Today we have a dual entry on account of the suspicious similarities noted between two root beers: Sea Dog and Capt'n Eli. Oddly, both contain identical ingredients ("Water, cane sugar, caramel coloring, natural & artificial flavors including wintergreen oil, anise, and vanilla, spices, herbs, citric acid, and sodium benzoate as a preservative") and both are brewed and bottled by companies out of Portland, Maine. Obviously there is some story here, but the real question is: do they taste the same? And, if not, which one is better? We did not shrink from the challenge, and we found some answers.
John: The initial pour showed that Capt'n Eli's yielded a much foamier head than did Sea Dog's, and the color of the foam was different, too: Captian Eli's had more of a caramel tinge, while Sea Dog's looked like white caps foaming off the Atlantic coast. As for taste, I won't keep you in suspense: Capt'n Eli's sent Sea Dog down to Davy Jones' Locker. Eli's had more vanilla/caramel flavor and a better balance all around; Sea Dog was like a weaker version of Eli, only with more wintergreen extract, and less taste. Eli's gets **** easy; Sea Dog has to settle for ***. It's not an offensive root beer--just not great.
JoJo: Capt'n Eli: I'm happy I pulled Capt'n Eli's out of my fridge. This is a well-rounded, easy to drink root beer with lots of vanilla and good effervescence. The mild biterness keeps the sweetness in check. I'll even drink the whole bottle. ****
FRED: CAPT'N ELI. FROTHY FLAVORFULL AND TASTY. ****
SEA DOG: GOOD BUT NOT SPECIAL. SIMILAR TO ELI BUT LITTLE BITTERNESS, **
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