Dad's

The Pooj doesn’t like your tone of voice, young person.

(Rocket Fizz Valencia, October 2010)

Dad’s has popped up on the radar several times in my lifetime, either in 2-liter bottle or 12 oz can form, but had never been very impressive. I remember there was always a bitter aftertaste that would literally make me cringe after each sip. Thankfully, that was not the case this time, though I’m not entirely sure why – perhaps either the recipe or my tastes have changed? Perhaps it’s the former, since I didn’t remember there being HFCS in there before, but then again I didn’t really read the ingredient list the past few times I’ve had it, so perhaps it’s really the latter. One thing remains constant though – the fact that it is unimpressive.

The root beer flavor is fairly mild, and didn’t really seem to register much on my taste buds. Any aftertaste faded so quickly that I don’t even remember it. It did have a nice smell, so I tried it in a glass, which gave it a slightly stronger root beer flavor, but also a slightly bitter aftertaste – never underestimate the olfactory element, good or bad. On the whole, Dad’s left me wishing it was bolder one way or the other – then at least I would be liking or disliking it for its actual character rather than just feeling ambivalent about it. I’ll give it a 2.5.