# Root beer floats **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [May 21, 2008, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041 "2008-05-21T00:31:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041/21 "2008-05-21T18:00:51Z")
[QUOTE=Kizarvexius] To my great sorrow, I discovered some time back that IBC Root Beer, which is in every other way the perfect beverage, does not extend its divinity to the making of floats. One finds that upon contact with the ice cream, IBC tends to form root-beery ice shards that disrupt the aesthetic smoothness of texture requisite to a properly prepared RBF. [/QUOTE] As a ridiculously experienced float maker and experimenter, I can tell you that this wasn’t IBC’s fault. It was because your root beer was too cold. Any brand will do that :). Edit: too warm and the foam gets out of control. You have to find mama bear’s temperature: _juuuust right_. Cool, but not cold, seems to work best. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041/22 "2008-05-21T18:57:50Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] As a ridiculously experienced float maker and experimenter, I can tell you that this wasn’t IBC’s fault. It was because your root beer was too cold. Any brand will do that :). Edit: too warm and the foam gets out of control. You have to find mama bear’s temperature: _juuuust right_. Cool, but not cold, seems to work best. [/QUOTE] ..cuing up the _Hallelujah Chorus_ All’s once again right with the universe! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041/23 "2008-05-21T19:02:34Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] I like to put a little root beer in first, maybe half an inch to an inch; then the ice cream, THEN fine tune the rest of the treat. [/QUOTE] Yep. I find this makes better foam. The best foam, however, comes from using chocolate ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![Ducktail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@Ducktail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ducktail)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041/24 "2008-05-22T04:29:03Z")
Root beer first. Doesn’t fizz that way. Also, chocolate ice cream over vanilla. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041/25 "2008-05-22T04:48:20Z")
I can’t handle root beer floats - the way that the foam tastes, or how the liquid tastes after the ice cream melts for a couple of minutes causes my taste buds to signal some part of my stomach to jump through my trachea. Which is weird, because I haven’t actually even tasted one since I was maybe 10, and remember hating it then, and it’s the only thing I can think of that I haven’t made me retry recently. (Foods that I don’t like I often try every so often to make sure. I’ve discovered that I like olives (especially kalamata and those little ones I sneak from the olive bar at Wild Oats. Hey! I usually walk out having bought 10 bucks worth anyway! ), onions and pickles like this.) I’m gonna go get some fixins tomorrow when I get off work! Or I could go by Sonic. Hmm. Someone’s Breyer’s comment earlier is making me realize I could really use some Breyer’s vanilla bean ice cream - the tastiest, including H-D and B&J I think I’ve ever had, except at the couple independent ice-cream stores I’ve been to). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041/26 "2008-05-22T05:23:41Z")
[QUOTE=Frostillicus] Ice cream first, of course. And its called a Black Cow where I come from. [/QUOTE] Huh. Black Cow for me is Coke + ice cream, although googling, it seems that a “black cow” is many variations, including root beer + ice cream, Coke or Pepsi + ice cream, and root beer + chocolate syrup + ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041/27 "2008-05-22T05:34:14Z")
I do ice cream first, and then enough root beer so that it floats up. More like I add Ice Cream first then pour half a can of root beer. Enjoy it. And then pour in more rootbeer as needed. That way I get the best of both worlds- lots of ice cream first, then lots of rootbeer! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041/28 "2008-05-22T06:17:53Z")
[QUOTE=chaoticbear] Someone’s Breyer’s comment earlier is making me realize I could really use some Breyer’s vanilla bean ice cream [/QUOTE] Doesn’t work very good in my experience. The beans tend to collect towards the bottom and while this sounds great in theory, in practice it’s kinda gross. A couple vanilla bean root beer floats actually turned me off to vanilla bean ice cream awhile back. Used to be my favorite flavor. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041/29 "2008-05-22T22:22:21Z")
i get a pint of root beer (a&w diet) and a pint of ben and jerry vanilla. scoop out 2 scoops of vanilla, add root beer. drink. add more ice cream, add more root beer. drink. keep adding ingredients until both pints are done. the last time i had a float was very, very, early in the morning after buying harry potter 7. i had major treats lined up for that book. started off with the float, moved onto chocolate covered gummi bears and ice tea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beer-floats/450041.md?page=1)