Lakefront Brewery Golden Maple Root Beer

I opened this while cooking last night:

 

Brand: Lakefront Brewery Golden Maple Root Beer

Origin: Milwaukee, WI.

Purchase Place: Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Pure cane sugar and pure Wisconsin maple syrup.

Review: I didn't get a TON of maple flavor from this. I'd could say I'm disappointed a little, but the flavor wasn't bad, so I'm not too upset. It's less "maple" and more like "if a root beer and a cream soda had a baby" which is NOT a bad thing. It was a bit like a creamy root beer. The flavor wasn't amazing, but it was good for what it was. I'll rank this just a bit above average.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Sprecher Maple Root Beer

In "honor" of the Packers losing this past weekend (YASSSS!!!!), I cracked into this 2nd soda that my wife picked up for me recently at Menards: 

Brand: Sprecher Maple Root Beer.

Origin: Glendale, WI.

Purchase Place: Menards, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar and WI Maple Syrup.

Review: I was ready for this to have a weird funk, but it didn't. It didn't really smell of maple or maple syrup, and it just had a SLIGHT flavor of it, which paired well with a normal root beer flavor. It was so subtle that it seemed to just have a slight butterscotch flavor. The root beer was slightly smooth and pretty decent, and the maple flavor just gave it a little something extra.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Northern Soda Company Maple Root Beer

I shared this with my boys last night: 

Brand: Northern Soda Company Maple Root Beer.

Origin: Arden Hills, MN.

Purchase Place: Remix, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This smelled pretty normal when I cracked into it - just a slight whiff of maple. But OH MY GOODNESS the flavor is about ALLLLLL pancake syrup. There's really no reason to call this a version of a root beer as it's basically a more liquid version of maple syrup. I'm OK with that, but it was a bit shocking when I first sipped it. And both of my boys agreed - it was basically "pancake syrup soda" if that appeals to you. It was good for sipping, but too rich to chug.

Score: 5 out of 10.

(This was my 3rd root beer this month! But unfortunately, it was my worst with just an "average" score of 5. The other two root beers had 8s seen HERE and HERE. A decent month for root beer!)

Northern Soda Company Root Beer

I grabbed these from Remix a few days ago:

Remix has a large variety of this brand, so I hope I like these!

I had to start with the "normal" root beer.

Brand: Northern Soda Company Root Beer.

Origin: Arden Hills, MN.

Purchase Place: Remix, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The first sip was pretty "classic" root beer, which is what I was expecting based on the retro can design. (Side note: the cans are just plain aluminum with a big sticker that wraps around it as the label, and that seems unique for canned sodas.) 

But after the initial root-beer-on-the-lips taste, it really ends with a strong unique taste: it's a little "herby" and a lot "cherry-like!" It shocked me at first, but then I really started to like it. Super unique, and fruity. The only complaint is that it tastes just a LITTLE weak. This is totally one of those that everyone might not like because they "took a chance," but I sure like it. It makes me excited to try their maple root beer, and excited to head back to Remix to try other kids of Northern Soda Company sodas!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Ramblin' Maple Root Beer

I tried this yesterday afternoon:

Brand: Ramblin' Maple Root Beer.

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This smelled STRONGLY of maple syrup when I popped the cap. It tasted like it too, but it was a strong "burnt" flavor - I feel like something about the way carbonation works with that flavor makes it very harsh and horrible. The maple flavor isn't bad, it just BECOMES bad (I think). If you REALLY like maple flavored things, then try this. Otherwise, stay away. I only mustered a handful of sips.

Score: 2 out of 10.