Another root beer I didn’t think I’d ever try. That was because when I learned about it and emailed the company inquiring, they said that they weren’t producing it in glass anymore. But then I guess the powers that be persuaded them otherwise (being shunned by me is very convincing I’d imagine) and they brought it back. Another reviewer, Root Beer Trackers got some and we worked out a nice trade. This is made by the Penny Cola Company, whose entire existence is the shunning of corn syrup sodas. They make several vintage flavors, though why they call this “Kick It Root Beer” is not explained. They have interesting quotes about Pennies and seem to love the little coins a lot. While I used to love Pennies, they’ve long outlived their usefulness and should be done away with, as they cost more to make then they are worth and they aren’t accepted anywhere. You can learn more about why we should get rid of our One Cent coins here. You can learn more about the flavor of this root beer by continuing to read.
The Body is very generic and a little fruity. The cane sugar is a nice touch though. The Bite is very mild; no real spice to speak of, but sufficient carbonation. The Head is medium but fizzes away very quickly. The Aftertaste is mostly fruity, not a super strong sour fruity, but fruity nonetheless. There’s even the slightest bit of vanilla in there.
This is pretty ‘meh’. I was on the fence as what to give it, but I guess, I would, probably, drink it again. It isn’t bad, it isn’t good, it just is. I will say that it justifies its existence far better than the coin with which it is frosted, so there’s that. See how it rates against other root beers.
Remember when butterscotch root beer was all new and exciting? Those were fun times. Now it is becoming ever more common, which isn’t a bad thing for people like me who review root beers. This butterscotch root beer is different than the rest, this is the one to make it mainstream. Why? Because AJ Stephans was a long established root beer whose makers looked at the trend, and decided to add to their existing lineup. All of the rest were either stand alone brands which only had a butterscotch root beer, or they were Dang!, who has been doing butterscotch before it was a thing. The problem I’ve observed with so many of those other butterscotch brews is that they are heavy on butterscotch, light on the root beer. But AJ Stephans is a heavy, dark root beer, so maybe they’d find a winning combo?