The Three Stooges Wise Guy (#35 - Rated 6.75 out of 12)

This is another Rocket Fizz creation.  Rocket Fizz is most likely the soda maker that makes numerous soda varieties.  I already reviewed Judge Wapner's Root Beer and 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 a niche.  A web search found that they have made over 500 varieties of soda throughout history.  Not all are directly under the Rocket Fizz parent company.  

I have a little quote about the brew from Robert Powells, President and Co-Founder of the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops.  “Rocket Fizz is beyond excited to bottle The Three Stooges Wise Guy Root Beer.”  He was “the undercover boss” recently, the CBS hit TV show Undercover Boss.  “The Three Stooges brand is a natural fit for us. The Three Stooges is an iconic and nostalgic American brand, and Rocket Fizz prides itself on being all about Americana. And we all love The Three Stooges!”

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

Ingredients: Spring Water, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Ester Gum, Caramel Color, and Natural Flavors.

Nutrition 12 oz serving (from the bottle)

170 Calories

25 mg Sodium.

43g (14%) of Daily Carbohydrates

0 mg Caffeine

Aroma and Flavor – 1.5 out of 3 mugs

Immediately upon opening, there was a strong wintergreen aroma. It was a little heavy, and there was also a molasses or licorice aroma. After my first drink, this was a relatively simple beverage. It had little overall flavor and tasted watered down. It had a unique taste that was not a traditional root beer taste. Could it be the Ester Gum ingredient? I had no idea what that was.

The funny thing is when I searched the Web, I found Ester Gum, which is often used in paints, lacquers, and varnishes, and it is something that they should avoid drinking.  One wrote, “People who think this couldn’t be further from the truth. I have found, through days and days of careful research, that it is, in fact, a wondrous creation that has transformative, healing powers.”  I am not so sure, as the guy also claimed to inject freaks into a broken leg and heal it faster. 

Head – 2.5 out of 3 mugs

This is extremely foamy, and its head takes nearly a minute to dissipate, although it never fully dissipates.

Zip – 1.5 out of 3 mugs

This lacks any zip or punch beyond licorice or wintergreen. I get a slight sense of vanilla as well. Carbonation was light to moderate, again having a watered-down feel. I could also taste the sodium content. That was the first time I thought I was drinking a higher-sodium beverage.

Post Consumption Impression – 1.25 out of 3 mugs  

It is not terrible, although it is not remarkable either. I scored the beverage slightly below average. It only scored higher because it had a great foamy head that lasted for quite some time.

  

Would I recommend this at 6.75 out of 12 mugs? (4.25 without the head!)

I suggest trying, but only trying. This was not a beverage for me. I love caramel, root flavor, and a good vanilla punch, but not the Three Stooges.

Other Reviews

Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer  3.5 out of 5 barrels