabeverage.com/product/o-so-butterscotch-root-beer-12-pack/">O-So Butterscotch Root Beer</a>, bottled by Orca Beverage Bottling Co. We've seen Orca before as they bottle several other root beers i have tried, like <a href="http://cosmosrootbeerreviews.blogspot.com/search?q=bedford">Bedford's</a> and <a href="http://cosmosrootbeerreviews.blogspot.com/search?q=Americana">Americana</a>. The label states that O-So has been in production since 1946. I don't know much else about the history as this was likely an old company that either went out of business or sold off the recipe near the end to Orca to continue bottling the root beer. I feel like Orca specializes in finding older, often no longer in production sodas to give them a new life. This seems to be the kinds of root beers bottled by Orca to my knowledge and memory. And as i stated, this one seems like i should have done it already but i didn't see it in my archives so i've either just mistakenly not reviewed this or i got this root beer a long time ago and it's just been sitting in my fridge (both are highly likely scenarios). Since we are already talking about the label i will just go ahead and say the design on this one was phoned in. They did minimal work on this and it shows. Its a yellow... i guess clover shaped blob(?) with white writing in it. No extra points there. The name O-So lends to the statement on the bottom of the label which states that this stuff is "O-So Delicious!"</p><p>Well... i don't know if i would call it delicious, but it's pretty good. My main gripe is the same i have with any of the other butterscotch root beers i have had in the past. Too much butterscotch, not enough root beer. This stuff tastes much more like a butter beer than a root beer. This is made with pure cane sugar, which is prominent in the sweetness, and has hints of vanilla and carmel throughout. But the main overwhelming flavor is that of butterscotch. Luckily for me, i enjoy butterscotch quite a lot so this is a bit of a treat for me considering i've been off sugar. I almost don't want to say it but rather like this. My instincts tell me it should have more of a root beer flavor but i think what they have going on is working for them. Perhaps just change the name to butter beer and i won't make such a fuss about it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqb5eP25jAFHnNWyCHSWkIeVGFY1Rl-Je27VtEKvWjez5HNnbh7Ag_CSlxlHhVdBN72K7Yl-D8v4BN3jQZw-E-cjKD5aZoyfzXjBcCJVn8yjSNxmDBzk1kNfcCEEVxEDaZaPfGge-etT1fqwg7D1xjf8k5LUDQ0hv7LYTHQgrgnRBl67mtDFmrq05/s696/7IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="80" data-original-width="696" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqb5eP25jAFHnNWyCHSWkIeVGFY1Rl-Je27VtEKvWjez5HNnbh7Ag_CSlxlHhVdBN72K7Yl-D8v4BN3jQZw-E-cjKD5aZoyfzXjBcCJVn8yjSNxmDBzk1kNfcCEEVxEDaZaPfGge-etT1fqwg7D1xjf8k5LUDQ0hv7LYTHQgrgnRBl67mtDFmrq05/s320/7IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>My official review is O-So Butterscotch Root Beer gets 7 (seven) IBCs. This is rated much higher than i should but it's a good drink. Again, i wouldn't call this a root beer but i would say it lives up to the O-So moniker. That's really the only reason it gets a 7, because it tastes very good and scratches that sweetness itch i've been having for the past 2 weeks. Ultimately this was not worth breaking my sugar abstinence for, but to be fair my kids helped me drink it so that i wouldn't overdose. </p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-17980109844779207312023-03-30T09:34:00.000-07:002023-03-30T09:34:23.097-07:00MoneyBag Root Beer<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8xSa_vTWnHfINBzs6DoUXCjHaIezZpC5_L8T-pWIzeTZLl2hqOIZ-QSRy8LUUPF_18BiBOBCKqPyCizVmC0LgDd8PlVNA4lFXxHudFFDNPy3uuS1H0YSYb10HxFTI47C9HzhPRDaV6v9xUewRgCtww3nxZ0b0H57K2SnqQVJKYcMA0ro-wA7Z3Bl/s1750/MoneyBag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1750" data-original-width="563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8xSa_vTWnHfINBzs6DoUXCjHaIezZpC5_L8T-pWIzeTZLl2hqOIZ-QSRy8LUUPF_18BiBOBCKqPyCizVmC0LgDd8PlVNA4lFXxHudFFDNPy3uuS1H0YSYb10HxFTI47C9HzhPRDaV6v9xUewRgCtww3nxZ0b0H57K2SnqQVJKYcMA0ro-wA7Z3Bl/s320/MoneyBag.jpg" width="103" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">I know I harp on this a lot, but every time I go to Disney I am more and more convinced of how sinister that organization is. I’m currently in therapy, so before I level yet another criticism I have against this corporation, I want to start by saying something nice about Disney. When I go to Disneyland, or any of the Disney World parks really, I expect the park to be clean, to be safe, and to be reasonably in working order. And for the most part, Disney delivers. For the amount of garbage generated in these locations, you never see it piled up in back corners or low traffic areas. People are employed to make sure it looks nice. Disney Security is no joke. They don’t suffer idiots lightly and will remove anyone seeking to make problems for the rest of the park goers. When I go to drink water from the water fountain, I don’t worry if it's clean water or not, and as an added bonus I can count on it to be cold. I was once told that every night Disney employees go through the park and replant any dead flowers and touch up any painted surfaces that may need it because they want the park goers to have the best possible experience. Not sure if that last one is true or not, but it certainly fits the narrative that Disney is putting its best foot forward when it comes to giving you the optimal experience. The one catch; you’re gonna pay for it. The Disney Corporation has SO MUCH MONEY. An insane amount of money really. All they care about is money. Money money money. It’s the only motivation this company has. Nothing they do or create or promote is not in the service of getting you to give them more of your money. Why? So that it can be their money. As of this posting, the Disney Corporation has a market capitalization of $176.96 billion. What does market capitalization mean? I have no idea. But I know what $176.96 billion means. It means they have so much money that they simply leave it lying on the ground all over their parks. </span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6AoYPX5Xwptb91WfZAfr4LOjx3EynW5TdS9f7GWzVkl-ixbD97XCo25efgGeSK30xkFKKtONN7ukzxz4Ngci5wkBUICjIgzviZxD7fcVSRW_efwSNmlxQa4xO_eQjQbLsVUziHxsxmMFKYO8Ec7J3naVi_eTSi2Kvj8MxHw5cJw6GABPgqX2lcM3/s2016/IMG_5123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6AoYPX5Xwptb91WfZAfr4LOjx3EynW5TdS9f7GWzVkl-ixbD97XCo25efgGeSK30xkFKKtONN7ukzxz4Ngci5wkBUICjIgzviZxD7fcVSRW_efwSNmlxQa4xO_eQjQbLsVUziHxsxmMFKYO8Ec7J3naVi_eTSi2Kvj8MxHw5cJw6GABPgqX2lcM3/s320/IMG_5123.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6SWY12IUWlFHSy7wwGbXaHWwozd1z9Hzz0CEsxSfFOW3Nje2YDOFMCBfKcpUSc2yNDz8vwo724jnLepHwleXyEoIj6EBpThlyrXIs9_6hBrqlDUFmB3TivhaNqMLsfvuyTPfaPfeT4S3V3QjA4ecTt8ygecE7ssGhf4BuhKbHPeqQ3ait3K7CGrY/s2016/IMG_5634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6SWY12IUWlFHSy7wwGbXaHWwozd1z9Hzz0CEsxSfFOW3Nje2YDOFMCBfKcpUSc2yNDz8vwo724jnLepHwleXyEoIj6EBpThlyrXIs9_6hBrqlDUFmB3TivhaNqMLsfvuyTPfaPfeT4S3V3QjA4ecTt8ygecE7ssGhf4BuhKbHPeqQ3ait3K7CGrY/s320/IMG_5634.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfHCgIhg3Q8vX-JUk2wQ1uI84DbHWvaL6PMuczxmPBqCVYC5fGbBM4eNM4h81Wein0-Tt_zmOH_sSkIcNa-wHSb4mIKSg2dNxlidQgssvbA61IcDXFUI8P-MmANzhheoKzRu7fhS1i3iw6vWh0_t1U5Ri2hLESzLuEJicO2r9JS3gs64VPmrZHxnG/s2016/IMG_5633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfHCgIhg3Q8vX-JUk2wQ1uI84DbHWvaL6PMuczxmPBqCVYC5fGbBM4eNM4h81Wein0-Tt_zmOH_sSkIcNa-wHSb4mIKSg2dNxlidQgssvbA61IcDXFUI8P-MmANzhheoKzRu7fhS1i3iw6vWh0_t1U5Ri2hLESzLuEJicO2r9JS3gs64VPmrZHxnG/s320/IMG_5633.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmftZX4IZUcU-17dabSb0voA9rozlOtieGXeOc6F190zK0ZeaB_zADqcjHTbvu49eSyuJtODIWvKkcK3CrV-IvibgxBt3VMAxV1a26fhQmx2wh8zEcPlI-mOhGB5WaPXxtX4ry4-0vvWIuZ9qK7BrKXYOA-_QbB-dCNjIn4Fk-eZ1mX92973ku0kFj/s2016/IMG_5655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmftZX4IZUcU-17dabSb0voA9rozlOtieGXeOc6F190zK0ZeaB_zADqcjHTbvu49eSyuJtODIWvKkcK3CrV-IvibgxBt3VMAxV1a26fhQmx2wh8zEcPlI-mOhGB5WaPXxtX4ry4-0vvWIuZ9qK7BrKXYOA-_QbB-dCNjIn4Fk-eZ1mX92973ku0kFj/s320/IMG_5655.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">These photos show coins, “wishes” really, littered around the Disney parks that they don’t even want or need. They won’t ever collect this money because THEY DON’T EVEN WANT THIS MONEY. Ride Small World, or Big Thunder Mountain, or even the ferry from the Magic Kingdom parking lot to the park entrance. There is a staggering amount of money all around you just lying on the ground, in the water, on buildings, in small crevices, everywhere. And I know it’s just coins, but that all adds up. I go through my wife’s car from time to time to harvest all the coins she accumulates and routinely come up with around $100 every 6 months or so. Now imagine all the money Disney accumulates every day that it doesn’t even care to collect. This isn’t even on the books. It’s just there, YOUR money, to remind you how rich they are. Perhaps instead of raising ticket prices year after year they could just go pick up all these forgotten wishes. But they would never do that. They would just collect those coins and still raise ticket prices next year. </span><p></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">That being said, this root beer is the answer to the age-old question, “what root beer do rich people drink?” The answer is right in front of your nose, my friend. Of course, it’s <a href="https://www.genesimmonsmoneybag.com/product/gene-simmons-rootbeer/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">MoneyBag Root Beer</span></a>, brought to you by none other than Gene Simmons, the legendary face of the 1970’s glam rock band KISS. Now, first and foremost I have to make it clear… I couldn’t care less about the band KISS. I’m a 90’s kid and had little-to-no exposure to this music growing up. By the time I had developed my taste in music and could actually find any value in the catalog of this band, I simply did not. I heard enough to formulate my decision fairly early. On top of that, all I know of Gene Simmons is that he is a self-obsessed ego maniac and a promotional whore. He really thinks he’s the cat’s pajamas, even while looking like if Satan’s henchman was actually an old, angry casino mob boss’s grandma (and that’s without all his performance makeup on). And in an attempt to both stay relevant and also bilk working class people out of their hard earned money (Disney’s ears are burning), Mr. Simmons has created a line of sodas, what I can only imagine is his idea of a lucrative revenue stream since all his fans are now in recovery. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Alright, i've already rambled on for far too long, so let me just make this brief. The bottle is a clear glass 12 oz with a slight champagne bottle shape, not that it's anything special. I doubt that was intentional but perhaps Grandma Gene thought it would appeal to his clientele and add to the overall theme of "look how wealthy I am". The label is a sticker with just 2 or 3 colors, all in the brown/tan/beige variety. It's not a bad design, featuring a large sack of money under the name of the root beer. But it's instantly ruined by the fact that this narcissist has to put his signature on the label (and the bottle cap) so you won't forget he's taking your money and in return giving you the bare minimum of what a root beer should be. That's right, the big reveal; this stuff isn't very good. [insert lack of surprise here] To be fair (again, my therapy kicking in here) it has a decent creamy vanilla flavor and nice carbonation with a sweet cane sugar finish. Now, niceties dispensed, the flavor it does carry is very small and thin. It mostly tastes like watered down root beer. They are letting the cane sugar do most of the heavy lifting with the sweetness, but in reality this stuff is just mediocre. I struggle to find the root beer flavor shine through and when it does it's quite enjoyable. But ultimately i'm left drinking basically just sugar flavored water. </span>Still, it's more of a root beer than many others i have tried and it doesn't leave a gross taste in my mouth. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Also, my wife says it tastes like medicine. Just thought i'd throw that in there if anyone was curious.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wbEWsGy_1yvvhejoKvUhCVqKzaop4GLqnik8l7fsRWR85RSl_keW7uWVZGhXlcFVH6BBr5fm2fxqOAvUmm7N7_TfyeP9P3smzJcBF2QabUVozE1XYu3OJCMbudQ3bKItadbuhdz9q0qETR4xq0X667NIJLW2f_EPxgFP3X6rvoESTDfxm0ezc7fr/s696/5IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="79" data-original-width="696" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wbEWsGy_1yvvhejoKvUhCVqKzaop4GLqnik8l7fsRWR85RSl_keW7uWVZGhXlcFVH6BBr5fm2fxqOAvUmm7N7_TfyeP9P3smzJcBF2QabUVozE1XYu3OJCMbudQ3bKItadbuhdz9q0qETR4xq0X667NIJLW2f_EPxgFP3X6rvoESTDfxm0ezc7fr/s320/5IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">My official review is that MoneyBag Root beer gets 5 (five) IBCs. I feel like i'm being generous here, way more generous than i really need to be with this stuff. Still, for what it is (an obvious cash grab by a money-hungry, hanger-on has-been who really doesn't need it) they could have done way way worse with it. And so for the middle of the road effort put into making this thing i will award a middle of the road rating. I doubt i will get this again, but it's not the worst thing you can do with your money. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">That would be giving it to Disney. </p></span></div></span></div>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-89089602063886601912023-02-28T08:17:00.000-08:002023-02-28T08:17:03.963-08:00Joby Joe's Root Beer Float <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDM8X189I6vPs_L_xqVwWG6S-NvmKjZ25j_L4Rl6_ZBXbRpbCRKuY1QtWACjIHkfHmvIlmFzEDmZsncDLYh5GM8Kdg0lRCWs4YAYoEoJFTRDKENW13whf1T_xNlPYgHYdStq1RL2qrNznwrA6SCZBpl-tZ5Rk0nHgivWxgtDXG-gTrlkasWXylUsK/s1958/Joby%20Joe's.