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Dad's Root Beer is a true class act operation! This year (2012CE) marks their 75th Anniversary. Next to A&W they hold the second place in market share, and second to none they hold many marketing innovations. Most notably they were apparently the first company to market a "six-pack." I highly recommend checking out their website history to learn more about this great brand!
I found this root beer to have a wonderful and full flavor. The sassafras flavor was almost matched with sarsaparilla and it was finished with light spice. In keeping with trends of the 1940s, Dad's has a more balanced vanilla content and pleasant carbonation. Their use of pure cane sugar and the specific blend of flavors gives Dad's a clean finish, while the high sugar content diminishes some of the crispness. I would highly recommend this root beer particularly because it has not compromised quality even with its wide distribution. Overall I give it an 8.
PS: The Dad's name was given in honor of the deceased father of one of the founder's. It also gives a shout out to an age where many dads would brew root beer for their family. How fun would it be if the modern micro/home brew movement boosted home root beer production?
Mississinewa 1812 is the largest War of 1812 living history event in the United States. At these events you'll see people dressed in period garb and daunting flintlock reenactment rifles. Its a fun family event that really draws a crowd.
One of the staple components of these festivals is the pioneer style draft root beer. It is an entirely different experience from every other sassafras soda I've ever tried. The most stark quality of this beverage is the lack of carbonation. This root beer is not carbonated at all and makes the Mug two litre you left on the counter over night seem fizzy and fresh. The sweet, syrupy nectar exposes why carbonation is added to soft drinks: it sharpens the otherwise dull soda. Now, I actually am beginning to think that trying your root beer flat when home-brewing could be a worthwhile exercise. I was instantly able to taste all of the ingredients. It had very little vanilla flavor, and was absolutely loaded with notes of licorice, anise, and allspice. I'm not sure if there is any sort of history to these spices, but it was definitely different from anything else I've ever tried. While this root beer doesn't score very high on my rating, I would rank this as a 4, I would say that it is an experience at least every Hoosier must partake of.
The four rating is for the lack of carbonation and the coloration. The anise and licorice notes were actually really unique, but they robbed the beverage of some of its color quality. Good bold carmel color is a non-negotiable for me in the root beer world.
