Apple Valley Mountain Village root beer - #104, 6.25 out of 12 mugs

Apple Valley Mountain Village in Townsend, Tennessee, is a popular destination near the Smoky Mountains. It is known for its café, ice cream, and general store, which offers a craft root beer called Apple Valley Mountain Village root beer.

Reading Soda Works in Reading, Pennsylvania, produces this brew. The soda is a specialty flavor from Reading Soda Works, a company based in Reading, Pennsylvania, that has been making small-batch, old-fashioned sodas with pure cane sugar since 1921. 

The company makes Reading Draft root beer, which scored 4.7 out of 12 in my review. Yet I suspected I had an old bottle that had gone bad. I have a note to retest at some point in the future.

Ingredients:

Carbonated Water, Sugar, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate as a Preservative, Citric Acid, Yucca and Quillaia Extracts, natural and Artificial Flavors, and Gum Acacia

This is the fifth of 104 brews that list Yucca Extract as an ingredient. Yucca is said to add a smooth, creamy flavor. It also lists Quillaia. This is the sixth of 103 brews tested that contain that ingredient. Research states this serves as a foaming agent.

Nutrition 12 oz. serving (from the bottle)

170 Calories

30 mg Sodium

43 g (?%) of Daily Carbohydrates

0 Caffeine

Click here for information on the rating criteria and a table of all the root beers tested or to be tested.

Aroma and Flavor – 1.5 out of 3 mugs

Upon opening the bottle, there is a slight mint aroma. It has a faint aftertaste and a slightly dry finish. The flavor is basic, with a hint of caramel, but it lacks any root-like taste.

Head – 2.0 out of 3 mugs

The head is large and dissipated slowly. It has both large and small bubbles.

Zip – 1.25 out of 3 mugs

The brew is straightforward. It doesn't have anything to catch your eye, but there's nothing to keep you from finishing the bottle—a very simple blend with moderate carbonation.

Post Consumption Impression – 1.5 out of 3 mugs

This is a brew that would be at the bottom of my list, and I might even choose another cola over this one. It's not bad, but it's nothing that makes you remember the aroma or the sensation of drinking a high-quality brew.

Would I recommend this at 6.25 out of 12 mugs (4.25 out of 9 mugs without the head)?

This is one you should try. For me, it was worth a shot, but it wouldn't be on my go-to list.

OTHER REVIEWS

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