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1958" data-original-width="525" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDM8X189I6vPs_L_xqVwWG6S-NvmKjZ25j_L4Rl6_ZBXbRpbCRKuY1QtWACjIHkfHmvIlmFzEDmZsncDLYh5GM8Kdg0lRCWs4YAYoEoJFTRDKENW13whf1T_xNlPYgHYdStq1RL2qrNznwrA6SCZBpl-tZ5Rk0nHgivWxgtDXG-gTrlkasWXylUsK/s320/Joby%20Joe's.jpg" width="86" /></a></div>Well... it's a new year and i didn't accomplish my goal. I got close, but i still have around 7 or so root beers in my fridge i need to drink to clean out my backlog. But i'm making progress and that's what ultimately counts. Luckily i have some pretty good Vegas odds in my favor if i go ahead and say right now that i will clean out my fridge by the end of the year. So i'm gonna go ahead and do that. I will clean out my backlog from my fridge by the end of this year. And if i don't... well, then there's always next year i suppose. The ones i have left are the ones i have kind of grouped together. I have 2 that are made by the same brewery in different flavors, 3 that are music themed (including 2 KISS themed root beers if you can believe that), and a then a couple stragglers, which this one is. Joby Joe's Root Beer Float is a flavor distributed by <a href="https://rocketfizz.com">Rocket Fizz</a>. It appears to be a one-off and specifically appears to be somewhat of a memorial for the handsome young man pictured on the label. The label is very bright and colorful with a photograph of a young guy standing in front of a tent in the woods holding a fishing rod and a lantern. The label entreats you to "enjoy the outdoors" in what looks like Coca-Cola font. And then the part that tips off that this is a memorial is "in memory of Joe" printed at an angle following along the fishing rod he is holding. At the bottom of the label it says that a portion of the proceeds from this sale goes to a homeless organization. So that's nice. Rocket Fizz is great for picking up these little one-off producers who don't have lines of sodas in various flavors. The downside is you don't get much info about the root beer itself, like who makes it, how long it's been in production, or what happened to this poor guy who they are celebrating with this soda. Kind of a weird way to memorialize someone, but i'm not openly against the idea. Maybe that's what i want for myself when i pass, but the one stipulation i have is that every bottle of delicious root beer has to have a little bit of my ashes in it as well. That way i really will always be with whoever drinks it (or at least until they pee). <p></p><p>Well, i've already talked a lot about the label, so lets just jump into the taste. I know i say this a lot about basically every root beer i review but the overwhelming taste i get from this is simply "sweet". It's almost sharply sweet, but that's really just the first piercing taste, followed by a muted root beer flavor. It's a little obscured by the amount of carbonation, which isn't a bad thing. The aftertaste is a little unpleasant, almost reminiscent of a diet soda even though this is sweetened with cane sugar. I don't get a real strong root beer vibe from this. It's very subtle and the sweetness really takes over from the start. But i don't think it's bad tasting, just doesn't quite hit that strong root beer flavor that i'm looking for. Most of the ingredients are typical of what you would find in similar root beers and nothing really makes this one stand out, but i am also not repulsed by this one. It's just very mid. And this calls itself a root beer float but i don't get much of the creaminess that would make it more of a float flavor. So it's just a very average, run of the mill, nothing special, middle of the road root beer. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEPr0X6032H5RbM9heyGLAuSBWldXDgsSHm3DHtRsq-Z80485lRakglirmNYIEhHiWlePXELy7JA4wpBiP4ICFP8mGxp-e73p5DnDxZNakhHdfHM86341YonEmZg7bTq4oWjCuOlwaF5yaeVlQPu-xmcY9rEZqxhak1RmxQeJ3z4MTBZ-qgd4NLDY/s696/5IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="79" data-original-width="696" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEPr0X6032H5RbM9heyGLAuSBWldXDgsSHm3DHtRsq-Z80485lRakglirmNYIEhHiWlePXELy7JA4wpBiP4ICFP8mGxp-e73p5DnDxZNakhHdfHM86341YonEmZg7bTq4oWjCuOlwaF5yaeVlQPu-xmcY9rEZqxhak1RmxQeJ3z4MTBZ-qgd4NLDY/s320/5IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>My official review is that Joby Joe's Root Beer Float gets 5 (five) IBC's. It's good, but not great. I like the taste though it could use a stronger root beer base. And it seems like the money goes to a good cause. But i wouldn't reach for this one again next time i'm in Rocket Fizz because there are so many other better options out there. Maybe give it a shot if you're interested. </p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-29558471965454807892023-01-29T06:52:00.000-08:002023-01-29T06:52:55.294-08:00Reading Draft Root Beer<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddaePgLspY-InG_QZK712_2tnMTFcOE4JsX_1YXAoSktvsKEcakBS89SpwF0vMcSYnO9UUJ3AgV3TKK92m_Mm7B1vMIh9mbU9C0WB-1SdVO-ay_938CTmi9PSFU-xYoE3RpDkQlhS1VT6z3pd_jkCrmCLHyW4HyaI9IoWF6PUJ-P8ey5KkkZ4W3AO/s3782/Reading%20Draft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3782" data-original-width="1059" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddaePgLspY-InG_QZK712_2tnMTFcOE4JsX_1YXAoSktvsKEcakBS89SpwF0vMcSYnO9UUJ3AgV3TKK92m_Mm7B1vMIh9mbU9C0WB-1SdVO-ay_938CTmi9PSFU-xYoE3RpDkQlhS1VT6z3pd_jkCrmCLHyW4HyaI9IoWF6PUJ-P8ey5KkkZ4W3AO/s320/Reading%20Draft.jpg" width="90" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">I have a confession to make. Call it a Christmas confession if you will. I have been stealing oranges from my neighbor’s tree for the past 3 Christmases since we moved into our new house. I say “neighbor”, but it’s technically a house that is one street over from us. I’m just gonna be right up front here for a second; I acknowledge this is a moral wrong that I am doing but I have concocted a flimsy justification for why I am allowed to steal these oranges. When we were looking to buy a house a few years ago we looked at this very house with the orange tree and were going to submit an offer. However, this was during the time right before the pandemic when all houses for sale were getting 30+ offers, most if not all of which were above the asking price. When it came time for us to submit an offer the sellers simply said they had too many offers already and didn’t want to consider another one. So we never really got a chance to try and buy that house. We had offers for other homes rejected in the past, but this one felt a little unfair cuz they wouldn’t even hear us out. And to be frank that house was good, but not great. There were plenty of things I didn’t love about it and I truthfully feel like the house we ended up in is a better fit for us. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">But man… that orange tree in the front yard produces some seriously incredible oranges. They are large, sweet, seedless, juicy oranges that would convince anyone they are worth stealing. They are incredible. And the people who ended up buying the house don’t seem to do anything with them and they just go to waste. So in the dead of night I will creep over to the house the next street over and fill a bag with oranges and bring them home for my kids to eat, which they do with exuberant enthusiasm. They freakin love these oranges. But the cat is out of the bag in that they know I am stealing these oranges and that presents a moral conundrum. I don’t want them to talk to their friends and our neighbors telling them I am stealing oranges, so I should stop doing it. BUUUUUT... they are also complicit and <u>love</u> <u>love</u> <u>love</u> eating them and demand I steal more when we run out, so I have to keep doing it. It has become a Christmas tradition at this point. So I’m trying to do what all governments, countless religions and cults, and even well-meaning parents have done for centuries… I am creating a narrative (with some similar motifs) to explain how these oranges show up in our house during the winter in hopes it gets repeated enough to wash out the real story and becomes the truth. I call it, “The Legend of the White Whisper.” The name White Whisper actually comes from someone I knew in my early 20s essentially doing door-to-door sales who drove a white Chevy Cavalier. He called it the White Whisper because it was white, quiet, non-descript, unflashy, and capable of sneaking into neighborhoods without alarming anyone into not answering their doors when he came knocking. The White Whisper is an entity, like Santa Claus, that brings delicious, juicy ripe oranges to your home during the Christmas season as long as you believe (and live near at least one fruit-bearing orange tree). No one knows what the White Whisper looks like (certainly not a middle aged man in a hoodie), but just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not real. If you anger the White Whisper then you will not receive a bounty of delicious White Whisper Oranges (that’s what my kids call them). Oh, and also, you have to say “White Whisper” in a whisper when you say it out loud. If you don’t that angers him. Her? I guess we haven’t nailed down gender pronouns for the WW just yet. Regardless though, I am in the early stages now of establishing what will become a prominent world religion soon. I’m sure you’ll see the headlines once I have officially founded the Church of the White Whisper, get granted tax exempt status, and declare that all my followers wives are now my wives. It’s gonna be great.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">Alright, orange-based sex cults aside, let's talk about Reading Draft Root Beer. </span><a href="https://www.readingsodaworks.com" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">Reading Soda Works Bottling Co.</a><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"> is in Reading, PA and has been in operation since 1921 with a line of sodas in flavors common among smaller distributors. The variety of flavors is quite impressive honestly. It's just a shame the root beer flavor is no good (spoiler). It comes in a traditional 12 oz brown glass bottle and has a well made and unique label featuring an old steam powered locomotive. This seems to be the "mascot", if you will, for Reading Works Soda Co. I am not sure if Reading, PA is known for it's trains but that would make sense. The website boasts of using pure cane sugar and all natural ingredients for the retro taste you're looking for. To me, retro means old, and that's the best way i could describe the taste of this stuff. It tastes old. It doesn't taste like root beer at all. My son said it tastes too sweet to him, but what gets me is the unpleasant aftertaste it leaves in your mouth. It's reminiscent of the now defunct Journey John Barleycorn line of root beers that left a distinct impression on me, and i mean that in a bad way. I don't like this stuff, like not at all. In fact, i may go as far as to say i hate it. Drinking it was in no way pleasurable. Still, i drank the whole bottle, so it's not so bad as to make me pour it down the drain like i have with some other root beers over the years. But it's a safe bet i will never be drinking this one again, at least not for leisure or without being paid or under duress or something like that. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3e3ioMka5TXB5I4VusXc7mbf04uHMC6H8N-1ULKteLGFawv5WZIsNdDtL6AqRZdDcxB9Hs0BUG5wCcPCsPjKvHFWTqP1aSAdsuw2feJilLGmzrDyqPoes7KtD1DpqbDnD1sEhM-S4L-xqfZyH8sE7TZvXOJHJqZ08PdwaNZybg0eaMLskkSkSdFER/s696/3IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="78" data-original-width="696" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3e3ioMka5TXB5I4VusXc7mbf04uHMC6H8N-1ULKteLGFawv5WZIsNdDtL6AqRZdDcxB9Hs0BUG5wCcPCsPjKvHFWTqP1aSAdsuw2feJilLGmzrDyqPoes7KtD1DpqbDnD1sEhM-S4L-xqfZyH8sE7TZvXOJHJqZ08PdwaNZybg0eaMLskkSkSdFER/s320/3IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">My official review is that Reading Draft Root Beer gets 3 (three) IBCs. This was not a pleasure to drink. This was me doing my job as a root beer reviewer. You gotta take the bad with the good, and this was the bad. I gave them some credit for being so well established and having a large selection of flavors. Perhaps some of the other ones are tolerable or even enjoyable, but the root beer felt like a slog finish. It's a shame White Whisper season is over because that would have been a great way to get this taste out of my mouth. </span></span></p><p></p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-48879383111780126532023-01-28T11:30:00.000-08:002023-01-28T11:30:45.440-08:00Serenity Sodas Root Beer & Vanilla Bean<div class="separator"></div><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEherMIW7YTRHSh7yKVE-G2noAAMKMrIo6_HUe96u4TeF4j0kj0NQRb1C24gOziV6bQq12xWNtRUKnW_FRKBlKy9TNV95zj9xdOHblcdQH8iLHcXOcn9t3oAgp7E6vcq-dQYyl70d4kWmXdnQFoDjwfsoldkNF93ujLh2JDEo0jcWegfy0vrZBOYc9u_/s3778/Serenity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3778" data-original-width="1075" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEherMIW7YTRHSh7yKVE-G2noAAMKMrIo6_HUe96u4TeF4j0kj0NQRb1C24gOziV6bQq12xWNtRUKnW_FRKBlKy9TNV95zj9xdOHblcdQH8iLHcXOcn9t3oAgp7E6vcq-dQYyl70d4kWmXdnQFoDjwfsoldkNF93ujLh2JDEo0jcWegfy0vrZBOYc9u_/s320/Serenity.jpg" width="91" /></a></span></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">I’m not a fashionable guy. I’ve known this for decades at this point. I have had my brief dalliances of wearing clothes that one might consider fashionable but I am typically a jeans and t-shirt kinda guy. My wife is very interested in clothes and fashion, but she has a style all her own. It’s a lot less typical than what I would consider most mainstream choices for women to wear. And I don’t dislike the way my wife dresses, but I’m often left scratching my head seeing what she puts together. It’s not that it looks bad, I just would never have looked at what she had on and considered that she is on the cutting edge of fashion. But she gets compliments all the time on her clothing choices so I just chalk it up to me having zero taste when it comes to clothes. Well that all went out the window when my wife told me recently that she would dress like a “bag lady” if she could pull it off. So what she is saying is that she wants to look homeless. I get that she is ultimately going for comfort, but I would hope that could be achieved without culturally appropriating the homeless look. Would she take it the whole 9 yards and start rubbing dirt all over herself? I don’t know, but I don’t really care to go down that road. I can just imagine showing up to a work picnic or something like that and saying, “Honey, this is my manager Patrick. Patrick, this is my bag lady wife. What’s that? Oh no, she doesn’t work.” For the record, my wife can choose to dress however she deems fits the occasion. But man… I really hope she doesn’t go full bag lady on me. This falls along the same lines of when she told me she wants a pet goat. I was trying to humor her and entertain the idea, but mostly I was highlighting the obvious challenges of owning a pet goat (i.e. smell, attitude, poop, etc.) when she said, “but he could sit here on the couch with me while I watch TV.” To which I responded, “wait, you want a </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><i>house</i></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><i> </i>goat?!” That’s a hard pass from me dawg. If it’s a choice between bag lady and house goat… I guess bring on the bag lady.