Iron Horse

Who Made This Stuff? Iron Horse Products, Edina, MN

Website: Could not find one!

Where’d It Come From? Grocery store in Minneapolis area

Review Date: 6/5/10

Commentary: This is another root beer picked up on our Root Beer Road Trip. A sweep of all the local grocery stores near our hotel in Minneapolis yielded several nice finds. I am looking forward to finally working my way through the root beer stash we accumulated.

I got a strong whiff of licorice when I first opened the bottle. When poured, the head was downright disappointing. It never really formed anything of substance and what was there disappeared pretty quickly. The first sip has a definite wintergreen taste. The carbonation is okay at the start of the glass, but I have feeling it is going to fade fast. It has a decent bite, not overpowering, but present at least. It is sweet, but the bite balances the sweetness a bit. A quick look at the ingredients list reveals the presence of high fructose corn syrup. I think it shows.

Okay, the carbonation is beginning to wane. There was never any significant accumulation of bubbles on the inside of the glass. The wintergreen taste is bit much for me.

On a positive note, I really like the label design with the old train engine image and the arch of train tracks over the top. With a name like “Iron Horse” you just have to believe there is a story there somewhere. Unfortunately, the label does not provide any clues to a story. The label does state that this is “Authentic Root Beer” and it is supposed to be “Just Like You Remember.” Ummm, nope, I do not think so. If I had remembered this, I would have remembered it as a root beer with great potential (due to a nifty name) that did not quite deliver.

As I approach the bottom of the glass, wishing for a little more carbonation, I just cannot bring myself to be sad about it. Honestly, I am really okay with being done with it. I do not think I will miss it. Now, this is not a truly bad root beer, but it is not a notably good one either. I would not make a special trip to the store for this stuff. Would I turn one down if offered to me? I guess that depends on my other options. I think I will score this one as…………………………………………..68.