Famous | Vintage | Soda | Hard | With Caffeine
Root beer is a sweet North American soft drink produced historically using the root bark of the sassafras tree Sassafras albidum or the vine Smilax ornata (commonly known as sarsaparilla, which is also used to make a soft drink, sarsaparilla). Root beer is normally non-alcoholic, caffeine-free, sweet, and carbonated, however, this is not always the case. It generally has a thick and frothy head, similar to beer. A root beer float is a popular combination of root beer and vanilla ice cream.
When going for root beer, here are the top brands to consider;
TOP FAMOUS ROOT BEER BRANDS
1. BARQ’S.
The brand: https://www.barqs.com/
Edward Charles Edmond Barq and his older brother, Gaston, started the Barq’s Brothers Bottling Company in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1890. The brothers bottled carbonated water and a variety of soft drinks that they created themselves. Orangine, an orange-flavored soda, was their most popular product at first.
Need to know: Diet Barq’s has no caffeine, but regular Barq’s provides 22.5 mg of caffeine per 12 ounces cup (comparable to green tea).
2. A&W.
The brand: https://www.rootbeer.com/
In 1919, Roy W. Allen founded a roadside root beer shop in Lodi, California, using a recipe he got from a pharmacist. He quickly established outlets in Stockton as well as five in Sacramento, where “tray boys” pioneered drive-in curbside service. In 1920, Allen teamed up with Frank Wright to create the A&W brand.
Need to know: A&W Canada revamped their root beer in July 2017, eliminating high fructose corn syrup and other tastes in favor of cane sugar, sarsaparilla root, licorice, birch bark, and anise. [more explanation is required] On July 22, 2017, A&W Canada announced the new formula by announcing Free Root Beer Day, with a free root beer served at all stores. Diet A&W was renamed A&W Zero Sugar in November 2020.
3. IBC Root Beer.
The brand: https://www.ibcrootbeer.com/
The Griesedieck family started IBC Root Beer in 1919 as the Independent Breweries Company in St. Louis, Missouri. During Prohibition, root beer found a market as a legal beverage. The Independent Breweries Company went out of business, but the Kranzberg family, who owned the Northwestern Bottling Company, bought the trademark. It was sold to the Shucart family’s National Bottling Company in the late 1930s. Following WWII, popularity and availability dwindled.
Need to know: IBC redesigned their drinks in July 2016, replacing high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar. The IBC emblem is no longer molded into the bottle itself, but rather printed on a plain brown bottle, and the bottles are now sold in four-bottle packs (rather than the original six). As a result of the shift, the average price per bottle has risen.
4. DAD’S ROOT BEER.
The brand: https://www.dadsrootbeer.com/
Dad’s Root Beer was created in the basement of Ely Klapman’s Chicago-area house in the 1930s by partners Barney Berns and Ely Klapman. The Dad’s Root Beer Company of Chicago submitted the first trademark application on September 24, 1938, and it was awarded on February 14, 1939, with the product name in use since February 1937. Dad’s Root Beer was well-known throughout the Midwest, and by the late 1940s, it was one of the most popular root beer brands in the country.
Need to know: Hedinger Brands, LLC bought Dad’s Root Beer, along with the Bubble Up, Dr. Wells, and Sun Crest brands, in 2007 and licensed it to the Dad’s Root Beer Company, LLC. This corporation is presently headquartered in Jasper, Indiana.
5. HIRES ROOT BEER
The brand: www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com/brands/hires
Charles Elmer Hires, a pharmacist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, invented Hires Root Beer. Hires first had root beer, a popular American beverage dating back to the colonial era, while on his honeymoon in 1875, according to the official version. Historical versions differ, and the precise date and location of the discovery may never be established.
Need to know: In 1960, Consolidated Foods purchased the firm from the Hires family, and two years later, Crush International purchased it. Crush was purchased by Procter & Gamble in 1980 and then sold to Cadbury Schweppes. Cadbury sold its soft drinks division in 2008 and rebranded as Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.
TOP VINTAGE ROOT BEER BRANDS
1. VIRGIL’S ROOT BEER
The brand: https://virgils.com/
Ed Crowley left his family-owned soda firm in the early 1990s intending to create “a root beer for aficionados.” Crowley began producing his root beer using historical recipes from his family’s 1920s production. In 1994, Virgil’s Root Beer was initially commercially accessible. The same year, it was named “excellent beverage” at the New York Specialty Food Show.
Need to know: Vanilla cream, black cherry, orange, lemon-lime, and cola were added to Virgil’s product line in 1999. Virgil’s introduced a new range of Zero Sugar sodas in 2018 that is made with a unique natural sweetener combination that includes Erythritol, Stevia, and Monk Fruit.
