Frostie Vanilla root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Frostie Old Fashioned Root Beer was first bottled in 1939 in Catonsville, Maryland near Baltimore.  George Rackensperger, then president of The Frostie Company rented an abandoned jailhouse to launch his Frostie operation.  A garage formerly housing the police wagon was used for bottling equipment and jail cells were employed to store sugar, crowns and other supplies."


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Frostie is a registered trademark of Frostie Root Beer Co. LLC, Detroit, MI 48234  Glass bottle with twist off top.  http://www.frostie.biz/


Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate (a preservative), Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors.


My thoughts: Having tried the non-vanilla version of Frostie's root beer (review here), I'm curious how this one will compare. As a general rule, I like vanilla in my root beer, so if that continues to hold true, all other things being equal, I suspect I'll like this vanilla version even more. Considering that the regular version got one of my worst scores so far, it wouldn't take much to top the original one.

My initial impression is that the vanilla overwhelms the root beer taste. I'd describe the rootiness as "anemic", leaving me with the feeling that it's watered down. The flavor is a pretty simple affair, with little distinguishing characteristics to make any spices apparent. The aftertaste is more of the same, with a bit of wintergreen leaving a slightly minty feel. One interesting note is that a minute or so later the vanilla aftertaste was hanging in strong, which is something I like.

Sweetness is fine, though I've found that particular aspect is hard to screw up too bad. My mouth was left a little on the sugary side, but part of that feeling may stem from the lack of carbonation to draw my attention away from the sugar aspect. The first few sips out of the bottle were okay, though nothing amazing. It quickly went downhill and devolved into pretty dang flat. No bubble dancing on my tongue makes me an unhappy root beer consumer. Despite the flatness, I wouldn't call this particularly smooth. Sure, it doesn't crackle and tickle the tongue, making it seem smooth, but it lacks any sort of creaminess and froth.

Well, I'm not impressed. I certainly appreciate the added benefits of the vanilla boost, but besides that, this drink continues to be a letdown. I purposely didn't read my previous review from five years ago while writing this review, but now that I can go back and look at it, it seems this is more or less the same one dimensional root beer with a kick of vanilla to give it a little variation (and slight improvements to the flavor score).

Rating: C-
flavor: C-
aftertaste: C-
sweetness: C
smoothness: C-
carbonation: D-

Frostie root beer

Background information: (from the website) "Frostie Old Fashioned Root Beer was first bottled in 1939 in Catonsville, Maryland near Baltimore.  George Rackensperger, then president of The Frostie Company rented an abandoned jailhouse to launch his Frostie operation.  A garage formerly housing the police wagon was used for bottling equipment and jail cells were employed to store sugar, crowns and other supplies."

(from the bottle) "Orca Beverage Soda Works - manufacturer of nostalgic and gourmet glass bottle sodas.  See our authentic 50's style plant at OrcaBeverage.com"


Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Produced under the authority of Leading Edge Brands, Temple, TX 76504.  160 calories, 40g sugar.  Glass bottle with twist off top.  www.orcabeverage.com and http://www.frostie.biz/


Ingredients: Carbonated water, pure cane sugar, caramel color, sodium benzoate (a preservative), citric acid, natural and artificial flavors.


My thoughts: With a name like "Frostie" and a Santa Claus-like bearded man adorning the label, I expect something that reminds me of the holidays; the smell and taste of spices and herbs; the sweet smell of baking treats; a new pack of underwear from Aunt Deanna.  Sadly, the snow (which also graces the label) better reflects this disappointing brew, which left me cold (emotionally as well as physically).  Maybe I was just naughty this year, so Santa delivered me a root beerish lump of coal.  The initial root beer flavor is strong, but artificial; sort of like "root beer barrel" candy.  Not a good thing.  The aftertaste is more of the same, with a sugary, candy-like taste that drops off fairly rapidly but leaves the sugar coating behind.  The carbonation is interesting, as it doesn't seem to bubble so much on my tongue as it does against the roof of my mouth.  A very peculiar sensation that I've yet to encounter in another root beer and my favorite aspect of this root beer (though that isn't too difficult of a feat, as the bar has been set pretty low).  Unfortunately, since the bubbles don't make themselves known on my tongue, I get an impression that the drink is slightly flatter than it should be.  I gotta make sure I get on Santa's good list so that he doesn't leave any of this bummer of a soda in my stocking this year.

Rating: D
flavor: D
aftertaste: D-
sweetness: C-
smoothness: C
carbonation: C