Judge Wapner (#20 - Rated 8.0 out of 12)

Rocket Fizz manufactures this and other sodas.  I have Rocket Fizz Root Beer Float and reviewed Gene Aurty’s Root Beer.  Rocket Fizz is predominately known for its diverse candy line (some say over 4,000 varieties), but unique sodas are also a niche.  A web search found that they have made over 500 varieties of soda throughout their history, not all directly under the Rocket Fizz parent company.  They even make a Sugar Ray Leonard Root Beer!

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

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial flavors, and Sodium Benzoate to preserve freshness.

Nutrition (from the bottle)

Calories 

65 mg Sodium.

40 g sugar (14%) of Daily Carbohydrates

0 mg Caffeine

Aroma and Flavor – 2.25 out of 3 mugs

Immediately upon opening, it had a minty root beer aroma.  The first sip found a light and mild flavor. Then, after a few seconds, there was a hint of vanilla and a strong wintergreen surface.  It is very smooth and sweet.  There are hints of cinnamon, which fade quickly.  It is a decent flavor mix, yet the minty is too dominating for my preference.  It lacks the sarsaparilla, caramel, and vanilla I prefer.  I did score this high as it is a solid and smooth beverage if you like the mint.

Head – 2.0 out of 3 mugs

The Head is medium height and frothy. The foam is smaller than I typically see for a root beer, yet it lasts surprisingly long.

Zip – 1.75 out of 3 mugs  (Docked 0.5 for excessive sodium)

 Carbonation is medium and provides a slight zip, yet I can’t overcome the excessive mint taste, which is hard to miss.  I wonder if the 65 mg of sodium is what I have falsely called Zip.   This is almost twice as much as any other root beer I review. 

Post Consumption Impression – 2.0 out of 3 mugs

 This is smooth yet has an odd, sticky, minty aftertaste. I think I recently brushed my teeth. 

Would I recommend this at 8 out of 12 mugs?

I would not recommend the root beer. It has some superb qualities for those who want a mint beverage with a splash of traditional root beer. They do not use HFCS. This is not my preference, so the score is lower than that of other reviewers who might rate the beverage. However, of the minty root beers I tasted, this is one of the best!

OTHER REVIEWS 

Eric's 2 of 5 barrels
Anthony's 84 out of 100
Rob's 7 out of 10
Steve's 6.5 out of 10
Cosmo's 8 out of 10 IBCs