River City Root Beer

River City Root Beer

Website: http://www.bluedogbeverages.com/sodas/river-city-root-beer-12-oz-bottle/

Sweetener: Cane Sugar

Bottled at: Sacramento, California

Purchase Location: Total Wine & More

River City Root Beer is made by Blue Dog Beverages out of Sacramento, California. Blue Dog Beverages is a soda distributor, which branched out into the production business with River City Root Beer. Now, it looks like River City also makes a blueberry soda and a ginger beer.

River City has a fine bottle presentation. It shows an old river boat sailing up the river (the Sacramento River?) in front of a stately 19th century mansion. The label also includes a vivid description of the pleasant and peaceful memories one can expect to reflect upon while drinking. Finally, Blue Dog Beverages provides a diagram of how a root beer float can be made with River City Root Beer. I would expect most people would know this information without the description, but it is nice that if any poor soul could not figure out the secret recipe of the root beer float, River City has come to the rescue.

I had a love-hate relationship with this root beer. The initial flavor of this root beer was a very harsh molasses, rooty bite. My first thought was that I was going to give this soda a rating of 2 out of 10 or lower. Then came the aftertaste. It was like a perfectly creamy and soothing honey. It was flawless. I continued with the back and forth of extremely harsh to very soothing. I then noticed a slight hint of licorice in the sweeping molasses, rooty bite. The more I drank, the less harsh the initial bite seemed, and the more I enjoyed the soda. I think if I had more River City Root Beer, I would end up enjoying it even more, but for now its rating must be based on what I have already experienced. Give River City Root Beer a shot and let me know what you think.