# Did you acquire the taste for root beer as an adult? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [January 9, 2023, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931 "2023-01-09T17:41:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/101 "2023-01-11T06:56:04Z")
it went “all natural” a few years ago about red cream soda [https://www.bing.com/search?form=BGGCDF&pc=U646&q=what+is+red+cream+soda](https://www.bing.com/search?form=BGGCDF&pc=U646&q=what+is+red+cream+soda) To me cactus cooler has always tasted like that fake orange flavor you used to find in chewable baby/kids asprin ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/102 "2023-01-11T07:10:38Z")
Oy, vey! I’ve heard of egg creams, but I always assumed they were a New York thing available only in delicatessens and old fashioned sweet shops like Louie Dumbrowski’s. So far as I recall, the cream soda recipe I got off the Internet had no eggs in it. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/103 "2023-01-11T12:54:28Z")
Egg Creams have neither egg or cream, and I think they are getting harder to find even in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/104 "2023-01-11T14:45:30Z")
I read somewhere that tasting ability fades with age, rendering some foods less foul as people age. When I was a child no food tasted worse to me than sweet potatoes. The flavor was so bad a bite would make me want to vomit. Now they aren’t _that_ bad, but they’re still nasty. Asparagus had a similar change over the years, and now I like it just fine. It’s worth remembering that things taste different from person to person. Some people say cilantro doesn’t reek of stinkbugs, but you’ll never convince me of it. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/105 "2023-01-11T14:48:06Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Love root beer. A&W Zero is the current preference, Diet Barq’s if I can’t get that. > > What ever happened to Hire’s? > > Also like root beer variants - birch beer and sarsaparilla. > > And I love the places with the self-serve zillion flavor Coke dispensers - Peach Fanta Zero, Raspberry Coke Zero… Do you remember Dad’s root beer? Maybe it was a regional brand. I love the those Coke dispensers too! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/106 "2023-01-11T14:52:14Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > What ever happened to Hire’s? _As of 2022, the Keurig Dr. Pepper web page no longer lists Hires among its list of brands on the home page except as part of an all products listing search on its website._ - per Wiki. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/107 "2023-01-11T15:19:49Z")
As a small boy, I preferred root beer to cola, because it had a gentler mouthfeel. The carbonation in cola felt _really_ harsh to me. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/108 "2023-01-12T00:42:28Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > Do you remember Dad’s root beer? Maybe it was a regional brand. I’ve seen Dad’s recently, can’t remember where. Or at least I imagined seeing it… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/109 "2023-01-12T01:18:18Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > Do you remember Dad’s root beer? Maybe it was a regional brand. We had it in Minnesota until the late '70s at least. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/110 "2023-01-12T14:43:56Z")
Yep - fellow Minnesotan here. That’s about last time I remember seeing it too. It was my dad’s favorite root beer. At the time Dad’s and Hires ruled the root beer world. You could only get A&W if you went to an A&W drive-in. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/111 "2023-01-12T15:24:59Z")
Dad’s is still out there. I can find it in the massive soft drink section of the local boutique grocery. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/112 "2023-01-25T15:22:38Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Out of curiosity, do you eat wintergreen Life Savers, or are those considered gross and medicinal in other countries? I can’t speak for elsewhere, but Lifesavers of any flavour have never been sold in the UK. I’ve never even seen them in the imported American sections in shops. I’m 60-year-old Englishman, and I developed a taste for root beer quite recently. Don’t entirely know why, but I think I just got used to the idea of wintergreen. Mind you, my favourite is one made in the UK – I wish I could remember what it was called, but I haven’t been able to find it in a while. I did try a can of imported A&W last year, and absolutely hated it – disgustingly sweet. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2023, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/113 "2023-01-25T20:24:12Z")
Two questions: (a) Have you ever had Life Savers outside the UK? (b) They make root beer in the UK? When I was living there (1976–77), the only place you could get it was the three McDonald’s that had recently opened in The Strand in London. None of my British friends knew what it was. I have no idea what brand it was, other than it must have been a Coke product. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2023, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/114 "2023-01-25T22:42:08Z")
Y’know, it’s weird… I like root beer, and I like wintergreen, but I’d never made the connection before. But now, whenever I eat my wintergreen Altoids, they taste like root beer. I’m about due for a new tin of them. Now I’m wondering what the fresh ones will taste like, given this newfound realization (fresh ones from a brand-new tin are much stronger than the last of the tin). ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/115 "2023-01-26T00:01:39Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > (b) They make root beer in the UK? When I was living there (1976–77), the only place you could get it was the three McDonald’s that had recently opened in The Strand in London. None of my British friends knew what it was. I’m not sure if it’s imported or produced here, but Asda sells Carters and sometimes Tropical Sun root beer in the UK. No diet version though, all full sugar. I think that appeared maybe about 10 years ago. Before this it was speciality shops only. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/116 "2023-01-26T05:52:53Z")
I drink diet Dr. Pepper now, but I grew up on Dad’s. It wasn’t as sweet as the current popular brands. It was originally produced here in Chicago; and for many years, you could see a tall chimney with “Dad’s” on it from the Edens/Kennedy. Now the corporate address is in Indiana. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/117 "2023-01-26T11:57:44Z")
If one likes the idea of wintergreen soda then the thing to try is birch beer. Which is pretty much _just_ wintergreen flavored soda, birch being a source of wintergreen oil. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/118 "2023-01-26T15:13:43Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > a) Have you ever had Life Savers outside the UK? > > (b) They make root beer in the UK? When I was living there (1976–77), the only place you could get it was the three McDonald’s that had recently opened in The Strand in London. None of my British friends knew what it was. (a) I’ve never seen Life Savers anywhere. I only know of them from references in American media. (b) There seem to be several brands made in the UK now. In addition to the ones mentioned by Smid, Ben Shaw makes one (I haven’t been able to find the brand I used to drink). I don’t know how to break it to you, but 1977 was 46 years ago. Lots of things have changed. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/119 "2023-01-26T15:51:15Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > When I was living there (1976–77), the only place you could get it was the three McDonald’s that had recently opened in The Strand in London. None of my British friends knew what it was. > > I have no idea what brand it was, other than it must have been a Coke product. These days, Coke’s root beer brand is Barq’s. 46 years ago, in the UK? Could have been anything. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931/120 "2023-01-26T16:11:49Z")
While in New Zealand my wife’s cousin told us we need to try L&P soda, it’s a favorite down there. I thought it would be a lemon/lime soda like 7Up. My first sip reminded me of the time my brother sprayed Windex into my mouth. It was nasty. 2 years later the same cousin and her husband came to visit us in the US. I had them try some root beer. They had the same reaction I did to the L&P. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-acquire-the-taste-for-root-beer-as-an-adult/977931.md?page=7)