Welcome to Brews Of Root Extraction Online. This post reviews Stewart’s Root Beer (regular), a brand that’s widely available in the U.S. and usually sells for a little cheaper than most “boutique” soda brands. Stewart’s is owned by the apple/beverage giant Mott’s. I purchased a 4-pack of 12 oz glass bottles for $3.99 at a local chain grocery store.
I use five criteria that I score from 1-5 each to evaluate brews.
A. Sweetness: 5. Perfect. Not too sweet but sweet enough for sure. Stewart’s uses cane sugar and you can tell.
B. Lightbody Spices: 3. It doesn’t have a whole lot of bite, but you can definitely taste wintergreen, and there’s something else that tickles the tastebuds but I can’t identify. It could use more spice but it’s fine.
C. Heavybody Spices: 5. Rather than the usual vanilla, Stewart’s has a strong undercurrent of caramel. I don’t know if that’s toasted cane sugar or actual caramel, but I really like caramel so I enjoy it. A slight hint of anise is lurking behind the sweet flavors, too.
D. Uniqueness: 4. The caramel flavor alone is enough to give Stewart’s a high score in this category, but the unidentified sharp spice in addition to the wintergreen is also unique.
E. Mouthfeel: 5. Again, perfect. Not too syrupy and not too watery. The carbonation level is just right, matching the balanced flavors of the brew.
Total score 22/25. I didn’t expect a mass-produced root beer to score so high, but it goes to show you don’t need to pay top dollar to get a high quality brew.
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