Rocket Fizz Root Beer Float

In the infantile days of this site (I believe we were still on LiveJournal) we reviewed A&W Root Beer Float in a bottle.  I think the word that got tossed around a lot was “rancid” which left us a bit gun shy to try another Root Beer Float in a bottle.  Thankfully Rocket Fizz has such a beverage and since they rarely steer me wrong I have no worries about trying it.  Rocket Fizz Root Beer Float may not be the bees knees, but I can almost guarantee you that I won’t use the word “rancid” in its description.  Of course it’s sweetened with pure cane sugar, but after that the ingredients become a bit to chemical or vague (natural/artificial flavors) to really care enough to go into detail.  So my expectations are set carefully above “awful”… something tells me it will easily surpass them.

My nose has a hard time recognizing the “float” scent that should be coming out of the mouth of the bottle.  Of course this could easily be the result of a high level of grass pollen in the air that occasionally renders my nose useless.  I can smell a rich and sugary root beer flavor with something different in the background.  Hopefully the “ice cream” will arrive once I take a swig.

Well it’s a heck of a lot better than A&W’s version of the same flavor.  The root beer taste is burly and easily experienced, but the vanilla ice cream never shows up to the party… a different visitor must have stolen his invitation.  Roasted marshmallow is the secondary flavor in this soda and he’s quite brash about his presence.  You’d think that someone who was not invited to a shin did would show a bit of cowardice, but not R.M.  He kicked the door open, announced his arrival, spit on the floor, and kissed root beer’s sister.  It’s like he knows he doesn’t belong, but doesn’t care because he’s sure he’ll win you over… and he’s right.  I really did want to try a good root beer float soda, but with every sip of root beer and roasted marshmallow I care less and less that the ice cream taste is absent.  It’s an odd combination on virtual paper that works like gangbusters in my mouth.  Perhaps I should retool that last sentence, better not as then this sentence wouldn’t make any sense. 

Are there faults to Rocket Fizz Root Beer Float?  Well aside from the fact that it doesn’t exactly taste as the label states, yes there are.  The root beer flavor, while good, could be richer, creamier, just better in general for one.  A somewhat syrupy mouth feel is my last impression of the beverage.  I wouldn’t say it’s the velvet curtain I so often describe, but perhaps a sheer curtain used for fog effects.  All in all Rocket Fizz Root Beer Float is something out of the ordinary and I suggest you buy multiples to share.

Verdict – Buy a Pack

~A

Twist is a Rocket Fizz Man, burning up his fuse up here alone.

Maine Root - Root Beer

The Maine Root brand has been great to us with all sorts of fantastic flavors, oddly enough though I’ve never tried their root beer.  That’s like going into Red Lobster and not trying their lobster…something I’ve also never tried.  Ok, so it’s like going to Whataburger and not getting a Whataburger.  I’d love to meet the person who’s done that… then shove a Whataburger down their throat.  Thankfully there will be no hamburgers force fed to anyone in today’s review, just good old fashioned root beer drinkin’.  Maine Root Root Beer is made up of carbonated pure water, Fair Trade Certified organic cane juice and spices.  That’s all it says on the bottle and I can’t wait to drink it. 

A very rooty aroma slithers out the top of the bottle.  From scent alone I would guess this will be more about strength of taste and less about being smooth and creamy.  I’ll only unlock this unsolvable riddle, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a bottle, once I drink it. 

Maine Root Root Beer is big on taste, but does not completely give up on being creamy.  Each sip I take has a flavor comparable to a root beer barrel, very sweet and full of delicious.  The carbonation begins as a sharp set of bubbles racing along the tip of my tongue, but by the end of the sip has transformed into a mixture of fizz and clouds.  A wintergreen taste peeks his head around the corner every once in a while, but it seem he’s too scared to really make a scene.  The aftertaste I’m left with is a pleasant one that mirrors the flavor of the beverage and not some terrible facsimile.  There aren’t many people out there wishing for an aftertaste that reminds them of what the soda would taste like through a sock and fortunately with Maine Root Root Beer you won’t know that “pleasure” unless you set that experiment up for yourself.

For all the good that goes into Maine Root products this is my least favorite of the bunch.  It’s still a good root beer that surpasses all the store brands, but other than the great ingredient list there’s nothing that really pushes it past “above average”.  You’ll be pleased you purchased a pack, but I doubt you’ll be hooked on the stuff.

Verdict – Buy a Pack

~A

Twist is actually one of the spices used.

People Water

When I opened the first package from the folks at ThirstMonger to see what I’d be reviewing this week I let out an audible laugh.  Within the next month or two TheSodaJerks.net will have over 500 reviews on it and I’ve seen and reviewed quite a few beverages, but nothing could prepare me for what ThirstMonger wanted me to write about.  People Water. 

That’s right, I’m about to review a bottle of water, spring water to be more exact.  After a bit of research, I found out that People Water comes from a spring in the Palomar Mountains and not from a tap in your neighbor’s house.  This is a good thing.  People Water is also a very green company in the fact that their plastic bottles are designed to break down faster than a standard plastic bottle.  This is also a good thing.  For every bottle of People Water that is purchased they will give an equal amount of clean water to a person in need.  Yes, that’s another good thing.  At the very least I seem to be dealing with a company that has strong moral convictions, but honestly we’re looking for a clean taste here.  With all that said, I’m still about to review a bottle of water and I’m not quite sure how it’s going to go.

