Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Root Beer Wars...and We Have a Giveaway Winner!

My family takes great entertainment in blind taste-testing our favorite food categories and determining a hands-down winner. We've put various popcorn varieties head-to-head. We actually made 6 different hamburger recipes and declared a winner before the coals cooled in the barbie! Do you not remember the French Fry post? Hey, if you're going to try to live a life of excellence, you might as well find the best tastes for your buds, right?
Root beer. I've never been a fan growing up but Super Hubby had me hooked a few years back as he used it as a vehicle for vanilla ice cream, introducing me to root beer floats. Our son's palate is more sophisticated, as he cracked his first crab leg at the age of 3 and insists lobster is his favorite meal; I had more mac-n-cheese tastes back in my toddling years. So yes, our son's a fan of the root beer.

Don't overwhelm by choosing too many to taste.
In keeping with tradition, we began our search for competitors. We ventured out to our local grocery store and World Market, in order to get the variety we were hoping to sample. FYI - our son's teacher loves root beer and we gave him his own collection to sample as our end-of-the-year teacher's gift.



We are very familiar with A & W Root Beer, as well as Mug Root Beer, so we left those out of the competition. We gathered our paper bags to wrap each bottle ensuring a "blind" taste-test, labeled each bag with a number, and started pouring into our little sample cups. Each sample got its own cup. With pen and paper in hand, we began rating our sips like a Sommelier analyzes wine. We smelled, we swished, we swallowed and we each came up with our own favorite. Super Hubby's fave: Virgil's. Kiddo's fave: Jones. My fave: Natural Brew. But favorites does not a winner make; we needed consensus. And the winner is...Jones Root Beer. Congrats!


Speaking of winners, the winner to LOVD's Etsy Shop $20 gift card according to Random.org is:

Ashley who said...
"I have never actually bought anything from Etsy, but I do have plans to when my best friend finds out what she is having today!"

Ooo, Ashley, I created a "Nesting" necklace you may want to consider for your best friend after I open up the shop!!!!
 
I'll be sure to e-mail you so we can stay in touch...and you can bug me about finally opening up the shop!


See you tomorrow for a fascinating What I Made Wednesday. Follow Me, Like Me, or Subscribe so you're sure not to miss it!

4 comments:

Ashley said...

Oh, I am so excited! I rarely win anything--my husband is the winner in the family--so this is EXCITING! And I did order my first thing from Etsy...a pink "Dumbledore's Army" bib for my best friend. Yep, that's right--she's having a GIRL! I'll have another "best" niece. :)

AND I'll get to order something from Etsy, too, when you get that shop opened. ;) Thanks for the giveaway!

ashes165418@yahoo.com

Ashley said...

Oh, and since I just found your blog recently, I went back and reread all of your posts. (I have to do that whenever I find a new blog.) You have inspired me to start a Gratitude journal!

Suzan Wood-Young said...

Congratulations Ashley! Thanks for the memories of childhood Root Beer Floats Lilly! Root beer is probably my favourite pop, but it's hard to find a diet version. Haven't found a Jones one yet but will keep an eye out!

Unknown said...

My family's favorite root beer is the homemade rootbeer I buy at the farmer's market every summer. I buy three bottles every week until suddenly I can't for six months!

 

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