REVIEW: Kellogg’s Frosted A&W Root Beer Pop-Tarts

Kellogg's Frosted A&W Root Beer Pop-Tarts

I really expected to love these Kellogg’s Frosted A&W Root Beer Pop-Tarts, write a review that just said “G.O.A.T.,” drop a mic, light my keyboard on fire, do a touchdown dance, buy a new keyboard to write a Buzzfeed article with the title “Pop-Tarts You Have To Pop Into Your Toaster and Then Pop Into Your Mouth Right Now”, light the new keyboard on fire, flip a baseball bat, salute, and then walk away with two thumbs up raised above my head.

But after trying them at room temperature, toasted, chilled, frozen, and with a goat on a boat, I have to say these new soda-inspired Pop-Tarts aren’t the Greatest of All Time.

But they are good.

I think my expectations were too high (ya think) because of all the great root beer float-flavored snacks that have made their way onto shelves over the past few years. There’s been the Nabisco Ice Cream Creations Root Beer Float Chips Ahoy Cookies (awesome), Betty Crocker’s A&W Root Beer Float Cookie Mix (awesome), and Limited Edition Root Beer Float Oreo Cookies (good).

What I loved about the Chips Ahoy and Betty Crocker cookies was how the root beer flavor stood out. But what prevented the Root Beer Float Oreo Cookies from reaching the pantheon the other cookies did was how the Golden Oreo wafers muted the creme’s flavor. Unfortunately, that’s similar to what’s going on with these Pop-Tarts.

Kellogg's Frosted A&W Root Beer Pop-Tarts 2

I thought not having the “float” part in the toaster pastry would’ve made the root beer flavor stand out even more, but, sadly, the crust and frosting are the pillows that smother the root beer filling’s flavor. The crust, although dark in color which makes it appear it might be flavored, tastes like regular Pop-Tarts crust. The same can be said about frosting’s flavor. As for the brown, red, and orange crunchlets (yes, that’s what they’re officially called), they’re just decoration.

Kellogg's Frosted A&W Root Beer Pop-Tarts 3

The filling has the sugar and spices one would taste in A&W Root Beer, and it’s good, but, again, I do wish it was stronger. I thought toasting would help, but it doesn’t. I thought that was strange because with most Pop-Tarts the flavor hits my taste buds harder when toasted.

There’s no optimum way to eat them. I enjoyed them equally at room temperature, toasted, chilled, and frozen. Also, it may have just my imagination but I might’ve felt a little bit of fizzing.

Of all the big root beer brands — Barq’s, Mug, and A&W — A&W is my favorite. I can’t specifically explain why I like it, but drinking unlimited A&W Root Beer from a tap at an A&W Restaurant is one of favorite food-related memories. Tasting these Frosted A&W Root Beer Pop-Tarts probably won’t break into my list of favorite food memories. They also don’t make me want to walk away with two thumbs up raised above my head. But I’ll give them one thumbs up.

Disclosure: I received this sample for free from the Kellogg Company. Being free didn’t affect this review in any way. If it did, the whole review probably would’ve been just “G.O.A.T.”

(Nutrition Facts – 1 pastry – 200 calories, 45 calories from fat, 5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 1 gram of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE from Kellogg
Size: 8 pack
Purchased at: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Great idea. One thumbs up. Filling tastes like root beer. Fizzing? Enjoyable at room temperature, toasted, chilled, or frozen.
Cons: Not G.O.A.T. Crust and frosting hinder the root beer flavor. I wish root beer flavor was stronger. No Dr Pepper Pop-Tarts, yet.

10 thoughts to “REVIEW: Kellogg’s Frosted A&W Root Beer Pop-Tarts”

  1. Marvo, I agree with pretty much everything you said. The anticipation I had for these built my expectations up way too high so that even if they had been a little better than they actually were, they still wouldn’t have measured up. The other cookies you described as awesome I would also agree with and I would add the soda pop flavored Jelly Belly jellybeans as well. Their flavor authenticity is authentic and actually does bring back childhood memories!
    Anyway, back to these pop tarts. I picked up 2 boxes, one each of Root Beer and Orange Crush, from Walmart. They were $3.68 each and came 12 to a box. This is another source of frustration. I don’t get why these flavors don’t come in boxes of 8. The limited edition status doesn’t hold water as the Watermelon and Bacon ones were available in 8-packs. At any rate, of the two, I liked the root beer best. The Orange Crush had almost an artificial tangerine vibe to it and was tart in a bad way. It wasn’t terrible but it could definitely use improvement. It’s a shame they didn’t go with the Orange Creme flavor they offered back in 2008 or around there. That had a magical dreamsicle flavor that really elicited childhood memories!

  2. nope, barq’s is the best root beer. oh, and dr. pepper poptarts sound awesome! have you tried the dr. pepper gum?

    1. No but the Dr. Pepper milkshakes that Burger King had last month were awesome! I’ll have to look for the gum. I know you were asking Marvo but I had to chime in because I love Dr. Pepper! Lol

  3. ok one word…ick!!!…ok , that’s ore than one word….make that double ick !

  4. Did you try the Pop-Tart with ice cream?

    Chips Ahoy needs to bring back the Root Beer cookies those were amazing!

      1. and marvo? How did it turn out? ^^
        I’m just curious, ’cause i just read dan’s review and the sentence “Seriously, these things practically have the words “wedge a scoop of ice cream between me” baked into the bottom of their crust.” just stuck in my head ^^

        so it seems like the best idea for those pastries ^^

        1. Haven’t tried it yet. Still need to go to the store. But I’m saving my last pack of these Pop-Tarts to do it.

          1. :thumbsup:

            please let me/us know how the “tarty” root beer float turned out ^^

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