Triple XXX Root Beer (Fan Review!)
/Triple XXX had its origins in the Galveston Brewery of Galveston, TX and dates back to 1908. Following the advent of Prohibition, the brewery put its full efforts into soft drinks in order to survive.
By 1923 Southern Beverage had licensed 150 Triple XXX bottlers and 100 “Thirst Drive-Ins”. The Washington state distributor had developed a unique twin barrel design for his Triple XXX restaurants along the West Coast.
In the 1950s the brand began to decline and in 1960 the FDA ruled that Sassafras could no longer be used in food products which robbed Triple XXX of its distinctive flavor and head. Eventually chemists were able to develop a substitute but sales and outlets continued to decline.
The brand changed hands a number of times and had a brief resurgence in the 1980s, but the brand was basically doomed as the number of independent bottlers declined, and both Coke and Pepsi had their root beer flavors.
The brand is now marketed by the Triple XXX Family Restaurant of West Lafayette, IN.
It is a pretty good root beer, not too sweet, but seems to have too much carbonation and a bit of seltzer kind of aftertaste. Not bad, though I’ve tasted both better and worse.
John
