As any soft drink enthusiast knows, root beer can be quite subjective. We all have our favorites and those, well, we don't like as much. Sometimes our decisions are influenced by the simple fact that a flavor can be found everywhere (see Coke's dominance of the fountain world and how they tend to always feature Barq's Root Beer). Others have more nostalgic audiences, such as can be found around the A&W brand. I know as a kid, I remember being on vacation and stopping at a A&W Drive In for food, root beer, and a great collectible mug!

As Dr Pepper Snapple Group looked at adding more to their "Ten" franchise, the choice of A&W was probably a no brainer, given that it's one of the "mainstream" root beer flavors that everyone is familiar with (heck, the company even owns rootbeer.com!) The fact that diet drinks are on a nice growth spurt while full calories beverages decline also probably factored heavy into adding A&W as a "Ten" brand.

Like the other 2nd generation "Ten" flavors, A&W Ten borrows from the design cues of Dr Pepper Ten, namely with the use of a grey color on the label. Though, unlike the rather odd juxtaposition found on Sunkist Ten and 7Up Ten, the addition of grey to the orange/brown color scheme of A&W actually works really well. It's a sharp looking package! As established in the "Ten" lineup, the packaging proclaims that A&W Ten offers "10 Great Tasting Calories." We've got 3 sweeteners at play here: aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

As we have done with some of our other Ten reviews, we tasted A&W Ten side-by-side with Diet A&W, stacking both up against regular A&W to best gauge the differences. Part of the appeal of the Ten line is to lure non-diet drinkers (a.k.a. Men) into trying something low-calorie. Right off the bat, one of the notable changes is the amount of foam that is produced when the product is poured into a glass. We found Diet A&W to be quite a bit more foamy than both A&W and A&W Ten. On the other hand, A&W Ten had a sweeter scent than Diet A&W, but not like the sweet/bitter combo in original A&W. Diet A&W was mostly bitter in scent overall.

Regarding flavor, when you first drink Diet A&W, it's pretty obvious that it's an artificially sweetened drink. I find that those sweeteners compete with the root beer flavor a bit, producing a mixed taste message. On the other than, A&W Ten tastes a lot like the flagship when you first sample it, though the pleasant "harshness" associated with the original is muted a bit in the Ten iteration. A&W has always been on the sweeter side of root beers, and that's reflected here. That sweetness frontloads A&W Ten, delaying the realization that this isn't a full calorie drink. Your taste buds are like "hey, this is pretty good, wow… oh wait… hey, are you trying to fool me?"

In the grand scheme of things, A&W Ten is far superior to Diet A&W when it comes to tasting more like the full calorie original. It's not as "birchy" as regular A&W; rather, it's more creamy. The sweetness and flavor are great out of the gate, and only later do you realize that there are artificial sweeteners in play. Still, I felt that Sunkist Ten and 7Up Ten both did superior jobs of hiding the negative elements typically associated with diet drinks. A&W Ten tries, but doesn't succeed as well as its sibling Tens. Still, it's light years better than what Diet A&W tastes like, and presents a better entry point for a lower calorie alternative.

A&W Ten
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavors, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, malic acid, quillaia extract

A 12 oz can contains 10 calories, 80 mg sodium, and 3 g carbs (2 g sugars). Caffeine free.

For those interested in a comparison…

Diet A&W
Carbonated water, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), aspartame, acesulfame potassium, natural and artificial flavors, malic acid, quillaia extract

A 12 oz can contains 0 calories, 108 mg sodium, and 0 g carbs (0 g sugars). Caffeine free.

In conclusion, A&W Ten is better than Diet A&W when it comes to tasting closest to the original. It's not perfect, and the frontloaded flavor only fools your tastebuds to a point, but it's an appreciable effort!

It is June 2, 2003 and Twilight author, Stephenie Meyer, awakens from a profound dream of a story of forbidden love between a teenage girl and a vampire. 13 days earlier, on May 20, 2003, the last episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired after 7 seasons. During the series we see Buffy, a teenage girl, involved in a relationship with a vampire.

Jump back to October 1999 in the United States, during the 4th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and we have The WB, Fox Licensing & Publishing, and Barq's Root Beer teaming up for their "Barq's and Buffy Halloween Bash". [Barq's was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company in 1995]. This promotion, using Barq's vampire-like tagline, "Barq's has bite" targeted the 18–37 demographic with a chance to win Barq's product, Buffy clothing and merchandise or the grand prize, getting to attend a Halloween party with members on the Buffy cast. Game pieces were the names of Buffy characters printed under bottle caps. You had to watch the October 12 episode of Buffy to find out the character's name that matched the winning bottle caps. If you had a bottle cap with the name, "Riley Finn", you won a trip to Hollywood to attend the party, view a private screening of the October 26 Halloween-themed episode and receive many other Buffy-related gifts at the party.