</span><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">OK, well let's get to this root beer. Serenity Sodas is bottled by Blue Sun Bottling in Spring Lake Park, MN. The <a href="https://bluesunsodashop.com">website</a> boasts that their shop is the largest craft soda and candy shop in all of Minnesota. I would believe that from the home of the Mall of America, but i get the feeling it's probably just as unimpressive. Pictures show that it shares many themes with the way Rocket Fizz is laid out and what kinds of candy and sodas are offered. It's the same as a place in Ocala, FL my wife and i just visited recently right on the square called Grandpa Joe's. Most of these shops follow the same type of business plan but Blue Sun still claims it has thousands of soda flavorss to choose from and the largest offering in the entire world. I get the sense of awe i am supposed to feel and i do acknowledge it is impressive, but again... i feel like I've seen it before and i'm not gonna go out of my way to pay a visit. </span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: 14.666666984558105px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Serenity (2005 film) - Wikipedia" class="n3VNCb KAlRDb" data-noaft="1" jsaction="load:XAeZkd;" jsname="HiaYvf" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/Serenity_One_Sheet.jpg" style="height: 341px; margin: 0px; width: 229.93142857142857px;" /></span>The label has a cosmic affectation to it that is pleasing. There is what i am assuming is a Japanese symbol behind the name of the soda likely owing to the Asian idea of the concept of the notion of the state of serenity, which from my limited understanding is the ability to be in a sense of calm and well being even in turbulent situations. The font of Serenity Sodas makes me think of the 2005 movie by the same name, which was done as a follow up to the cult classic TV series Firefly that ended after just one season. It was a novel idea to have what is essentially a western set in space and it found quite a rabid fanbase, but for whatever reason the network did not renew the series for a second season. The fans demanded more of the story and the movie Serenity is what came out of it. I gotta think the two are related based on the name and font of the root beer compared to the movie poster and the space theme/background on the label, but that could just be a wild assumption on my part. </span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">But of course, what really happens when i think of "serenity" is that my mind immediately jumps to <a href="https://globalmacit.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Serenity-Now-Featured-Image.jpg">this</a>. </span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">I like the flavor of this one. It's quite sweet from the cane sugar and it has a nice vanilla undertone and finish to it. I am a little underwhelmed by the actual root beer flavor of it because it's quite thin. But i would say its a good drink overall. It doesn't classify itself as a cream soda but that's certainly what it tastes like to me. That's not necessarily a bad thing, i just don't want to have to open myself up to reviewing a bunch of cream sodas now. But who knows, when i get to the end of all the root beers out there maybe i will need to start checking out cream sodas and sarsaparillas. For now though, we are gonna stick to root beers, and if this one calls itself a root beer then it's a pretty good root beer at that. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7F8aZSQsgfK_kRry9qgamAsfR5YUnajjyd-V0evNZ_VA8JppnYTzPUMZnMM0jlOI5Vq4WaYISOcr7yC0gZ3TRQ49aluDE_ZwbhJl-7C_1cSXbp20qMnv9XIbW8nRzzGIVhdnYSqsOcNpbTTP0icH3Tzxp5F6MTX1dsXQuRNXKht_AdEs7zmgsYTHG/s696/6IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="77" data-original-width="696" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7F8aZSQsgfK_kRry9qgamAsfR5YUnajjyd-V0evNZ_VA8JppnYTzPUMZnMM0jlOI5Vq4WaYISOcr7yC0gZ3TRQ49aluDE_ZwbhJl-7C_1cSXbp20qMnv9XIbW8nRzzGIVhdnYSqsOcNpbTTP0icH3Tzxp5F6MTX1dsXQuRNXKht_AdEs7zmgsYTHG/s320/6IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">My official review is that Serenity Sodas Root Beer & Vanilla Bean gets 6 (six) IBCs. I liked this one overall and would lean more toward a 7 (or even and 8) if it had more of a strong, traditional root beer flavor to it. Regardless, this thing is a winner for sure. Like the TV series and the subsequent movie to which i made mention above, this probably won't find a wide audience. However, i bet the audience it attracts will be just as appreciative as the sci-fi fans who demanded more of something they loved that was taken away from them, all while keeping a calm head. If that's not serenity i don't know what is. </span><p></p><p></p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-61888992625910600182022-12-22T21:24:00.000-08:002022-12-22T21:24:08.134-08:00Fiz Roc City Root Beer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBxLy1IOZgtbnblYOIasmdvO3WsG4LCYPtTTGFLyFOO1aGNnr3Po8Mvlh6VkRkZMp8xpmhGI7Mp6QDCCL-RKz7nxpa8etFrvEwrQaVmajehyiepO5CWbeDVTz7jPbCWMtMxQqZ6pUx2_BnthyfQ3GXPbMTUEl9JAa_3hU5pDV51-SWqdsc9TMk0sa/s3578/Fiz%20Roc%20City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3578" data-original-width="1241" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBxLy1IOZgtbnblYOIasmdvO3WsG4LCYPtTTGFLyFOO1aGNnr3Po8Mvlh6VkRkZMp8xpmhGI7Mp6QDCCL-RKz7nxpa8etFrvEwrQaVmajehyiepO5CWbeDVTz7jPbCWMtMxQqZ6pUx2_BnthyfQ3GXPbMTUEl9JAa_3hU5pDV51-SWqdsc9TMk0sa/s320/Fiz%20Roc%20City.jpg" width="111" /></a></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">I heard recently about a writing exercise in the book Bird by Bird which instructs you to describe a school lunch. The one that immediately sprang to mind for me was in middle school. I was probably in 6</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"> or 7</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"> grade at the time. Like most schools, our school lunch options were rather lack luster and I often brought a lunch from home as my parents rarely gave me money for school lunch. But the most popular school meal for us at that time was easily pizza day. The cafeteria would make homemade pizza on big rectangular cookie sheets and cut and serve square slices to all the kids who bought lunch that day. If you were lucky you got an edge piece, and a corner piece was like winning the lottery. To my memory the pizza was mediocre at best, but all the kids who ate it acted like it was the best pizza they had ever tasted, exacerbated by the fact that our small town had really only two pizza restaurants so there wasn’t much to compare it to. This particular lunch day I had neither a lunch I brought from home nor money to buy school lunch. I simply went to lunch with my peers with no thought of how or what I would eat. I don’t know if I thought someone would take care of me but I definitely had the feeling I should be eating some pizza with my classmates even though I had no way of procuring anything. I sat next to my friend named Jake and did the thing which I still have a tendency to do, which is to determine something I think is funny <u>to me</u> and proceed to annoy everyone around me incessantly until consequences intervene to put an end to my shenanigans. I don’t recall exactly what I was doing to Jake, but for sure it was annoying and I got what was coming to me. I was pestering Jake, probably about getting him to share some of his pizza, and it got to the point where I was the only one thinking we were all having fun and laughing and Jake had had enough. The actual inciting incident escapes me, but after one too many annoyances Jake palmed his pizza square and shoved it directly into my face. He mashed it back and forth a bit and then got up and left the table. I started laughing, probably initially out of shock and then out of embarrassment, but he wasn’t laughing and no one else around me was laughing. I then quickly shifted to subtly and then uncontrollably crying. People around me took notice and some kids speculated it was because the pizza was hot and burning my face. I didn’t correct them, but I can say it was more so that I was completely embarrassed by my friend for my stupid antics. It was humiliating and I learned a valuable lesson that day; stop being so damn annoying all the time. Sadly, this is a lesson I have learned many more times after this. Just usually without having pizza shoved in my face. So there. That’s my lunch story. Was it worth it? Probably not. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">This is one of those root beers i could have sworn i have already reviewed. I see this one around during my root beer escapades and research efforts. Most notably the last time i likely saw this was at our local Rocket Fizz shop, which is probably where i found this one. Fiz Roc City Root Beer is bottled by College Club Beverages in Rochester, NY. I found <a href="https://www.facebook.com/COLLEGE.CLUB.BEVERAGES/posts/new-flavors-we-are-so-excited-to-announce-our-new-flavors-also-our-first-diet-fi/10153632172403221/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fiz_soda/?hl=en">Instagram</a> pages for College Club Beverages, both of which put in the bare minimum effort to even say the same of the venture. I don't use any social media whatsoever and generally eschew all forms of it so i didn't really delve into either of these internet searches, mostly out of defiance, but also largely because i can't pretend to care about all the bottlers out there. The one bit of info i did glean from my very sparing research is that College Club Beverages is family owned and operated and has been in business since 1922.They have a variety of flavors, though i couldn't list any of them or point you to any websites where you could browse or buy any of them. But like i said, i see this one all the time when i am looking and i would have bet you anything i had already reviewed it. But like so many others i probably just bought it and buried in the back of my fridge and didn't give it another thought. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">This comes in a fairly standard 12 oz. clear glass bottle. The label is super duper simple and minimal. I think the background color of the label may change based on what flavor soda you are purchasing/consuming, but otherwise there is basically nothing to it. And i'm just gonna cut to the chase cuz i don't have much else to say about this... it's bad. It doesn't taste like root beer. It doesn't taste like anything. It's very thin and watery with a hint of cane sugar. It tastes like brown. It tastes like chemicals. It tastes like sadness. It tastes like failure. It's not good. Not even a little bit. The only redeeming quality is that it doesn't taste so offensive as to make me want to vomit or to commit violence against my fellow man. And that's really all that can be said about this. To quote Sean Hannity, it's a travesty. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKzoICTnVYrd5G309AqSCa69dxbArwGAb6GoRY2obbveW1LvT0vncC0n2Bb1UU-UctSOtj11JkcvOJRP6FTalU46omPbgtBo6UIjtyozLc9EoEpHVJpGOzY17k8ouPfwIT00W-eRPWRcHe8nqtFK8vLeDdNNRz8V1xJwWdoJJhzAWoEKMs_FiFBKw/s696/2IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="74" data-original-width="696" height="34" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKzoICTnVYrd5G309AqSCa69dxbArwGAb6GoRY2obbveW1LvT0vncC0n2Bb1UU-UctSOtj11JkcvOJRP6FTalU46omPbgtBo6UIjtyozLc9EoEpHVJpGOzY17k8ouPfwIT00W-eRPWRcHe8nqtFK8vLeDdNNRz8V1xJwWdoJJhzAWoEKMs_FiFBKw/s320/2IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">My official review is that Fiz Roc City Root Beer gets 2 (two) IBCs. It has been a long time since i've had a root beer this terrible. I can only imagine the rest of their flavors follow suit. Something tells me the recipe has changed over time because there is no way a company stays in business since 1922 peddling garbage like this. If you come across this one, DO NOT BOTHER. It is an utter failure and a disappointment to all other root beers. </p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-64688158912947133722022-12-17T22:53:00.000-08:002022-12-17T22:53:35.216-08:00Labrador Root Beer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX4Tnn5KOg2DU3lXXcVSQXYW2wLrrImQdDaTeK_rynuNAwPatKJJQ2g-ZF1Q2fXCNNCNaMcCphFEYaR0Ai2p68RngDJRiM7HJsAH632vWcNnBlHmCDczX8L2wqgUCYYziLSjq8yqAUBjZxvA6L1xCp-SYVGK9ci0FvjyL0DCoj0UDRVhKC7CSqaj7/s3913/Labrador.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3913" data-original-width="1156" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX4Tnn5KOg2DU3lXXcVSQXYW2wLrrImQdDaTeK_rynuNAwPatKJJQ2g-ZF1Q2fXCNNCNaMcCphFEYaR0Ai2p68RngDJRiM7HJsAH632vWcNnBlHmCDczX8L2wqgUCYYziLSjq8yqAUBjZxvA6L1xCp-SYVGK9ci0FvjyL0DCoj0UDRVhKC7CSqaj7/s320/Labrador.jpg" width="95" /></a></div>My daughter asked me something that really made me think the other day. We were outside walking down to the street corner to see some river stones which had been painted for Halloween and she asked, "Daddy, are birds good?" I wasn't sure what she meant at first and thought perhaps she was asking if they are good to eat. So i said, "what do you mean by that?" And she replied, "you know... for the world." <div>Mind totally blown. </div><div>I have never really stopped and pondered on this fundamental question; Are birds good for the world? I mean, from everything i can tell it's all signs point to yes, right? Birds <i>are</i> good for the world. Sure we all have experiences with birds which may be unpleasant. For example, pigeons are fairly reviled, but still, I kicked one once just for the fun of it and it is still a source of shame for me. So, you know, that one backfired on me. And i lived near peacocks in my teens and they used to crap on my car, which i didn't appreciate. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlepPDan47Ks_ILqpS4m35ybf93wQFJCuc8PkRtIbV042wBDfmxgVXpJsZoMmWFn4F2DsHOAwuiu2W9-gUMRy3mQ6PRGLExGWMsodJAY5668DyZeP3CKnLp5TS9bDBx8i2temtujH210jRsR8bwAwDPBUy4kc4LManfobCX4PQMZxY6aSgG1XkUrb/s1396/Screenshot%202022-11-09%20at%208.57.04%20PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlepPDan47Ks_ILqpS4m35ybf93wQFJCuc8PkRtIbV042wBDfmxgVXpJsZoMmWFn4F2DsHOAwuiu2W9-gUMRy3mQ6PRGLExGWMsodJAY5668DyZeP3CKnLp5TS9bDBx8i2temtujH210jRsR8bwAwDPBUy4kc4LManfobCX4PQMZxY6aSgG1XkUrb/s320/Screenshot%202022-11-09%20at%208.57.04%20PM.png" width="258" /></a></div>Oh, and when i lived in Florida i parked my car at work under some telephone lines and when i came out after work my car looked like this. So i think there is evidence that could be presented that birds are in fact NOT good for the world. I just haven't heard any salient arguments against birds, but i am open to the notion. SOOO... i guess this is your call to action? Go out there and present your case for why birds are not good for the world. I'm eager to see where my blindspots are in regards to this inquiry. </div><div><br /></div><div>Alfred Hitchcock... i'd like to get his take on the birds question. Him and Sully Sullenberger. Probably some interesting insights from both those gentlemen…<br /><p>Anyway, i suppose it's time to get another review in the books. I am cleaning out my fridge and the end is in sight, but i still have a few to go. Labrador Root Beer is another soda distributed by <a href="https://rocketfizz.com">Rocket Fizz</a>. I thought this might have been Canadian at first because i am pretty sure there is a region or territory of Canada near Nova Scotia and Newfoundland called Labrador. But it's not from Canada. It's from America. And that's about all the info i have on this root beer. It comes in a 12 oz brown glass bottle and I like the label. It's very professional and has a gorgeous image of a labrador retriever, i assume. I know nothing about dogs or dog breeds. But it is a nice photo realistic image and next to its head is what looks like the end of a shotgun shell that says "Champion Of The USA". So there's that. </p><p>The label also says this root beer is "all natural" and distinctly says "butterscotch". You know what this root beer <i>doesn't</i> taste like? You guessed it; butterscotch. When my son cracked the cap using his swiss army knife bottle opener for the first time the initial aroma i was hit with was black licorice. That's what the label should have said; "black licorice", cuz that's what it tastes like. Not butterscotch. Not even a little bit. I almost got the distinct flavor of mint when first drinking it, perhaps wintergreen, but the more i drank it the less it tasted like that and the more the anise flavor crept in. And now that's all i can taste. And the sad part is i started off liking this quite a bit and ended up thinking i will never try this root beer again. Just straight up flip flopped on this one. