Maine Root Root Beer

My soon-to-be-dentist friend Dick found this little root beer next to the previously posted one at Cost Plus World Market. Maine Root Beer has been around since 2004 and is brewed in St. Scarborough, ME. It has a real hippie look to it and is all about the pure, natural flavors and what not (kind of like Virgil's). It was started by a couple brothers just helping out a friend with a restaurant and became popular enough to go into distribution. They actually make a whole line of different sodas with natural flavors and organic ingredients. Apparently people love this stuff. It has the appeal of being "all natural", so it's closer to the original stuff. In fact, there is a link on their website to this fun little website which is all about the natural root beer movement. I personally rather like the sweet and sugary "corporate" way of making root beer because it doesn't taste like boiled yard work, but i suppose that's open to discussion. I haven't messed around on this site too much, but there is a lot of silly stuff on there you can look at if you're really into root beer culture. Looks more like hippie culture to me, but whatever. Just don't believe everything you read (unless it's on this blog).

It comes in your typical dark brown 12 oz. glass bottle and the label on it has some weird root drawing or something on it and a list of all the ingredients (kind of like Virgil's). There is a lot of typed print on the label, i guess to reassure you that they really do use all these natural flavors. The color scheme is green, brown and white, very Earthy colors, and as i have already stated, i get the over all impression that this is a hippie root beer. Don't believe me? Look at a picture of it's creators on the home page of their site. Two words; greasy hippies.

Anyway, despite the fact that this is a hippie drink, it's not terrible. It's not great, but not terrible. It has the black licorice flavor, but not overpowering, it's semi-sweet and lightly carbonated (kind of like Virgil's). I guess what i am trying to say is that if you like Virgil's, you'll probably like this. It doesn't have the exact taste Virgil's does, but it's close. It also does not have the incredible marketing job that Virgil's has, with their giant bearded man and awesome packaging. All in all though, it's not a terrific drink, but it also doesn't taste like a dead guy, so that's a plus.

My official review is that Maine Root gets 4 (four) IBCs. This is one of those drinks you just have to like the basic taste of. Virgil's has a bit more to it than just the black licorice flavor which makes it more likeable for me. Maine Root simply compensates with a sweet sugary after taste. So again, if you like black licorice flavored root beers, be my guest. Just don't buy to much of this stuff. We don't want another hippie uprising.

Bundaberg Australian Root Beer

As you can probably tell from the post title, this little root beer comes from Australia. A friend of mine found it for me at Cost Plus World Market. Bundaberg is the city in which this brewery is located and operates in Australia. It was founded in 1960 and produces several flavors and types of soft drinks. If one was so inclined, they could take a tour of the Bundaberg Barrel and get a taste of their brewing experience. It's kind of a neat little structure. I doubt i'd take the time to go see it if i ever end up in Australia, but it might be worth snapping a quick picture or something.

The typical 12 oz. dark brown glass bottle has a fun yellow label on it with the root beer's name and a picture of Australia in the corner, reminding you where it's made. There is also a big kangaroo pictured in the center to reinforce that fact. The bottle i got wasn't all that interesting, but the one on the site looks pretty interesting to me. I would have liked to get one of these bottles cuz it looks like more fun. I'm sure you agree with me.

One thing that was different about this root beer is that it says right on the label that you need to invert the bottle before drinking. I believe it's because they use the yeast fermentation method of carbonation and it is in effort to stir up some of the settled ingredients before drinking it. Either way, inverted bottle or not, this stuff is bad. Not good at all. My darling wife believes it resembles the taste of cough medicine. It definitely has that yeast taste to it, and the company claims that it uses such authentic and natural ingredients in the old way of brewing and drinking root beer that it is "the way root beer used to taste". If that's the case, then no thanks. I wonder if they put a kangaroo on the label because that's what this stuff tastes like.

My official review is that Bundaberg gets 1 (one) IBC. I have seen other reviews that call it "the best root beer i didn't like", and recommending people need to try it at least once just to see what it's like. I disagree with this sentiment. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. It's just plain bad. On top of it all too, it's expensive, most likely because it's imported. So save yourself the money and skip this one.

Abita Root Beer

This root beer has the claim on the bottom of the bottle that it is made with pure Louisiana cane sugar. Abita is a brewery founded in 1986 outside of New Orleans that makes both beer and root beer. Funny story... i was at the Pop Shop the other day picking up some more root beers and a customer came in and was asking the hippie at the counter for a root beer they have from Louisiana. I piped in and immediately said, "it's called Abita, and it's right over here." He came over and verified that it was indeed what he was looking for. So, you know... just proves how awesome i am. Abita Springs, the town where Abita is brewed, is noted for it's pure water springs which are fabled to have medicinal properties. In short, Abita cures cancer. I know, i was surprised too.

