Red Ribbon (#22 - Rated 6.25 out of 12)

Red Ribbon Home Brewed Root Beer is from Pennsylvania.  It is from the Natrona Bottling Company in Natrona, Pennsylvania.

The company was founded as the Natrona Bottling Works in 1904 by Ed Welsh, and was purchased by the Bowser family in 1939, who changed the name to the Natrona Bottling Company. John Bowser hired his 15-year-old brother Paul, who worked at the company after school and on weekends. Paul operated and later owned the company – for a combined seventy years – until his death in 2008.  They have a YouTube video of the company.  Looks pretty vintage.

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, citric acid and caramel color.

Nutrition (from the bottle)

120Calories 

15 mg Sodium.

30g Sugar (10%) of Daily Carbohydrates

 mg Caffeine

Aroma and Flavor – 1.5 out of 3 mugs

First impression is that this average root beer.  It has a unique taste and carbonation, which is not common.  Almost has a tonic water base taste.  It is watered down with slight root beer flavor.

Head – 2.0 out of 3 mugs  

Decent head.  Dissipated fast but not to frothy and with a medium size bubble.

Zip – 1.5 out of 3 mugs  

For carbonation, they use CO2 from dry ice to create carbonation and supposedly help the flavor.  I can only describe is as lightly flavor tonic water.

Post Consumption Impression – 1.25 out of 3 mugs  

 This is not terrible, yet it is plain.  Did not leave me wanting more.  I compare it to mineral water with stevia root beer drops.  That would be zero calories and be close to what I felt from this beverage.

Would I recommend this at 6.25 out of 12 mugs?

I would not seek it out but would not turn it gown if it were offered as a beverage, yet I would ask for other option prior to accepting.

OTHER REVIEWS

Eric's 2.5 out of 5 barrels


Cosmo's 5 out of 10 IBCs