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS0Rk1G5UXwf3sjnQhd1vNhBf3jxnHHFMsZREedtcPnrAH6k6vJYnuBBtyJW_RSB10F_3au57hL5Or8VJV8REOgYxMycK1fEjaobzOtmC-IJgIMYSFLYPusM6B9558KlnTZXEOmMntjarKUqQDT7_LfnnYjViTGBVNgSBmMqEdM1Ak7Zt4m8SVdrW/s696/4IBC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="76" data-original-width="696" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS0Rk1G5UXwf3sjnQhd1vNhBf3jxnHHFMsZREedtcPnrAH6k6vJYnuBBtyJW_RSB10F_3au57hL5Or8VJV8REOgYxMycK1fEjaobzOtmC-IJgIMYSFLYPusM6B9558KlnTZXEOmMntjarKUqQDT7_LfnnYjViTGBVNgSBmMqEdM1Ak7Zt4m8SVdrW/s320/4IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>My official review is that Labrador Root Beer gets 4 (four) IBCs. I am not in the best mood right now with the way this one toyed with my emotions like that and i was really teetering on the edge of giving this one a 3, but it probably deserves at least a 4. But don't go bragging about it around town Labrador, it's nothing to be proud of. The one takeaway from this whole experience is that at least now i can definitively say that this root beer is NOT good for the world. </div></div>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-25400818446011427042022-10-18T05:08:00.000-07:002022-10-20T04:16:11.298-07:00Sonoran Root Beer<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/SmpdfBN1fDI/AAAAAAAAAZA/ltjNCP9rr_I/s1600-h/Picture+015.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362201093821791282" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 90px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/SmpdfBN1fDI/AAAAAAAAAZA/ltjNCP9rr_I/s320/Picture+015.jpg" border="0" /></a>Wow... July has been a whirlwind, and all i can really say is that i know i have been missed and i am sorry for delaying my research notes for all of you. But i have a special treat for you today. <a href="http://www.sonoranbrewing.com/sonoranbrewing.htm">Sonoran Root Beer</a> is brewed right here in good ol' Phoenix, AZ (specifically, in Scottsdale) at the Pinnacle Peak Patio Steakhouse. I was tipped off by a lady i work with named <a href="http://www.wizardio.com/images/merlin.jpg">Merlyn</a>. Suffice it to say, she's awesome. The brewery makes several types of unique beers for the restaurant as well as Sonoran Root Beer. The brewery used to also make another kind of root beer called Watt's root beer which is no longer in production. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/Smo208_LGdI/AAAAAAAAAY4/mqcHrJOParc/s1600-h/RB%2012X12HIRES.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362158589690190290" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/Smo208_LGdI/AAAAAAAAAY4/mqcHrJOParc/s200/RB%252012X12HIRES.jpg" border="0" /></a>However, i actually talked to Zach, one of the brewmasters at Sonoran (cuz that's the kind of pull i have in the local root beer circles), and he told me that he just recently started rebottling Sonoran and that once he gets this thing going again that he has ideas for lots of other root beer recipes he wants to try out. Nice dude. I only talked to him on the phone, but after talking to him and having never seen him in real life, i'd have to say he probably looks strikingly similar to <a href="http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2009/0310/as_bmx_beard_630.jpg">this</a>. Or <a href="http://gs061.k12.sd.us/big%20beard.JPG">this</a>. Or maybe <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WCrIotSdkFA/SilyTAlhB-I/AAAAAAAABjQ/GQ9VXwaqrQ0/s400/homeless+beard.jpg">this</a>. Anyway, Sonoran can now be purchased at the Pop Shop as well as from the restaurant where the brewery is located. <div><div></div>
<div>Sonoran comes in 22 oz. brown glass bottles, so it's a little bit larger serving than you might be used to. The label feature's a cool, kickin' it cactus with sunglasses and a big mug of root beer. Living in the desert, you get your fair share of exposure to cactus of all temperaments, from <a href="http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/7356331.jpg">happy</a>, to <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/6700436/2/istockphoto_6700436-angry-cactus.jpg">angry</a>, to <a href="http://tonyleodesign.com/folio/cactus.gif">paranoid</a>. You just gotta roll with it really. But anyway, other than that, the label is quite simple. It uses a lot of bright colors and has the Sonoran Brewing Company brand proudly displayed, so there's really no mistaking it. The big bottle was nice so i could share with my wife, although i don't think she appreciated the root beer much since she was sick at the time. All she kept saying was, "i can't taste anything", at which point she was promptly cut off. So luckily i had plenty left over for the review.</div><div></div>
<div>The ingredients listed on the label show that this root beer is quite simple. It tastes like root beer, which is a good thing for a root beer to taste like, and has a blend of other flavors in it. The root beer is made with sonoran desert honey, vanilla, and artificial flavors, but in the end it all just tastes like <a href="http://anniestreasuretrove.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/smarties.jpg">smarties</a> to me. There was another root beer i reviewed in my what is now ENORMOUS collection of documented root beer explorations, but i can't quite pinpoint which one it is. But the bottom line is that i liked it. It's quite sweet, but still very good. The root beer taste it starts with is kind of overshadowed by the sweet, candy aftertaste, but i didn't find it overpowering or unlikeable. </div>
<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362201391290164962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 35px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/SmpdwVX0puI/AAAAAAAAAZI/AqXYOf2Lono/s320/7IBC.jpg" border="0" /> <div></div><div>My official review is that Sonoran Root Beer gets 7 (seven) IBCs. It's a good root beer. I dig the 22 oz. bottles and i am excited to see if Zach follows through with some more concoctions for me to review/promote for him for free. I'm just hoping that once he makes it big, i'll be compensated on the back end. But do yourself a favor and swing by the Pop Shop and grab a bottle. It's decent stuff. </div></div>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-9076903406570122892022-10-17T15:29:00.000-07:002022-10-18T01:28:12.883-07:00Steaz Organic Sparkling Green Tea Root Beer<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/SiGXkmiOuQI/AAAAAAAAAYA/SPlLYFCD7D4/s1600-h/Picture+006.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341717288113322242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/SiGXkmiOuQI/AAAAAAAAAYA/SPlLYFCD7D4/s320/Picture+006.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 97px;" /></a>Well, this will round out the natural/organic root beer run i made at Whole Foods, and this has to be by far the weirdest one i've encountered. Steaz is a brand or organic beverages from the Healthy Beverage Company of Newton, PA. They make a variety of different drinks in several flavors, all of which contain green tea. I don't know how long they've been around, but thanks to a little research on <a href="http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/beverages/soft-drinks/steaz-organic-soda.asp">this site</a>, i do know that the company was started by a couple guys named Eric Schnell and Steve Kessler. These two guys decided to name their drink "Steaz" because they combine "sodas" with "teas". They use a <em>z</em> because they think it looks stylish. I'll give you credit for being somewhat clever, though i don't think you exerted yourselves all that much. However, the name Steaz makes me think of "skeez", as in, "that guy is a total skeez", and that makes me think these guys are kinda shady. Another reason i think that is because they rave excessively about how much good in the world they are doing. I mean, these guys love to toot their own horn about how they donate to causes that benefit Sri Lanka, the Sudan, cancer survivors, paying fair wages to farmers, and reducing the carbon foot print. Sure, you can say they are all noble causes, and i am not disputing that. I am just saying that those who yell the loudest usually have something to hide. Could it be that what they really do all day is sit around in a shack smoking opium and listening to trance music? That seems more likely. You may be asking yourself, "what would ever give you that idea Cosmo?" Just take a look at their <a href="http://steaz.com/">website</a>. Seriously, i feel like i'm trapped in a bad Enigma video, or like i'm the first one to arrive at a cult recruitment meeting wondering where everyone else is and why my head suddenly is starting to feel funny.
<div></div>
<div>The 12 oz. clear glass bottles of their "root beer" have a fairly basic, yet high end look to them. There is the brand logo itself printed above a row of overflowing root beer mugs. Although there is a lot of text involved just in writing the name, it doesn't look too busy and isn't off putting. So like i said, it's pretty basic, but it also looks quite professional. Apparently this stuff is pretty popular because they make enough money to sponser a fairly high end website, some decent marketing and packaging, and lots of cash to throw at charities. </div><div></div>
<p>As mentioned before, all the drinks made by Steaz contain green tea. That being the case, i don't think they should really call this stuff soda, or even root beer. It's tea. It looks like tea, it tastes like tea, and it even calls itself tea. Does it taste like root beer? Vaguely. And maybe the joke is on me and i just misunderstood, but this stuff<em> isn't</em> root beer. It's tea. Like Santa Cruz Organic, this stuff is also sweetened with <a href="http://www.certifiedorganicevaporatedcanejuice.com/">organic evaporated cane juice</a>. It also claims to be far better for you than soda. That's because it's parading as something it is not. Tea combined with soda? It's not soda. Not at all. Or maybe i was just confused when i bought it. I was expecting a tea infused soda. But what i got was a "root beer" flavored tea. And on that matter, let me just say that people have combined tea with other flavors to create raspberry tea, cinnimon tea, and even peppermint tea, which are all acceptable. But i have a suggestion for the tea industry in general; don't combine your tea with root beer. Just don't do it. </p><p><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341717420699245874" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/SiGXsUdLXTI/AAAAAAAAAYI/-k8033BZ9mg/s320/2IBC.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 34px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></p><p>My official review is that Steaz Green Tea Root Beer gets 2 (two) IBCs. It's not that this stuff is terrible tasting. It's that it's not a root beer. And i don't particualy like tea, so that already counts me out. There is also a note on the bottle about natual settling that may occur for this drink. I found as i drank down to the bottom of the bottle, it becomes more and more tea flavored. Also, the colder it is, the better tasting it is (if any of you are still interested). They claim it's good for you, but i won't be buying it again, and i suggest you get yourself a real root beer also. </p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-9278101350587004722022-10-09T06:22:00.000-07:002022-10-09T08:55:29.056-07:00Santa Cruz Organic Root Beer<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/Sh8WLRL-7YI/AAAAAAAAAXw/hIpvmgNFUzs/s1600-h/Picture+008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341012065932733826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 162px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/Sh8WLRL-7YI/AAAAAAAAAXw/hIpvmgNFUzs/s320/Picture+008.jpg" border="0" /></a>You must be getting tired of these natural root beers, but i only have a couple more to review. This one is called Santa Cruz Organic Root Beer. <a href="http://www.scojuice.com/">Santa Cruz Natural</a> is a company dedicated to making several products, from fruit juices to peanut butter, using organic sources. The company is based in Chico, CA and has been around since the early 1970s. In addition to making products from all natural sources, Santa Cruz Organic is a big proponent of the <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,153,0)">green</span> movement. I think up until now i have made myself fairly clear about my stance on hippies, but i rarely (if ever) mention anything about the green movement, which was started primarily by hippies (or more-so, the children of hippies). This might offend people, but i think we can all agree my influence in the root beer circles excuses my opinions that some may find offensive. Anyway, let's start this with a question. "Hey Cosmo, how do you feel about the green movement?" Well, i'll tell you. The green movement is a marketing scheme. The word "green" to me is synonymous with "expensive". Have you noticed that "green" products are usually more expensive than their "non-green" competitive counterparts? I thought going green was supposed to save money. Why does saving the Earth have to be so expensive? Seriously? And why has EVERYTHING turned green in the past three to five years? Because it's a marketing scheme, that's why. They guilt you into saving the planet by buying more expensive "green" products. I'm sick of green products. Now before you work yourself into a tizzy, let me make myself clear; I'm not saying you should go out and <a href="http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/seal-hunt.jpg">club a baby seal</a> and pour oil all over it's dead body. I'm just saying get off my back if once in a while i like to unwind by dumping toxic waste on a pile of kittens. Hey, it's my prerogative. I'm an American!
Anyway, sorry about that. Let's talk about root beer some more. The can it came in has a very basic design. The color scheme is composed of green and white for all the soda flavors, and there is a picture of the plant of flavor of the soda somewhere on the can. The root beer has a picture of a couple old barrels of root beer made from real organic wood sources, or at least they should be or Santa Cruz is a dirty liar. The rest of the can is covered in text, mostly about being organic and natural and all of that. It's basic and simple, and i am impartial to it. It doesn't jump out at me and i am not repulsed by it. Not much else to say about it really.
My only other experience with a self proclaimed "organic" root beer ended very badly, so i was expecting the worst when i popped the top on this sucker. I was relieved to find that it's not as terrible as i was led to believe all organic root beers are, but it's still very typical tasting of a natural root beer. It has light carbonation and is sweetened with something called "organic evaporated cane juice", which actually has it's own <a href="http://www.certifiedorganicevaporatedcanejuice.com/">website</a>. The root beer taste is really quite subtle, and the after taste is basically non-existent. It almost reminds me of Olde Rhode Island Root Beer, in that the taste disappears after drinking it so quickly. Plus, it has a taste that reminds me of herbal tea. Basically all i end up really tasting in the end is the sugar and herbal tea taste. And the big kicker is that the root beer itself is actually clear. Yup, it's like the Crystal Pepsi of root beer.