The 12 oz. stout glass bottle has a label that reminds me of Egyptian for some reason. It only uses a few colors, but looks like it could have hieroglyphics and it. Don't worry though, it doesn't. Just english. So don't worry about cracking out the Rosetta Stone just yet.

The taste of this thing is reminiscent of Thomas Kemper again. It has a decent root beer flavor, a hint of black licorice, and a mellow honey after taste. I didn't mind it, but it wasn't my favorite either. However, that malignant lump on my breast has since disappeared. Thanks again Abita.

My official review is that Abita gets 5 (five) IBCs. It wasn't bad as far as the taste goes. The honey taste was mellow and didn't go too far and it was a decent over all blend of root beer. My lovely wife didn't care much for it though, and i don't know that i liked it enough to get it again. Unless of course i break my leg or have clogged arteries or contract tuberculosis. Don't worry Abita, i got your number.

Sioux City Root Beer

This root beer has a long and rich history of American heritage. You can learn more about it on the website, but the basics are that Sioux City Beverages are part of the White Rock water company which was founded in Waukesha, WI in 1871. It was later bought by National Distillers and moved its operation to New York state where it is currently produced. In 1975, White Rock introduced Sioux City Sarsaparilla, which is the first in the Sioux City line of flavors. I quite enjoyed the sarsaparilla when i tasted it, and i'll admit that i like it better than the root beer, but i'll get to that in a moment. Anyway, the company itself has a long and distinct history, but i will let you read up on that if you care to. Quite impressive and worth a look if you have the time (or care in the slightest about beverage history). However, guess what else White Rock distributes... Olde Brooklyn. Boooo... That was a very unimpressive root beer. But hey, you can't win all the time.

The 12 oz. brown glass bottle is fairly standard. It looks a little more stout than a typical bottle though and reminds me of a Stewart's bottle. Each flavor has a different picture embossed on the bottle, all of which are cowboy themed. They are going for that old west look and feel. This one looks like a sheriff sitting in a saloon playing some cards and enjoying a delicious mug of root beer. The sarsaparilla has a picture of a sheriff walking through the swinging doors of the saloon, presumably on his way to sit down, play some cards, and enjoy a delicious mug of root beer. Not sure if there is any kind of connection with chronology there, but i doubt it. I'm probably just stretching for something that's not there.

As far as taste goes, you already know that i enjoy the sarsaparilla more (which i am debating the idea of including sarsaparillas in my reviews because it is so similar to root beer), but that doesn't mean the root beer is bad. In fact, i think it's quite good. I rather enjoyed it. It has a nice, mellow wintergreen flavor to begin with and then it has a kick of something to it that kind of reminds me of Gale's root beer, which i have reviewed previously. It's almost like the yeast taste that i thought i tasted in Gale's, but it could be something completely different. Either way though, i thought it was pretty good. A nice blend. I was also interested to see that Sioux City uses both cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Not sure how many sodas do this, but it's the first time i took notice.

My official review is that Sioux City gets 6 (six) IBCs. It's a good root beer, no doubt. I like the taste of the different and unique flavors as they blend together. Like i said, it reminded me of Gale's, but i think Gale could take some lessons from Sioux City. Grab one if it's available, or if you can find the sarsaparilla, i say go for that one instead.

Sea Dog Root Beer

I have seen this one around, on different websites and even on display in a restaurant. Sea Dog Root Beer is similar to other root beers that are actually restaurants selling their root beers commercially, except that Sea Dog started out as a brewery and moved into the restaurant business later. It is centered in Maine and was started in the town of Camden in 1993. Sea Dog also brews beers and competes internationally with its brews.

The 12 oz. bottle has a picture of a lovable little dog on the label wearing a longshoreman's hat. That is just so tender. Awww... Anyway, his name is Barney, and he is a Great Pyrenees breed. The website speaks very affectionately of Barney and maintains that he embodies the spirit of their brews, including their root beer. Oh, and also he's dead. Just thought i should mention that.

I am not a fan of Sea Dog. Now, i have never been to Maine and don't really intend to make plans to do so anytime soon, but if i do, maybe i will stop by the restaurant and give it a whirl. But as far as the root beer is concerned, i am not interested. It has that base black licorice flavor that i am just not a fan of. I will say though, they don't go over board with it. It's fairly mellow and i appreciate that. I also swear i taste a hint of honey in the after taste, but i didn't see anything about honey mentioned in the ingredients. Either way though, it wasn't what i was looking for in a root beer.

