Lost Trail Sarsaparilla (#17 - Rated 10.3 out of 12)

Today I grabbed Lost Trail Sarsaparilla.  Lost trail also makes a root beer.  What is the difference was the immediate though through little activity that goes on above my shoulders.

Sarsaparilla essentially is typically used in all root beer recipes and is augmented with a variety of flavors live honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, clove, licorice, vanilla, wintergreen.  At a higher dose, Sarsaparilla is used for treating psoriasis and other skin diseases, rheumatoid arthritis(RA), and kidney disease; for increasing urination to reduce fluid retention; and for increasing sweating. Sarsaparilla is also used along with conventional drugs for treating leprosy and for syphilis.  Athletes sometimes use sarsaparilla as a steroid for performance enhancement or bodybuilding. Mexican and Honduran sarsaparillas are used for treating gonorrhea, fevers, and digestive disorders.

Lost trail is anything company I am unable to find much information about.  I generally like to learn a little history to understand how the beverage was formulated, but there is little info available.    The website shows four employees and that is located in Louisburg, Kansas.   They make snacks and dips, as well as soda.

Now for the official root beer review.  (Click here for information on the rating criteria and a table of all the root beer tested or to be tested.)

Ingredients: carbonated water, cane sugar, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, benzoate of soda (as a preservative), and citric acid

Nutrition (from the bottle)

Calories  150

 7 mg Sodium.

 37 g (13%) of Daily Carbohydrates

 37 g Sugar

0 mg Caffeine

Aroma and Flavor – 2.9 out of 3 mugs

Freshly opened, the aroma is mild.  No notable flavors like many root beers I have tested.  Then I took a drink.  THIS IS GREAT!  No flavor dominant, just smooth!  It does not have the vanilla that I typically prefer; the caramel is faint yet this is very solid.  I only dropped it 0.1 as I prefer a little more carbonation

Head – 2.5 out of 3 mugs  

Based on my preference, this is solid.  I really do not like excessive foam yet prefer it does not fully dissipate either.  The head here is smaller yet it lingers with a small portion lasting much longer.  The transition could be a little longer.

Zip -- 2 out of 3 mugs  

Fir this category, this is where it loses some points.  There is little zip and mix of flavors.  I hated to dock this smooth beverage at all.  I think a slight increase in carbonation would increase the score. 

Post Consumption Impression – 2.9 out of 3 mugs  

This is the best I experienced so far.  If I want a simple and flavorful beverage with low carbonation, this is it.  If I prefer a variety of flavors to provide a sensation, I would look for other   immediately upon my first sip, I loved the smoothness. 

Would I recommend this at 10.3 out of 12 mugs?

Yes I would!  While this is not my go to beverage, it will have its place in the top of the class.  There are times I prefer more carbonation and favor complexities.  But when I was a basic, simple and enjoyable root beer (sorry, Sarsaparilla), this is it.  It is the highest scoring root beer without HFCS of the 17 I have tested.  Give it a try and leave a comment.