Soda Folk Root Beer review

I never thought I'd see another British brewed root beer after the whole EU ban on sodium benzoate affair. I thought the home market would give up their love affair for US germolene tasting weirdness and resort to colas and other fizzy drink brands. Yet only in the space of a few weeks another British-made root beer brand comes along to stick two fingers up at the regulators and provide us fans a true taste of America.

I'm really happy to say we have another A & W root beer beater with only Dominion being the best available in the UK so far. Is it better than Dominion? Well, that might just be down to personal taste but to me there rate about the same to me.

I love the quirky branding design with the lumberjack character. Soda Folk also offer a Cream Soda drink using a boxer (which I'll review later). Would love to have been at their marketing and design meeting to discuss chosing these characters.

Soda Folk themselves have a great background story. USA born Ken Graham moved to London in 2012 and soon missed his favourite soft drinks. Having grown up with many local brands (and even foraging ingredients to brew his own root beer as a kid), Ken knew his onions when it came to root beer and its distinct taste (note: the root beer doesn't taste of onions).

The Soda Folk root beer ingredients really stand out in the taste test. The wintergreen taste is natural and strong, there's a hint of vanilla but its the maple syrup taste that kicks in the tastebuds to complete the experience.

There's a good price to match as well. This 330ml can costs £1.25 from American Sweets (The Stateside Candy Co.) and there's also a 335ml bottle for £1.25 direct from Soda Folk but you'll need to order 12 and pay £5 postage). You may also be lucky to find this root beer in Selfridges and Byron Burger restaurants as well as some independent sweet shops including Tony's Sweet Shop located in Exeter (credit due for telling me about Soda Folk).

9/10

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Goose Island Chicago Style root beer review

I'd been recommended this root beer via a fan on Twitter but had almost dismissed it thinking it would never be available in the UK. Yet when searching a little deeper via Google for UK root beer shops American Fizz was discovered i.e. the Bournemouth shop who are importers for Faygo, reviewed recently.

This Goose Island root beer taste of vanilla flavouring and a subtle caramel-like smoothness which makes this a fast drink as its so delicious. Like any sensual experience you want it to last yet for every first time you always do it too quickly and leave you wanting more.

And what a bargain too at £1.49 for a 340ml bottle and none of that HFSC either - just 100% natural cane sugar. So whilst you're on the American Fizz website order some other drinks and snacks too (just re-ordered another 5 bottles plus cans of Inka Cola, Fanta Grape and Frostie root beer) so you make the postage count.

Probably the best craft or gourmet-style root beer at a decent price. If you're looking to upgrade from the mass-produced A & W's and Barq's then try this, you won't regret it.

9/10

Related articles

• Dominion root beer review
• Frostie Vanilla Root Beer review
• Faygo root beer review
• Barq's Root Beer review
• Francis Hartridge's celebrated root beer

Dominion root beer review

The kind people at Heathwick contacted me and gave me a bottle of this Dominion root beer. So reviewing a freebie would be a little awkward if it didn't taste that good then I'd have to come up with some rubbish text. However, I can honestly say this is one of the best I've so far. No bull, the total truth m'lord.

To be honest I'm sure I've had it before as a 'Brown Cow' (root beer ice cream float) in Meat Liquor, Brighton - one of the coolest burger resturants (but no longer sell it). It has a clean natural taste, not sickly sweet but with a natural sweetness which I'm guessing is the honey. I enjoyed it so mych that I regretted drinking so fast and wished they bottled it in 500ml size. There's no horrible high fructose corn syrup and no caffeine either.

No caffeine

No high fructose corn syrup

Where to buy it - restaurants

Heathwick tell me its sold mainly to the trade to restaurants (£2.95 a bottle) so try the following:

• The Chicago Ribshack (Stratford, Southampton, Leeds and Clapham)
• Bodean's BBQ (Soho, Fulham, Clapham, Tower Hill, Balham)
• Good Life Diner (8 of them in London only)

Where to buy it - shops

For those more eager you could try Beers of Euope website which sells Dominion root beer at a bargain £1.28 a 355ml bottle. The only catch is the postage at a whooping £7.49 for any order. So it makes sense to order a crate for £30 for 24 which makes it £1.56 a bottle. Still good value if you consider good gourmet root beers are at least £1.79 or more. Annoyingly, their website does not offer indvidual web page links so use their search to find it.

For more information on the brewer have look at F&D Brewing (US) and the Dominion root beer web page for the ingredients.

I rate this:

9/10

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Olde Rhode Island Molasses root beer review

Molasses is quite a rare taste. As a kid, my mum quite fancied herself as a hippy and regularly visited those health shops selling alternative medicines, vitamins, vegetarian supplements, things made out of hemp, and in this case molasses snack bars. They had a distinctive caramel, creamy taste but that was a long time ago.

This Old Rhode Island molasses root beer from Cyber Candy Brighton at £1.89 tasted silky but still quite pleasantly carbonated. It's a rich root beer taste and potentially one of the best I've had. The only disappointment is that I didn't taste any molasses, or at least based on memory. There's a top layer of quality root beer and a subtle underlying flavour of caramel.

After a month of some average, mass-produced root beers it's nice to finally have an excellent one. Highly recommended at:

9/10

Here's what some of our reviewers in the USA said about this:

• Gourmet Root Beer - 3 kegs
• Anthony's Root Beer Barrel - 96

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• Judge Wapner Root Beer review
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• IBC Caffeine Free Root Beer

Hosmer Mountain Sarsaparilla Root Beer review

Reading the label for this Hosmer Mountain drink and its clear that this root beer is a little more special than others I've tasted. The spring water quoted can really be tasted with a clean, freshness in the mouth. The sarsaparilla is smooth and memorable. This is a premium root beer I would love to have on tap.

Checking the manufacturer (Hosmer Soda) website, its both surprising and yet charming how small scale they are. They have just two actual shops and a website that has the charm of a family-run business.

Bought via Cyber Candy for £1.89 a 354ml bottle.

I rate this 'antique' root beer a thoroughly deserved:

9 / 10