Apr 162014
 

Triple XXX Root Beer Bottle After reading my XXX Root Beer review and my Triple AAA Root Beer review I knew you were wondering what things I had to say about Triple XXX, the root beer that started all of this mess. It was awhile ago that I came across a six pack of this. The first thing that got me hung up about this brew was the name. Did they mean Triple X, but wanted to make sure you really got it so they called it Triple XXX? It seemed redundant but yes, it really was called Triple XXX and not Triple X. So does Triple XXX = 9X, X^9, or 3X^3? Does it mean this root beer has some connection to the adult entertainment industry (as an aside I’ve really thought about registering www.gourmetrootbeer.xxx and having it redirect to this post)? According to their website, XXX used to mean good, so the owners thought that Triple XXX is three times as good, or something. Who knows. The label makes me happy, simple, metallic, and retro. Though they changed it since I drank this.

I drank more bottles of this root beer than normal and every time I got something different. The Body was sometimes sweet and full, sometimes watery and lacking. The Bite was sometimes harsh, sometimes smooth. The Head was never very frothy but ranged between nonexistent and not bad. It always fizzed away quickly though. The Aftertaste was sometimes (see a pattern here?) very nice and of vanilla, and sometimes very weak.

Ok, what’s up with that? Whatever happened to quality control and process consistency? I have strict standards and try to recreate the exact same drinking situation with each review but this one was all over the place throughout the whole six pack. The inconsistency of it all was appalling. “Tastes like root beer used to taste”? Really, it seems like they can’t remember and tried several things. Though sometimes the root beer was really good, I just can’t in good faith call the brew drinkable when I’m not sure what it’ll be. So sorry Triple XXX, you get a two and a half. See how it rates against other root beers.

2.5/5 Root Beer Kegs




Apr 092014
 

Dublin Texas Root Beer Bottle I first heard about the Dublin Bottling Works when news of the lawsuit and the end of Dublin Dr Pepper broke. While I was sympathetic towards the plight of those who loved the drink, would miss the drink, or whose livelihoods depended on the drink, I didn’t like the drink. Or rather, I don’t like Dr Pepper or any of the imitations and never had, so I really couldn’t lament much even though I’ve never tried that particular version of it. But Dublin Bottling Works, being from Texas, won’t let The Man keep them down, and have replaced their Dublin Dr Pepper with Dublin Texas Root Beer. Now this is a very positive thing in my opinion. Replacing I flavor I don’t like with one I do. It’s not like they’re strangers to root beer either, they used to bottle Triple XXX. I’m not sure if they still do, but now they have their own original root beer. Since it was a new product launch, they were kind enough to send me a six pack for review.

The Body is sweet and a little creamy and full of the standard root beer flavors, so much so that it borders being generic tasting. It’s a little on the dark side as well. The Bite is prickly from carbonation but lacking in spice. The Head is tall but fizzes down at an average speed, faster than I feel it should. The Aftertaste is a sort of sticky caramel almost vanilla flavor.

Pretty good, but it doesn’t really have anything extra to really make me swoon. It is a solid brew for a barbeque or a float, but not quite sipping variety. But a good all around root beer like this is sure to be successful enough, even if it’s not my favorite. See how it rates against other root beers.

Three and a half kegs




Nov 142012
 

When I first heard about this I jokingly thought that they were trying to one up Triple XXX since ‘A’ is arguably a better letter than ‘X’. Then I learned that indeed, Triple AAA was an offshoot of by some ex-Triple XXX employees (quadruple XXX?) who wanted to make their own root beer, and better than that Triple XXX stuff they had so previously been affiliated with. To drive the point home, they called it Triple AAA, because ‘A’ is better than ‘X’. They went on to have Triple AAA thirst stations (root beer stands) and generally mimic everything else Triple XXX did. Wow! Who would have thought my joke would have been spot on. Unfortunately, about 38 years ago, Triple AAA finally kicked the can and was thus outlasted by their rivals, who still managed to hold on to one final root beer stand and one offshoot unaffiliated stand that still kind of was a Triple XXX stand. However, since the Root Beer Revival is underway, the fine people at Bricktown Candy Co. decided it was time to resurrect their favorite childhood beverage as best they could considering the original recipe died with the founder. They claim they’ve got it tasting exactly like they remember and I can only guess that it’s right. They did have help from a relative of the founder so inside secrets were surely shared. According to the label, this is “Sweetened With Pure Cane Sugar” until you look at the ingredients on the side of the label which list high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient (and no cane sugar I might add). I’m not sure which of the two I’m to believe but since I don’t really care about that anyways, I’ll let it go for now.

The Body has a solid sassafras flavor with some creamy vanilla. Other than that though, it is rather simple, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There is a nice little spice Bite that comes in after the initial contact but it is still very smooth. The Head is very tall, but it fizzes down very quickly, so it loses some points for that. The Aftertaste is more sassafras and vanilla that lasts awhile and has some bitter hints at the end.

Not bad. Not bad at all. It does have a old-fashioned root beer stand flavor to it. I like it, but not really enough. It just doesn’t quite do it for me and the lack of frothy Head sealed its fate. I wouldn’t mind having it again, but I wouldn’t specifically seek it out. I will say though, that I feel the root beer world is better off with it, and it did rate better than Triple XXX. See how it rates against other root beers.