O-Zell Root Beer Float

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Hawaiian Cane Sugar Blend, Caramel Color, Natural Flavor, and Phosphoric Acid.

Smell: This smelled really tasty, it actually did have the scent of a Root Beer Float, rather than a plain Root Beer.

Head: Even my new mug could not contain the froth. And it stay at about half the glass the entire drink. Very Impressive.

Flavor: This really is going for the reproducing the flavor of a Root Beer Float. Lots of vanilla in the flavor, almost milky. The drink even had more creaminess than I would say is normal, and no bite whatsoever. However, whatever they did to get that vanilla ice cream flavor left a really gross aftertaste.

Overall: From opening the bottle to drinking it, it's actually very good, no real complaints. I'd probably be giving this a B if it weren't for the gross aftertaste. Also, as I've noted this isn't so much a Root Beer, as it a drink trying to reproduce a Root Beer Float, and I think it's very successful at that.

Purchased from: Rocket Fizz

Anchor Ginger Root Beer

Description: "As a tribute to all the Sea Dogs and Scallywags looking for adventure on the high seas. Anchor has the sweet taste of root beer with a soothing touch of ginger to help keep you sailing all day - Enjoy!"

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (A Preservative), Ginger.

Smell: It's a pretty normal licorice scent you get, but there is sort of a back end of ginger.

Head: Nothing to see here, in fact, this picture was taken at its highest point, and it just went away after that.

Flavor: And here's where it shines. Now normally I do not like a Root Beer where the anise is the flavor that shines the brightest. But, the mix of ginger in this one tweaks the flavors just enough, that it changes the flavor of licorice into something much tastier than normal. While drinking it, you could taste some hints of vanilla, but it really comes up in the aftertaste.

Overall: So, what we have here is an enigma of sorts. A more anise based flavor that actually turned out tasting really good. However the things that put a Root Beer over the edge into greatness weren't really with this one. But still it's surprisingly good, and it gets a B.

Purchased from: Rocket Fizz

Rally Root Beer

Smell: Average scent of sweet, with an anise background.

Head: Not super tall, but lasted the entire drink.

Flavor: Reminded me of your generic Dad's or Mug. Strong anise flavor, not a very good aftertaste.

Overall: As far as I can tell, this was brewed or bottled for some sort of charity event. No ingredients listed, clearly this was just out there to sell for a good cause, and not to blow anyone's mind.

Purchased from: Rocket Fizz

Bulldog Root Beer

Description: "Unleash the Taste"

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Honey, Maltodextrin, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sodium Benzoate, Real Vanilla, Phosphoric Acid, Salt.

Smell: I love it when you get the sweet scent of sugar, and then realize you're getting a hint of honey as well.

Head: Negligible. As you can see, short, and lasted for only a moment.

Flavor: All the things I love about a good root beer. Creamy vanilla, honey, sweet. But there was a mysterious lack of bite, almost to the point where it tasted sort of flat.

Overall: We're talking about a thin line between A and C. Why not B, because it was so disappointing, like it was almost an amazing drink, but there was a lack of bite, lack of fizz, and the aftertaste wasn't anything great either. C isn't a bad score, but this was so close to being a favorite.

Purchased from: Rocket Fizz

Tractor Soda Co. Root Beer

Ingredients: Ultra-Filtered Carbonated Water, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Blackstrap molasses, Organic Aged Bourbon Vanilla, Organic Wintergreen, Organic Sassafras, Organic Sarsaparilla, Organic Sweet Birch, Oragnic Bark/Roots/Spices (Including Organic Licorice, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Cinnamon), Organic Caramel Color, Organic Juniper Berry Extract, Organic Quillaja.

Smell: Sometimes you just automatically something's not going to go well from the scent. This one hits you as very sweet, with wintergreen on the back end.

Head: Look! A new mug has appeared. I was wondering if the new bigger mug would interfere with how the head develops in any negative way. In the case of this drink it did not, but then the head dissipated almost immediately anyway.

Flavor: You can taste the sweetness and the birch right off. It is a very sweet, almost cola like flavor. The aftertaste is the wintergreen, which wasn't unpleasant.

Overall: I've noticed now that these "natural" or "organic" root beers all share a similar trait, and that's that they very rarely taste like a normal root beer. And in some cases they're still a fine cola, but they would never be something I'd recommend as a Root Beer. Now, despite all that, I can't even say I liked this on a soda level in general. Also, that ingredient list is hilarious.

Purchased from: Rocket Fizz

Death Valley Root Beer

Description: "A Taste of the Old West"

Ingredients: Indian Wells Spring Artisan Spring Water, Cane Sugar, Caramel Color, Natural Flavor, Real Vanilla, Citric Acid.

Smell: Nothing much to say here, nothing I particularly noticed that was out of the ordinary.

Head: Not shabby, lasted the whole drink. Had a deep brown color I noticed as well.

Flavor: As I was drinking it, I had similar feelings towards it as I had towards Bedford's the other day. Nothing spectacular, but a solid drink. But then after it was finished, it left me with the aftertaste of anise.

Overall: This one would have been another easy C, if the aftertaste hadn't been of licorice.

Purchased from: Rocket Fizz

Three Stooges - Wise Guy Root Beer

Ingredients: Spring Water, Can Sugar, Citric Acid, Ester Gum, Caramel Color, and Natural Flavors.

Smell: I was pleasantly surprised by an aroma of vanilla mixed in with sassafras.

Head: When starting to pour this, there was no head to be seen. Then suddenly, it started to grow, not only that but it remained for the whole drink! It looks like what you'd want from a root beer, very attractive.

Flavor: First off, this falls on the side of anise more than sweetness. But it's very strange that the mixture of sugar and anise actually compliments each other well in this case. It was very creamy, and perhaps that also helped offset the usually overwhelming taste of licorice that this drink seemed to avoid. While drinking it I had the though that it tasted like root beer barrel candy. You're left with that specific flavor lingering for a long time after as well.

Overall: Now this may be a case of low expectations getting the best of me, but I had gone in assuming that a licensed root beer wasn't going to be anything special. Yet this was surprisingly delicious. Since it was so candy like I found myself almost craving the root beer barrel candy itself. Either way, this was a solid drink.

Purchased from: Rocket Fizz