Fest Pecan Root Beer

I don't recall where I picked up this bottle from Fest. They are supposedly a company out of New Orleans, but their domain (festcola.com) seems to be vacant at the present time, so I'm not sure if they are still bottling or not. Their Instagram and Twitter accounts are still up, but as of today, neither has had any new posts since 2019, so that does not bode well. Unfortunately, that means I may never get to taste some of their other flavors such as Peach Ginger Ale or Almond Cola. What drew me to this bottle was the styling. The font and swooping parallel lines give me a 1970's aesthetic. 

The soda has a rich golden brown color, not as dark as a typical root beer. It's smell is not just nutty, but earthy, almost smoky. The flavor is complex, almost bourbon-like with the slightest hint of caramel. It has a decent amount of carbonation, but I think it's right. Too much carbonation can sometimes make a soda a bit sharp and distract from the flavor. I can appreciate the use of cane sugar as well, which as I've mention in previous posts provides a softer, more "round" sweetness than corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. Just half way through this bottle and it's won me over and makes me a bit disheartened about the possibility of not being able to try their other flavors. Kudos to the folks that created this recipe.