Pop-A-Top or Two..... We Will Be Back

As RBB approaches our 6th year of frosty reviewing goodness it has become clear that a change in formatting is desperately needed. Our blog format is rather out of date as well as the way our reviews are presented. With the invent of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest.... and a host of other social media platforms we find ourselves lost in the great shuffle of cyber space.

The Brothers have also experienced many changes in their personal lives which has resulted in very unfortunate circumstances for us at RBB. As the brothers have individually obtained great achievements in their own rites the time needed for them to conduct root beer reviews have become more and more strained. Along with the changes in web design and social media cross presentation the face of RBB will also be changing. We have a new logo, a new review process, and we even have some changes in the brotherhood. Some constants that will remain, A&W will still be the RBB Standard, our www will remain rootbeerbrothers.com, and root beer will of course continue to be our one and only focus. The changes will be directed by myself and I will remain as a reviewer and primary manager of RBB.

There are some big things planned for later in 2013..... So pop-a-top or two.... RBB will be back!!!!

I wish to extend my deepest thanks to each of the Brothers of RBB over the last 6 years, it has been a delicious and wonderful adventure and each of you touched my life in lasting ways.

I also wish to extend thanks to our dedicated brew loving fans..... you are why we drink like we do... thanks for giving us an excuse!!!  Stick around my friends..... the best is yet to come!!!!!

looking to the future of root beer....

-Adam Rootbeer

H-E-B Brand Root Beer Review

ROOT BEER

Getting ready to watch my favorite TV show and decided what better way to prep than drink some frosty goodness.  I chose the H-E-B brand.  Not knowing at first where this root beer came from I decided to hold out on the research and just drink it.  It was pleasant to find this brew was very good!  I’d say one of my favorites this year actually.  It’s a very sweet brew to taste, via the pure cane sugar.  Very light on fizz and foam.  One of my type of “chuggin’” brews.  Similar to our standard A&W, just better.  The bottle was “high end” with raised glass embossing, good design and easy to see labeling. 

My cat "Franco"

I found the ingredients were in Spanish.  This brew came from Mexico and made for H-E-B which is a store brand in Texas like Kroger is here in Ohio.  Now I’m really surprised!  A store brand brew with cane sugar and a delicious flavor???  That was not expected.  Why can’t all store brands take that kind of advice?  The only thing I can say negative about it is that I didn’t have another one handy.  There is one small negative I forgot to mention……this brew didn’t have a twist top so I fought the cap until I realized it wasn’t going anywhere without an opener.  The bottle says “Old Fashioned” and with no twist top, it’s true to it’s name.  Speaking of names….Charly Butt even signed it.  Butt???   I love it.  Charly is H-E-B’s president since 1971.  H-E-B has been kept in the family since it’s beginning in 1905.  Good job guys.   Keep your brew like it is.

This brew is in line as my favorite store brand so far.  I give this brew 4 frosty mugs.

~ Marc

A&W Ten: Zombie Root Beer

In tribute of the return of "The Walking Dead" season 3 Marc and Adam reviewed the newest edition of A&W.

If A&W died and came back to life as a zombie there is no doubt in our minds... It would taste like the reinvented A&W Ten. There is some of the original standard in that morphed bottle but there is also something missing...... In its place there are things that do not belong...... much like a zombie. A zombie has the persons body...... but the corpse is only left with a small portion of the thoughts and motives of the original person. The zombie seeks to eat.... But it could care less if it was a squirrel, a dog, a "T-Bone",.... Or any human bone..... and root beer is absolutely lost on the zombie.

This brew has HFCS but it also has aspartame...... natural and artificial combined in a unique blend. I can't help but ask, why just 10, referring to the calories per serving.... which means 20 total for this 20oz bottle..... A&W certainly had a good idea..... diet root beer leaves much to be desired and this Ten calories is far more flavorful than than the diet alternative..... Undead or not.... this brew has far more life...... we dig zombies.... in the same way we dig this root beer.... we love watching zombies get blown away with a hand gun at close range..... we like chugging this brew at close range.... But a little goes along way, just like zombies.

If we had to restrict our calories, we are certain we would not start with root beer, but if it came down to it, yes A&W Ten, the zombie root beer, would fit the bill. By far the best "diet" brew ever!!!! With that in mind we grant this reanimated root beer with the following Frosty Mugs.

-Adam: the standard but with less life 2.5 Frosty Mugs

-Marc: overall 3 Frosty Mugs, one extra point because A&W attempted a hybrid, just didn't hit the spot for me

Refreshe Root Beer: Store Brand on a Snow Day

Having recently moved from Nevada an Ohio Snow Day comes too fast.... regardless of when it arrives!!!!  Our Snow Day landed at the outset of the new year...... kids everywhere were overjoyed with the gift of no school and fluffy snow.  I on the other hand longed for my warm memories of Las Vegas.   As I searched for comfort I quickly discovered a brew within my stash that reminded me of those blessed hot days in the desert valley..... a store brand no less.

