The Rankings for Root Beer Taste Test 2: The Root of Khan
First, the overall results table, sorted by the overall rankings (ties are sorted alphabetically).
| Brand | Aroma | Fizz | Creaminess | Spiciness | Overall |
| Blumer's | 4 | 3 | 4.25 | 3.5 | 4.25 |
| Henry Weinhard's | 3.25 | 3.75 | 4.75 | 2.25 | 4 |
| Market Pantry | 3.5 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Walgreens | 2.75 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.75 | 3.5 |
| Black Bear | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3.25 |
| A&W | 2.25 | 3.5 | 3.25 | 3 | 3 |
| Berghoff | 2.5 | 3.25 | 4.25 | 2.25 | 3 |
| Dad's | 3.25 | 3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Dog 'n' Suds | 3.25 | 3.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Frostie | 2.25 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 2.75 | 3 |
| Hank's | 2 | 3 | 3.25 | 2 | 3 |
| Sioux City | 3 | 1.5 | 3.25 | 1.75 | 3 |
| Bulldog | 2 | 3 | 3.75 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| Wild Oats | 1.75 | 2.75 | 3 | 1.75 | 2.5 |
| Windy City | 2.75 | 3 | 1.75 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Dr. Brown's | 2.25 | 3.75 | 2.5 | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Faygo | 2.5 | 3.5 | 2.75 | 1.75 | 2.25 |
| Jones | 2.25 | 2 | 2.25 | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Hansen's | 1.5 | 2.25 | 3.25 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 365 | 3 | 1.75 | 2 | 2 | 1.75 |
| Boylan Natural | 2 | 2.5 | 3 | 1.75 | 1.75 |
| Natural Brew | 2.25 | 1.5 | 3.75 | 1.25 | 1.5 |
| Blue Sky | 1.75 | 2.75 | 1.5 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| Blue Sky Organic | 1.5 | 2.75 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Point Premium | 1 | 2 | 1.75 | 1 | 1 |
Now, the individual tables. First mine:
| Brand | Aroma | Fizz | Creaminess | Spiciness | Overall |
| Blumer's | 4 | 3 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Henry Weinhard's | 2.5 | 3 | 4.5 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Market Pantry | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Walgreens | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 |
| A&W | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Berghoff | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Black Bear | 3 | 3.5 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Dad's | 3.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 |
| Dog 'n' Suds | 3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Frostie | 2.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 |
| Sioux City | 2.5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Bulldog | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| Dr. Brown's | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Faygo | 2.5 | 4 | 2.5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Hank's | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Jones | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Windy City | 2.5 | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| 365 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Boylan Natural | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Wild Oats | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Hansen's | 1 | 1.5 | 3 | 1 | 1.5 |
| Natural Brew | 2 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Blue Sky | 1 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 |
| Blue Sky Organic | 1.5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Point Premium | 1 | 2.5 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
And Drew's:
| Brand | Aroma | Fizz | Creaminess | Spiciness | Overall |
| Henry Weinhard's | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 2.5 | 4.5 |
| Blumer's | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Black Bear | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Hank's | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Market Pantry | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 |
| Walgreens | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| A&W | 2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 |
| Berghoff | 3 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Dad's | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 2 | 3 |
| Dog n' Suds | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Frostie | 2 | 3.5 | 4 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Sioux City | 3.5 | 1 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Wild Oats | 2 | 4 | 3.5 | 2 | 3 |
| Bulldog | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| Hansen's | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Windy City | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Dr. Brown's | 2.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Faygo | 2.5 | 3 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Jones | 2.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 3 | 2 |
| 365 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.5 |
| Blue Sky | 2.5 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Boylan Natural | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Natural Brew | 2.5 | 1.5 | 4 | 1 | 1.5 |
| Blue Sky Organic | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Point Premium | 1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 |
Finally, the awards.
Best Overall Flavor Award: Blumer's
Best Aroma Award: Blumer's
Most Enjoyable Fizz: Henry Weinhard's (several tied for this spot, but
Weinhard's had the best overall score)
The Eric Clapton Award for Creamiest Root Beer: Henry Weinhard's, with
a robust 4.75 out of 5
The Barq's Has Bite Memorial Award for Best Spice Use: Walgreens
The Bang for Your Buck Award: Target and Walgreens, which tied for
third despite being cheap store-brand generics
And finally, the Money Pit Award: Point Premium, for absolutely
nauseating us and costing what a "premium" root beer usually costs
Blumer's and Henry Weinhard's were the individual favorites and the top two root beers
overall, easily outclassing the rest of the field.
Alma and I found out last year that eight mini golf courses in one day is too many, and I think 25 brands of root beer in one day qualifies for the same caution. Drew and I came in thinking we loved root beer and left feeling like we never needed to drink it again. I don't know if it was just that the original test featured better brands, but 9 of 15 root beers in the 2005 test rated better than average, with an average overall score of 3.37. In this test, just five of 25 root beers rated better than average, seven were average, and fully 13 were rated below average. The average score was only 2.56 - even the colas did better than that! It was such an uninspiring result that it took me five months to actually get this posted. So while there may be a future taste test on something different, like ginger ale, I think root beer has pretty much run its course at this site. A shame, too... but sometimes these things happen.