This was my Christmas present for 2020. Props to my diligent wife to be able to track it down, as it had stopped being produced in bottles several months earlier. Yet, she was able to mail order some not just from one of the last distributors, but also get in contact with the makers and get two bottles from them. That’s the sort of thing that makes a gift extra special. This is made by New Creation Soda Works in Georgia. They say it’s “as natural as the government will allow” which I assume is referring to lack of sassafras? I don’t actually know. But yeah! Fight the power, or something. I don’t know why they are Root 42. There is no explanation, so kind of like Olde No. 43 in that respect, which is one number better? I don’t know. Let’s see.
The Body is sweet and rich with a nice caramel, vanilla, and aged sarsaparilla flavors featuring prominently. They are accented by a nice nutty taste which comes from pecan. The Bite is a little harsh from carbonation and a little light on the spice. I feel it could use more depth here as well as a smoother finish. The Head is quite nice. It’s pretty tall and though it fizzes down a little faster than others, it isn’t short lasting by any means. The aftertaste is a nutty vanilla flavor with caramel hints.
This is good and rather unique. There’s some interesting ingredients in this, including lemon juice and pecan, but it works far better than you’d expect. They also use “two-fold vanilla” which I had never heard of before. There is something missing, however, I can’t quite put my finger on it. A little bit of texture and spice is missing or something, keeping this out of Seal territory, but it’s good nonetheless, and I lament the decision to only produce in cans going forward. See how it rates against other root beers.
