Per Google, a bandit is a “robber or outlaw belonging to a gang and typically operating in an isolated or lawless area”. I somehow doubt that the folks at Bandit Beverage fall into the first part of that definition, but northern Utah is definitely isolated. Point of trivia, the largest employer in Ogden Utah is the Internal Revenue Service. Now you know why those revenue agents sound so depressed on the phone. Haha, boy am I funny! Just kidding, I’m sure Ogden is great. I know at least two people that live in the area. Only one of them works for the IRS.

I thought that this root beer had some personality. When I first drank it I was struck by the strong licorice/anise flavor, but then there was a palate shift. That licorice dominance faded into a molasses and sarsaparilla body that was bitter, kind of spicy, and a little bit minty? I enjoyed the first half of each sip quite a bit, but the molasses finish wasn’t my favorite way to go. The earthiness of it lingers and sits on your palate which to me weakens the rest of the root beer flavor. I might have also had an old bottle…

My bottle of Bandit Root Beer was accompanied by some awesome pizza, so I chased down the sips with bites of spicy chicken and sausage with Mama Lil’s peppers. That helped solve the problem. My wife didn’t notice the molasses as much as I did, and my kids both tried it without much complaint. Given those points I won’t rate it too harshly. It’s an enjoyable licorice forward root beer and I’ll give it a 7 out of 10.

Catalog:
Received via trade with Eric’s Gourmet Root Beer. Sampled on 11/16/2016