<p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341012207807903330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 36px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PwwKvpyi-5M/Sh8WThtqNmI/AAAAAAAAAX4/n544Lz2WbJw/s320/3IBC.jpg" border="0" />My official review is that Santa Cruz Organic Root Beer gets 3 (three) IBCs. Like i said, i am leaning more toward putting it in the same category as Olde Rhode Island, but being a natural/organic soda, i'm coming down on it a little harder than i did with ORI. It doesn't taste bad, but it's completely unimpressive. Plus, it's affiliation with the green movement isn't helping it's reputation any...</p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-41265710567844681142022-10-09T06:19:00.000-07:002022-10-09T06:19:15.491-07:00Whistler Classic Sodas Lemon Root Beer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGs8NvHUtlKw_9k8CKEs8YewgAT4Y8njS-xhjxhX6AEEZmi7HH5cZW95WEw9bTjEvZYwcGGXosXxFlR9BcvPJbEPxGTwKtFhSDHmWoaPB9fg1SusXuQWZFL-8_ZUjvXBM7FL-pNAlYR8mkCpHnVNvn7iajVjN2JYVC-NNGiU_B_KtJBk74C-HLQ6i9/s3746/Whistler%20Lemon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3746" data-original-width="1036" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGs8NvHUtlKw_9k8CKEs8YewgAT4Y8njS-xhjxhX6AEEZmi7HH5cZW95WEw9bTjEvZYwcGGXosXxFlR9BcvPJbEPxGTwKtFhSDHmWoaPB9fg1SusXuQWZFL-8_ZUjvXBM7FL-pNAlYR8mkCpHnVNvn7iajVjN2JYVC-NNGiU_B_KtJBk74C-HLQ6i9/s320/Whistler%20Lemon.jpg" width="88" /></a></div>Sam's Club. A membership store full of good deals, items sold in bulk, and ornery customers. My wife and i took our kids with some of their neighborhood friends to Sam's Club recently to get some ice cream. Just a little treat as we are heading into Fall Break. The cafe at Sam's Club offers some good deals on some not great food. I concede Costco is much much better in regards to the food offerings they serve at the cafe, but we don't have a Costco membership. We have Sam's Club, with it's inferior pizza but decent hot dogs. And because the food is so affordable from the cafe, the lines are always so so long. The day we went recently was no exception. There were a lot of people waiting for their food and the staff at the cafe was visibly busy working behind the counter to fill all the orders. One customer in particular was very vocal about his discontent regarding the situation. He continually harassed the employees, asking where his order was even though he was clearly standing behind multiple other people who simply stood quietly and waited for their food. The staff told him they were doing the best they could and they would get his order out once they finished all the orders before him. But that wasn't good enough. He just wouldn't let it drop. That's when my wife spoke up. This isn't common for her to do, so i was surprised by it, but she simply told the guy they were doing the best they could and that he didn't need to talk to them like that. For the record, i was and am completely on the side of my wife and she was handling the situation differently than i would have. I would have just ignored the guy, but she chose to engage him and was telling it straight. She didn't need any help from me, so I sat back and paid attention to the conversation. The guy kept getting heated as they argued but my wife remained calm and kept assuring him they are doing their best and it's not like they are sitting in the back smoking or not working, they were clearly all hands on deck at this point. <p></p><p>"Then they need more people," the guy exclaimed. "They should go get more help." </p><p>"What do you want them to do about that? They are all working", my wife replied.</p><p>"Then do you want to go back there and help them?" the guy asked snidely. </p><p>"No, but if you're that worried about it maybe you can go talk to a manager and get them some help, but i think you should just leave them alone cuz they are working."</p><p>Then the guy throws a, "that's cuz you're an idiot" at my wife. </p><p>I had been patiently sitting and listening to this exchange waiting for this, the moment it escalated when i would be forced to say something. "Hey, easy guy." That's all i said. I was previously invisible to him as he was focused on arguing with this woman in line. But when the guy made eye contact with me i saw the realization wash over his face that the woman he was talking to at that point was my wife. He then turned around and didn't say another word. Now, i'm a classic weakling and a coward with no skills when it comes to physical confrontation, which is why i wouldn't have engaged this guy at all. And i don't consider myself a threatening presence in the least, but i was a good foot taller, probably 50-60 pounds heavier and at least 10 years younger than this guy. But more than our physical differences, what this guys actions said to me is that this guy is comfortable throwing his weight around when talking to a 100 pound woman but wouldn't say those kinds of things to another man. A true coward.</p><p>Just at that moment the guy's wife walks up to catch the tail end of this standoff. She doesn't say anything to us and goes up to her husband and they quietly talk to one another. Soon after their ice creams arrive and they collect them and walk past us. As they do, i look away trying to avoid further confrontation. My wife looks at them and smiles. And i didn't see it, but my wife says, "oh, don't roll your eyes at me," to the wife of this guy. She is much bigger than my wife (and her husband for that fact) and she squares up to my wife and shouts, "F*** you, Karen!" She and my wife exchange a couple more words and her husband mutters, "let's just go," and they both saunter off. This is the end of that whole confrontation, but it's one of those ones where you sit and think about it for hours afterward. What i would have said had i thought of it in the moment is that lady is 100% using that term wrong. SHE is calling MY WIFE a Karen? SHE'S the one who has the husband complaining because Sam's Club isn't making his $1.60 ice cream fast enough. I'm convince she has that 180 degrees flipped. What did my wife wish she said? "You're just mad because your husband can't pick you up." A bit of a low blow, but given the abuse she endured i would have allowed it. However, I told her if she would have said that this lady would have charged her, and i'm not sure i could have pulled her off. Anyway, i guess the moral of this story is don't be mean to people unless they deserve it. </p><p>Sorry for my pointless meandering story there but i was looking for a way to pad this review. This is another root beer sent to me by my friend in Minnesota. Whistler Classic Sodas are made in Spring Lake Park, MN and distributed by Blue Sun Bottling. One of the flavors they offer is a Lemon Root Beer. I found a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WhistlerClassicSoda/">Facebook page</a> for the company because the website listed on the bottle led me to <a href="https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=whistlersoda.com">this site</a> which says the domain is for sale (and not really a bargain if you ask me). I personally don't care to traffic much on Facebook and don't have a profile on that platform, but it looks like a fun little operation. The 12 oz clear glass bottle has a fun shape to it, all twisty and stuff (like that guy's ice cream from Sam's Club) but the label is pretty sad.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vR0IOp4Ncx7niG0XQ5XXJKZ8XxVb0OKcRXp8oV7_Md1gX2doGIH9GmX820xdwziyvuPKMvoCgkjlwbJnmOdFse5QrnnIe3LTJvTvkGmLcXGKT4iZbwHeCPm1rATfWfL4sdqAzuDXyhKquphd3SIN9ziNxjybKHwS650eEAApzPC4K65uM5n7JrTU/s1484/Whistler%20Lemon%20cap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1484" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vR0IOp4Ncx7niG0XQ5XXJKZ8XxVb0OKcRXp8oV7_Md1gX2doGIH9GmX820xdwziyvuPKMvoCgkjlwbJnmOdFse5QrnnIe3LTJvTvkGmLcXGKT4iZbwHeCPm1rATfWfL4sdqAzuDXyhKquphd3SIN9ziNxjybKHwS650eEAApzPC4K65uM5n7JrTU/s320/Whistler%20Lemon%20cap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Whistler logo is on the bottle... and that's about it. The defunct website is listed near the bottom of the bottle and on the back is a barcode and some info about the bottling company. That's all. The only way to tell this is root beer is by looking at the cap to see a poorly printed and lazily placed sticker with the flavor and very difficult to make out ingredients listed. This was not impressive to me in the least. I like the logo but from the slap-dash nature of this i thought someone threw some root beer in a random recycled bottle. I will say though that the piss poor labeling does not match the caliber of the taste of this soda. This is a good tasting soda. It's very sweet with a pervasive lemon backbone to the flavor. The carbonation is good and it has a nice, sweet finish. I think my main criticism of it is similar to the last root beer i reviewed; i would not call this a root beer. The flavor of this doesn't remotely resemble that of a classic or even rudimentary root beer. It tastes like a candy or a dessert. Again, it's good, but it ain't root beer. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKSX2bc7XSA9JfiWVSWNRVnTQxK9_bpm9q7x_Xc9zfOHVNywAmY4S6rO_AJKV2sdfjjABO08vZaApPzI9586-QV8DzGP8INw4uMbtrEWvTUqmdkBH97pds81fo6e63OZtXMWnYKKyE9KvRvQAK3cPrsEPxW9fboJ1_tghuwV6cohhLWKZG0x_wz60/s696/6IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="77" data-original-width="696" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKSX2bc7XSA9JfiWVSWNRVnTQxK9_bpm9q7x_Xc9zfOHVNywAmY4S6rO_AJKV2sdfjjABO08vZaApPzI9586-QV8DzGP8INw4uMbtrEWvTUqmdkBH97pds81fo6e63OZtXMWnYKKyE9KvRvQAK3cPrsEPxW9fboJ1_tghuwV6cohhLWKZG0x_wz60/s320/6IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>My official review is that Whistler Classic Sodas Lemon Root Beer gets 6 (six) IBCs. I really did enjoy this soda, which was refreshing considering i expected to hate it. But i deliberately called it a "soda" and not a "root beer". It's just not even in the same category. Had it even a hint of root beer essence to it i would have rated it a 7 or an 8, cuz this is a good soda. I'd be eager to try some of the other flavors in their selection. However, i am gonna be firm on this account. If you're going to call it root beer it needs to taste at least somewhat like root beer. </div>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-88777979950819614502022-09-14T18:41:00.003-07:002022-09-14T18:43:50.743-07:00Freddie's Old Fashioned Root Beer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrM4mrv5Q0gu_cW7XAxMIyybJvo_FmZHywKU6HwKEl7xt6sZ3FSdf18nq9lpTesgMLIgm0dJhqZHEFDlneQ5kjdzK_np1z-dTOOxQEj3paRfDf69rKoR9YW18b9s_btGI_b7enMKQJHtPK7ukzDRxltphdseDeX8j1Z3kB8Kc7VHuRTMOCPfhTfU69/s3609/Freddie's.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3609" data-original-width="1045" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrM4mrv5Q0gu_cW7XAxMIyybJvo_FmZHywKU6HwKEl7xt6sZ3FSdf18nq9lpTesgMLIgm0dJhqZHEFDlneQ5kjdzK_np1z-dTOOxQEj3paRfDf69rKoR9YW18b9s_btGI_b7enMKQJHtPK7ukzDRxltphdseDeX8j1Z3kB8Kc7VHuRTMOCPfhTfU69/s320/Freddie's.jpg" width="93" /></a></div>This is gonna be another quick one. Sorry, but i have a bunch of these in my fridge and need to get through them. I presume some of you, my loyal readers, actually prefer to not read any of my blathering run-on sentences i've been writing about my life lately, but i guess i wouldn't know since i truly don't care to read any of your comments or just generally interact with you at all. So with that, let's talk about <a href="https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/freddie-s-old-fashioned-soda.html">Freddie's Old Fashioned Root Beer</a>. I found this at my local Fry's grocery store, which is my preferred grocery shopping market. Freddie's is bottled in Frankfort, KY by Buffalo Trace Distillery. I have heard a lot about Buffalo Trace Whiskey as they are frequent sponsors on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, but i have not indulged in the whiskey itself. I'm lead to believe that it's quite good, though i wouldn't know a good whiskey from a bad one if someone asked me. But it looks like this is the line of craft sodas that Buffalo Trace is responsible for. And since i can't weigh in on the whiskey, I guess i'll just have to see what this root beer holds.<p></p><p>The traditional 12 oz brown glass bottle has some fun labels attached, including one around the neck saying "Isn't that neat?". Well, it is in fact neat, as well as the little thumbs up on the cap and the profile image of a balding man wearing glasses and saying "Hey Daddy-o". It's fun and lively, so props for that Freddie's. A little harder to read at the bottom of the label is an informal ingredients list boasting the use of natural herbs, oil of birch and imported vanilla. The formal ingredients list says this stuff is sweetened with cane sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup. Not really sure how to take that. I guess they are covering all the bases with that statement. </p><p>Well, whatever they sweeten this stuff with they did a decent job. This is a solid root beer all the way through. It has a classic, traditional root beer base with a sweet, creamy vanilla finish. The carbonation is a bit light for my taste, but otherwise it's very matter of fact. This is a root beer and it makes no qualms about it. Maybe my only criticism is that the flavor isn't distinct. I have no confidence that i could pick this out of a lineup. But that fact aside, i'm sure if i did a blind taste test of this root beer i would come to the conclusion that it's great even if i couldn't tell you what brand it was. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rbOt1V-_YnXMqqGapLceEvEB7gpiRa3wufx5drWcmaH6kRwtJaoi7RPAjqBLKTYL0V7ab91KgHjcg0p6Oj_Wv2thV2trDjgbwmrQYmjgai1tMdo-JHa13raVo_dJBh1j9Gk8BqeCXOZ4eQH6QKrfsxjMmaN22ma2Ju3r3Sz6IGHntSq9lnRd3mIE/s696/7IBC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="77" data-original-width="696" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rbOt1V-_YnXMqqGapLceEvEB7gpiRa3wufx5drWcmaH6kRwtJaoi7RPAjqBLKTYL0V7ab91KgHjcg0p6Oj_Wv2thV2trDjgbwmrQYmjgai1tMdo-JHa13raVo_dJBh1j9Gk8BqeCXOZ4eQH6QKrfsxjMmaN22ma2Ju3r3Sz6IGHntSq9lnRd3mIE/s320/7IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>My official review is that Freddie's Old Fashioned Root Beer gets 7 (seven) IBCs. Another great outing for a random root beer tucked away in my fridge. I am a fan of this stuff, and it seems to be popping up lots of places i have seen in my regional travels around the country so it is fairly readily available from what i can tell. Buffalo Trace is well known for putting a lot of time and effort into crafting their signature whiskey and i could say that seems to be the case for their root beer as well. Well done you. Go ahead and give this one a shot if you get the chance.