The Pop Shoppe Root Beer

We’ve reviewed countless root beers in the past 3 years and its music to my ears when I hear of another beer, in fact I cheer.  Now the Pop Shoppe will have its top popped before I stop so I can make sure this isn’t slop.  It’s sweetened with cane which goes against the grain and steers it from plain although anyone that’s sane wouldn’t complain about the cane being a bane.  The bottle is stout, but there is little doubt that the scent will shout into my snout before I pour it from its spout and drink like a trout.

Ok, I can’t do that anymore.  This Pop Shoppe Root Beer was going to be hot by the time I wrote the aroma portion of this review and we can’t have that.  Licorice is the scent of this root beer which is a slippery slope if they haven’t executed the flavor correctly.  Let’s find out shall we?

It does taste a little of licorice, but surprisingly it’s still a rather creamy root beer.  Many times when licorice is part of your ingredient population he scares away all the creamy goodness and smooth mouth feel.  The folks at The Pop Shoppe have brought us a nice blend of both in their entry.  Like many sodas you are first greeted by a small flurry of bubbles that rush along your tongue.  Then a rich root beer taste, with a hint of licorice, makes itself known to all corners of your mouth.  After consuming your current sip the flavor lingers for a long while, but it never feels as if it overstays its welcome.  What makes this root beer somewhat unique (oxymoron anyone?) is how light it feels in your mouth yet the flavor stays put as if it were a heavier beverage.  Thankfully I can’t compare this to one of the Big Three root beers.  While they make for an easy way to describe a flavor when you can’t make a comparison you know you have something north of average.  The licorice taste might run some off, but I’ve tasted much stronger.  Throughout this entire review process The Pop Shoppe Root Beer has kept a respectable head.  This aspect makes it constantly refreshing to look at, something I feel is notable in a soda.  With all that said this isn’t a upper echelon root beer, but it is something I think all root beer lovers should try.  The duality and concept of creamy licorice should be enticing enough for you to at least buy one bottle even though I think you should…(see what I’m doing here)

~A

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