Mug Root Beer
I really like the root beers with dogs on the label. I’m actually not a big dog fan . . . scooping up their poop, laying down on the couch and finding a big clump of dog hair, cleaning up dog puke on the carpet . . . you get the idea. But when a dog is pictured on the label of a root beer it seems instantly better, i.e. Bulldog Root Beer.
Mug Root Beer is basically a generic root beer that is a little more well known and found in almost any supermarket I’ve ever visited. The ingredient list is pretty comparable to other root beers with high fructose corn syrup as the second ingredient.
The main flavor in this brew is licorice, and although some may find it a little overbearing, I actually like it for a change. This root beer’s “one-trick pony” or should I say “one-trick dog” is the licorice and for the moment I am digging it.
My most important co-professor agreed with me wholeheartedly and even posed with the ole boot mug.
All of my education and my experience tell me that this root beer shouldn’t be rated above a “D,” but my taste buds so want to give this a “B.”
The Professor’s Grade: B –
Lost Trail Diet Root Beer
When does the head on a root beer last too long? How about when after 5 minutes there is still 6 inches of foam that hasn’t dissappated at all! It may sound like a good thing, but it sort of impairs the whole process of actually getting to the root beer itself. Back in 2009 I reviewed the non-diet version of Lost Trail and I noted that there was virtually no head at all, so to have this sort of head in the diet version is quite peculiar. I wonder if it’s something chemical . . . being diet and all.
The guy at my local soda store recommended this root beer as one of the best diet brews available. He’s right in the sense that there is really no nasty diet aftertaste that has virtually been present in every other diet root beer. The problem is there is virtually no taste at all. It’s an extremely mild brew with nothing offensive at all and almost nothing to comment on. Creamy yes, nasty diet aftertaste no, and anything distinctive whatsoever no.
Not a bad choice for a diet brew though, in fact it’s probably the best diet root beer I’ve reviewed thus far.
The Professor’s Grade: C +
Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer Cream Bars
Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer Cream Bars found in the dollar store . . . pretty dang cool! I ate these rather religiously last summer, but when my teaching assistant brought them home recently I decided I ought to review this.
As far as pure root beer flavor, this pop falls flat. I should have known even before I tasted by simply looking at the tagline – “Vanilla flavored frozen dairy dessert with a Root Beer flavored water ice coating.” I mean really . . . you couldn’t come up with anything better than “flavored water ice coating.”
And looking at the ingredients, I’m not sure if there is really any Dad’s Root Beer in the pops at all, I think it is only licensed under the authority of the Dad’s Root Beer Company.
Ultimately, it’s really not a great tasting ice pop. The root beer flavor is artificial at best and non-existent at worst. The ice-cream mixture in the middle is a mixture of milk and artificial ingredients. Pretty artificial overall.
But – the little professors are all happy and five ice pop bars for $1 is not too shabby.
The Professor’s Grade: D
Zuberfizz Creamy Root Beer
I must say that Zuberfizz is an interesting name for a root beer. Most root beer drinkers (I assume) want an excellent brew that reminds them of yesteryear. They want a unique brew yes, but they want something that reminds them of their youth. In other words, classic! Zuberfizz does say “classic” at the top of their bottle, and the company, “Durango Soda Company” screams classic, but unfortunately that’s all ruined by the name Zuberfizz.
It is slightly more carbonated than I would wish, but it is certainly not over-carbonated. The slight over-carbonation is nice for a change though. The brew claims that it is creamy, and I guess it is creamy, but creamy root beers are a dime a dozen these days and this doesn’t blow me away, not bad at all, it’s just that it doesn’t rock my world.
This root beer tasting was a bit last minute, so unfortunately I just finished chewing a piece of minty gum. Therefore, I’ll drink another bottle at another time for my official letter grade.
Glad I tried it over again, definitely a little better. But it’s becoming harder and harder to find root beers that impress me. This is certainly a nice root beer, but it doesn’t “zuberfizz” me away.
The Professor’s Grade: B
