Review: A&W Float

[BevReview Steve]

Take the flavor experience of a root beer float and bottle it. That's what A&W Float soda attempts to pull off. It's an interesting innovation idea... and one that comes close, but misses. While it does use sugar and skim milk, the resulting taste is so artificial that you shouldn't even bother. Great idea, horrible execution.

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[Jimmers]

A&W Root Beer Float:
It really wasn't pleasant. I had to dump the majority of the contents, because I couldn't stand the taste, and that rarely happens. I almost wondered if it had expired, but considering it's suppose to last for six months and I don't even think it's been released that long, that seems unlikely (and I just had bought them about a week prior). I also couldn't figure out what the expiration date even was. There's print on the bottom of the bottles, but I wasn't completely clear on any of it.

Anyway, this tasted like a horrible artificial "float flavoring," and not something the A&W brand would release, but rather some knock-off. It doesn't taste like a root beer float at all. It's almost too sweet, if that could even be possible. It's a bizarre, thick liquid sugar, with whatever the artificial vanilla ice cream flavor is suppose to be tastes bland, and it takes over the drink too much to even let the root beer itself taste remotely good at all.

I bought four of these for $5.50. Complete waste. I doubt I'll bother with the other three.


Sunkist Float:
While possibly not as bad as the root beer float, this still is suffering from the same poor artificial ice cream flavoring, which leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Overly sweet, and mainly unpleasant.

It does kind of taste like an orange dreamsicle, but is lacking. Honestly, though, why would you want to drink a melted dreamsicle, which is basically what it seems like?

Like the root beer floats, I have three remaining bottles that I have no desire to attempt at drinking.


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Final Thoughts:
Both of these products really should have been better taken care of, or scrapped altogether. I don't see how their taste testing could have proven positive, and I can't imagine they'll be lasting much longer. It's just a little silly that the statements on the bottle make it out to be such a dreamy beverage. Although I taste a lot of great drinks from a bottle. I don't know what it being in a bottle has to do with anything.

With all that being said, you're better off just buying some root beer and ice cream and making yourself a float, or stopping into an A&W restaurant. The "convenience" of having it drink-ready in your fridge is not worth the complete sacrifice in taste.

p.s.
I may try pouring them out and freezing them to create popsicles and see if that makes a difference at all in enjoyability.

[Steve A]

A&W misses the mark.

My wife brought home a 4-pack of their product. I was actually pleased... initially... BEFORE I tried the stuff. Sticky sweet and much like gulping down heavy cream with a root beer aftertaste is what we decided.

Nice try, guys. Now do something right and bring back the drive-inn! Sonic has proven the formula still works.

Ciao,