Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Frostie The Snow Job

Once again I have taken a Root Beer from my youth and subjected it to the mug and found it wanting.
Frostie Root Beer, once a truly popular brand and now the "property" of Leading Edge Brands is not what it used to be. I was really hoping that there was a chance Frostie might have retained a semblance of their original formulation. Alas, it was not to be.

This version of Frostie bear little resemblance to the original. While it isn't a bad Root Beer it isn't a great one, either. The head dissipates fairly fast, as it does in most mass produced Root Beers and the sweet, vanilla scent is simply a teaser. The carbonation seems to be the major player in this brew, since that's the stand out component of the taste. It has bite, but little flavour for that bite to enhance. The mouthfeel is better than some but, unfortunately there's not a lot of flavour to complement it. Despite having a couple of good components Frostie falls down on the job.

Aroma: A sweet vanilla scent.
Carbonation: Lots of bite.
Head: Not long lasting, but better than some.
Root Beer Flavour: A very light Root Beer Flavour. Vanilla and Sweetness. Not enough Root Beer Flavour to suit me.
Sweetness: Lots of sweetness and a definite HFCS flavour that isn't covered by the Root Beer.
Aftertaste: Vanilla and HFCS.
Overall Taste: Frostie is lacking in a real Root Beer taste. The reliance on vanilla and the carbonation does nothing to set it apart from many of the mass produced soft drinks. If Leading Edge really wishes to earn the moniker then I'd suggest a return to Frosties original formula and a switch to Sugar.

Frostie Root Beer gets a 4/5 or a D.


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7 comments:

Stanton said...

Say it ain't so!

I remember Frostie being my very favorite root beer when I was a tyke. I haven't seen it in years, but now if I run across it I think I'll leave it on the shelf, opting for my good memories instead of disappointment.

Anonymous said...

I'm afraid you're it's true, stanton. While it's not a thoroughly wretched Root Beer it's not the same as it was when we were kids.

Anonymous said...

I am sad to read these comments. I too will pass in favor of remembering the times at the Lake of the Ozarks, popping my dime in the slot and getting a 12 ounce ice cold bottle of heaven. So long old friend!

Anonymous said...

I found the new product to be very similar to my memories, and it quickly surpassed any of my local, regular choices of root beer.

I introduced my root beer loving daughter to it, and without any prompting from dad, she has also chosen it as her local favorite.

Unfortunately, the distributer in our area is no longer, and we can't get Frostie right now.

Anonymous said...

We have a group here at work who have monthly "taste tests" of different types of soda. We had a two-day root beer test of 24 brands and to my suprise, Frostie beat out Abita as our champion in the blind taste finals. I like it but it is a tough find here in Maryland, which is kind of ironic since it was first bottled here in the Free State.

Anonymous said...

I recently purchased a couple of cartons of Frostie. I disagree with the comments in the review. It taste exactly as I remember from my youth. Anyone who remembers this great root beer should buy it again when they have the chance. In my opinion it is still the best root beer ever.

Runnin 4 Sweets Rexburg said...

It goes back to your personal taste. I am not a fan of overly sweet vanilla flavored root beers. You miss the magic of the root flavors when you cover them up too much with something sweet. I agree, there is a lot better root beers out there now.