2. STEWART’S ROOT BEER
The brand: www.drinkstewarts.com
Stewart’s Fountain Classics is an American soft drink brand. Stewart’s are nostalgic “old fashioned” fountain sodas that began at Frank Stewart’s Stewart’s Restaurants, a chain of root beer stands in Mansfield, Ohio, founded in 1924. Cable Car Beverage Corporation bought the bottling rights to Stewart’s in 1990. In 1992, the flavors of Cream Soda and Ginger Beer were released. Since that time, other tastes have been added.
Need to know: Triarc bought Cable Car Beverage Corporation in November 1997. In 2000, Cadbury Schweppes PLC paid $1.45 billion for Stewart’s brands, as well as Snapple and Mistic Brands. Stewart’s beverages come in twist-off glass bottles with a 12 fl. oz. (355 ml) capacity. Some varieties have amber-colored bottles, while others have clear bottles.
3. HIRES ROOT BEER.
The brand: www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com/brands/hires
Charles Elmer Hires, a pharmacist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, invented Hires Root Beer. Hires first had root beer, a popular American beverage dating back to the colonial era, while on his honeymoon in 1875, according to the official version. Historical versions differ, and the precise date and location of the discovery may never be established.
Need to know: In 1960, Consolidated Foods purchased the firm from the Hires family, and two years later, Crush International purchased it. Crush was purchased by Procter & Gamble in 1980 and then sold to Cadbury Schweppes. Cadbury sold its soft drinks division in 2008 and rebranded as Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.
4. DOG N SUDS ROOT BEER
The brand: https://www.dognsuds.com/
James Griggs and Don Hamacher, University of Illinois music instructors, launched the first Dog n Suds in Champaign, Illinois, in 1953. The second restaurant opened when the proprietors were compensated by a wealthy customer to build another, and the owners then chose to start a franchise. In Champaign, a training institution called “Rover College” was founded, named after the dog on the restaurant’s marquee. The network had over 650 outlets at its height in 1968.
Need to know: Griggs sold his stake in the firm in the early 1970s, and the company was sold to Frostie Enterprises, which held the Frostie and Stewart’s root beer brands, a few years later in 1974. The VanDames bought the Dog n Suds brand and identification rights in 1991. They formed a new business, TK&C’s LLC, in 2001 to manage the brand’s licensing rights.
5. IBC ROOT BEER.
The brand: https://www.ibcrootbeer.com/
The Griesedieck family started IBC Root Beer in 1919 as the Independent Breweries Company in St. Louis, Missouri. During Prohibition, root beer found a market as a legal beverage. The Independent Breweries Company went out of business, but the Kranzberg family, who owned the Northwestern Bottling Company, bought the trademark. It was sold to the Shucart family’s National Bottling Company in the late 1930s. Following WWII, popularity and availability dwindled.
Need to know: IBC redesigned their drinks in July 2016, replacing high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar. The IBC emblem is no longer molded into the bottle itself, but rather printed on a plain brown bottle, and the bottles are now sold in four-bottle packs (rather than the original six). As a result of the shift, the average price per bottle has risen.
TOP ROOT BEER SODA BRANDS
1. MUG ROOT BEER
The brand: https://www.pepsicopartners.com/PEPSICO-BRANDS/MUG%C2%AE-ROOT-BEER/c/brand_mugRootBeer
It was first made as ‘Belfast Root Beer’ by the Belfast Beverage Company in San Francisco, California, in the 1940s. Belfast Root Beer first appeared on the market in 1947. Belfast Old Fashioned Mug Root Beer first appeared in advertisements in 1952.
Need to know: Sugar-Free Mug (now Diet Mug Root Beer) first appeared in the late 1960s. Mug Cream Soda and Diet Mug Cream Soda were introduced later, although they aren’t as popular. Mug became Pepsi’s root beer brand in 1986, replacing On-Tap Draft Style Root Beer. Under the supervision of New Century Beverage Company, Mug Root Beer is produced by independent bottlers.
2. IBC ROOT BEER
The brand: https://www.ibcrootbeer.com/
The Griesedieck family started IBC Root Beer in 1919 as the Independent Breweries Company in St. Louis, Missouri. During Prohibition, root beer found a market as a legal beverage. The Independent Breweries Company went out of business, but the Kranzberg family, who owned the Northwestern Bottling Company, bought the trademark. It was sold to the Shucart family’s National Bottling Company in the late 1930s. Following WWII, popularity and availability dwindled.
Need to know: IBC redesigned their drinks in July 2016, replacing high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar. The IBC emblem is no longer molded into the bottle itself, but rather printed on a plain brown bottle, and the bottles are now sold in four-bottle packs (rather than the original six). As a result of the shift, the average price per bottle has risen.
