I really like root beer

I do, ever since I was a kid. But I'm beginning to think I need to try to find the best, or make my own.

My personal favorite is brewed in house A&W, but neither of the A&Ws within an hour of me even know that other locations brew it on site, so I don't get to have it very often. 

Coming in a close second is Fitz's from St. Louis. I'm kicking myself for only grabbing two bottles at Rural King the last trip. 

I've had Virgils, which came highly recommended, but I didn't like it at all. Even their Orange and cream sodas just taste off to me.

Route 66, Frosttop, Nehi, Barqs, they've all got their good sides and bad. 

But what else is out there? Any local favorites? Any good recipes to share?

I know this crowd prefers real beer, but surely I'm not alone with a love for this caramel colored concoction. 

I, on the other hand, think root beer tastes like carbonated mouthwash. But y’all knock yourselves out!

Sprechers is the best, IMHO. 

I like most of the popular brands...Barqs has a kick to it that the others lack, A&W and Mug are solid, and the store brand around here (Giant Eagle) is pretty solid, with a good fizz to it. (I like to pour it fast, drink the foam, and then pour some more.) I've heard of a place in Kutztown PA that does fancy old-fashioned root beer and sodas, but I can't say I've tried it. IBC in the glass bottles is usually good...hmmm...actually at the A&W restaurant here I feel they don't mix it to my liking, too sweet and not fizzy enough. But it's good in root beer floats.

The #1 complaint I have is that root beer seems to be oddly susceptible to getting totally mixed wrong at restaurants...or they just sell more of it so it runs out of the syrup faster. But I've had more than my share of "root beer" that was just nasty seltzer water and not realized it until I left the drive-thru.

Do you like more of the caramel flavored? If so, try bulldog. 

In reply to slowbird :

Big Bird is local to you? Where in western PA/eastern Ohio are you? I'm in Greensburg. Haven't actually tried theirs but I'll give it a shot.

Bulldogs and Sprechers.. I've heard of Sprechers but never saw it anywhere, haven't heard of bulldog at all, I'll have to look for it. 

Weber's from Tulsa, great local hamburger place that also makes their own root beer.

It's used to be available in Tulsa QT stores years ago, but went back to only.being available from the restaurant years ago I Ibelieve.

My local grocery store sells Dad's root beer in glass bottles.  Sprechers is good.  Another good one is Point, made by the Point brewery in Stevens Point, WI.  A good brand  that is local to Minnesota is named after former Twins baseball great Harmon Killebrew.  

I like Henry Weinhard's root beer, for what it's worth.

Dad’s in the glass bottles with cane sugar and not corn syrup 

A bit of history I didn’t know until a few years ago - Barq’s originated here in Biloxi & was still produced and bottled here into the 1990’s when Coke purchased them. 

In reply to Patrick :

Dads comes in glass bottles?

RevRico said:

In reply to slowbird :

Big Bird is local to you? Where in western PA/eastern Ohio are you? I'm in Greensburg. Haven't actually tried theirs but I'll give it a shot.

 

Bulldogs and Sprechers.. I've heard of Sprechers but never saw it anywhere, haven't heard of bulldog at all, I'll have to look for it. 

Bulldog can be bought at Cost Plus World Market stores. 

My local brewery makes it and it’s really good. Only available by keg and it’s a special order AFAIK

I used to like root beer, but then there was a time I drank so much of it that I rarely have it any more. Same with mountain dew.


Birch Beer is better.

In reply to RevRico : I love 1919 Rootbeer but it’s seldom available for sale and only in a keg 

Around here I go to a lumberyard to buy my root beer .  Seriously  Menards  sells Sprecher brand Rootbeer made in Glendale Wisconsin   it’s made with actual Honey!  Yeh , from a bee,  honey!  Their cream soda is really good too!  Yes it’s in glass bottles.  

Mason brand Rootbeer is nice too but only comes in plastic quart bottles. 

If you put root beer in a square glass, it turns into beer.

In reply to SkinnyG :

Wouldn't it turn into something like rot ber?

I was in Wisconsin shooting public enemy near little Bohemia and had the best root beer of my life - 1919.  From the tap in a bowling alley in the middle of nowhere.  

Also of note: there is or was a root beer store near Everett, Washington.   Everything root beer.  

In reply to jfryjfry :

Like Chuck D / Flavor Flav / Terminator X public enemy?

jfryjfry said:

I was in Wisconsin shooting public enemy near little Bohemia and had the best root beer of my life - 1919.  From the tap in a bowling alley in the middle of nowhere.  

 

Also of note: there is or was a root beer store near Everett, Washington.   Everything root beer.  

Google says it was called The Root Beer Store.  It has morphed into Chugs Root Beer in Lynnwood, WA and The Root Beer Store online -

frenchyd said:

In reply to RevRico : I love 1919 Rootbeer but it’s seldom available for sale and only in a keg 

Around here I go to a lumberyard to buy my root beer .  Seriously  Menards  sells Sprecher brand Rootbeer made in Glendale Wisconsin   it’s made with actual Honey!  Yeh , from a bee,  honey!  Their cream soda is really good too!  Yes it’s in glass bottles.  

Mason brand Rootbeer is nice too but only comes in plastic quart bottles. 

 

 

 

Sprechers is really good, even their orange creme drink is good. Menards is the only place I’ve seen it.

RevRico said:

In reply to Patrick :

Dads comes in glass bottles?

Yup.  I mentioned it earlier as well, i can get it at my local grocery store.  They have Orange Crush and Mexican Coke in glass bottles as well, along with a half dozen or so other sodas.

Weber’s is the best root beer I’ve had that wasn’t homemade.  Sadly, I rarely get an opportunity to get any of it.  Fitz’s is one of my favorites, too, and I can get it at Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati.  I’d be happy to pick some up for you whenever there’s a parts relay headed through both our areas, or I can bring some to Gainesville if you are going to be at the challenge this year.

slowbird said:

The #1 complaint I have is that root beer seems to be oddly susceptible to getting totally mixed wrong at restaurants...or they just sell more of it so it runs out of the syrup faster. But I've had more than my share of "root beer" that was just nasty seltzer water and not realized it until I left the drive-thru.

 A very true complaint.  For root beer these reasons are two-fold.   Cheap (money saving) and Foaming since root beer foams more than other soft drinks.  

This video sample explains the mix ratio know as the Brix.  Sugar drinks should be 5 parts water to 1 part syrup.  Diet drinks should be 6 parts water to 1 part syrup. It is easy to water down drinks to use less expensive syrup.  

Many people say that Coke from a McD's tastes best.  This largely has to do with a correct brix.  

Furthermore, root beer has a foaming agent to give it a head.  Interestingly, this foam is now artificial since the use of real sassafras was outlawed in the '60's.  However, given the foaming slows down the ability to pour the drinks quickly, if you water down (adjust the brix) of root beer you then reduce the foam (at the expense of the drink flavor quality.) 

PS: I worked for Coca-Cola for 9 years (age of 20 - 29) and I used to have a bix testing cup.