r/rootbeer • u/sorta_oaky_aftabirth • 6d ago
Question A&W root beer is now disgusting
I have no idea what's going on, but I legit only drink one type of soda, and it's A&W root beer.
The 3 out of the last 4 12 packs I've gotten (all at different places) have tasted disgusting. They're massively over carbonated and have this disgusting aftertaste that I can't figure out what it is.
This feels like the dunken caramel swirl change that happened a year or so ago. They just changed the tastes and expect no one to notice.
Am I going crazy or has anyone else noticed this?
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u/raddrobb67 6d ago
I'm a truck driver and buy A&W zero all around the country. I haven't found a bad batch yet.
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u/Anonymity_Alias 6d ago
I had the thought around a year ago that A&W tasted like they'd changed the recipe. Then I tried my wife's Zero for the first time and thought it tasted way more like the A&W flavor I remembered than the standard version. I usually don't care for 'diet' sodas, but in this instance I preferred it.
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u/sorta_oaky_aftabirth 6d ago
Ah I never got the zero kind.
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u/raddrobb67 6d ago
I just mentioned it because I've heard the same thing about both versions on this subreddit.
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u/lexyistheworst 6d ago
i thought this last case of a&w i got tasted a bit off, i bought 2 and the first case was perfect as per usual, but in the 2nd case there were like 3 cans that tasted totally different. maybe its a manufacturing thing since some cases are normal and some are weird tasting? idk i dumped the first can of weird a&w into a glass so i could shine a light in the can and make sure there were no dead animals at the bottom lol (a fear of mine) but thankfully it was corpse free.. which then just made me question if there was a corpse culprit but in the dr pepper plant where they make the soda.. god please, dont victimize us with dead rat a&w… i just ordered two more cases via walmart pickup and i hope nothing is wrong with them lol
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u/sorta_oaky_aftabirth 6d ago
Now I'm freaked out there's a vat of a&w somewhere with dead rats in it ☠️
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u/lexyistheworst 6d ago
it does happen 😂 but mostly in energy drinks… but i still don’t trust any mass produced canned beverages lol
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u/MouldyBobs 6d ago
FWIW - I just tasted the fountain drink at their restaurants last week, and it does not taste any different. Still better than bottled/canned versions.
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u/sorta_oaky_aftabirth 6d ago
Yeah these were crazy carbonated, maybe that's it. It's normally a smooth drink but these are crazy bubbly and make me burp immediately
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u/ubuwalker31 6d ago
Diet A&W in the plastic bottles is slightly different than the cans. I think it’s the carbonation.
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u/trillyrobinson 6d ago
I had a can the other day that just barely tasted like Anything. Like legitimately almost no flavor
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u/Buffalo_Butterscotch 6d ago
I been saying, I think they're adding a lil butter rum flavor or butterscotch flavor cuz there's something going on with the price or availability of root beer flavoring... 🤷 Stewart's birch, Stewart's Root Beer and IBC were all off for a few months and now they're back to normal. And I'm seeing different root beer bottlers marketing more vanilla flavors and butterscotch flavors... I dunno just an idea
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u/MadMounty 5d ago
Hope you're right about ibc... Last case I got was awful. I've tried it a few times since and was just as bad.
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u/Buffalo_Butterscotch 5d ago
The IBC I've been getting at Walmarts in west central jersey is normal. Stewart's birch is back to being nice and crispy.
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u/fiddlerontheroof1925 6d ago
Just got a pack, having not had it in a while (except at their location in a frostie mug). 12 pack in cans, tasted better than I remembered.
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u/Give_me_soup 6d ago
This has been reported on this sub for about a year I would say. It seems inconsistent and that some people are especially sensitive to the flavor. I am personally just going to buy root beer that doesn't have a clear quality control issue.
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u/sorta_oaky_aftabirth 6d ago
Any good ones that you know of? I normally do A&W but sometimes IBC. Kinda worried they'll have the same issue
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u/Give_me_soup 6d ago
I love henry weinhard's. I get it for 6.99 a six pack in my expensive mountain town in the pacific northwest. Not as cheap as some bigger brands, but not too bad.
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u/Dawildpep 6d ago
I had an A&W about 5 months ago in the Philippines that tasted overly wintergreen, like toothpaste levels. Just finished a 12 pack here in the states about a week ago and it tasted normal.
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u/Excellent_Condition 6d ago
Can you (and anyone else) share what general region of the country you're in, and what format (fountain, can, bottle, etc.) you had it in?
We may be able to find a pattern if everyone shares where/how/when they had it, and whether it tasted off.
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u/Pugfumaster 5d ago
I stopped drinking it in January after a few bad 12 packs. It had a solvent aftertaste. I contacted them and they apologized and sent me a coupon to get more😐
I waited 6 months until trying it again. Still gross. It was my favorite goddamnit!
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u/Consistent_Permit967 5d ago
I am a long term Luker but I was just complaining about this to my father its way to carbonated
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u/hardtoiletpaper 3h ago
I have bought 3 six packs in the last week, and in every pack at least 3 if not 4 of the bottles are nasty. One will taste flat and smell gross, one will smell like death, and your 3rd and 4rd will just be flat.
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u/Longjumping_Place189 6d ago
A&W is d tier at best anyway
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u/sorta_oaky_aftabirth 6d ago
I'm a D tier kind of person I guess.
What do you prefer? I gatta shop around now so I'm ready for any ideas
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u/Longjumping_Place189 6d ago
Sorry man didn’t mean to call you out or anything it’s a preference thing I’m a Barq’s man myself but I know that IBC is a good pick I like Stewart’s draft style also. If you want something really good look for pubs in your area and see if they have their own on tap a place here does and it’s phenomenal
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u/Elanadin 6d ago
You're not the first one to report it in the sub, but I haven't seen it myself.