Maine Root Sarsaparilla

Well here we go again with a bottle of simple root beer… sorry, sarsaparilla.  It’s bold that a company would sell both a root beer and a sarsaparilla as many cannot tell the difference in taste between the two.  Apparently Maine Root is so bold as to do just this.  Both root beer and sarsaparilla are flavored with the sarsaparilla root, but root beer tends to be more complex in the additional flavors.  So that’s why I consider sarsaparilla soda (I’m getting really tired of typing out sarsaparilla) a “simple root beer”.  This beverage in front of me is all natural which already starts us off in the right direction as I prepare to huff it.

It does smell of root beer, but with a stronger birch aroma than you might find in its sudsy brother.  I’m curious to see if I’m right in assuming that it won’t be as creamy either.

It’s not super creamy, but the mouth feel is fantastic.  A tantalizing amount of fizz is present throughout the entire sip.  Bubbles quietly creep on to my tongue and increase in ferocity as the drink wears on.  The birch flavoring allows me to somewhat easily identify this as a sarsaparilla instead of a root beer.  I’m happy to see that some effort went into this soda and the word “sarsaparilla” wasn’t just stamped on the side for kicks.  A sweet caramel taste sticks to the tip of my tongue as each gulp is vanquished.  It’s this taste that is left in my memory each time I pause between sips.  Again I can’t overstate how exciting the bubbles feel.  Ok, so I can easily overstate how exciting the bubbles feel… and probably have, but really guys, c’mon, the BUBBLES! 

Sadly, as I continue to drink this soda the flavor begins to build upon itself in such a way that the original experiences are pushed to the back so that this new group of experiences can stand on the stage and scream.  The sweetness begins to compound upon itself, stealing the show from the caramel, carbonation, and birch.  All in all Maine Root Sarsaparilla is an above average soda, but all good things must come to an end… this one about three fourths of the way through the bottle.

~A

I always feel like a gold prospector when I say the word "sarsaparilla"