(photo courtesy of Reading Soda Works & Carbonic Supply.)
The moment I stepped into the Winona Lake Rocket Fizz’s root beer section, I was immediately drawn to the Reading Draft Root Beer. The label was gorgeously designed, tiptoeing the line between traditional and modern. My instinct has always been that if a soda’s label is well designed, the soda itself may have more effort put into it. I scoured the rest of the Rocket Fizz looking for interesting options, but nothing gave me a gut feeling quite like the Reading Draft did. I left the store with a bottle of it, excited to slurp down some of that sweet, sweet bottled goodness.
Place of Acquirement: Rocket Fizz in Winona Lake, IN.
Drinking Vessel/Portion: 12oz bottle, dark glass.
AROMATICS: 3/10
I immediately get the two scents “Root Beer” and “Butter”. I’m not a fan at all of sodas that taste/smell buttery, so I’m a little scared to drink the rest of this Reading Draft Root Beer.
FIRST SIP: 5/10
Butter taste is definitely there. “Root Beer” taste is more prevalent, though. Sweet, bubbly,
TASTE: 7.5/10
As I keep drinking it, either I’m getting used to the buttery flavor or it’s becoming less prevalent. Either way, this soda has changed in taste from the first sip as I’ve been drinking it. That’s definitely a plus for me, since the first sip was a bit intimidating.
AFTERTASTE: 6/10
No buttery flavor in the aftertaste, pretty standard. Not unpleasant, but nothing wonderful about it.
DEPTH OF FLAVOR: 4/10
Pleasant, but no real flavors here other than the standard “Root Beer” taste and the (now light) buttery taste.
MOUTHFEEL: 9/10
Delightfully smooth and creamy, much moreso than most sodas. Carbonation level is in exactly the sweet spot for me.
SWEETNESS: 6.5/10 (1 being not sweet, 10 being absurdly sweet)
Just in that sweet spot (no pun intended) of not being overly sweet but still being pleasantly so.
FLAVOR(S) TASTED:
“Root Beer” flavor, creamy/buttery flavor.
LAST SIP: 7/10
Much, much better than the first sip. Sometimes, the last sip is the worst sip of the entire soda. Not so with Reading Draft Root Beer! It definitely wasn’t quite as full bodied of a sip as the middle, but it was still tasty.
OVERALL RATING: 7/10
Honestly, I was scared by the buttery smell and taste of the first sip, but the more I drank of this soda, the happier I was. It still wasn’t anything that I was tremendously happy with, but it was pleasant. If you’re interested in root beers, don’t be afraid to try Reading Draft’s. It was a wild ride for me!