Is there any soda beverage that is as divisive as root beer? People either adore or despise root beer, depending on who you ask. This assessment of the top root beer brands is for people who like it.
Although you may have heard of some of these brands, there may be a couple you haven’t heard of yet. This evaluation of root beer companies will expose you to several brands you may not have heard of before, as well as why they deserve a position on our list.
Best Selection
Because of its unusual flavor, Zevia Soda, Ginger Root Beer is the greatest root beer on our list. It mixes two delicious beverages, root beer and ginger beer, to create a hybrid soda beverage that is low in calories and sugar but high in taste.
Budget Selection
Individuals on a budget who want a root beer that is good for their health can consider Diet A&W Root Beer. This root beer comes from one of the most well-known root beer makers and provides customers with a less sweet alternative to drinking root beer and preparing their favorite ice cream float.
Contents
Quick Comparison: Top 8 Best Root Beer Brands
| Product Name | Grade |
|---|---|
| Zevia Soda, Ginger Root Beer | A- |
| Diet A&W Root Beer | A- |
| Stewart’s Root Beer | B |
| Bundaberg Soda Root Beer | B- |
| Mug Root Beer | A- |
| Barq’s Root Beer | A- |
| Sprecher Root Beer | B+ |
| Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer | B+ |
1. Zevia Soda, Ginger Root Beer
Ginger root beer is the spawn of another divisive beverage, ginger beer. The Zevia Soda, Ginger Root Beer, on the other hand, is the #1 root beer brand on our list, so there’s nothing contentious about this drink.
When ginger beer and root beer are combined, the result is an explosion of creamy and rich tastes found in our Zevia Ginger Root Beer. The taste combination is discovered to be more like a drink tasting like root beer with strong overtones of ginger added.
Many people like this beverage not just because of its flavor, but also because it has no calories. Many people love drinking this beverage guilt-free, and it has no sugar since it is naturally sweetened. Apart from carbonated water, the principal components are stevia leaf extract, citric acid, and natural flavors. It has no artificial sweeteners or additives.
A case of this Zevia Ginger Root Beer has 24 cans, each holding 12 fluid ounces (355 milliliters) of ginger root beer. Apart from the healthy components and the low calorie count, this ginger root beer is caffeine free, which is ideal for individuals who avoid drinking sodas during the day for fear of not being able to sleep at night.
What we liked:This is the ideal drink for those who like both root beer and ginger beer, and it provides one of the nicest hybrid sodas we’ve tasted in a long time. The flavor is both familiar and unusual, and it is a wonderfully pleasant beverage to drink, particularly in the summer.
What we didn’t like: The major drawback to this fantastic root beer beverage is that Zevia is a little more pricey in general. Their Ginger Root Beer beverage is no exception, and you can expect to spend far more than you would for a 24-pack of a typical brand of root beer.
2. Diet A&W Root Beer
Root beer fans will know this brand since it is one of the more prominent companies that produces this classic soda beverage. A&W is a fast food restaurant chain, but it is perhaps best known for its root beer beverage. Many individuals are unaware that their Diet Root Beer may be superior than the original variety.
Many individuals prefer A&W’s Diet Root Beer over the original version since it has no calories and less sugar. Moreover, it is brewed using aged vanilla, which gives the drink less of the creamy taste that the ordinary version possesses. It’s rich and full of that creamy A&W root beer flavor you’re familiar to, but without as much sugar as the original version.
This Diet Root Beer pack has 12 cans, each containing the regular 12 fluid ounces (355 milliliters). As previously said, each can is calorie and caffeine free, allowing it to be enjoyed at any time of day and without feeling guilty.
Another reason people love our Diet Root Beer is because it can be used to create those delectable summer root beer floats. A root beer float is made using root beer, specifically diet root beer, and a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream. Some claim that by using diet root beer, the float becomes less sweet since the vanilla ice cream already has sweetness.