Safeway is a rather large western grocery store that dots towns in Nevada, California, and Arizona.... in fact I have even seen these stores in other states including Delaware.   While visiting a Safeway back in the west I discovered yet another store brand, "refreshe" not sure what they were going for by departing from our modern English spelling but they get an "A" for unique name....

As my mind pondered the warm memories of the desert sun I chilled my store brew in the 6 inches of snow just outside my front door.  After an hour the brew was ready for review......

As store brands go this one lived up to its name, it was rather refreshing during this cold winter day.  It was just what I needed to pass the time between shoveling my back porch and my front sidewalk.... granted there is just about a million things I would rather do than shovel this cold wet stuff but drinking root beer was well on the top of the list.   The brew was rather sweet with a splash of vanilla creaminess but mostly it covered my palate with fluffy flakes of root beer extract.   It was a solid root beer, no real frills, cheap, tasty...... far better than snow... on any day but Christmas!!!!
2 Frosty Mugs

-Adam

check out Safeway http://www.safeway.com 

Forgive me Brother, for I have Sinned

It has been far too long since my last post.  In addition to this transgression, I have neglected a promise to review the "Purely Natural" root beer from my friends at Thomas Kemper. Adam sent this to me because he knows how much of a dedicated fan of TK I am. He scored this limited (and no longer produced brew) from our pal Eric.  I, of course will get to the details of this review later but will continue on with explaining myself for yet another moment.

There are reasons for my recent and long termed departure. First and foremost, I had been previously occupied with writing my dissertation which tied up about 98.789% of my time for about a year or so. When Adam had given me the bottle, it was April. I thought I had the time but I guess from the present date, I apparently did not. That is the end of the excuses. Here is the reason and the review.

This stuff was quite possibly the WORST (with the exception of the Amish  yeast-brew) I have ever had. Thank all things holy that they do not make it anymore. Seriously. It not only threatened my most esteemed opinion of Thomas Kemper (don't worry guys we're cool), but nearly turned me away from Root Beer altogether. Well, that and a little red headed boy's obsession with Orange soda.

This stuff was fruity in a kind of vile and disgusting way. The only thing purely natural about this stuff is that it appeared to have "naturally" passed through someone's urinary tract without the aid of any flavor improving chemicals. There was an aftertaste that lasted longer than it took for the rest of it to go down the drain ( I gave it to the kids).

After consuming this Root Beer, I entered a sort of fugue. I drank the last of my home brew and perhaps made another at the request of my children; but the distancing of me and the fabled concoction had begun. It was official, I was turned off. And it would take a seemingly divine intervention to restart the engine.

Enter my little man. My four year old son loves him some Orange Soda. He believes in its power to maintain the redness/orangeness of his (and my) hair. Since my brief and unholy encounter had struck my RB senses numb, I had began cheating on my sweet lady. He and I began having more than our fair share of the sinful citrus nectar.

Time passed, we relocated and the home-keg was drained and packed away. We moved to central Virginia and I began having a tryst with the fountain of Orange Fanta in the lunchroom at the new workplace. Then, one evening after class, I had stopped in to get something to drink at a local gas station when I walked into the door, I saw and heard an old friend. A 20oz bottle of the standard was trying its old lines. It was time I gave in. I took a drink on the way to the counter and before I had gotten out to the car, I threw the empty bottle away. I had never chugged and loved so sweetly, so quickly, so perfectly. A belch or ten later and I was back off the wagon.

The boy still likes his Orange soda. That may never change. I still like one myself every now and then. But only when I am lonely. I tried a local taste at a microbrew (more on that soon). And soon I will get a water filter so I can get back to brewing my own. Since I am writing less these days, I will get back on the stick.

Here is the lowdown: Gross, .5 mug for no HFCS, .5 for glass and .5 for an old friend, TK. Don't change guys, it ain't worth it.

--Michael

Bundaberg Root Beer Review

Here is a root beer that intrigued me from start to finish.  The bottle is cool, the “pop top” is cool and the flavor is unique.  This brew comes all the way from Australia.  I did some research at Bundaberg.com before this review.  This is a family owned business.  They are famous for their Ginger Beer.  They use a five step process for their success.  After tasting their brew they are doing something right.

They tout premium natural ingredients and an old school approach to making root beer.  They tag their brew as distinctive bold taste of yesteryear.  When I pulled the top there was a familiar aroma of my favorite brew.  I took my first swig and right away I could taste the distinctive uniqueness.  There was a citrus like sour bite that boasted me to drink more.  It was a good “chuggable” brew with a good but light carbonation.  The bite grew more distinctive.  I believe this would be a game changer for people that demand a domestic flavor.  Me personally, I really enjoyed it.  I bet many of you may not prefer it.

On to the scoring.  The bottle was really neat, the color was typical and no artificial colors, all natural ingredients, good and very unique flavor, chuggable and Australian.  Overall just fun to drink.  I give this brew a good 4 frosty mugs.  Points reduced for the citric bite which I enjoyed but since I review for all walks of life, I’m sure not all would like the flavor.   If you happen to run upon this brew, try it.  I bet you won’t find this very easily.

~ Marc