A Canadian bear went on an hour and a half soda binge last week, opening and drinking 69 cans of soda left overnight in a food truck owner’s vehicle. As reported here, the bear downed large amounts of orange soda, cola, and root beer. The bear stopped short of consuming cans of diet soda, confirming that diet sodas are not worth consuming, even for a ravenous, soda-addicted animal.
Twig’s Root Beer
Website: https://www.twigsbeverage.net/
Sweetener: Sugar
Bottled at: Shawano, Wisconsin
Twig’s Beverage is a family business dating back to 1951 when Floyd Hartwig, known as Twig, sent money home from his service in the Korean War to purchase bottling equipment. Times were lean but Twig was resourceful, famously mixing batches of soda with an axe handle when machines broke down. Original flavors sold by Twig’s included Bullseye Rootbeer and Goody Orange.
The presentation of Twig’s Root Beer has clean lines, mixing root beer brown with a matte brown background. Above it all, the name Twig’s pops in playful shiny gold letters. I really like the look of their bottle.
“Take a swig of Twig’s” is the company’s tagline and we did just that. Twig’s root beer is not overly carbonated and has virtually no head. It is a tangy root beer and has a bit of a honey aftertaste, despite not containing any honey. It turned out to be an adequate beverage.
Overall Score: 6 of 10.
Dublin Texas Root Beer
Website: http://www.dublinbottlingworks.com/
Sweetener: Cane Sugar
Bottled at: Dublin, Texas
Purchase Location: Real Soda, Gardena, California
In 1891 Sam Houston Prim founded Dublin Bottling Works in the small town of Dublin, Texas. That same year while visiting Waco, Texas, 90 miles from Dublin, Sam Houston Prim tasted the fountain drink known as Dr. Pepper for the first time. Shortly thereafter, Dublin Bottling Works became the first facility to bottle Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper grew in regional popularity in the years that followed, but made its national and international mark when introduced to almost 20 million people at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.
As more facilities began bottling Dr. Pepper, and cheap corn syrup became the preferred sweetener for Dr. Pepper and other sodas, Dublin Bottling Works refused to make the change to high fructose corn syrup, insisting instead on using cane sugar. Consumers, recognizing the unique nature of this cane sugar Dr. Pepper, began referring to the variant as “Dublin” Dr. Pepper. In 2012, Dublin Bottling Works ceased production of Dublin Dr. Pepper as part of a settlement in a lawsuit alleging that it had sold its product outside its approved territory.
Dublin Texas Root Beer carries on the pure cane sugar tradition established by Dublin Bottling Works in the 19th century. The label is a slick combination of seafoam green and yellow. The cap shows an outline of the State of Texas colored in by the Texas flag. The bottom right hand corner has a small, silver insignia of a soda jerk holding a six pack of soda bottles. Just under this insignia, it states “Since 1891.” Dublin Bottling Works was founded in 1891, but I could not find any information regarding when its root beer was created. Consequently, I am not sure whether that date refers solely to the founding of the business.
As for its taste, Dublin Texas Root Beer has classic root beer qualities. It is sweet and creamy, ending with a slightly herbal taste, perhaps with a hint of anise.
Overall Score: 7 of 10.
As summer comes to an end, there is at least one more festivity to look forward to. This Saturday, August 26, 2017, Sprecher is sponsoring the first annual Root Beer Bash and Root Beer 
Olympics. The fun will take place in Sprecher’s home town of Glendale, Wisconsin; the Athens, Greece of root beer competition.
Root Beer Olympians will compete in one of three age groups and/or in as a team. Olympic events will include the Root Beer Chug, Keg Roll, Hold the Glass, Keg Toss, Root Beer Wagon Pull, Root Beer Obstacle Run, and Root Beer Relay. All proceeds from the Root Beer Olympics will be donated to St. Francis Children’s Center, supporting children with special needs.
All root beer athletes can sign up for the competition here.
Root beer has been at the center of two recent legal matters. First, in Alberta, Canada, a man carrying a bottle of root beer was approached by officers in an unmarked police van. The man was suspected of drinking liquor in a public place, in violation of Canada’s Liquor and Gaming Act. Police allege the man would not comp
ly with demands to hand over the bottle or to give his name. They further claim the man “aggressively resisted arrest,” which led to his being tackled to the ground, choked, pepper sprayed, and handcuffed.
The not so happy root beer drinker asserted that he told officers he was merely drinking root beer, and even handed it over to police for inspection. Last week, he was once again less than cheerful when the officers involved in the incident were found not guilty of assault. This man has had a rough time, someone should offer him a frothy root beer. Just make sure he drinks it indoors. His full story can be read here and here.
Meanwhile, back in the United States, an Indiana couple was no match from the crime fighting skills of root beer. While a female customer at a Dollar General Store was paying for a two-liter container of root beer, her husband walked by the doughnut display. After the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man moved behind the clerk’s counter, announced “This is a robbery…,” and began grabbing cash from the register. The couple made off with $40, but left their root beer behind. The thieves were identified by fingerprints taken from the root beer container. As of January 8, 2016, the couple remained at large. Root beer vows not to rest until both individuals are apprehended. That news story can be read in more detail here.
Root Beer Respect 