This comes from some restaurant in Massachusetts called The Edge. I didn’t go there though, anthony did. They make Kayem Hot Dogs, Fresh Burgers, Fried Clams and Fries. That’s it. Do you want something else? No. Do you need anything at your restaurant other than burgers, dogs, fried clams, and fries? Definitely not. According to the bottle this is “Homemade” and by homemade they mean made at the Empire Bottling Works in Rhode Island. Interestingly Empire does quite a few custom root beers. They aren’t just vanity labels either. Each has its own unique recipe usually catered to the taste of the restaurant owner. That’s good because I don’t really like Empire Root Beer at all. I have no idea why it is called Olde No. 43. There is no explanation given anywhere on their site. But somewhere, a long time ago, in the olde days, the 43rd something made such an impression that a root beer was named after it.
The Body is rich and spicy with a nice sassafras flavor. It’s dark but not from licorice, but molasses. There’s an excellent Bite from the spices and a good carbonation level. The Head is, sadly, pathetic, gone in seconds, short while it’s there; a travesty really. The Aftertaste is slight wintergreen and molasses with just a hint of spice wafting away.
This tastes amazing. It’s like those dark and spicy types but without the licorice and molasses instead. I knew if they got rid of the licorice everything would taste better, and now I have the proof. But that whole, “two second Head” sorry, no Seal of Approval for you. See how it rates against other root beers.