3. FROSTIE ROOT BEER
The brand: https://www.beveragesdirect.com/products/frostie-root-beer
The Frostie Beverage Company of Catonsville, Maryland, founded by George Rackensperger, first manufactured Frostie Root Beer in 1939. Stewart’s Restaurants, a rival rootbeer brand, and drive-in business were bought by Frostie Enterprises in 1971. (sold in 1979). Frostie Enterprises bought the Dog n Suds Root Beer Drive-in and brand in 1974, resulting in yet another expansion.
Need to know: The Frostie brand was sold to Atlanta, Georgia-based Monarch Beverage Company towards the end of 1979. The Frostie brand was sold to Leading Edge Brands of Temple, Texas in 2000 after years of being under-promoted by Monarch in favor of Dad’s Root Beer. Leading Edge Brands sold the Frostie beverage line to Detroit-based Intrastate Distributors Inc. in 2009.
4. A&W.
The brand: https://www.rootbeer.com/
In 1919, Roy W. Allen founded a roadside root beer shop in Lodi, California, using a recipe he got from a pharmacist. He quickly established outlets in Stockton as well as five in Sacramento, where “tray boys” pioneered drive-in curbside service. In 1920, Allen teamed up with Frank Wright to create the A&W brand.
Need to know: A&W Canada revamped their root beer in July 2017, eliminating high fructose corn syrup and other tastes in favor of cane sugar, sarsaparilla root, licorice, birch bark, and anise. [more explanation is required] On July 22, 2017, A&W Canada announced the new formula by announcing Free Root Beer Day, with a free root beer served at all stores. Diet A&W was renamed A&W Zero Sugar in November 2020.
5. SPRECHER ROOT BEER
The brand: https://www.sprecherbrewery.com/
Sprecher Brewery is a brewery based in Glendale, Wisconsin, in the United States. Randal Sprecher started it in 1985 in Milwaukee, making it the city’s first artisan brewery since Prohibition ended. Sprecher is well known for its root beer, but the company also makes a variety of beers, flavored malt drinks, and sodas. Randal Sprecher, a California native, has a bachelor’s degree in oceanography and a master’s degree in brewing. In Milwaukee, he worked for Pabst. In 1985, he launched his brewery after a little over four years at Pabst.
Need to know: On a budget of $40,000, the new brewery was opened. To keep expenses down, Sprecher hand-made and bought equipment, including a Coca-Cola 16-ounce bottling machine, which is still in use today. Sprecher acquired its current location in 1994.
TOP HARD ROOT BEER BRANDS
1. MINHAS BOXER HARD ROOT BEER
The brand: http://minhasbrewery.com/
Mr. Bissinger founded the Monroe Brewing Company in 1845, which later became Minhas Craft Brewery. Since its inception, the brewery and site have changed hands 10 times before being bought by the Minhas Siblings in 2006. Before the purchase by Ravinder and Manjit Minhas, the brewery was known as Joseph Huber Brewing Company. After the purchase, Ravinder and Manjit Minhas changed the name to Minhas Craft Brewery. The brewery collaborated with the Nelk entertainment group to create Happy Dad hard seltzer in 2021.
Need to know: This brewery is part of the Minhas Brewery, a group of alcohol production enterprises controlled by the Minhas siblings that generate more than $155 million in yearly revenue. Minhas Micro Brewery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Minhas Distillery in Monroe, WI; and Pizza Brew Restaurant in Calgary, Alberta, Canada are the other firms under the Minhas Brewery umbrella.
2. A&W.
The brand: https://www.rootbeer.com/
In 1919, Roy W. Allen founded a roadside root beer shop in Lodi, California, using a recipe he got from a pharmacist. He quickly established outlets in Stockton as well as five in Sacramento, where “tray boys” pioneered drive-in curbside service. In 1920, Allen teamed up with Frank Wright to create the A&W brand.
Need to know: A&W Canada revamped their root beer in July 2017, eliminating high fructose corn syrup and other tastes in favor of cane sugar, sarsaparilla root, licorice, birch bark, and anise. [more explanation is required] On July 22, 2017, A&W Canada announced the new formula by announcing Free Root Beer Day, with a free root beer served at all stores. Diet A&W was renamed A&W Zero Sugar in November 2020.
3. DOG N SUDS ROOT BEER
The brand: https://www.dognsuds.com/
James Griggs and Don Hamacher, University of Illinois music instructors, launched the first Dog n Suds in Champaign, Illinois, in 1953. The second restaurant opened when the proprietors were compensated by a wealthy customer to build another, and the owners then chose to start a franchise. In Champaign, a training institution called “Rover College” was founded, named after the dog on the restaurant’s marquee. The network had over 650 outlets at its height in 1968.