</p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-33263508191778654072022-09-09T19:48:00.005-07:002022-09-09T19:48:37.897-07:001919 Classic American Root Beer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx9qqCnTQJQZfzVi4I_XtjFKzPC9psKxcHJe3P2UMeFz58x06NR2-yVgVvGOO0-ET-517C0qnfNa0zvjO_iTj1yBhjK3wvewxKD-B4ATgX9lwWdSW0UNOD7CakhVEsorjcaflmZkSpUhhu3xOAoDxLiY4TdTh4oqJuQZu44mK0ygkA-OLIZxRTI8K/s3288/1919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3288" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx9qqCnTQJQZfzVi4I_XtjFKzPC9psKxcHJe3P2UMeFz58x06NR2-yVgVvGOO0-ET-517C0qnfNa0zvjO_iTj1yBhjK3wvewxKD-B4ATgX9lwWdSW0UNOD7CakhVEsorjcaflmZkSpUhhu3xOAoDxLiY4TdTh4oqJuQZu44mK0ygkA-OLIZxRTI8K/s320/1919.jpg" width="137" /></a></div>This one will be short and sweet. Still on my quest to get through all the root beers in my fridge and this one was sitting right in front and looking so enticing. A friend of mine mailed me a care package full of root beers i have yet to review, which was very kind of her. <a href="https://www.1919rootbeer.com">1919 Classic American Root Beer</a> has been around since the beginning of Prohibition (which began in 1919) when breweries were faced with the dilemma of shifting operations to start making non-alcoholic beverages. Many breweries began making sodas, including the brewery that began making this one. This root beer hales from the northern MidWest region of the United States. New ULM Brewing and Beverage Co. operates out of Sleepy Eye, MN today and brews this soda to distribute to the surrounding areas. I got what is commonly referred to as a "tall boy" can, which is 16 oz. compared to the traditional 12 oz. can or bottle. That just means there is more of this to share with your wife and kids when you try it out for yourself. This is also available in bottles, growlers and even kegs if you're somewhere near where this is brewed. I really dig the label. It's simple but elegant and has bright pops of red to accentuate the design. Very tasteful.<p></p><p>Speaking of taste, this stuff packs it in. The recipe calls for real sugar and real vanilla, which gives this root beer a nice, solid, sweet and creamy flavor. The vanilla finish is a real treat. The website says this is great for root beer floats, which i don't doubt because this basically tastes like a root beer float already. In fact, it's so good that the website says it should only be had as a treat once in a while and shouldn't be consumed regularly. Kind of a refreshing take from the people who make this stuff. I'm really impressed with how good it is.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL51rOsUJvV9_RJ2VAzwb6AqxIZ8g9ftrTByawaPIEQ9xc1hSvUjaljFZakgQnhHva_N7bgi9CiFHr5f6pq8Zxrba0p6wjJV4Sau6fFm4Ta3omM4wvkJPir4taiHBZpl7QySjaFvKKq1W-elIr1URJUS7e_k1aZQ6n2vi4IfSVJM667icWzb8bjoqB/s696/9IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="80" data-original-width="696" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL51rOsUJvV9_RJ2VAzwb6AqxIZ8g9ftrTByawaPIEQ9xc1hSvUjaljFZakgQnhHva_N7bgi9CiFHr5f6pq8Zxrba0p6wjJV4Sau6fFm4Ta3omM4wvkJPir4taiHBZpl7QySjaFvKKq1W-elIr1URJUS7e_k1aZQ6n2vi4IfSVJM667icWzb8bjoqB/s320/9IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>My official review is that 1919 Classic American Root Beer gets 9 (nine) IBCs. I mean... wow... this one is a treat. It's been a loooonnngg time since i've had a 9 come along and this one took me by surprise. My only wish is that i could get some locally, but i am nowhere near the northern MidWest region of the United States and don't know when i will ever get up to that area. So if you are feeling like making a pilgrimage or happen to stumble across some of this stuff then do yourself a favor and grab a few for a real solid root beer experience. </p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-31430883617126504322022-08-28T10:28:00.002-07:002022-08-28T10:31:36.954-07:00Red Rock Root Beer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVm8lW-jdRSDSE2CpzIljdN3CPzte6DrPx2XbMd6DC9oEPDJGsF8qKaAkx3ioP6BRPJupB9NggV76ZHOTcO-WTmQiNpV1XavviExARa_tKe4NSeDlbbMM_cwQ4Bw0eqPBFIZwezL2Uv6J_RoSfiw6zVmk0Yu6_wYvaUMZ1NlobxNqyKWwJNxul8AI/s3860/Red%20Rock.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3860" data-original-width="1439" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVm8lW-jdRSDSE2CpzIljdN3CPzte6DrPx2XbMd6DC9oEPDJGsF8qKaAkx3ioP6BRPJupB9NggV76ZHOTcO-WTmQiNpV1XavviExARa_tKe4NSeDlbbMM_cwQ4Bw0eqPBFIZwezL2Uv6J_RoSfiw6zVmk0Yu6_wYvaUMZ1NlobxNqyKWwJNxul8AI/s320/Red%20Rock.jpg" width="119" /></a></div>I'm gonna go on a bit of a rant here, but i gotta say this because it's probably the most important issue our culture is facing right now. <p></p><p><b>Literally</b>; in a literal sense or manner: such as <br />a) in a way that uses the ordinary or primary meaning of a term or expression. <br />b) used to emphasize the truth and accuracy of a statement or description.<br />c) with exact equivalence: with the meaning of each individual word given exactly.<br />d) in a completely accurate way.</p><p>This word (literally) has completely captured our cultural vernacular. This word is used everywhere by everyone all the time, and i'm here to say that it has to stop. The criticism against using the word "literally" used to be that it was being used incorrectly, i.e. "i'm so hungry that i could literally eat a horse." Clearly that's hyperbole and someone, regardless of their current stage of hunger, would not be able to consume and digest an entire horse in any reasonable amount of time allotted for a meal. So the correction was to use this word only when describing something in the context with letter b) above, to emphasize a point. But it has become over saturated at this point. Passively listen to any conversation. I mean any conversation. It could be watching a scripted TV show, or listening to a podcast, or overhearing people talking on the street or at the park or in a store. Count how many times one of the people in the conversation uses the word "literally" and you will see what i mean. Everyone is saying it. Everyone, everywhere, all the time (like that <a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTdiOTIyZTQtNmQ1OS00NjZlLWIyMTgtYzk5Y2M3ZDVmMDk1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAzMDg4NzU0._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg">movie</a> that came out recently that i didn't see). Your neighbor is saying it, your pastor is saying it, your news anchor is saying it, your child is saying it, you are saying it. Everywhere. All the time. It's crazy how captivated our culture is by this word. I was ruminating on this idea after witnessing my 4 year old niece say the word "literally" (in correct context mind you, i.e. to emphasize a point) probably 3-4 times in one short conversation with her mom. It's gotten out of hand. And i am not immune to this. I am saying this word all the time just like everyone else, but i'd like to stop. </p><p>Here's the thing... people don't like being told what to do (or in this case, what not to do). So coming right out and telling people to stop saying the word "literally" likely won't have any effect. I think the only thing that can be done to draw attention to this issue is to double down. So now, whenever i hear someone say the word "literally" in a conversation i just repeat the word aloud for all to hear. For example, let's say i overhear you talking while standing in a line. I don't know you and i am just near you where i am in earshot of you and vice versa. You: "This cashier is so slow. I have been standing in line for literally (me: "literally") 10 minutes. I could have literally (me: "literally") been back at work by now." On it's face, it's annoying. Some weirdo you don't know chiming in on your conversation to just repeat the word "literally" after you've said it. You probably wouldn't think much of it. Now imagine the same scenario, but now everyone around you says it right after you've said it. You say the word "literally" in a casual conversation and then 10 or more people around you all say "literally" aloud for everyone to hear. It would carry much more weight and draw your attention to the scenario. I know it seems counter intuitive, but i think the only way out of this is through overuse and over saturation to the point where everyone is aware and everyone is sick of hearing this word. Now, that's Phase 1 of this plan. Phase 2 is much harder. You have to stop using the word yourself. Don't get down on yourself when you say "literally" to emphasize a point because it has completely invaded our psyche at this point and it's a natural go to when forming a sentence. We are all saying it which means we are all thinking it, so to correct this behavior we have to correct the way we think about how we speak. Like mentioned above, most of the time we are using this phrase to emphasize that what are saying is in fact true. I have tried replacing that word with something like "genuinely", "truly", or "sincerely". Or honestly, it's simple enough to just remove the word "literally" from whatever sentence you are about to say and your statement would not only be grammatically correct, it would still convey what you're trying to say. So how about it gang? Are we gonna do this?</p><p>Ok, rant concluded. Let's talk root beer. I think my friend Alysia sent this to me but i don't remember exactly where i got it. Red Rock Root Beer has been around since 1885 (according to the label) and hails from Atlanta, GA. There isn't much about this company from a simple google search and even <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Rock_(beverage)">the source of all truth</a> has limited info about this company. Sounds like they started out with a ginger ale and were popular during the early turn of the 20th century but fell off almost entirely around the 1950's. Even the label is pretty sparse on the info. Speaking of the label, it's pretty cheap looking. It's just a clear sticker poorly affixed to a clear 12 oz glass bottle. Really no frills with this label. I actually like the little sticker on the neck of the bottle which seems more true to the 1950's style logos of that time. The new label is just so bland that i have nothing else to say about it. </p><p>Cracking the cap released a pleasant enough aroma of caramel which is prominent in the taste. Other than that, it's quite "thin" (as i often describe the taste on these types of root beers) and has a not terrible but not great aftertaste. It is sweet from the cane sugar but ultimately lacks even a basic root beer flavor. It tastes like a soft caramel candy cube that my wife enjoys, yet it is still somehow less satisfying. I don't want to give the impression that this stuff is bad because it's not. But it's also not good. It's very... blah. Maybe why the company went out of business but doesn't explain why it was resuscitated. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDjC1z0dfhF0IhXGD8cOxYx5tI3V62l5d4AtJ0MW_ERwrmp8zLBY0IBpue3T4hU8s7F-cXBTsnR3irIuNwYxlEKSuRXCMl5qlVCn7xJUSE19lQBSvfv2YTn8xYy_jNxNQt_mLbgHx9Klau-mkTH8mWU0Ucfm7xNRxx1TQECrUsNzfrUCMCKa9dfnK/s696/4IBC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="76" data-original-width="696" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDjC1z0dfhF0IhXGD8cOxYx5tI3V62l5d4AtJ0MW_ERwrmp8zLBY0IBpue3T4hU8s7F-cXBTsnR3irIuNwYxlEKSuRXCMl5qlVCn7xJUSE19lQBSvfv2YTn8xYy_jNxNQt_mLbgHx9Klau-mkTH8mWU0Ucfm7xNRxx1TQECrUsNzfrUCMCKa9dfnK/s320/4IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>My official review is that Red Rocks Root Beer gets 4 (four) IBCs. It's not that i don't like the way it tastes, it's more that it doesn't really even taste like a root beer. It's just a sugar soda. I have already said more about this than the entire wikipedia entry, just more opinion and frivolous nonsense and less factual information. If you wanted to get this stuff i don't even know where to tell you to look. But i'd truly, sincerely, genuinely say don't bother because there are so many other root beers out there that are better than this. Literally. My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-2764844046397396372022-08-22T21:23:00.005-07:002022-08-22T21:29:35.864-07:00B.Stiff & Sons Old Fashioned Root Beer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCcLM0kUdPiu6sHr079IgkfkhaZRwOSDmnHxTzKZCgS6EpFuKE6gRX4pTMHKCPZL-FJqmHFTTII35eL6p9Ik-btV4_ul7OqgSS_LRq1TlG_U7Ry5HCwvAf2GFaM-INvun7Ic_k3CfsHQDsruNw6SQRIW18L3IWcls5syQpp4KtzrIcoteeJB7RsQU/s3787/B.Stiff%20&%20Sons.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3787" data-original-width="2205" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCcLM0kUdPiu6sHr079IgkfkhaZRwOSDmnHxTzKZCgS6EpFuKE6gRX4pTMHKCPZL-FJqmHFTTII35eL6p9Ik-btV4_ul7OqgSS_LRq1TlG_U7Ry5HCwvAf2GFaM-INvun7Ic_k3CfsHQDsruNw6SQRIW18L3IWcls5syQpp4KtzrIcoteeJB7RsQU/s320/B.Stiff%20&%20Sons.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>My family is bad at communicating in general. My wife talks with her mom and sisters at least every other day if not everyday. I will send a text to my brothers and won't hear back until i track them down via a phone call or persistent pestering. On birthdays i will usually try and shoot a quick text to them not expecting to hear back and usually receiving no response. So when it came time for my father to turn 80 years old, which he did yesterday, i decided to put in more effort than just a simple text. I decided to be the good son and organize a little get together at my parents' house in St. George, UT. My brothers all agreed to make the pilgrimage from various locations both near and far to come and celebrate this momentous event in my dad's life. I didn't have a super close relationship with my dad growing up. I was the youngest of 6 kids and always viewed my dad as an uptight task master who didn't have time for me. But like many other people i have talked to at my age i would say my dad is a completely different person now. He's way more laid back and jovial as well as simply being a doddering old man. And frankly, part of what i wanted to do was to just acknowledge that my aging father is running out of birthdays so we should spend some time talking to him and gaining wisdom and insight from the man who raised and supported us. So i wrote out several questions i wanted to ask about his life and growing up. First of all, he told me he doesn't remember anything about his own life before 5th grade. My 10 year old son is currently in 5th grade, so that means by his own admission my dad doesn't remember <i>anything</i> from the first decade of his life. So i pivoted to ask some hard hitting questions about his later life. <p></p><p>My dad's dad died in the Pacific Theater of WWII when my dad was just 2-3 years old so he has no memory of his biological father. Interestingly enough, my father was drafted into the Vietnam War at the tender age of 29, close in age to when his father enlisted in WWII. At the time he was married to my mother and had my oldest brother as a young baby. I noted how this paralleled with his own father's life and circumstances and asked if my dad ever thought about how he was leaving his young wife and new son to go fight in a war he may never come back from, repeating the cycle he himself endured. His answer to me; "Umm... no." Great. So much for wisdom and insight gained from decades of experience. That being said, we still had a lovely time and i think my father appreciated having all his children and grandchildren together in his house, regardless of the fact that it was to celebrate him. And i was happy it all went well and everyone enjoyed themselves cuz that means that by putting this all together i've cemented my place as the favorite child, which hopefully will pay dividends in the family will. Again, i'm the youngest of 6 so i gotta improve my inheritance however i can. </p><p>I picked out this root beer for this review simply based on the name. B.Stiff & Sons Old Fashioned Root Beer is brewed by <a href="https://www.oskarblues.com/sodas/">Oskar Blues Brewery</a> in Longmont, CO. Like many local breweries they mostly deal in brewing beers and lagers but have a small line of craft sodas that they sell as well. I picked up a 6-pack of cans from a Smith's grocery store in West Jordan, UT while visiting my wife's parents a while back. I don't know much else about the brewery or the story of when it started or anything like that. Mostly because i couldn't find it on their website and don't care to look elsewhere on the internet. Some things i am content to remain a mystery to me, like this. And drag queens. I get they have an appeal and i am not negating their talents or passion, but i'm not their target audience. Mostly i think of them the way i think of Olympic curlers. They will grab my attention on first sight because it seems so new and novel. But after a few minutes of watching older men with beer bellies pushing stones and sweeping ice, i usually just end up thinking, "wait... these guys are Olympic athletes? Cuz... they don't <i>look</i> like athletes." And then i lose all interest. Just like drag queens. </p><p><span style="text-align: center;">The can is loaded with images of mountain ranges and exhortations to recycle. Along the top of the can near the rim is says, "<a href="https://media.2oceansvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/truth-2_bewerkt.jpeg">You can't handle the root!