In addition to the bottles, four limited-edition 12-ounce cans were released with members of the "Scooby Gang" a.k.a. Buffy's closest friends who team up each episode to defeat the "Big Bad" creature, demon, vampire, etc. All of the cans are exactly the same except for the color printing of the Buffy character(s) on the can (one can has two characters). Each can maintains the Barq's silver background and the normal Barq's branding on one side of the can. Across the top is a black band that says, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer COLLECTIBLE SERIES" in white text. The other side has the Buffy character(s) in front of a red design that looks like something that would be associated with the martial arts. Surrounding the character(s) are three logos: Barq's Famous Olde Tyme Root Beer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The WB New Tuesday. Just under the black band at the top, above the characters' left shoulders are the words, "THIS IS NOT A GAME PIECE. SEE SIDE PANEL FOR DETAILS". There is not much else to say about the designs of the cans other than who is featured on them.

Buffy Can

The first can features Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself, also known as Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Ironically, Sarah Michelle Geller was a part of the real "Scooby Gang" when she played the role of Daphne in the first two live-action Scooby-Doo movies (2002 & 2004).

Giles Can

The second can shows Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), high-school librarian by day, father figure to Buffy and advisor to her friends at night.

Xander Can

On the third can we see Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon), the comic relief of the series and geeky character based on the high school days of creator, Joss Whedon.

Willow & Oz Can

The fourth can is a little different than the others as it features two characters who during that season were in a relationship. Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan), a nerdy, upbeat girl who dabbles in magic is alongside her romantic interest, Oz (Seth Green), who is also a werewolf and lead guitarist for the band Dingoes Ate My Baby.

Overall, this is a set that focuses more on the characters of the Buffy show and a contest than great artwork and design. Fans of the show and fans of any of the individual actors would be especially interested in these cans. I know a little bit about this television series as I ended up watching the entire series, for better or worse, so these cans stand out to me. However, if they were say, The Spice Girls can set or The Backstreet Boys can set, I wouldn't care too much about them other than to have them for my collection.

Oh yeah, just for fun, here's a can from that other teenage vampire story…

Twilight: New Moon Can

This limited edition Pepsi can was marketed in Italy in 2009 to promote the film, Twilight: New Moon. On the can are Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) – a vampire, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) – a werewolf, and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) – a teenage girl. On this can we have a full color picture (like the Buffy cans) of all three main characters as they are in the movie poster. I suppose for Twilight fans (of which I am not), this is an awesome can.

As a lifelong Chicagoan, it's easy for me to hold with pride the accomplishments of our local Goose Island Brewery. While they are well-known for their various craft beers, they also produce a couple of sodas as well. One of those is their Chicago Style Root Beer.

The packaging is classic brown glass bottle, with a logo and iconography that reflects Chicago — namely the red 6 point star and blue & white stripes found on the city flag.

The drink itself is sweetened with 100% cane sugar (woo hoo!) and is caffeine free. Popping off the cap, you are greeted with a pleasing root beer scent. This pleasantness continues with your first sip!

This drink is surprisingly smooth, with a hint of vanilla and mint creating a wonderful experience. It may not be the most edgy or established root beer brand, but I really liked it. There's a clean taste there that isn't at all syrupy, and that leads into a wonderful finish. It's not bitter or harsh, just a casual, friendly root beer with a pure distinctive flavor.

Goose Island Chicago Style Root Beer
Carbonated water, cane sugar, natural and artificial flavor, caramel color, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (as preservatives) and citric acid

A 12 oz bottle contains 180 calories, 35 mg of sodium, 45 g of carbs, and 43 g sugars.

Vintage Root Beer follows the nice packaging design found on Vintage Cola, this time with brown/white/orange scheme. A collegiate font is used to spell "Vintage" under the Trader Joe's logo, but is dwarfed by a bold "Root Beer" name in the center of what reflects a bottle cap-type logo. Bubbles and period-specific diamond shapes sit in the background on the label, enforcing the classic treatment of the brand.

The label also notes that this drink is "vegan" and that there are "no gluten ingredients used". Other proclamations include "caffeine free", "no artificial flavors", and "no preservatives".

Pop the cap (which actually is a vintage cap that twists off) and you are greeted with a subtle root beer aroma. There's another smell in there that decidedly is not root beer, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Something almost plastic-y in nature. Not pleasant.

Luckily, the taste is better than the smell. You'll be shocked to know that this drink tastes like root beer. (I know, aren't you glad you read this review?) It's not a strong flavor and in some ways the flavor is a bit watered down. That was disappointing. There's very little bitterness or spice flavor here, so if you are a root beer connoisseur, you are probably going to be left wanting more. However, the cane sugar sweetening does provide quite a clean experience, and for what is basically a store brand, it's not bad.

