Hansen's Creamy Root Beer

Ok, so we've now done two higher end Root Beers back to back.  My choice was Hansen's Creamy Root Beer.  I picked it because in large print on the front of the can it says "NATURAL CANE SODA" as well as "With Real CANE SUGAR".  So obviously they are very proud of their ingredients.  Well since they're so proud of their ingredients let's take a look...

PURE TRIPLE FILTERED CARBONATED WATER, CANE SUGAR, CARAMEL COLOR, NATURAL SPICES OF WINTERGREEN, BIRCH, ANISE, SASSAFRAS, TAHITIAN VANILLA EXTRACT, CITRIC ACID.

Well then, that's quite the impressive list of ingredients.  Let's give it a taste.  It's got a sharp beginning (or a bite) much like Barq's Root Beer, if you're a fan of that.  It doesn't foam up very much, which is a strike against it in my book.  I prefer my Root Beer to have some sort of head to it.  The ending taste is smooth, but not Virgil's smooth (nothing is Virgil's smooth as far as I've seen).  The bottom line is this is a good root beer... but in my opinion not worth the high cost unless you're just looking for an all natural root beer that's cheaper than Virgil's.

Purchased From: HEB

Cost: 6 pack will cost you around $4.50

~A

Virgil's Special Edition Bavarian Nutmeg Root Beer

This is it... this is the current Holy Grail of Root Beer for me.  This is... Virgil's Special Edition Bavarian Nutmeg Root Beer.  This cost me $4.25 a bottle online to buy... but it had to be done.

The flavor does not disappoint.  It's got the greatness of Virgil's Root Beer, with a kick of nutmeg in it.  You know how some things say "Now with *ingredient*" but you can't taste it?  You can most definitely taste the nutmeg in this.

Another high point is the fact that the water used in this is from a well in Bavaria, considered one of the most pure sources of water in the world... that's freaking cool in my opinion.  Put all of this together in the best bottle I've ever seen anything in, and you have a winning combination.

I'm going to have to agree with Mike on this one though.

~A

I’ve never officially reviewed Virgil’s Root Beer, pretty much because one of us would take care of one beverage at a time, however, being that it’s a new year of The Soda Jerks, this will be our first beverage that we both review.

First of all the bottle. I mean, look at it. This is obviously the real deal here. Can you believe I’m going to give points to a drink for being “fun to open?”

Secondly, the water. This soda is made with water from a well in Bavaria. Wow. I mean, really? Talk about fancy.

Whatever is in the water it’s got a very crisp taste, just like the original. I’d say the key difference between this and the original is the nutmeg. It kind of brings out the vanilla flavor most of all.

The other difference is the price. It’s about $5 a bottle. A bottle. As noted we’re moving on to store brand and discount sodas.

I’m scoring this the same as the original because the price balances out the slight advantages it has over the original.

-Mike

Reed's Ginger Beer

While I was picking up my standard soda's for review this week at HEB, I decided to try some of Reeds Ginger Ale. When I got home, much to my chagrin, I had picked up Ginger Beer. Ginger Beer, as both Mike and I describe it, is like Ginger Ale + Fire. I figured that Reeds might be a bit different, because of the excellent products Reeds puts out.

After getting my first taste I was pleasantly surprised. It tasted like a Ginger Ale, and Ginger Snap, combination with a refreshing value to it. As I continued with the bottle the slight hint of fire began to invade my palate. I got to about halfway down the bottle until it wasn't refreshing for me anymore... then I had to stop. I knew where this road lead, and I wasn't going to go down it.

~A

Boylan's Grape Soda

I love grape soda, and I'm anxiously waiting for one to blow me away with its awesomeness. I picked Boylan's Grape Soda because it's sweetened with pure cane sugar, and I like the old school simplistically designed bottle. I'm even looking forward to it even more because apparently the Boylan's Brand has been registered since 1891... if it can withstand the test of time it must be good right? Here goes.