There is no smell.  It’s water.  If there were a smell I’d tell you right away, and probably not even risk drinking this.  To reiterate, there is no smell.

While many might have issue with the taste of City of Houston tap water, I have no problem consuming it en masse.  With that said People Water tastes better than what flows out of my local tap.  I can also tell you that it tastes better than some of the “big name” brands as well.  Could I pick it out in a blind taste test?  No, but I know what “brands” of water I prefer and this tastes better than those I do not prefer.  It’s rather refreshing water as well, but honestly most water is so I’m not sure I can laud it for doing what clean water does. 

All in all, I’m happy the people at People Water are doing what they’re doing.  They really seem to be a group of folks who care about the environment and getting clean water to others.  Sadly none of those factors go into our ratings, but it’s still worth noting.  People Water is bottled water.  If you buy it, buy it knowing that you’re helping out someone and be happy with that.

Verdict – Buy a Bottle

~A

This beverage was supplied to us by ThirstMonger.com; if you want to give it a try then just click.

Twist wanted to try some, but I reminded him that the bottle clearly states that it's People Water. It was at this point he reminded me he was a person some 500 years ago.

Dad's Cream Soda

With a quick look at the website I see that we reviewed Dad’s Root Beer nearly three years ago from today.  While it didn’t really thrill us that doesn’t mean that their cream soda entry will follow the same fate.  By the way, we’re reviewing Dad’s Cream Soda today.  Dad’s Cream Soda has all the markings of your run of the mill cream soda.  The golden liquid sits within a clear bottle adorned with a “retro” label.  The ingredients are comprised of HFCS, Natural and Artificial flavors, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  So with all that said I’m still hoping for a better than average taste.  Even though the “retro” look is something many cream sodas have it always makes me excited to try it.  Maybe this soda really will taste like it did so many years ago… not that I have any idea what Dad’s Cream Soda used to taste like. 

Dad’s Cream Soda also smells like most any cream soda.  Its rich vanilla tones are unmistakable and create a creamy vision within your imagination of what this might taste like.

Yup, that’s cream soda alright.  Dad’s cream soda delivers on the rich vanilla contract its aroma made with my nose.  The carbonation is light and unobtrusive, allowing for the flavor to be appreciated fully.  Unfortunately, while Dad’s Cream Soda starts off strong the memory your mouth is left with is that of a slightly watery beverage.  Halfway between the initial sip and consumption the flavor dissipates into about half of what you started out with.  It’s not so watery that it becomes terrible, but it’s hard for a soda to be viewed as anything but average when it can’t even keep its flavor throughout.  As you would expect this is a rather sweet beverage, though I would almost consider it to be a failing if a cream soda wasn’t sweet.  Surely there is an exception to this rule, but I’ve yet to find it.  Overall Dad’s Cream Soda is a very average cream soda.  If you like drinking out of glass bottles then pick some up, but if you’re looking for something better than A&W you haven’t found it here.

Verdict – Buy a Bottle

~A

Dad's? More like Sad's... eh.

Sea Dog Root Beer

A dog whimpers from downstairs, unhappy that she has been put to bed for the night in her crate.  Another dog asks himself “why must I put up with this whining youngling?”  Yet another dog stares at me from beneath his fisherman’s cap.  His white fur poofing out in all directions much like that of a polar bear.  Two ropes lay behind his head creating a sort of skull and crossbones look, but the red tongue hanging out of his mouth removes any amount of fear I may have had.  The third dog is looking at me from a bottle of root beer, Sea Dog Root Beer to be exact.  If I was curious as to what “style” this root beer was made in that’s answered for me with the words “old style” beneath their canine mascot.  Sea Dog root beer is made with cane sugar, wintergreen oil, anise, vanilla, spices, herbs, etc.  All in all it’s a fairly impressive ingredients list.  The cat now waits with baited breath for me to consume the Sea Dog Root Beer.  Actually, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t care at all what I do just as long as her tailbone gets scritched and her supper dish gets filled.

A medium to mild root beer aroma escapes the mouth of the bottle.  Wintergreen is the first actor on the stage, but I can see the others peering from behind the curtain with vanilla looking particularly eager. 

Sea Dog Root Beer isn’t nearly as creamy as I thought it would be.  It has more bite (dog jokes avoided) than what you might find in your standard root beer.  The wintergreen is noticeable, as is normal when used in root beer, but does not overpower the taste to the point of disappointment.  I’m not finding the overall experience of Sea Dog to be as pleasant as I had hoped.  It’s not revolting by any means, but the way it sits on my tongue is almost crass.  The carbonation experience isn’t worth more than this sentence as it adds little to the root beer. It’s unapologetic in its lack of smoothness.  Much like the whining dog downstairs (who thankfully has fallen asleep) Sea Dog shows you that it knows how to do the tricks, but refuses to bow to your whim.  While I can appreciate a root beer with some spark I keep getting a taste in my mouth that reminds me of diet root beer and I know that’s not the case.  I’m not sure if it’s the anise giving off that dubious flavor, but this taste coupled with the fact that two of my friends just gave up on Doctor Who without even finishing the first episode have soured me from recommending that you buy Sea Dog Root Beer in multiples.  Ok, so the Doctor Who thing is an unrelated rant, but c’mon they’re missing out on so many great adventures.  Sea Dog Root Beer on the other hand has an above average ingredient list, yet only has an average taste.

Verdict – Buy a Bottle

~A

Yo ho ho and a bottle of something else.