I picked this soda,
Journey's John Barleycorn's Root Beer, after reading the ingredient label. It said it contained flavoring from
malted barley and wintergreen. In addition to both being unusual ingredients in root beer, the two seemed like an
unlikely pairing in general.
The first thing I noticed was the relative lack of carbonation in the root beer; it was quite syrupy, actually. The flavor was unusual. The malted barley came through immediately, making it seem much more like beer than root beer, and it finished with the very fresh wintergreen flavor. There was an aftertaste of malt. It really concentrated on the barley/mint combination instead of playing up the spicy sassafras flavor I ordinarily enjoy in root beer. There’s a reason that it’s not a good idea to wait until after you’ve finished you beer to have a breath mint and not have it during: not the best flavor combination.