This is your average grape soda. I could stop right here, but since I like to put a few words with my review, I'll do my best to do so. It's a grape soda, but not one with a lot of bite to it. It's smoother than other grape soda's, but not to the point where you'd set it above the rest of them. I'm disappointed in my choice now, but I probably hyped it up to much in my head to be honest with you. I love grape soda, so of course this tastes good to me, but I'm not going to recommend it over any other grape soda's out there.

~A

Health Cola

When I first eyed Health Cola on the shelves at my local market place I knew I was going to end up drinking it. I thought "Wow 'Health Cola' can it sound any worse." Then I looked on the back label and saw that it had 150% of the Vitamin C I needed in a day. Wow, this has gotta be like drinking mud. I had already been jaded by other "healthy cola's" such as Diet Coke Plus... which is horrible. Never in the history of earth does sweet + healthy = tasty. Diet Rootbeer is a perfect example as well, as it is a hell-spawned beverage. Health Cola looked like it would be following those examples perfectly. With its name, somewhat boring package, and boring tag line of "Real Cola Taste". Let me just get this out of the way now. I was wrong to judge it. I'm so very sorry Health Cola, I'm so very, very, very, sorry.

Health Cola has a pretty good taste, nay, a GREAT taste. If you are a fan of RC Cola in the slightest, just improve that flavor in your mind a bit, and remove some of the carbonation, and you have health cola. The sugar used is from fruit, so it has a slow burn which keeps the 'crash' after consumption from happening. The caffeine used is from coffee beans. Now listen to me coffee haters, I am one of you. I HATE coffee, and this tastes nothing like coffee, I wouldn't drink it if it did. This is the best all around cola I think I've had to date. Just for kicks, here's the nutrition label.

Usually when I buy a four pack of soda's it costs me over $5, but Health Cola ran under that, which is always a plus in my book. It's not the easiest cola to find, but if you can, give it a try. If I had to pick a negative, it's the lack of screw off cap, but really I don't care that much. I know there is better stuff out there, but I haven't tasted it yet.

~A

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Health Cola)

Spritzer Jamaican Lemonade

Today's beverage of choice is from the R.W. Knudsen Family, I know this because it says so on the can in banner form. Above said banner reads the following words, "EXCLUSIVELY Fruit Juice Sweetened". The previous sentence is actually what got me to buy SPRITZER Jamaican Lemonade. I love lemonade, just love it; so when I saw it in a 'Jamaican' variety I thought a good thing was about to be improved upon. The ingredients are as such: Sparkling Water, White Grape, Apple and Lemon Juice Concentrates, Natural Flavors. Now, even for someone that has never had LEMONade in their life, they could probably tell that Grape, and Apple are not of the Lemon variety. Here's where my skepticism started seeping in.

The picture on the front of the can consists of 3 lemons, no grapes, no apples, just three lemons. What is the R.W. Knudsen Family trying to hide from us here, I understand that the other fruits are probably what is sweetening the "Lemon"ade, but give them some picture or something.

Upon opening the can it smells a bit alcoholic to me, take that information for what it's worth as I don't drink alcohol very often at all. Even drinking it tastes like the fruit they used to make it became fermented. In fact this has no lemon taste to me at all. I'm not saying it's a bad drink by any means... it sits down, and finds it's spot easily in the 'Average' area of drinks. I just think that anything that uses three whole lemons as the picture on the front of the can should be lemon flavored. The apple, and grape, jumble up the lemon flavoring. But wait... this is in fact "Jamaican Lemonade" so maybe those crazy Jamaicans use apples, and grapes in their beverage. Lets look it up. Oh here's a recipe for Jamaican Lemonade.

1/3-1/2 cup Sucanat (Sucant is unrefined cane sugar btw)

1 cup lemon juice (approx. 4 large lemons)*

5-6 cups water

So we got 1/2 cup of cane sugar, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 6 cups of water...no mention of apples, or grapes. Other than making me really want some REAL Jamaican lemonade, this recipe has shown me how off the target the R.W Knudsen Family was in sweetening with fruit juice. Sadly the thing that hooked me to the can in the first place was it's down fall.

