Welcome to Brews Of Root Extraction Online. This post is a review of the “Ginger Root Beer” from the “Zevia” brand, made by Zevia and purchased in a 12 oz. can for $6.99 (for a 6-pack) from a big-chain grocery store.
I grade on a 1-5 scale using five criteria.
A. Sweetness: 4. It’s not very sweet, which I like, but I can’t help but feel a tiny bit more sweetness would balance out some of the “edgy” botanicals in this one. As the Zevia name suggests, the drink is sweetened using stevia (and zero sugar), which gives it a pleasing and non-overpowering but unique kind of sweetness.
B. Lightbody Spices: 5. You can taste the ginger, but it definitely doesn’t overpower the other flavors. I love ginger so they could have run wild with it and it wouldn’t bother me. But the way they did it, you get a full appreciation for the wintergreen (and another astringent spice that eludes me) as well as the ginger. No bad aftertaste.
C. Heavybody Spices: 4. This drink runs kind of heavy on anise flavor, and light on vanilla (although you can taste it). As with ginger, I love anise so they could have dumped more in, but I know some people dislike it. I feel the “syrupy” botanicals do a great job of balancing out the “spicy” botanicals here.
D. Uniqueness: 4. Yes it’s root beer, but it’s not just root beer. The ginger gives it enough of a boost (without taking anything away from it) that I consider this a very unique and delicious drink.
E. Mouthfeel: 5. This drink has a perfect mouthfeel. Not too syrupy, not too watery, and the carbonation is most definitely there without slapping you in the face.
With a total score of 22/25, this is one of my favorite root brews ever, and pretty much the gold standard that other drinks should aspire to.
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