What we liked: We like both the traditional A&W Root Beer and this Diet Root Beer version, but we have to give this one the advantage since it has less sugar and the fact that it has no calories means we don’t feel so horrible or guilty consuming it at 10 a.m. or 10 p.m.!
What we didn’t like: A&W’s Diet Root Beer is much more costly than its standard Root Beer beverage, so expect to spend a higher premium for this much healthier version of A&W’s Root Beer.
3. Stewart’s Root Beer
Stewarts Root Beer is another another wonderful root beer brand that many root beer enthusiasts like for its unique root beer flavor. It is famous for its unique root beer recipe, which is handcrafted utilizing more than 20 extract roots, fruits, and herbs.
The ultimate result of this well guarded formula is a highly creamy root beer taste with a rich and crisp carbonation. Stewarts has swiftly established itself as a fast-rising micro soda root beer brand in North America.
Stewarts Root Beer comes in a case of 12 bottles, each holding 12 fluid ounces (355 millimeters). As much as consumers like the very smooth taste of this root beer, others are concerned that it contains a preservative as one of its key components. Despite this, it has some additional useful elements, such as natural tastes.
This Stewarts Root Beer, like any good root beer, is an excellent option for creating a root beer float. It lacks the sharpness of some other root beer brands, which may be too strong for a root beer float. It has the appropriate amount of sweetness, smoothness, and flavor to produce a delicious root beer float with vanilla ice cream.
What we liked: By far the most appealing aspect of this root beer brand was how smooth and creamy it tasted. Each sip is bursting with the creamy root beer taste that most people appreciate, and this one has plenty of it.
What we didn’t like: We weren’t crazy about the fact that this root beer brand has a preservative in its components. Several other root beer brands do not include a preservative, and we did not believe that particular root beer beverage required one to improve its taste.
4. Bundaberg Soda Root Beer
Bundaberg is a root beer brand you may not have heard of previously, and you would not be blamed for not knowing about it. This is due to the fact that Bundaberg Soda Root Beer hails from Australia.
You would not think of Australia as a hotbed for root beer fans, but you might be surprised. Bundaberg has a large following in Australia and is gaining popularity in the United States.
Because of its unique brewing procedure, Bundaberg Root Beer is already a great alternative to the leading brands in North America. Their root beer is brewed for three days because Bundaberg feels that this is the greatest method to obtain the most root beer taste.
Nobody has complained about the flavor of this root beer, which comes in a box of four bottles, each of which contains 375 milliliters (12.7 fluid ounces) of root beer. Bundaberg Root Beer is gluten-free, making it more accessible to a wider audience, and it includes no GMO ingredients.
What we loved: We appreciated the great taste of this root beer and were relieved to see that it has less sugar than other brands. Despite the decreased sugar content, it retains a lot of root beer taste.
What we didn’t like: while this is officially an imported root beer product, this Bundaberg Root Beer is highly costly and may not be a sustainable decision to keep re-purchasing it over and over again; however, it may be a decent choice to buy it once to taste it.
5. Mug Root Beer
Mug Root Beer is a renowned root beer brand in the globe today. When you go grocery shopping, theres a high chance youll find Mug Root Beer on the shelves, and for good reason.
This root beer brand is one of the greatest out there because of its ideal balance of creamy, thick froth and the fizzy bite that many of the better root beers have. On a hot summer day, a sip or a can of this root beer is all you need for a refreshing pleasure.
You will get 12 cans of Mug Root Beer in this bundle, each containing 355 milliliters of root beer. The packaging is probably identical to what you’d see at a grocery store, since it’s basically a large box with the 12 cans stacked on top of each other.
Mug Root Beer is a well-known root beer brand due to its familiar and sweet flavor. With its sugary flavor, it may taste nearly like candy to many people. There are no harsh or lasting affects from the carbonation after taking a taste, which may appeal to many more root beer enthusiasts than the few.