Need to know: Griggs sold his stake in the firm in the early 1970s, and the company was sold to Frostie Enterprises, which held the Frostie and Stewart’s root beer brands, a few years later in 1974. The VanDames bought the Dog n Suds brand and identification rights in 1991. They formed a new business, TK&C’s LLC, in 2001 to manage the brand’s licensing rights.
4. VIRGIL’S ROOT BEER
The brand: https://virgils.com/
Ed Crowley left his family-owned soda firm in the early 1990s to create “a root beer for aficionados.” Crowley began producing his root beer using historical recipes from his family’s 1920s production. In 1994, Virgil’s Root Beer was initially commercially accessible. The same year, it was named “excellent beverage” at the New York Specialty Food Show.
Need to know: Vanilla cream, black cherry, orange, lemon-lime, and cola were added to Virgil’s product line in 1999. Virgil’s introduced a new range of Zero Sugar sodas in 2018 that is made with a unique natural sweetener combination that includes Erythritol, Stevia, and Monk Fruit.
5. IBC ROOT BEER.
The brand: https://www.ibcrootbeer.com/
The Griesedieck family started IBC Root Beer in 1919 as the Independent Breweries Company in St. Louis, Missouri. During Prohibition, root beer found a market as a legal beverage. The Independent Breweries Company went out of business, but the Kranzberg family, who owned the Northwestern Bottling Company, bought the trademark. It was sold to the Shucart family’s National Bottling Company in the late 1930s. Following WWII, popularity and availability dwindled.
Need to know: IBC redesigned their drinks in July 2016, replacing high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar. The IBC emblem is no longer molded into the bottle itself, but rather printed on a plain brown bottle, and the bottles are now sold in four-bottle packs (rather than the original six). As a result of the shift, the average price per bottle has risen.
TOP ROOT BEER BRANDS WITH CAFFEINE
Most root beer brands are caffeine-free but the little brands that add caffeine to their drinks are;
1. BARQ’S.
The brand: https://www.barqs.com/
Edward Charles Edmond Barq and his older brother, Gaston, started the Barq’s Brothers Bottling Company in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1890. The brothers bottled carbonated water and a variety of soft drinks that they created themselves. Orangine, an orange-flavored soda, was their most popular product at first.
Need to know: Diet Barq’s has no caffeine, but regular Barq’s provides 22.5 mg of caffeine per 12 ounces cup (comparable to green tea).
2. CHICK FIL
The brand: https://www.chick-fil-a.com/menu/bottled-root-beer
It is one of the largest fast-food restaurant chains in the United States, as well as the largest chain that specializes in chicken sandwiches. College Park, Georgia, is the location of the organization’s headquarters. With locations in 47 states and the District of Columbia, the corporation runs more than 2,774 restaurants, predominantly in the United States. In Hawaii and the US territory of Puerto Rico, more restaurants are being developed. Chick-fil-A restaurants in Canada are operational despite the closure of its former outlets in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Before moving on to its lunch and supper menus, the restaurant offers breakfast. For special occasions, Chick-fil-A also provides catered food options from its menu.
Need to know: After working at restaurants that were open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Cathy realized the value of time off, according to the Chick-fil-A website. That’s why no Chick-fil-A locations are open on Sundays.
3. WENDY
The brand: https://fastfoodnutrition.org/wendys/barqs-root-beer-small-cup
Wendy’s Company is the parent company of Wendy’s, a significant fast food restaurant in the United States. Dublin, Ohio is where the company’s headquarters are located. From 1884 until 1929, the firm was known as Deisel-Wemmer Co., then Deisel-Wemmer-Gilbert Corporation, DWG Cigar Corporation, DWG Corporation, Triarc Companies, Inc., Wendy’s/Group, Arby’s Inc., Wendy’s/Group, Arby’s Inc., Wendy’s/Group, Arby’s Inc., Wendy’s/Group, Arby’s Inc., Wendy’s Wendy’s International, the company’s main division, is the franchisor of Wendy’s restaurants.
Need to know: The Wendy’s Company said on August 16, 2018, that it has sold a 12.3% share in Arby’s parent company Inspire Brands, which was established after Arby’s Restaurant Group purchased Buffalo Wild Wings in February. Triarc announced the acquisition of Wendy’s International, a fast-food chain, on April 24, 2008. The deal was part of the corporation’s plan to transform itself from a holding company for a variety of businesses to a real food and beverage conglomerate.
The brands under the top brands with caffeine introduced caffeine into the root beer, majorly all brands of root beer are no caffeine or caffeine-free root beer.