First, let me say I am sorry that this is the only photo this review will have. I took more, they didn't come out. I thought I had more ice cream, I didn't, and I wasn't about to buy another container, sooo...
I liked the idea of a root beer float flavored ice cream. Rarely do I indulge in a root beer float, but I do love them.
Dreyer's version is only a pale comparison to a good homemade float for several reasons. First, notice that the carton does not contain the words "ice cream." (This is actually something that you'll see on all of the "Fun Flavors.") A visit to the Dreyer's website shows that they have the flavor listed as "Root Beer Flavored Frozen Dairy Dessert" (check out the product page here). Scanning the ingredients, it's clear that it is not called ice cream because it isn't ice cream. Fair enough. But if I were making an actual root beer float, I would have used real vanilla ice cream. In this case, the white swirls in the dessert are kind of vanilla. I say "kind of" because, while I know that vanilla was most likely the intended outcome, the final product tastes as much like real vanilla as a vanilla diet shake. Dreyer's didn't even seem to try on this one. Unless they included it under the umbrella of "artificial flavors," it didn't even appear as vanillin (A.K.A. artificial vanilla). The outcome is a milky, sweet taste that doesn't have any edge to it.
The root beer side of it does taste like root beer...cheap, no-name store brand root beer. The kind adults buy for kids who are too excited by the prospect of getting soda to know that their parents bought them crap. It's not woodsy, there's no wintergreen. But it's sweet...
The texture was super smooth. I don't want to say creamy, because that's not the right word for it. But it was smooth.
If I was craving a root beer float this is not the option I would go for. I can see where kids would love this flavor simply because it's sweet. And even with all the negative things I have said, it's not completely awful. But it's not good either.
PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket
Another one of those products that 'sounds bloody brilliant but is flawed in practice'
ReplyDeleteI used to love root beer floats when I was a kid visiting America! Used to consume them on mass at Disney theme parks..... *sigh* that was sooooo long ago now :(
Great review Gi!
Jim
Jim,
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY! I bet Ben & Jerry or Haagen-Dazs would do a great job on this flavor. Hell Dreyers could have done that with some effort (I feel safe to say at this point Dreyers will probably never contact me wanting a review lol)
I will say at least it is better then the abomination that is know as the "A&W Float" I can't believe that stuff is still being made (there is a review WAAAAY back in the archives)
So which of our fine Disney Parks have you graced?
You do a great service by mentioning that these fun flavors are not actually ice cream. I am on a crusade of sorts to spread the word that Nestle/Edy's/Dreyers avoids using real ice cream whenever possible.
ReplyDeleteFun Flavors, Drumsticks, Nestle Vanilla Sandwiches.... all "frozen dairy dessert."
As a matter of fact, when I am at the store, recently I have taken to scribbling out "ice cream" with a black marker if their shelf labels contain the term "ice cream" for a Fun Flavors product.
These cheap, disgusting products which are being sold for the same price as ice cream disturb me.
Blue Bunny is the way to go. Better ingredients, and they plan to stay at 1.75 qts.
I am waiting for Nestle to cheapen the Haagen-Dazs brand by trying to sneak some milk and cream of of those products!
Brad,
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad state when products that had long been ice cream are now reduced to being "frozen dairy product" Dammit a Drumstick used to be good!
I did get a response from Dreyer's in today's email regarding why the Fun Flavors are not called ice cream. Here's the response (minus my personal info)
"Frozen Dairy Dessert is defined as having more whey and less dairy and there by it does not meet the standard of identity of Ice Cream as set by the FDA back in 1929.
We at Dreyer's Ice Cream appreciate your interest in our company and our products. We value our consumers and we thank you for the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
Sincerely,
Consumer Response Representative"
While I certainly agree with spreading the word for better quality products-- and passing on information for inferior ones I don't agree with marking up of store shelves.
I am not sure how much (if any) say manufacturers have as to how any given store chain marks/names the Sku tags/bars for products. All I can see is that making unnecessary work for store employees who have to deal with removing the markings.
Breyer's had a version last year that used A&W flavoring. It was so much better than the Dreyers version. And yet the Dreyers is back for another year and the Breyer's is not (at least where I'm shopping)
ReplyDeleteNicole,
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you mention the Breyer's version. I was at Costco the other day and they had the Breyers/A&W single serve tubes - unfortunately it was in one of those serve half my apartment complex size packages so I had to pass but otherwise I would have loved to have done a comparison.