This is a brew
bottled by the Catawissa Bottling Company in the rolling hiss of Central
Pennsylvania. They say they have
been making Big Ben’s since 1926.
They appear to stay true to simplicity, as the website looks like is
from the 1990’s early Netscape Navigator built. That is about all the information I could find on them. Unfortunate there is little history, as
I like to have a full background.
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, sugar, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, sodium benzoate (preservative),
citric acid, yucca extractives and acacia.
I have not seen the Acacia before and still
not sure why it is added.
Then I tried to see what Yucca Extractive was? Web
MD explained it best at this link.
Nutrition
12 oz (from the bottle)
180 Calories
30 mg
Sodium.
44g
(15%) of Daily Carbohydrates
0 mg
Caffeine
Aroma and Flavor –
1.5 out of 3 mugs
Upon opening the bottle, either I have a bad
cold or water would have been the same.
It was nothing extraordinary.
At first drink I was very pleased. (The reason it scored that high!) As I continued, the pleasure waned quickly. It has a very soft and sugary
taste. The sodium content is high
and for the first time I really can taste the sodium.
Head – 0.5 out of 3
mugs
What, there is a
head? Where is it? It was nearly non-existent. The little foam appearance ring around
the outside of the class remained, but not much to be proud of in a head.
Zip -- 1 out of 3 mugs
The beverage was average in zip. Low carbonation a slight creamy
taste. It did not provide a
lasting impression.
Post Consumption
Impression – 1 out of 3 mugs
While it was not
considered bad, the more I drank the less I appreciated the beverage. There is more of a slight root beer
taste with excessive sugar taste.
It reminds me of a moderately flat Barq’s
Would I recommend
this at 4 out of 12 mugs?
If you were to have several friends who
wanted to try this, go ahead but limit the brew to 2 ounces. As the first taste was tolerable, just
finishing the bottle was the issue