A&W Root Beer

One of the most venerable of all root beers, A&W was the flagship beverage of the famed drive-in restaurant chain back in the 1950s. The drive-in business saw a steady decline starting in the 60s, though you can still find an A&W here and there.

The restaurant itself may be clearly obsolete, but the root beer remains solid and pleasant, and still one of the best ice-cream-float root beers around. Sure, A&W has long been superseded by flashier progeny, but classic is classic, so it's still a treat to return to every once in awhile. As with Ed Asner, some things do not diminish with age, nor need they change to fit the times.

A&W has always seemingly advertised itself as having "that cool frosty mug taste," which it certainly does. Lately, the ads have centered around a goofy series of commercials with a rather more befuddling "It's good to be thick-headed" tagline.

Regardless, its creamy goodness keeps it on the high end of the scale, and the aftertaste is mild and satisfying. The same thing is often said about my own "creamy goodness," but that's neither here nor there.

Review by HIP