Just Sit Right Back And You'll Hear A Tale...

And what a tale it is. After my debacle of a Soda tasting with Thums Up Soda I needed something to set my mind at ease and reassure me that all was, indeed right with the world. Searching through my available chilled Root Beers I selected one that I had been wanting to try for the last week. I reached in and took out my sole bottle of "Milligan's Island Awesome Root Beer", my trusty mug and sat down with no small amount of trepidation.

Things began well for me when, upon decanting this interesting brew I was rewarded with a truly nice head. This Root Beer could give Henry Weinhard's a run for the money in the head category! Frothy, long lasting and aromatic, it brings a nice quality that too many modern brews lack.

The folks at Milligan's did a good job on carbonation, too. It adds just the right amount of bite to the brew that the spiciness is accentuated in a pleasant manner. Combine this with the creaminess of the mouth feel and the initial old style draft flavour and you have a winner!

It is easy to find yourself almost literally devouring this brew in search of the flavours. I have yet to find any Root Beer which had a spiciness that used cloves in the same way that Milligan's does. It's not a common, upfront flavouring for Root Beer by any means, but it seems to work well. The cloves don't dominate in any fashion other than in the immediate, non-lingering aftertaste. It surprising and pleasant. I thought I also detected a hint of ginger and possibly some nutmeg in there, too.

After tasting and reviewing I took a trip over to the Milligan's website and was pleased to see that they have the right spirit for Rooties! A fun little site for fans of their product and a sure sign that they don't take things too seriously.

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Cane Sugar or High Fructose Corn Sweetener
Caramel Color
Natural & Artificial Flavors
Citric Acid and Sodium Benzoate

Carbonation: Nice. Accentuates the spiciness and adds bite.
Mouth Feel: Creamy with a decent amount of body.
Root Beer Flavour: More reminiscent of "draft style" bottled brews.
Head: Great head. Comes on strong and lasts quite awhile.
Aftertaste: A clove taste in the initial aftertaste. It fades quickly to a vanilla taste.
Aroma: Vanilla with just a hint of the spiciness.
Overall Taste: Yummy. It could do with a more pronounced cane sugar taste, which I just couldn't discern. But, overall this Root Beer is very drinkable!

Milligan's Island gets a 7/10 or a B+

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Milligan's Island, Root Beer