A & W Diet Root Beer

My first job ever was at a waitress in a tiny town at the local A&W.  I lasted a whole 3 months - clearly waitressing was not my thing.  I developed amazing biceps that summer from hoisting trays of the frosty glass mugs out to the cars- we had both indoor seating and carhop service.  I never drank the root beer there, though, after seeing how the open vats were stored down in the basement.  Ick.  (Note, if you enjoy a restaurant, never, EVER tour the kitchen or you'll never eat there again.)

Of course, the stuff you buy in the store is a far cry from the draft root beer you get at the restaurant. I've pretty much given up all diet soda's since I can't handle aspartame anymore, but this was left by a guest in my fridge and I got desperate.  And...it's alright.  They bill it as "vanilla root beer" and it is as good a description as any.  A very mild root beer flavor, nothing outstanding, typical mass-market carbonation and, since it is a diet soda, very light mouth feel.  I grew up drinking diet so I don't notice much of an aftertaste from the aspartame.  

The ingredients are somewhat scary:

Ingredients: Carbonated water, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavors, aspartame, malic acid, Phenylketonurics: contains phenylalanine.

If you have to drink a mass market pop, this isn't a bad choice, but if A&W is your only choice, I'd probably go for the cream soda over the root beer which has a more intense flavor.  If you're looking for something that won't compete with your food choice, this is a good pick.