Here's what's inside:

Trader Joe's Vintage Root Beer
Triple filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, caramel color, wintergreen birch, anise, sassafras, Tahitian vanilla extract and citric acid and tartaric acid

A 12 oz. glass bottle packs 170 calories and 43 grams of carbs (all of which are sugars).

I wish Trader Joe's Vintage Root Beer "went farther" with its flavor. When you have cane sugar on your side, why not totally be awesome? Instead, this is a passively-flavored root beer drink, despite having an ingredient list with recognizable items! Clean, but uneventful… and actually, a bit weak in overall flavor.

RootJack is actually a root beer with a hint of orange and vanilla. And in case you haven't figured out from the name, it's pirate-themed! The artwork, label, and storyline all reflect a "Yo Ho" element, including the funny callout that proclaims the drink "Fights Scurvy!" (a lighthearted reference to the inclusion of Vitamin C).

It's really a stunning brand and sets the drink apart from others in the same space (check out the "Arguable Plausible Take of RootJack" on the official website for an entertaining story). It comes in 12 oz. brown glass bottles, available in 4-packs and 24-packs, all adorned with stylized orange artwork.

Upon opening the bottle, yes, it does smell like a root beer. But once to taste it, things change. RootJack doesn't have the rough, bitter flavors you'd associate with root beer. Rather, the fruity orange element takes the edge off, giving the drink a surprisingly sweet taste. The orange/vanilla experience stays with you, producing a smooth aftertaste.

I have to admit, the flavor is not what I expected, given that this is a root beer. The combination of root beer, orange, and vanilla produce a very distinct taste. I liked it, but root beer die hards might frown upon such modification of their blessed drink. If anything, I might have been hoping for more root beer, less orange in the experience, with the "bite" still there, but keeping the smooth aftertaste.

The energy drink portion of RootJack comes from the addition of guarana, which definitely will keep you awake… helpful if you are involved in many naval battles. What else is inside:

RootJack Pirate Energy Drink
Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Citric Acid, Quillaja, Xanthan Gum, Ascorbic Acid, Caffeine, Potassium Citrate, Caramel Color, Guarana Seed Extract

A 12 oz. bottle contains 195 calories, 49 g of sugars, and 100% of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C.

If you'd like an unexpected, yet flavorly-refreshing twist on the classic root beer model, RootJack is definitely a beverage to investigate. It's smooth, yet bold and edgy. I think you'll be surprised by what you taste! Plus, it helps prevent scurvy; how can you go wrong?

Obviously, everyone has their own interpretation over what a "good" root beer should taste like. Some like smooth, some like more "rooty" flavors, some prefer flavors with bite. I will admit right off the bat that I'm not a root beer expert, though I do know a few (hmmm, maybe it's time for some guest writing here at BevReview.com!)

That said, when I cracked open a can of Hansen's Natural Creamy Root Beer Soda, it smells like… well, root beer! Not much of a surprise there. Then when I tasted it… I got the same impression. It tastes like root beer. Nothing too crazy or bold. More of your run-of-the-mill A&W-style root beer. It was much better than some other root beer flavors we've tasted, such as Route Beer 66, but not quite as good as other cane sugar-sweetened versions we've had, such as Boylan Bottleworks Root Beer. That's not to totally write off this flavor… it just didn't "Wow!" me.

Hansen's website describes this flavor as "made from the Tahitian vanilla extract. Our sodas are 100% natural and do not contain any preservatives, caffeine, sodium, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors." I appreciate that, and compared to some of the jokes of root beer flavors we see on the shelves and in the fountains these days (Mug, I'm looking right at you — and don't even get me started on A&W Float!), Hansen's Natural Creamy Root Beer Soda offered a nice, clean root beer flavor.

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Hansen's Natural Creamy Root Beer Soda
Pure triple filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, caramel color, natural spices of wintergreen, birch, anise, sassafras, Tahitian vanilla extract, citric acid

What really is "Tahitian vanilla extract" anyway? Sounds exotic. Or something that a creative marketing copywriter cranked out. Either way, kudos on making the ingredient list fun to read.

So, if you need 160 calories of root beer goodness that's sweetened with something other than high fructose corn syrup, give Hansen's Natural Creamy Root Beer Soda a shot!

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A&W Float comes in a contoured glass bottle, decorated with an attractive label wrap design (similar to how Coke labeled Coca-Cola BlāK), complete with a bottle cap that can be twisted off without an opener. The bottle proclaims "a creamy blend of rich A&W and ice cream flavor." As this is branded as an A&W drink, you know that it comes from Cadbury Schweppes. They argue that it's "rich, creamy, and so delicious you won't believe it comes in a bottle!"

