Root beer
Bedford's Root Beer
Orca Beverage Soda Works · Pacific Northwest cane-sugar root beer
Port Angeles / Mukilteo, Washington, USA
A Port Angeles, Washington bottling sweetened entirely with pure cane sugar, Bedford's leads with a creamy vanilla-and-caramel nose far more than with sassafras bite. The pour is soft and gently carbonated, almost syrupy, and so sugar-forward that tasters often clock candy-shop notes — bubblegum, lollipop, even a cherry-cola lilt — ahead of classic root character. A quillaia-driven aftertaste lingers on the finish, which several reviewers read as a faintly off, almost artificial edge despite the all-natural label. Pleasant and easy to drink, but a sweet, low-bite house style rather than a sharp, bark-driven one.
Objective sensory intensities (how it tastes) — not a liking score.
Our editorial notes.
Scores
Rate it
Add your own read to the crowd’s — a quick score, or a full tasting.
The maker
Bedford's Root Beer is a brand of Northwest Soda Works, the company Ed Bedford founded in 1983 (first bottling in 1984) in Washington State, originally known for its crème soda. After reacquiring full ownership, Bedford reformulated the line to pure cane sugar and glass-only bottling. The sodas are now produced under contract by Orca Beverage in Mukilteo, Washington, on behalf of the brand owner based in Port Angeles, Washington.
Ingredients & nutrition
carbonated water, caramel color, pure cane sugar, natural and artificial flavors, gum arabic, quillaia, citric acid, sodium benzoate (a preservative).