~A

Steaz Green Tea Root Beer

Ok, this is my last 'root beer' entry for a while. I realize that I've only done two, but it's easy to get pigeon holed into only reviewing root beers since they each have such a variety. I believe that Steaz Green Tea Root Beer proves my point here.

Root beer made with green tea seems like something up Mike's alley, but I happened to stumble upon it first... which I guess mean I get to write the review. Steaz Green Tea Root Beer (which from here forth will be called Steaz) comes in a four pack and costs around $5. When you look at the packaging, it's really nothing special. It calls itself organic, and who am I to argue. The green tea flavor doesn't shine through, which is good... and because of it's special ingredients one serving (8oz) contains 60% of your daily value of vitamin C. I do like the fact that it's a 'healthy' root beer, but I'm not writing about it because of the health values. It's all about the flavor.

Steaz has an ok flavor, not good, not horrible, and certainly not great. I compare it to a flat root beer with a hint of cream soda. It doesn't seem to be to terribly carbonated, which in my opinion hurts it. This root beer has very little 'bite' to it which hurts it in my opinion, because if it did it wouldn't be nearly as boring as it is. If you're looking for a 'healthy' root beer that doesn't taste like diet (or as I like to call diet root beer 'sewer water') then spend the extra money and go with Steaz. I'd happily drink a Steaz before any diet root beer; but I would take a good old fashioned coke/pepsi/rc before I'd reach for a Steaz. Slightly off topic but "Reachin' for a Steaz" sounds kind of dirty. Sorry.

~Aaron

Virgil's Root Beer

Video is from 8/12/2022. The original written review from 3/25/2008 is below.

Tastes so pure, it must be made in heaven.... oh how freaking true that is. I passed by Virgil's several times in my local shopping facility. Every time I passed it I would look and see the cost, close to $8 with tax. With your $8 you get 4 twelve oz bottles, and that to me is insane. It was so insane to me that I had to show my friend Mike. We took a look at the packaging and noticed that it had taken home the award for 'Outstanding Beverage' at the International Fancy Food and Confection Show in '94, '96, and '97. Outstanding Beverage, not outstanding Root Beer. Mike being the crazy dare devil that he is bought some.

We took it back to my apartment to enjoy it with some pizza, and a bad movie (Transformers, but I digress) so we threw em in the freezer to chill. Now you may wonder, "Hey, why not just throw some ice in a glass and pour it over that". You will never see me use ice when reviewing these drinks. I strongly believe that ice dilutes the true flavor of a drink, and would definitely be blasphemous in this case. While it was chilling we read the ingredients:

Virgil's Ingredients List

Virgil's Microbrewed Root Beer contains these key all-natural ingredients:

carbonated water

unbleached cane sugar

Along with these natural herbs and spices (including point of origin):

anise from Spain

licorice from France

vanilla (bourbon) from Madagascar

cinnamon from Ceylon

clove from Indonesia

wintergreen from China

sweet birch from the southern US

molasses from the US

nutmeg from Indonesia

pimento berry oil from Jamaica

balsam oil from Peru

cassia oil from China

Needless to say, that's a pretty impressive ingredient list. We were especially intrigued by the wintergreen. After the bottles had chilled I took mine out, opened it and sniffed it. The aroma was amazing. I know that sounds like something you'd hear about wine, but it really was the best Root Beer I'd ever had, and all I'd done was smell it. I took my first sip, it was the cleanest root beer I'd ever experienced. It doesn't leave a syrupy taste in your mouth, and the aftertaste is non-existent. In fact I compare the after taste to almost a mountain spring water... basically Virgil's is the most refreshing soda I've ever had, and the reason we started this site. I took a bite of pizza, pepperoni, and noticed that my palate was now permiated with pungent pepperoni. (I like alliterations, what can I say) I took a swig of Virgil's to see how it reacted with the taste, and it cleansed my palate... a root beer cleansed my palate... that is insane. Over all I highly recommend Virgil's root beer to anyone. Yes it costs $8 with tax included, and that's one reason it's kept from being a perfect beverage, but still go out and try it.

~Aaron