Filbert's

The Pooj plays it again, for old time’s sake.

(Galco’s, July 2011)

George Filbert was a turn-of-the-century Chicago delivery driver who carted milk, ice, coal, and people’s belongings around in his horse-drawn wagon, often also carting his son Charlie along with him. It was Charlie who developed Filbert’s root beer in 1926, during Prohibition, which George also delivered in his cart, supplying half barrels to local restaurants. Filbert’s Old Time is still family-owned today, and still supplies over 20 different flavors of soft drinks to local Chicago-area restaurants, where their root beer is often served on draft.

Filbert’s initial menthol scent gives way to a slightly more licorice flavor that blends together quite nicely with the wintergreen. While the flavor is good and rich, it fades quickly, so there’s really no aftertaste to speak of. The flavor is actually a little difficult to discern in smaller sips, leaving an almost watery feeling in the middle of the mouth – I’m not really sure how to describe it. I’m also not really sure how to explain the “sugar and/or corn sweetener” ingredient listed – does this mean they vary using sugar, HFCS, or a combination of the two from batch to batch…? Judging by its smooth texture, I would assume I got at least some real sugar in my bottle, but I’m not really sure how that all works.

Ingredient confusion aside, I’m still somewhat torn as to how to rate Filbert’s Old Time Root Beer. The flavors and texture make me want to rate it higher, but the fact that those flavors don’t really shine out or linger at all makes me want to rate it lower. Filbert’s is a good root beer – one I would have again – but the relatively “brief” flavor takes it out of the regular root beer rotation for me. Hence, I give it a 3.5.