I can’t look at the name of this and not think about The Arrogant Worms, a Canadian comedy folk band whose song, The Last Saskatchewan Pirate contains the phrase “A bridge outside of Moose Jaw spans the mighty river. Farmers cross in so much fear their stomachs are a quiver. Because they know that Tractor Jack is hiding in the bay …” (Coincidentally I also had two bottles of Captain Jack’s Root Beer to review right after this one…) It is a glorious song. Interestingly the pizza place and brewery this comes from is named after the town of Arrogant Worms fame. And there’s some homage/connection to Al Capone as well. Why not? It wouldn’t be the first time he was affiliated with root beer. Other than that if there was one thing I could say to describe this brew it would be Sodium Benzoate. Why? Because they want to let you know just how many times they put it in there. It’s listed in parentheses as the last ingredient in the ingredient “Rootbeer Extract”. Then they add a “Sodium Benzoate Solution” which of course contains it in parentheses again, and finally it’s also included in their “Sparkling Foam” ingredient. After each mention of Sodium Benzoate they say “(Preservative)” so you’re getting into nested parentheses. Seriously, we figured out that it was a preservative the first time. So yeah, this brew is chalk full of sodium benzoate evidently.
The Body is sweet and spicy with honey and wintergreen and some slight bit of fruity. There’s a solid spicy Bite. The Head is short, but frothy and lingers. The Aftertaste is some fruity honey and spice. I suspect that the honey used in this was a fruity type honey which is where that flavor comes from.
I like the spicy honey, but not the fruity and the poor Head. And after all of the ballyhooed sodium benozate, I really didn’t notice it in there. All in all it’s pretty decent and would go well with their pizzas I’m sure. See how it rates against other root beers.
One day I’m walking through Macey’s (a grocery store) in Provo and I spot this new root beer on the shelves. I’d tried one other brew from Napa Valley Soda Company, Rutherford, and it was an experience I wished I could forget. Closer inspection revealed that this iteration is certified organic instead of merely being all natural. The label had clearly changed from the peaceful bliss of Rutherford. Gone were the green valley and the sunny days and the lazy fliers and in its place a swirling vortex of doom. This cavernous void was no doubt the result of Rutherford Root Beer being unleashed upon the valley. Only one hot air balloon managed to escape the destruction, with the valley’s last hope for salvation, the new and improved Napa Valley Soda Company Root Beer. Only a truly excellent brew of the highest caliber could save them. 
Aussie brew number 2! It’s made by Slade’s Soft Drinks which is located in Victoria Australia and was started over a hundred years ago by the O’Neil brothers. This drink supposedly dates back to the founding and it uses a “secret recipe”. Angus was the son of one of the two brothers. The company was originally called O’Neil Brother’s Soft Drinks but they changed to Slade’s because they deemed it “appropriate” whatever that’s supposed to mean. This one took me forever to get a hold of. It was always frustrating because it was just out of reach. First Slade’s Soft Drinks ‘liked’ my Facebook page, but never responded to any messages about me getting any of their root beer. Then I found a case on Ebay and asked the seller if they’d ship to the US. They said they would but it would be over $100. If they only shipped two bottles, shipping would be only $50 but they’d still charge me for the full case of root beer. I balked and the item expired. I searched high and low and found markets in India that sold it but nobody shipped to the US. Throughout this time I’d tried to contact the company directly but they never responded. Then one day, out of the blue, they did. After a month of negotiations I finally got it shipped to me. It wasn’t cheap. And then they didn’t even bubble wrap the bottles and so one leaked due to damage (is it just me or does the post like to damage fragile packages?). At least I had one pristine bottle to review. It comes in a 375 ml bottle like Bundaberg, though it’s a screw cap. 
