Thomas Kemper Root Beer

Thomas Kemper makes a variety of Sodas and does a reasonable job across the board. Their Root Beer is no exception, it's a reasonable brew that by and large does what it sets out to. Thomas Kemper Root Beer is a Washington staple sweetened with honey and High Fructose Corn Syrup. That's unfortunate, as the HFCS comes through as the sweetest part and the honey ends up being the primary flavouring, much to the detriment of the Root Beer flavouring that should be predominant.

Kemper's starts out with a nice, sweet vanilla scent and a long lasting head and everything after that is a matter of ups and downs. The carbonation is nice and adds just a hint of bite to the creamy mouthfeel. The Root Beer flavour is where things start to go wrong since the honey in the brew tends to overwhelm most of the Root Beer flavour. What there is of the flavour would best be described as draftish. The aftertaste of Kemper is a mixture of HFCS sweetness and a honey taste that make for a cloying experience.

In the end Thomas Kemper Root Beer ends up being about the honey and not the Root Beer and that's a sad thing.

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Pure Honey
Natural and Artificial Flavors
Sodium Benzoate
Maltodextrin
Phosphoric Acid
Pure Vanilla Extract
Natural Sassafras Extract
Caramel Color

Aroma: Sweet vanilla scent
Head: Nice, big, long lasting head
Carbonation: Average
Mouthfeel: Creamy with a touch of carbonation bite
Root Beer Flavour: Draft-ish style flavour overwhelmed by the honey taste
Sweetness: HFCS sweetness flavoured with the taste of honey
Aftertaste: Cloying sweetness with honey flavour
Overall: Too much honey flavour with HFCS as a foundation, the Root Beer flavour gets lost in the mix.

Thomas Kemper Root Beer gets a 5/10 or a C.


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Thomas Kemper Root Beer, Root Beer, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Food