HyVee We All Scream Root Beer Pops

 Root Beer Frozen Treats  No Responses »
Mar 132019
 

HyVee Root Beer Pops BoxHyVee Root Beer PopAnother break from hard candy! Yes there are all manner of root beer food confections and I just need to start searching for them in earnest. So I went to my local HyVee and started searching high and low for anything root beer. Sadly this was the only thing I could find, yet, it was something to find. Plus this is my first frozen treat. I’m not sure how I want to name this category as it isn’t ice cream, maybe I’ll just say Frozen Treats. That can be a thing right? Let me know in the comments if you have a better name for the category ice creams, popsicles and the like. Anyway, how are these things.

They have a mild root beer flavor, of the minty variety, with a nice wintergreen and subtle notes of licorice. They aren’t overly sweet so they aren’t very sticky which makes them quite refreshing. The flavor is a little light, but the whole thing is still rather pleasurable.

It’s cool and refreshing! Just the sort of frozen confection for a hot summer’s day. I wish the root beer flavor were a little stronger, but I think I’d buy them again. They are very reasonably priced and my kids really like them. My wife hated them though. I guess you can’t please everyone.




Dad’s Root Beer Barrels

 Root Beer Candy  No Responses »
Feb 272019
 

Dad's Root Beer Barrel

Time to write a post about the most iconic root beer candy there is, the root beer barrel. I’m sure that’s what you first thought of back when I said I would write about candy and stuff. Because honestly, while other candies may have a root beer flavor, there is no other barrel candy. The root beer barrel is as synonymous with old fashioned candies as lemon drops and those ribbon candy things that your grandma used to give you. There’s a lot of types, and I aim to write about them all, but to start I’m going with Dad’s, since it’s also a rather iconic root beer brand with national distribution.

They’re nice and sweet with flavor that is not unlike Dad’s Root Beer, unsurprisingly. This means that there isn’t a strong licorice or mint flavor, and there’s a hint of spice. It also isn’t too sticky for hard candy, if that makes any sense. And gives a fine root beer like experience.

Yum. I can honestly say I really enjoy sucking these things. Being of a lighter flavor profile than some of the other root beer hard candies, you can pop quite a few in a row and they don’t get old. I can’t wait to see what they other root beer barrel candies are like. Until then, I highly recommend these.




Root Beer Advertising and Collectibles

 Root Beer Books  No Responses »
Feb 202019
 

My first root beer book post. Well, I mean, my first root beer book post since I started doing Wednesday posts about other root beer products and things. I thought I’d take a break from hard candy (I’ve got more, fear not) and check my local library to see if there were any good books on Root Beer. This is written by Tom Morrison, who is/was one of the more avid collectors of root beer paraphernalia, in 1992. At over 100 pages, it is filled with photos from his collection.

The book is organized in 12 chapters: History, Bottles, Caps, Cans, Dispensers, Drinking Glasses, Magazine Ads, Matchbook Covers, Mugs, Trading Cards, Signs, and Miscellaneous. Each chapter has a brief description of how that type of item featured in the history of root beer, followed by pages of photo examples.

This book is a treasure trove of root beer history and nostalgia. That guides you through its storied past to the present day. Many long lost brands are represented as well as many that have been resurrected and endured. I was pleased to see some now dead brands that I was able to review mentioned here. This book is a must read for any true devotees of root beer, as it simply and eloquently paints the picture of root beer’s past in a way that is hard to surpass. It’s also a very good starting point for anyone looking to start their own root beer collection. I wish I’d read this years ago.

A sample page showing glasses and magazine ads.




 Older Entries  Newer Entries