Of interest is the ingredient breakdown, which actually doesn't contain any high fructose corn syrup. In fact, it starts off with filtered carbonated water, sugar, and skim milk. Not a bad way to go. You don't need to refrigerate this drink when you first buy it, however it should be kept in there after opening (and it's recommended to serve it chilled). Cadbury Schweppes claims that it has a 6 month shelf life. The rest of the ingredient list includes 2% or less of each of the following: cream, pectin, natural and artificial flavors, phosphoric acid, caramel color, propylene glycol alginate, acacia gum, and nitrous oxide (creates foam). It's gluten-free and considered Kosher.

Cadbury Schweppes notes on the official website for this drink that "the Floats concept was one of the highest scoring product ideas from our Discovery Innovation Group. This group is challenged to find and create new ideas across our brand portfolio."

It should be noted that while this is a grand product idea, it's definitely not one to try if you are on a diet. A single 11.5 oz. bottle contains 260 calories, 20 mg. of sodium, and 63 g. of sugars, but is caffeine-free. It packs quite a bunch of calories for a small serving.

Upon opening a bottle of A&W Float you do note a familiar root beer scent, hinted with quite a bit of caramel overtone. The drink itself looks like coffee that has been heavily diluted with a lot of cream and sugar; a cloudy, light brownish tone. Basically, it looks like a root beer float when all the ice cream has melted.

As for the taste, well, I had high hopes for this beverage… but they were let down. Yes, there's an inkling of root beer float experience, but it totally tastes fake. There's almost too much caramel flavor and lot of syrupy-ness. The aftertaste just sort of lingers on the tongue in not a pleasant way. The "fake float" elements pretty much drown the positive flavor associated with A&W Root Beer, which makes for a disappointing experience for either a root beer or a cream soda.

It's not a horrible drink, but it's also not a great one. It just tastes so artificial that you shouldn't even bother. Great idea, horrible execution.

There are hundreds of flavors of root beer out there, each with their own unique characteristics that attract different segments of the market. I was curious how Boylan was going to differentiate their take on root beer, especially to justify the premium pricing of their version and the fact that this flavor seems to be noted as the flagship of their Bottleworks lineup.

They set the context with a description from their website:

Although root beer dates back to the 1860s, it was not until recently that there has been a dramatic sales increase in this flavor category. This new popularity is due partly to the super-creamy style of root beer that is now being bottled. Even though these vanilla-laden root beers are tasty and have instant appeal, we believe that customers will tire of them quickly. It is for this reason that Boylan had chosen to develop an authentic, traditional tasting root beer. Boylan Bottleworks Root Beer has a rich and spicy sassafras flavor with only a subtle creamy note.

Once again, the quality of the packaging came forth. Boylan Bottleworks Root Beer comes in a dark brown glass bottle (vs. the green one used for Ginger Ale and the white one used for Black Cherry.) Of note from the ingredient list is the inclusion of "natural yucca extract". A little research concluded that the use of yucca in root beer is to increase the frothiness of the drink, thus supporting Boylan's claim for "BEST HEAD".

The core flavor in root beer comes from the root a sassafras plant. However, apparently sassafras is considered carcinogenic, thus lots of different natural and artificial flavorings have appeared to make up the difference… thus the wide diversity in root beer flavors.

Upon opening the bottle, the scent was very much root beer. That probably is a no brainier, but you never know sometimes. Flavor was solid, nothing odd to note. In fact, that pretty much described the experience. This wasn't a "bells and whistles" root beer… it was just plain ole root beer! The flavor was simple, clean, and smooth. Very little bitterness that you tend to find with some root beer flavors. Good combination of tastes involved. I actually envisioned that this incarnation would make a great root beer float!

Another solid flavor in the Boylan Bottleworks line. Recommended!

The beverage was found at a number of locations along the Mother Road. We picked up a couple of bottles at the Cozy Dog Drive In. It's actually bottled under the authority of the Route 66 Soda & Bottling Company found in Wilmington, IL (a town we also had visited, as it sits on Route 66). The slogan on the bottle proclaims "Get Your Kicks With Route 66 Beer". Of course, we heeded the mention on the back that "this is a highly collectible item. Treat with due respect. Thanks, Route Beer Larry." We have no clue who Larry is, but whatever.

Overall, the flavor was pretty… bland. I'd probably put it a shade above Pepsi's Mug (which I consider the worst "big name" root beer), maybe as good as Cadbury Schweppes' A&W. Not as good as Coke's Barq's (I like root beer with bite!) It just was pretty uneventful. We expected something a bit more. So beyond the nifty bottle and bad pun on the Route 66 name, this root beer isn't much to write home about… or in this case, drive home about.