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Comment by dweekly | Hacker News Reader

I heard Germans hate American root beer because they think it tastes like toothpaste and that very thought ruined root beer for me for a few years (until a sunny day when I was just dying for a root beer float and it absolutely hit the spot).

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German here. Root beer does INDEED taste like toothpaste. Disguting. :)

We Germans drink Malzbier, which is equally unhealthy, but at least it tastes somewhat OK.

I’ve tried Spruce Beer before and my brain rejected it for similar reasons - it tasted like house cleaner. If they’ve got anything that has that scent that’s dangerous, I imagine the brain wires similarly :D

I used to think the same thing, hated root beer. The nasty flavor combined with the word root conjured up images of uprooted plant root balls covered in dirt. Yum yum. Then I had the alcoholic Not Your Father's Root Beer" and really enjoyed the flavor. What I don't know is the flavorings as both sassafras and sarsaparilla are used so it might be one or the other or perhaps a combination that tastes better.

It's true. You can find literally zero sodas, chewing gum or other candies that have the root beer taste in Germany.

My sister got some root beer at McD's once (London) and I tried some. It tasted like floor cleaner to me and I've never tried it again. Is that just McD's version?

There is a Swedish snus which tastes just like the smell of CRC 5-56. Not everyone loves it but boy it's nice. I have given up snus though.

Canadian here. I thought this was common knowledge.

Do they put sarsaparilla in their toothpaste?

If I had to guess, it's probably wintergreen or fennel. It's not the main note of root beer, but I could see it being similar.

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