While being caffeine-free, each can of Mugs Root Beer has 160 calories, which is very high when compared to comparable brands with zero calories. Nonetheless, if you don’t consume this root beer often, burning through 160 calories should be plenty.
We like the sweeter flavor of this root beer. It may not have as much bite as other root beer brands, but it is the ideal root beer brand to put out for a BBQ since it is a crowd-pleaser.
What we didn’t like: being root beer enthusiasts, 160 calories per can is a little much, particularly since we can drink 2-3 cans of root beer each day. Although we appreciate the sweetness of this Mug Root Beer, a little more carbonation would make it an even better root beer beverage overall.
6. Barq’s Root Beer
Barqs Root Beer is another well-known root beer brand. These three root beer brands, along with Mug Root Beer and A&Ws Root Beer, are the most popular in North America today. Barqs Root Beer is significantly different from the other two in terms of flavour and general quality, in a positive manner.
Since their successful advertising aired on television 25 years ago, Barqs Root Beer has been a constant on the root beer landscape. The marketing said that Barqs had bite, and this is precisely what this root beer beverage is renowned for.
When they say “bite,” they’re referring to the amount of carbonation or fizz in it. Barqs Root Beer has a lot of bite, but it also has a lot of taste. It has a strong root beer flavor that is less sweet than Mug and A&W yet works well with the level of carbonation in this drink.
Those who want more bite in their sodas would choose Barqs Root Beer over the other popular brands. This increased amount of bite is not for everyone, so be cautious.
This bundle contains 24 cans of 355 milliliters of Barqs Root Beer. Regrettably, Barqs Root Beer has 160 calories per can, much like Mugs Root Beer.
What we liked: If you prefer sodas with a lot of carbonation, this one is for you. What we appreciate most about Barqs Root Beer is that the bite makes it tough to drink a root beer on a hot summer day. Instead, you’re virtually compelled to drink it slower and savor it more. As a result, for us, this is the ideal root beer to enjoy while sitting in a chair by our pool.
What we didn’t like: We don’t like that this root beer is artificially flavored and advertises as such on the can, and that each can has a whopping 160 calories. This may be prohibitively expensive for folks who meticulously monitor their calorie intake throughout the day.
7. Sprecher Root Beer
Sprecher Root Beer is probably a root beer brand you’ve never heard of. In fact, many people outside of Wisconsin may never have heard of this obscure root beer brand. Don’t be deceived by this lack of popularity, for Sprecher Root Beer is an excellent root beer beverage.
Sprecher comfortably wins the award for best package design. The design of the cans depicts a bird holding a bottle of Sprechers in one hand and a cup of root beer in the other. Undoubtedly the most inventive of all the ones we’ve seen. Sprecher Root Beer comes in a six-can container, with each can containing the typical 12 fluid ounces.
Let’s discuss about its flavor since it’s rather unusual. It has a very creamy, smooth, and sweet flavor. If you’re searching for a strong bite in your root beer, you won’t find it here, but there will be enough to let you know it’s there. This root beer, on the other hand, is much smoother, with hints of honey and vanilla in the aftertaste.
This honey aftertaste is most likely due to how this root beer is prepared. Sprecher makes this root beer with honey from Wisconsin. They take the honey from the combs and make it in their on-site brewery. With the addition of honey and vanilla, you get a wonderfully unique root beer flavor with a lasting vanilla and honey aftertaste.
What we liked: As rare or unknown as this brand may be, it is unquestionably one of the best-tasting root beers we’ve ever had. It’s not too sweet, has a distinct root beer flavor, and has a pleasantly sweet aftertaste.
What we didn’t like: since it’s such an obscure brand, purchasing this root beer brand is quite costly, and it would be better to give it a try once before buying it again.
8. Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer
Dads Old Fashioned Root Beer, marketed as America’s Finest Root Beer, has been a popular root beer brand for almost a century. At that period, they established themselves as a premium root beer brand, albeit their popularity has waned over the last several decades.
