ABC (Appalachian Brewing Company) Root Beer

 

Brand: ABC (Appalachian Brewing Company)
Brewed in: Harrisburg, PA
Where to find: Central PA, Giant food stores
Website: www.abcbrew.com

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Packaging/Label: Above and beyond. There's a freaking bear on the label - of course, it's awesome! Full color, great illustrations, well thought-out composition. Most importantly, i really dig the bottle cap. Sure, they could have copped out with a plain, generic cap or just stamped their name on there in an after-thought, but they cap it off with a paw print paired with a "seal of excellence".

Aroma: I wish every room I entered could smell this good! Layers of spice; prominent in vanilla, but not overwhelming.

Bite: Medium bite; doesn't interfere with flavor but lasts throughout.

Flavor: Full, smooth flavor from the first sip to the last; tastes just like it smells - there are hints of vanilla, honey and other spices with no crazy-weird aftertaste like you might expect with so much going on inside this bottle.

Should you buy it? You haven't ordered yours already? Really, you need to try this.

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Additional Notes: 

Not only is this one helluva great root beer, but the people who work for the company are incredibly accommodating too. When I tried finding out where in the Philadelphia-area (where I'm from) I could find a distributor, they really worked with me to make it happen.

Overall Rating:

 

365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods brand) Root Beer

 

Brand: 365 Everday Value
Brewed in: Austin, TX
Where to find: Nationwide, Whole Foods
Website: www.wholefoodsmarket.com

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Packaging/Label: Not bad for a generic label. I appreciate the root beer mug illustration and the added carbonation bubbles that bring the full layout of the can together. I'd like to see more mug and less awkward upper space though (Sorry, it really bothers me - almost as much as the leading between "Root" & "Beer").

Aroma: Weak; (very) slightly sweet

Bite: Quick, subtle bite; reminds me of tonic water

Flavor: What flavor? This is brown water with a burst of licorice flavor at the end of the sip that coats your mouth in a syrup-like consistency. Distinctly not pleasant.

Should you buy it? Run away! Run! Run now while you can!

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Additional Notes: 

I'd hate to start these reviews off on a sour note, but ¡Jesus Christo! I just tried this out yesterday and boy am I disappointed. I'm shocked! Appalled! This is blasphemous! This actually made it out of product development? Were the taste-testers taste buds burned off in a horrible crippling fire before they reported for duty? Plain and simple: It doesn't taste like a root beer. Wait, no, I'm sorry; this actually could pass off as a "root beer"-flavored cough syrup.

Overall Rating:

 

Welcome!

Welcome to FEAR NO ROOT BEER!

You bet this calls for all capital letters, buddy, because i will not back down from this challenge! What challenge, you ask? Well, the challenge of sampling any and all root beer variations that lie in my path. I don't want to just review the taste of each root beer, I want to review the experience - the whole freaking sha-bang. So sit back, relax, crack open a can (though preferably pop open a bottle) of brew, and see what this opinionated, self-declared connoisseur has got to say about this copper-colored bubbly.

* By the way, please suspect (and expect) that other root beer news & banter will make it's way into here, as well.

** Also note: the opinions expressed in each original post are only my own. Feel free to share your own opinions, suggestions, declarations of war, etc in the comments!