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 he died in 2008.  They have a YouTube video of the company.  Looks pretty vintage.

Click here for the rating criteria and a summary table of all the root beers 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

My first impression is that this is an average root beer. It has a unique taste and carbonation, which is not common. It almost has a tonic water-based taste. It is watered down with a slight root beer flavor.

Head – 2.0 out of 3 mugs

Decent head.  Dissipated fast but not too frothy and with a medium-sized bubble.

Zip – 1.5 out of 3 mugs

They use CO2 from dry ice to create carbonation and supposedly help the flavor. I can only describe it as lightly flavored tonic water.

Post Consumption Impression – 1.25 out of 3 mugs

 This is not terrible, yet it is plain. It did not leave me wanting more. I compare it to mineral water with stevia root beer drops. That would be zero calories and 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 down if offered as a beverage, yet I would ask for other options before accepting. 

OTHER REVIEWS

Eric's 2.5 out of 5 barrels
Cosmo's 5 out of 10 IBCs