Dads Old Fashioned Root Beer has always had that recognizable logo with the blue, red, and yellow hues. By design, you wouldn’t believe this is a premium root beer brand, since it’s pretty plain and bland, but the same cannot be true on their root beer beverage.
Dads Old Fashioned Root Beer has a fantastic root beer taste as well as a bite to it. It’s a touch sweeter and sometimes taste a little syrupy, but the added sweetness really contributes to the overall flavor profile of this root beer.
Dads Old Fashioned Root Beer is well-known for its glass, beer-like bottles, but the packaging for this root beer is unique. This one is available in three one-liter bottles. The bottles are likewise not made of glass, but of plastic.
This Dads Old Fashioned Root Beer includes 120 calories per 240 milliliter drink, which is very high when compared to a regular 12 fluid ounce bottle. Despite this, this root beer is caffeine-free, and many people like it because it brings back fond memories of drinking it as a child.
What we liked: This root beer brand has a strong nostalgia value. Drinking this transported us back to our youth, when we drank it virtually every day. It retains the distinctive and delicious root beer taste.
What we didn’t like: We didn’t enjoy the one-liter bottles of this traditional root beer. One liter of root beer is probably too much to drink in one sitting, and the issue here is that if you don’t finish it fast, the root beer will get flat.
Considerations Before Purchasing the Best Root Beer Brands
Calories
With more individuals managing their weight and particularly their calorie consumption these days, the calorie count in root beer might be crucial to many people. Several root beer manufacturers have zero calories in their root beers, which might be a useful source for persons watching their calories.
Some root beer brands, on the other hand, have calorie counts that are rather high for a standard can of root beer and may vary from 120-180 calories.
Package Dimensions
Root beer, like other beverages, comes in many sizes. Although the majority of root beer brands come in standard aluminum cans measuring 12 fluid ounces or 355 millimeters, some do not.
Dads Old Fashioned Root Beer is sold in plastic bottles that hold one liter of root beer. Bundaberg, an Australian iconic root beer, sells its root beer in 12.7 fluid ounce bottles or 375 millimeters.
Flavor
Root beer is a divisive drink since you either love or despise the taste. Those who like its flavor enjoy its distinct flavor. For those who are unaware, root beer is made from sassafras extract, which is sourced from a deciduous tree. Despite its strangeness, it provides a unique flavor that, when mixed with other ingredients, results in a creamy, rich, and tasty beverage.
Each root beer brand is distinct, with its own combination of ingredients used to create its own root beer. Various manufacturers add sugar to the beverage in their own methods, whether natural or artificial, and have perfected their formulations for decades to make a root beer drink that many people like.
CarbonationBite
The bite of root beer is one of its most notable characteristics. The bite refers to the amount of carbonation in the root beer drink. Whatever anybody claims, every root beer drink will have some bite to it. Since it is a carbonated beverage, it needs to.
The amount of carbonation or bite varies amongst root beer brands. A&W and Barqs Root Beer are two excellent examples of this. A&W Root Beer is well-known for being creamy, rich, frothy, and sweet, with a considerably milder taste. If you took an ice cold A&W Root Beer and tried to drink it, you probably wouldn’t have too much problem.
Yet, the same cannot be stated with Barqs Root Beer. Barqs Root Beer is known for having a high level of bite or carbonation in its root beer. It also takes pride in having greater bite than other root beer brands. Consequently, if you tried drinking an ice cold Barqs Root Beer, you’d have to pause every now and again since there’s just too much carbonation to ingest that rapidly.
Last Thoughts
Root beer is an extremely undervalued soda beverage that demands greater attention. We have exposed you to the top root beer brands available today in our study of the best root beer brands.
There is always an amazing root beer brand to select from, whether you like a creamy and smooth root beer or one that is robust and bubbly.