The Root Beer Rankings
First, the overall results table, sorted by the overall flavor rankings (ties are sorted alphabetically).
| Brand | Aroma | Fizz | Saltiness | Spiciness | Overall |
| Berghoff | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 3.25 | 4.75 |
| IBC | 3.25 | 4.25 | 3 | 3.75 | 4.5 |
| Barq's | 3.75 | 4 | 3.5 | 4.25 | 4.25 |
| Gale's | 4.25 | 3.75 | 3 | 4.75 | 4.25 |
| Goose Island | 1.5 | 2 | 2.75 | 4 | 3.75 |
| Sprecher | 2 | 1.75 | 3.25 | 3.75 | 3.5 |
| Stewart's | 3.5 | 3.25 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.5 |
| Wildwood | 4 | 3 | 2.75 | 3.75 | 3.5 |
| Virgil's | 3 | 4 | 1.75 | 3.5 | 3.25 |
| Boylan | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.25 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Cubby Bear | 1.5 | 3 | 2 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Mug | 3.75 | 3 | 2 | 3.25 | 3 |
| Hires | 3 | 4.25 | 2.75 | 1.5 | 2.25 |
| Jewel | 1 | 3 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| A&W | 1.75 | 2 | 2.75 | 2.25 | 1.75 |
Now, the individual tables. First mine:
| Brand | Aroma | Fizz | Saltiness | Spiciness | Overall |
| IBC | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Berghoff | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.5 | 4.5 |
| Gale's | 4.5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Barq's | 3.5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Stewart's | 4 | 3.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4 |
| Cubby Bear | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Goose Island | 1 | 2 | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 |
| Sprecher | 2 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Wildwood | 4 | 4 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Boylan | 1.5 | 2 | 3 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Jewel | 1 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Mug | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Virgil's | 3 | 4.5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Hires | 4 | 4.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| A&W | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
And Drew's:
| Brand | Aroma | Fizz | Saltiness | Spiciness | Overall |
| Berghoff | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Barq's | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Gale's | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 4.5 | 4 |
| Goose Island | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| IBC | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Sprecher | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Virgil's | 3 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 4 | 3.5 |
| Wildwood | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Boylan | 3.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Mug | 3.5 | 3 | 2 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Stewart's | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 |
| Cubby Bear | 1.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 2 | 2.5 |
| A&W | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3 | 2 |
| Hires | 2 | 4 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Jewel | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | 1.5 |
Finally, the awards.
Overall Best Flavor Award: Berghoff
Best Aroma Award: Gale's
Most Enjoyable Fizz: IBC (tied with Hires, but I give IBC the win due
to it being much better overall)
Best Use of Sodium: Stewart's
The "Barq's Has Bite" Memorial Award for Spice Use: Gale's
The Bang for Your Buck Award: Berghoff, for being both the best
overall and not any more expensive than a standard 20-ounce bottle of pop
And finally, the Money Pit Award: Virgil's, which costs six dollars
for a 16-ounce bottle at Treasure Island or eight dollars for four 12-oz bottles at Jewel
(a better deal overall, but still quite high). All that and it ranked below
Wildwood, which you can get for about a quarter per can. But hey, angel blood ain't
cheap.
So, that's all for the Great Root Beer Taste Test of August 20, 2005. Perhaps someday we will have another taste test, and on it I shall report. Until then...