My official review is the Sea Dog gets 4 (four) IBCs. It's not terribly done, but at its core it is not my favorite blend of flavors. I am sure there is a market for it out there though and some people just rave about it. Maybe it's up your alley, maybe not. But as far as i'm concerned, i don't think i'll have it again any time soon.

Cool Mountain Root Beer

This little root beer sat quietly on the Pop Shop shelf almost hidden among the other root beers. I was scouring the rest of the root beers i have yet to try and stumbled upon this little bottle. Cool Mountain has only been around since 1997 and makes several different flavors of soda. The name of it took me off guard at first and made me think of the 2003 movie Cold Mountain, which has quite an eclectic cast if i might say so myself. They are situated in Des Plaines, IL. In this respect, they kind of remind me of Jones, but don't offer the crazy, out-on-a-limb kinds of flavors that Jones does. I think Cool Mountain also participates in giving back to the community, or at least promoting education, because along with the company's website, there is this website listed on the bottle. Good for you Cool Mountain. My hat is off.

The clear glass 12 oz. bottle has a clear, rather colorless sticker label with a nice mountain range pictured below the root beer's name. Makes me think of the majestic Rocky Mountains. You know, because Des Plains, IL is typically known by the presence of the majestic Rocky Mountains close to the vicinity. So right there, they lost the credibility they earned from donating to/promoting education for Native Americans. And we already know how i feel about sodas in clear bottles. I am skeptical at best about them.

I was at a BBQ recently (see the post about Mason's Root Beer) and one of the people there picked up a bottle of this root beer and said, "this one is one of the ones i really liked." I had not tried it at that point, but i knew he was a Weinhard's fan and that i couldn't trust his judgement. Well what do you know... i'm a genius. This stuff isn't good. It's not bad, but it's not even "alright". It's just kind of... blah. Really watery and little carbonation, the only thing i could really taste outside of the faint root beer flavor is the cane sugar. It loses flavor so fast that i was disinterested with it after just a few drinks.

My official review is that Cool Mountain gets 3 (three) IBCs. I really don't have much to say about this one except that it is very forgettable. It's not necessarily bad tasting, but it holds no appeal for me. You can give it a try if you'd like, but i would recommend saving the money and just drinking sugar water instead to achieve the same effect.

Mason's Root Beer

This is another little root beer that falls under the Real Soda umbrella. The bottle says it's produced in Atlanta, GA, but i don't know how long it has been around. I actually picked this one up at a BBQ i was invited to by a coworker (hence the wierd stucco background in the picture since i took it outside his house with my cell phone). I found a tag line on the Real Soda site alluding to ties with The Masons, a centuries old secret society with many prominent members over the years. This isn't the best source for an introduction to this group, but if you are completely unfamiliar with the Masons, go watch the movie National Treasure, starring Nicholas Cage. It is about the Masons and American History (but done up with Hollywood writing and effects). Or, just drink the root beer. It's actually made from an old Masonic root beer recipe. At least i choose to believe that.

It comes in a typical 12 oz. glass bottle and the label is very plain and rather dull. Nothing with actual Masonic ties since the Masons have a rich history of symbols and elaborate decoration with secret meaning. This is just a big M and the word Mason's in it and a picture of a root beer barrel with the words "keg brewed flavor" written on it. Not very Masonish if you ask me. Not even really brick-layer masonish. Maybe the guy who brewed it is named Mason.

As far as the taste goes, it was nothing new to me. I am thinking of putting a little piece into my reivews to tell people what other root beers the root beer i am reviewing reminds me of. For this one i would say, "tastes like: Jack Black's Dead Red, Dad's, Rat Bastard". But i guess i already kinda do that, so i probably won't add that little section. Anyway, it has that nutmeggy, pumpkin spicey taste to it that seems to be pretty common in a lot of root beers. It's not overpowering, and it's not a bad tasting drink, but it's not really anything new or different either.

My official review is that Mason's gets 6 (six) IBCs. It gets the same rating as all the other sodas it tastes like (except Rat Bastard, which is just a jerk). Really, there is very little differentiation to me between these sodas. Jack Black's is a bit stronger on the flavor, but other than that, i don't know that i could pick them out in a blind taste test. So if you're into those root beers, try this one too. It's nothing new, but it's right up your alley.