</a>" and along the bottom it says "colo<i>RAD</i>o USA". Just some fun little things about it i suppose. Other than that, it has a bland brown and black color scheme and a complete disregard for "one font to rule them all". I grabbed this one partly cuz i am talking about my dad in this post and the name of this is B.Stiff & Sons but also because it's one of the first ones i saw in my fridge. Don't know what the B.Stiff thing is about or why we have to bring his/her sons into this. I think the guy who owns the brewery is named Dale. So i'm missing the connection there, but again, i am too lazy or don't care enough to research it any more because i doubt the answer will be interesting. You know what else isn't all that interesting? The flavor of this root beer. It's a pretty standard root beer, sweetened with can sugar and a basic root beer flavor. It's a little thin and is reminiscent of several generic brands, but the nice thing is that it finishes well and doesn't leave a bad taste in your mouth. Outside of that though, i don't know that anything about this root beer makes it stand out, appealing or memorable. Just like drag queens. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQQms_8WA-9shQzXO53uF4uxJMFI8a64slRmZFcIJlTbHeOAzG4XiMgim7rbwfxgDU0nzaezHBkba2sXjEsQopbDeoBVg10XCb5CUcacIGkZVkJJ3fsVTJXc-X6IPEbVuvYiBRfQ0qhbbpzt769UAtvEAsf1iO2mDvtJn-dn-_0iSCnMH4PxJTgVf/s696/5IBC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="79" data-original-width="696" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQQms_8WA-9shQzXO53uF4uxJMFI8a64slRmZFcIJlTbHeOAzG4XiMgim7rbwfxgDU0nzaezHBkba2sXjEsQopbDeoBVg10XCb5CUcacIGkZVkJJ3fsVTJXc-X6IPEbVuvYiBRfQ0qhbbpzt769UAtvEAsf1iO2mDvtJn-dn-_0iSCnMH4PxJTgVf/s320/5IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: center;">My official review is that B.Stiff & Sons Old Fashioned Root Beer gets 5 (five) IBCs. Like so so many other root beers, this one is perfectly average. Another bit of text scrawled along the rim of the can says "Nice Floats!" I wouldn't know because i didn't make or drink a float with this but i would imagine it would taste completely and wholly adequate. I don't remember the cost of this but i imagine it wasn't terribly expensive. Outside of that i don't really see a reason to ever get this stuff again. So congrats to you B.Stiff & Sons, you have achieved the height of mediocrity. </span><p></p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-37819568361747149022022-07-25T19:24:00.011-07:002022-08-22T19:55:59.551-07:00Boots Sarsaparilla Root Beer<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH2THzh3gt2qEqhhMUuNfy5YetXzOW5PJRnw-1kJox72D-aM0YflJ0qk-YacOGaYv3V4ypcs9EnnDzjEbm5xg0B-ZroFJj4NlcHJPQ2K5U7zfKykgaWsEFTZEcA4wdyIZdwWJ2mhbbJuLufDb9E2pz5F-HJjWz9kJjlfROBD1T5z6EQeB6Y64hE-s/s3922/Boots.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3922" data-original-width="1054" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH2THzh3gt2qEqhhMUuNfy5YetXzOW5PJRnw-1kJox72D-aM0YflJ0qk-YacOGaYv3V4ypcs9EnnDzjEbm5xg0B-ZroFJj4NlcHJPQ2K5U7zfKykgaWsEFTZEcA4wdyIZdwWJ2mhbbJuLufDb9E2pz5F-HJjWz9kJjlfROBD1T5z6EQeB6Y64hE-s/s320/Boots.jpg" width="86" /></a></p>I recently heard an insane story that i have to share. Granted, this story is coming to me third-hand and i know none of the people involved. I heard this story from my wife's best friend Shasta. She relayed this tale to us from her sister, and this whole thing supposedly happened to one of Shasta's sister's friends. So with all that preamble i mean to say i didn't do anything more to verify this story than to hear it from Shasta so i can't cop to its veracity. Still, it's that good of a story that i have to pass it along. <br />Shasta's teenaged sister has a friend that is a guy. His name is... (totally not making this up on the spot) Jamtillon, a real name. Anyway, Jamtillon is a somewhat shy kid but he has the hots for this girl in their social circle that sounds like should be named Gwendolyn. So Jamtillon works up the courage to ask her out on a first date. <div><br /></div><div>NOTE: this is a <i><b>first date</b></i>. Adds to the insanity. </div><div><br /></div><div>Jamtillon asks Gwendolyn to come with him on the Polar Express. Now, we all live in Mesa, AZ, which is a suburb of Phoenix. In Williams, AZ (the small town where i grew up) the Grand Canyon Railroad operates and serves as the lifeblood of that town by attracting tourists from all around the world and offering them an old-timey train ride up to the southern rim of the Grand Canyon for a real authentic 1800's experience. If i'm being reductionist about it i would say it's essentially turning a 1 hour drive into a 2 hour train ride for a fairly nominal fee. Anyway, to make even more money during the Holiday Season the railroad puts on a short 1+ hour ride just outside of town where they read the story of the Polar Express to all the families and kids, many of which are dressed in holiday pajamas. They have cookies and drink hot chocolate and sing songs and do that kind of stuff until they get to "the North Pole", which is just a cardboard cutout town with a few people standing outside and waving. It's both innocent and charming as well as a total waste of money and a humungous racket (again, that's the pessimistic reductionist in me talking). Anyway, it's a perfectly acceptable date except for one crucial fact. Mesa is a 3+ hour drive away from Williams, meaning they have to drive up, do the train ride, get something to eat and drive back. So you throw in a couple pit stops and bathroom breaks and this date (<i>first date</i>) is at minimum a 9-10 hour endeavor. Right there, this thing is doomed from the start.<div>Anyway, as the story goes, Jamtillon picks up Gwendolyn and begins the drive up to Williams. He is trying to be noble and avoid embarrassment by holding in his farts the whole drive. When he pulls into the train station in Williams he decides to be a gentleman and offers to get out and open the door for his date. But Jamtillon is a clever dog. He really just wants an opportunity to "blow off some steam" while his date sits in the car. What he doesn't account for is that while he walks around the back of his car to open her door, he blows off a lot more than steam. To be blunt, he drops a load in his pants. Panic washes over Jamtillon. This is a bad, bad start. But he recovers quickly when he tells Gwendolyn, "Let's go into the gift shop and get some pajamas to change into for the train!" Gwendolyn tells him she's fine in the clothes they have and doesn't want any pajamas. The train is leaving soon, so he doesn't have a lot of time to act. "Ok, well I'm going to go get some pajamas. Why don't i just meet you on the train?" He watches Gwendolyn board the train and turns to go into the gift shop. He finds a pair of pajama pants, purchases them and then proceeds to the port-a-potty outside because the bathrooms inside are being renovated. Gwendolyn grows concerned as she hears that the train is leaving soon and sees Jamtillon exit the gift shop and head into a port-a-potty. Jamtillon enters the port-a-potty and removes his pants and underwear, throwing them into the toilet as they are "unredeemable". He then unfolds his pajama pants and discovers... it's a sweatshirt. It's not pajama pants at all. He has bought the wrong thing and cannot get his pants and underwear back out of the port-a-potty. Gwendolyn looks around wildly as the train begins to pull out of the station. She keeps her eyes fixed on the port-a-potty until Jamtillon finally emerges. He is wearing the sweatshirt as pants and looks to the window where their seats are to make eye contact with Gwendolyn. And just then, the train pulls away from the station. When Gwendolyn gets back from the trip to the North Pole, Jamtillon is gone. Clearly, this is the only recourse he has at this point. No voicemail or text, no indication that he was coming back. He just ghosts her. She has to call her family to drive the 3+ hours to come pick her up. <p></p><p>Now... that is the worst first date i've ever heard of, but given all that happened i think that's the only natural conclusion it could possibly have. But again, going back to the fact that this first date is at minimum 9-10 hours, i could have told you from the start that this was going to be a disaster. Which is what i thought about this root beer prior to drinking it. <a href="https://bootsbeverages.com/">Boots Sarsaparilla Root Beer</a> is brewed and bottled in Bellville, TX. The Boots Beverage Co. began as Bellville Bottling Works and was purchased by a German immigrant named Ambrose Kristen. His image is displayed on the label of the bottle along with a small snippet of the tale of his journey to Texas. Boots has a variety of flavors, each inspired by members of Ambrose's family. Ambrose earned the honor of having the root beer flavor carry his name. </p><p>Looking at this root beer, it has all the apparent signs of a bad root beer. It's not even really trying to look its best or be enticing to people. The label is colorful and professional with all the hallmarks of several generic root beer brands. The root beer itself is also quite pale. And when i cracked the cap, the aroma i get is faintly medicinal. Not a good track record based on other root beers with similar telltale signs. I took one look at this and pegged it for pure trash. But i gotta tell you... i really was taken back by this root beer. This stuff is truly a solid root beer. It's very sweet and creamy, heavy vanilla flavor, and it's sweetened with cane sugar which gives it a nice finish. It almost tastes like a root beer float. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbp_ujQmjgGEWaoD1ddcS9g4lClCUWeK5RTfAFh8RM_uuqlP05ozDW6GA42m7PEvEXI1z0OlsI1DDvjr54JttUH2G3d5Gtiy38B9-a69BCc3IZ2PaAn6o01RKzrh2NTYW1OMFBe4ZjQhs-qbPS6VUeUWcN9l73H0ujaQ1FFEPPTL-28r5AkCvX595/s696/8IBC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="81" data-original-width="696" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbp_ujQmjgGEWaoD1ddcS9g4lClCUWeK5RTfAFh8RM_uuqlP05ozDW6GA42m7PEvEXI1z0OlsI1DDvjr54JttUH2G3d5Gtiy38B9-a69BCc3IZ2PaAn6o01RKzrh2NTYW1OMFBe4ZjQhs-qbPS6VUeUWcN9l73H0ujaQ1FFEPPTL-28r5AkCvX595/s320/8IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>My official review is that Boots Sarsaparilla Root Beer gets 8 (eight) IBCs. I really would never have looked at this without tasting it and thought it would be a top contender, and yet, here it stands among the greats of root beer. Truly as shocking to me that this is good as i am that Jamtillon would have the hubris to take a girl on a 10 hour first date. And we all see where that landed him... in a mobile toilet wearing a shirt for pants. So i admire the boldness of Boots to determinately stake their place in the root beer pantheon. This one is surprisingly one of the best root beers i've had in a long time. </p></div></div>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-89806335386044316412022-07-18T22:03:00.003-07:002022-07-18T22:14:06.172-07:00Hosmer Mountain Sarsaparilla Root Beer<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVqtJ5dHeZrrzm4OBbMl9jxLrvJzRHUjMjCFo7_ZlQ_Zt9PkXfxMpx5Dwd3Qw5TsfpLcagj4bUrREevmKXtryWDckqqxAk3-MZQ6RfilB4ZuxAucQvkzkNNQCks3612dW-PzFY9yhOVK2MitURhDTuANPB4nj0SI877ZCVAXXm03V_BEPlqbVpjDs/s3708/Hosmer%20Mountain.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3708" data-original-width="1351" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVqtJ5dHeZrrzm4OBbMl9jxLrvJzRHUjMjCFo7_ZlQ_Zt9PkXfxMpx5Dwd3Qw5TsfpLcagj4bUrREevmKXtryWDckqqxAk3-MZQ6RfilB4ZuxAucQvkzkNNQCks3612dW-PzFY9yhOVK2MitURhDTuANPB4nj0SI877ZCVAXXm03V_BEPlqbVpjDs/s320/Hosmer%20Mountain.jpg" width="117" /></a>On a recent visit to Bear Lake, ID for a family reunion i was formally introduced to a game from my wife's childhood called <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/Loopin%27_Louie_Box_Cover.png">Loopin' Louie</a>. I say formally introduced because i've heard about this game incessantly whilst never having played it on account that the childhood set belonging to my wife's family lay in a tattered box under my bed for the majority of my marriage, filled with half missing/half broken parts. It was, needless to say, useless, and as such, trash. In fact, that is where my wife rescued it from soon after we were married and she discovered that her father had thrown it out. Unrelated, my wife really likes that show Hoarders. She's seen 'em all...</p>Anyway, it was significant to her because it was a game she played with her now deceased grandfather with whom she had a very loving and close relationship. So i understand that. What i have a harder time understanding is the lore of the game Loopin' Louie itself. For the uninformed, Louie is a middle-aged pilot who is vaguely Germanic looking and flies an old WWI/WWII era prop-plane, and for whatever reason he really really hates chickens. Oh and also, just an aside, when the game is assembled it slightly resembles a swastika. It's a 4 player game of which the object is to protect your chickens from Louie as he blindly follows his innate instinct to fly his plane directly toward them to presumably murder them. Each player is outfitted with a different colored paddle to bump Louie's plane up and over the chicken coop to prevent a grisly death when the chickens met the business end of a propeller. Some members of my wife's family assert that the color of the paddle makes the difference. Several are in the camp of "red always wins", and indeed the winner of the family tournament was using the red paddle to claim victory. But i contested that there was no way red has an advantage. Everyone had the same opportunities and limitations because the game is pretty simplistic at the core. Yes, the only hope we had was to nudge Louie out of the way on his murderous tirade and hopefully guide him toward our opponents, inwardly hoping the death of their chickens will satiate his bloodlust for at least a few moments. But it never will... It never ever will... Louie just loops around and around to tag each chicken coop again and again. He just loops. He loops and he loops. He's Loopin' Louie. And he won't rest until every chicken is dead. Every... last... one. <br />While the question of Louie's motive quickly jumps to mind and whose answer is still a mystery, i found a more interesting line of inquiry when my brother-in-law posited the question of what role we the players had in this debauchery. Were we farmers trying to protect our flocks from an insane pilot in the early stages of dementia? Were we the chickens fearing for our own lives and narrowly escaping (and sometimes not) the stinging blades of death raining down from the heavens above? But the answer, i told my brother-in-law, is so much simpler than that. You see, we're the paddles. We don't control the paddles, we ARE the paddles. It's plain to see. It doesn't matter what color you are because Louie only sees one color. Red. Not the red paddle, the color of blood. And once you realize that, only then can you truly understand Loopin' Louie. <p></p><p>Like my wife with this game, i have a long and sordid relationship with the root beer. I wouldn't call this my white whale but it's been on my most wanted list for sure. I can't remember when i first even heard of this root beer but it's been at least 5 or 6 years. That makes it sound like this is some legendary root beer of yore, and i don't intend to ascribe it that. I simply mean that this is one that i have heard of but i have found difficult to find through my regular channels. <a href="https://hosmersoda.com/">Hosmer Mountain Sarsaparilla Root Beer</a> is brewed and bottled in Willimantic, CT. This is one of an extensive line of sodas crafted by the folks at Hosmer Mountain Springs Bottling Co. The company has a long history in the area and began making sodas in 1948. It started as a family business and i think it is still run by the sons of the guy who started it. I will give them credit for longevity and adapting the business as the times dictated. And i know i'm late to the game with this one and all, but they point to a specific root beer review for confirmation of their standing within the industry, and i just gotta say... come on... we all have the same credibility here. This is just a vanity project. No one takes these things seriously, but if they did then this is really the only review that should affect the layout of your website, that's all i'm saying. </p><p>The shape of the glass bottle is fun, it's a little different, dare i say elegant even. I like the old school paper and glue label, sticking to the old ways of doing things. The clear glass gives me a good look at how pale looking this root beer appears, though it may be no different than others. When i cracked the cap i got very little aroma and most of the carbonation escaped leaving this on the more flat side of the beverage. Not my favorite thing, but it does well to make up with the taste. This soda is sweetened with both white and brown sugar and flavored with a sarsaparilla extract. The label calls this a sarsaparilla root beer but they also offer a sarsaparilla flavored soda in their line. I wonder if any distinction is made other than the name or if they simply are identical in taste and only differ in the marketing. Regardless though, that's a good classic flavor for root beer. It feels a little thin, but still has a refreshing finish to it. I would say that by any reasonable standard this is a solid root beer. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYMy68_le0V0roFkp8p2WHJqxhxNURBmtX00gBm0uZalma_ei3Il8blOKxmypJKUOxe0h1PzlKhPdulg2Ao23eJ4CQPnQubXdESkGoN9vqY5jIZoTueU3I9r7qNef627mcFDIwH-MM1I2WGyqNGePoths8YJdgfDijyh34jZg4B9OgZlMEY-BBdBM/s696/7IBC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="80" data-original-width="696" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYMy68_le0V0roFkp8p2WHJqxhxNURBmtX00gBm0uZalma_ei3Il8blOKxmypJKUOxe0h1PzlKhPdulg2Ao23eJ4CQPnQubXdESkGoN9vqY5jIZoTueU3I9r7qNef627mcFDIwH-MM1I2WGyqNGePoths8YJdgfDijyh34jZg4B9OgZlMEY-BBdBM/s320/7IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>My official review is that Hosmer Mountain Sarsaparilla Root Beer gets 7 (seven) IBCs. This is a close contender for a score of 8, but i think it just lacks the little something to nudge it over the edge. Solid showing though, really showcasing the abilities of the Hosmer Mountain Bottling Co. I'd be very interested to try more or their 30 flavors of beverages. And perhaps if Louie had refreshed himself with a cold Hosmer Mountain beverage it may have finally abated the carnage he is destined to unfold upon all chicken-kind.<div><br /></div><div>But it never will. It never ever will. Cuz Louie? Well... he's just gonna keep loopin'.</div>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-14484729401281715932022-07-15T17:27:00.002-07:002022-07-18T20:52:42.704-07:00Zia Root Beer<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1eJhb-_gm45qPikz0KUqc04Xw7GU8I1qtpo9HSHI-JUNDuQV17Up8_KdwxEi08Jj3imMP4NqOvelUWrIRZ9OyLMiv1sKqguLs9_Vp73pOs5i38zIfjBo_XBtT19lqDruia-5hkFWdbWUk4yJDsiQDkgDHJc21wJImLhI0NY_srWgoaPZZiJhL0ASd/s3808/Zia.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3808" data-original-width="1198" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1eJhb-_gm45qPikz0KUqc04Xw7GU8I1qtpo9HSHI-JUNDuQV17Up8_KdwxEi08Jj3imMP4NqOvelUWrIRZ9OyLMiv1sKqguLs9_Vp73pOs5i38zIfjBo_XBtT19lqDruia-5hkFWdbWUk4yJDsiQDkgDHJc21wJImLhI0NY_srWgoaPZZiJhL0ASd/s320/Zia.jpg" width="101" /></a></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">From Aug 2000 to Aug 2002 I lived in Ontario, Canada while serving a mission for the church I was raised in. I was in my early 20’s at the time and for a 9 month stretch I lived in a medium sized city called Burlington right on the shores of not-so-beautiful Lake Ontario. Our days consisted of a pretty regimented schedule of tasks and duties, one of our mandates being to provide service to the communities we were placed in for a few hours a week. We did service for individuals and organizations in a number of different ways, including visiting elderly people and assisting in nursing homes, volunteering at food banks and blood donation centers, a lot of cleaning and organizing of personal homes and storage spaces, and being in Canada we did a fair share of snow shoveling. But one of the most memorable people we provided service for was a man named Hassan. At the time he seemed so much older to me but he was probably only in his mid 50s at the time. He was an immigrant from an Arab nation, I don’t remember which, who had grown children but lived alone and was basically house bound. He stayed in his small apartment on the top floor of a 3-story walkup and I don’t recall ever seeing him go outside at all. I don’t even think he had a TV, though he may have had one in his bedroom. When we were in his apartment he would just sit in his chair and chain smoke while we talked. I image it was that way when we were not there as well. We would do simple things for him, like collect his mail and run small errands. When he discovered I had my own set of hair clippers he requested that I begin cutting his hair at regular intervals, and by cut his hair I mean he just wanted me to buzz his head. English was his second language, if not third or fourth, and he didn’t have a very good grasp of it. He called me Krumy-nicker, a phonetic spelling of the way he would say my last name (hint: roll the “r” at the beginning for the authentic experience). He would endearingly refer to my set of hair clippers simply as “the machine”, and I still find it endlessly amusing when he would ask for a haircut on our next visit by simply saying, “Krumy-nicker, can you bring the machine?”. Grocery shopping for Hassan was always the same. He would send us to get 1-2 loaves of processed white bread and a case of Pepsi from the basic grocery store down the road. Additionally, he would send us to a small shop in a strip mall which sold halal foods. We would present a piece of paper with his order to the person at the counter and they would hand us back a clear bag containing what I can only describe as a few lumps of sweaty cheese soaking in brine and filth. That’s all this guy ate, ever. He once asked me to go get him cigarettes, and when I told him we wouldn’t buy those for him it was the only time I saw him get upset with us. But it passed quickly and he was generally grateful for our visits and our help and we developed a nice relationship with him. Three times I thought I may be transferred from that area to another town and each time I told him he broke into tears, including the time I really did get transferred. He would give me a big embrace at the end of our visits and would tell me, “Krumy-nicker… I love you too much.” I will always remember him and the strange but comfortable relationship we had together. I respected him and he appreciated us. I heard he had passed away a few years after I had come back home, which was 20 years ago this August.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">That story really has nothing to do with the root beer I am reviewing today. I just figured it needed to be written down somewhere so I don’t forget it. But like Hassan, I was a stranger in a not-so-strange land when I tried Zia Root Beer. My wife (and kids) presented this root beer to me on Father’s Day this year while stopping at my in-laws house in West Jordan, UT on our way up to Bear Lake, ID for a family reunion. She said she picked it up at the local Smith’s grocery store there, though the bottle says this root beer hails from New Mexico. The very visually pleasing label is adorned with several Native American symbols common to the New Mexico region. Zia Root Beer is just one of several, uh… unique flavors offered by the <a href="https://www.ziabev.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">Zia Beverage Co</span></a>. using ingredients local to the area, like prickly pear cactus and piñon nuts. In fact, the root beer flavor is steeped with ingredients like yucca root, anise, mint and cloves. Sounds delicious, right? Hold on to that thought while we dig in a little more.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">What exactly is <a href="https://recipes.net/articles/what-is-yuca/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">yucca root</span></a>? Turns out it’s basically a type of potato. Does it make for a good flavor in a “root” beer? In my expert opinion, the answer is a hard no. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5K4x1Hi11FB5RBKax88NdyqNHRP7FAnZXakpCoDteqUiHSO4sseSOyBIhpOgq6UtdLT6_kt1snYodqc7v2KOAabeaWav_mJ6UafRqW_q2u61dJ9wUfJuY_CEs4OY4BTr9Jn-wmmhwznZn9jIEY0DtTw9yV-6uf-LMUUsfZrqnMAGLjGs0X5BqaKB/s653/necco.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="653" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5K4x1Hi11FB5RBKax88NdyqNHRP7FAnZXakpCoDteqUiHSO4sseSOyBIhpOgq6UtdLT6_kt1snYodqc7v2KOAabeaWav_mJ6UafRqW_q2u61dJ9wUfJuY_CEs4OY4BTr9Jn-wmmhwznZn9jIEY0DtTw9yV-6uf-LMUUsfZrqnMAGLjGs0X5BqaKB/w200-h199/necco.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;">Though the initial crack of the cap released a fairly pleasant aroma of root beer, the flavor was heavy on the anise/licorice, heavy on a Necco wafer taste (but only the bad ones), </span>and lacks almost any actual traditional root beer flavor. The ingredients say this also contains vanilla but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you that. Additionally, it was nearly flat but still packed a little sting in my mouth that was neither irritating nor satisfying. They use natural cane sugar to sweeten it and I get small hints of mint that I had to search for after reading the list of ingredients. Overall though, it just tastes bad. Someone more familiar with the root may simply say this root beer tastes like yucca, to which I reply, “you can say that again.” This stuff is yucca for sure. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br />
</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCREGMGPIuKJ74D2y1Bpj-iQukQZ1xXuIheNBWJhGkasGS-D3-x5j9DtT5dZMuHGNYu1PDn49a3vDlI8LlpnM-uUqLvF0D_u1SNpx0rvUKF6HlDItFuMJ9Zo3rLqlsHEaTV8-aM3vc3x7O9VUQf1DWvGHH4dypPbT6BqLc2qYZNNAgdk_3vhEO7Ad2/s696/3IBC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="78" data-original-width="696" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCREGMGPIuKJ74D2y1Bpj-iQukQZ1xXuIheNBWJhGkasGS-D3-x5j9DtT5dZMuHGNYu1PDn49a3vDlI8LlpnM-uUqLvF0D_u1SNpx0rvUKF6HlDItFuMJ9Zo3rLqlsHEaTV8-aM3vc3x7O9VUQf1DWvGHH4dypPbT6BqLc2qYZNNAgdk_3vhEO7Ad2/s320/3IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><br />My official review is that Zia Root Beer gets 3 (three) IBCs. I like the label and the idea of the fun and funky regional flavors, but just because it’s called a yucca root does not mean it translates into a root beer. Overall the taste in my mouth just feels dirty, even a little gritty. Perhaps those yucca roots need to be washed a little more before throwing them into the brew. So the score is mainly based off the originality and the fun label doing the heavy lifting because the flavor just aint bringin it. My suggestion would be that if you are dead set on using yucca you might need to find some more complimentary secondary ingredients. Dial back the clove, dial back the licorice and find a way to make this something I would ever consider getting again because as it stands now this is a one and done situation. </p><p></p>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015431765487550047.post-9861028244130864212022-04-24T17:22:00.000-07:002022-04-24T17:22:12.628-07:00Schilo's Root Beer<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8ZPLGzKH6zH8Vh_H931U-4iOVL03KwKPkf4RboC-0_l1ATcV75a40ysQ4LrhXCK3insCz3lOJIWdD-YTwZ_IgmzWfBK4FYN4ZgZIpOuxVcSZUFhZvSWdxcDTNbksS-yyE9LUjYuZrzWXIzz7UlLeI-sEhbWl_h08D_CxMeOSUWvokCJsjCnU7xJf/s3731/Schilo's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3731" data-original-width="1275" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8ZPLGzKH6zH8Vh_H931U-4iOVL03KwKPkf4RboC-0_l1ATcV75a40ysQ4LrhXCK3insCz3lOJIWdD-YTwZ_IgmzWfBK4FYN4ZgZIpOuxVcSZUFhZvSWdxcDTNbksS-yyE9LUjYuZrzWXIzz7UlLeI-sEhbWl_h08D_CxMeOSUWvokCJsjCnU7xJf/s320/Schilo's.jpg" width="109" /></a></div>A friend of mine is working as a travel nurse right now and picked up this root beer for me in San Antonio, TX from a little restaurant called <a href="https://schilos.com/drink-menu">Schilo's Delicatessen</a>. The story of Schilo's includes pivoting from serving alcohol to brewing root beer when Prohibition went into affect. Schilo's has been operating as a restaurant since 1917, and this root beer was a big seller for them when they could no longer sell alcohol. The label even proclaims that this is Prohibition's Most Popular Drink. I think my friend had to visit the restaurant to get this drink, but i could be mistaken. He may have just gotten it from one of the local grocery stores. <p></p><p>The label is very colorful and eye catching. I like the picture of the founder, Fritz Schilo, a proud German immigrant who first opened a saloon and then later converted to a delicatessen when he could no longer serve alcohol. They use simple ingredients, including cane sugar. Just taking the cap off produced some impressive head inside the bottle. And the creamy aroma is very inviting. But as for taste this one is a little lack luster for me. The flavor is quite thin, which isn't in and of itself a unique profile, but i would have expected a flavor like this from a generic or grocery store line of root beer. And it reminds me a bit of (dare i say) Weinhard's in that there is a subtle candy corn aftertaste. Still, i am not entirely turned off by it. It is smooth and creamy and overall i can say it was enjoyable. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDW1s-3vBceUcDqzf1pMD8iB4zkLYAbXqEKqNZFUpmJvSnJ4q6sQij_1XEN9u0vyfEcoiJ51ZkBuwfQIIPNi24hkY6z-DGIEENORyC-OZgfysW0gUrdqhbU7LjF4KKTDBm3cZcw0WPLYN3tyawYhUqu4gEwn6NaaXqqVGm4oJkNakAAz-hlHDidIG7/s696/6IBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="77" data-original-width="696" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDW1s-3vBceUcDqzf1pMD8iB4zkLYAbXqEKqNZFUpmJvSnJ4q6sQij_1XEN9u0vyfEcoiJ51ZkBuwfQIIPNi24hkY6z-DGIEENORyC-OZgfysW0gUrdqhbU7LjF4KKTDBm3cZcw0WPLYN3tyawYhUqu4gEwn6NaaXqqVGm4oJkNakAAz-hlHDidIG7/s320/6IBC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>My official review is that Schilo's Root Beer gets 6 (six) IBCs. I like this one well enough. It stands above the common generic root beer out there, but i don't think it has a bold or strong enough flavor to join the upper ranks of root beers. So check it out if you're in the area and are looking for an historical taste of early 20th century Texan cuisine. <div>Note: i cannot speak for the food at all, so take that with a grain of salt. <br /><p><br /></p></div>My name is Cosmohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02455021791445095179noreply@blogger.com0