Welcome to Brews Of Root Extraction Online. This post reviews the root beer from the old-time brand “Dad’s”. Dad’s Root Beer and other sodas are bottled and distributed by Orca Beverage Co. in Mukilteo, WA. I purchased a 12 oz bottle at a local chain grocery store for $1.99.
I evaluate brews using five criteria I score from 1-5.
A. Sweetness: 3. It’s just a hair too sweet, and although it uses cane sugar, it’s the light-bodied type of sweetness I associate with corn syrup.
B. Lightbody spices: 4. With the strong anise/black licorice flavors that dominate Dad’s Root Beer, you need strong front-end flavors to balance it all out. Fortunately, Dad’s has plenty of wintergreen to do just that, plus a hint of something that might possibly be peppermint (?).
C. Heavybody spices: 5. I love the taste of black licorice, and if you do too you’ll love Dad’s Root Beer. Anise and licorice dominate the flavor profile, which is (to me) excellent in its choices.
D. Uniqueness: 4. It’s classic root beer, but of the root beers I’ve tasted so far, only Dad’s goes all in on the black licorice flavor.
E. Mouthfeel: 2. It’s not highly carbonated, and the fizz is fairly coarse, much like most modern sodas. I feel like a finer foam would add to the “old-timey” feel of this brew. It’s also a tad on the watery side, which really isn’t terrible considering the strong flavors.
Total score 18/23. Drink Dad’s if you like black licorice flavor, black jellybeans, etc. Otherwise you might want to steer clear of it.
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