May 192021
 

Old Mill Root Beer Barrels

I was at Menard’s the other day, trying to get Sprecher Caffeinated Root Beer, which supposedly could be found there, I had just grabbed some Hank’s from Hardware Hank … what is it with hardware stores and root beer? Anyways, I couldn’t find it but I did find this so the trip was not all in vain. Old Mill is candy company I’ve not heard of before. These candies are, according to the label are packaged by LMH Quality Products in Makato, MN. So local. But reading further on the label says its a product of Mexico. Wait they make root beer barrels in Mexico? Since when? Mexico doesn’t really even do root beer. But there’s more! “May be produced with genetic engineering”. What? How does one genetically engineer something whose ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, artificial flavors and artificial colors? So many questions. So few answers. My head cannon is that they’ve genetically engineered a tree down there in Mexico, which oozes root beer barrel sap, and all they have to do is mold it and dry it to make these candies. Truly a marvel and horror of our modern age. Anyways. How are these genetically engineered abominations?

It has a sweet balanced root beer flavor. Unlike some root beer barrels, there isn’t a super strong wintergreen flavor. It reminds me more of a root beer stand type brew. It’s spicy and sweet and yummy and really hits the spot if you have a root beer candy craving.

They’re actually some of the better root beer barrels I’ve ever had. You can tell these are truly the product of a multinational mad science experiment into the forbidden realms of root beer candy creation.




Apr 212021
 

Pennsylvania Dutch Root Beer Candy Stick
Another root beer candy from Pennsylvania Dutch Candies. I got this candy stick from my son for Christmas. I generally prefer candy sticks over rock candies as they have other ingredients than just plain sugar, so they have better texture.

It has a nice minty root beer flavor. It isn’t overly strong but wintergreen is by far the prominent flavor, especially if you bite it, but if you just suck on it the root beer is more balanced. All in all it’s fine as a candy unless you don’t like much wintergreen in you root beer.

It’s a good candy stick, pretty generic as far as they go but not bad in anyway. There’s not really a ton to say about a candy stick from a company I’ve already written about, other than it doesn’t really disappoint, which is really all you want in a candy stick.




Dec 162020
 

Fresh Thyme Root Beer Drops
Last Christmas my son gave me some different root beer candies that I hadn’t ever had. He found them at Fresh Thyme, a sort of organic “farmer’s market” that sells the sorts of things you’d expect from that type of place. In their candy section they have several types of old fashion candies including these root beer drops. As far as I can tell, they are actually made for Fresh Thyme, so that’s what I’m saying the brand is. They are only my second root beer drops ever, so I wonder just how different they are from the first.

The nice sugar dusting flavor gives way to a rather generic, minty root beer flavor. The more you suck on it, the stronger the wintergreen flavor grows, to almost overpower the root beer. It’s not bad though, just not as good as it could be.

They’re slightly different, I would say, not as good. But it’s really hard to have a standout or an utter failure amongst root beer hard candies. That said, I probably would never buy them again, but at the same time if someone gave me some, I wouldn’t be upset.