Root Beer Ranking: The Top 10 Best Root Beers on the Planet
By Joshua Taylor
When you are craving a soda, whether it be at a restaurant, convenience store, grocery store or social gathering, what do you get? I get a root beer!
Since its conception in the 1800’s, the carbonated, dark, sweet, and slightly bitter soft drink has been a staple in American culture. At one point in the early 1900’s, you could go just about anywhere and order a nice, cold frosty mug at any lunch counter, soda fountain, or root beer stand.
Root beer’s distinctive flavor often comes from the root bark of the sassafras tree, although some root beers use other flavors such as spruce, birch, licorice, ginger, or sarsaparilla. Other flavors often used in root beer include vanilla, caramel, wintergreen, molasses and cinnamon.
So, what makes a root beer great, and what are some of the best root beers you can get today? In this article, I will taste test 10 different store-bought root beers and rank them based on three main categories: carbonation and head, flavor profile, and enjoyment.
Ranking System
For my rating, I will examine three main elements of each root beer and rate them based on their performance:
Carbonation and Head: Every root beer must have a decent amount of carbonation. A flat root beer is not a good root beer. Every root beer must also have a present head (foam): if the foam lasts longer than 2 seconds, it’s worth it.
Overall flavor profile: must have at least a hint of bitterness, and must be able to taste the “root” in the drink (sassafras, birch, wintergreen, etc.).
Enjoyment: How does it taste and is it worth drinking again?
In addition, every root beer on this list comes from a glass bottle, so fountain drinks do not count. Glass bottle root beers always contain real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners, giving them more of a genuine taste.
Let the root beer games begin!
#10: Barq’s
Description:
Barq’s is one of the oldest root beers on the market, having been sold ever since 1898. It’s also one of the most readily available root beers, with just about every grocery/convenience store carrying it.
Carbonation and Head:
Decent amount of carbonation, but becomes increasingly flat with each sip. Good foamy head that took a while to dissipate.
Overall Flavor Profile:
Very sweet. Smooth and light. Has a distinctive and different taste than the others, probably because of the sarsaparilla. Little hint of wintergreen and vanilla.
Enjoyment:
Barq’s makes a good root beer, but it’s not one that I would sit and drink a whole can of. It’s a little too heavy of a taste.
Rating: 6 out of 10
#9: WBC
Description:
WBC is made by Sprecher Brewery, the maker of the next root beer on the list. Marketed as “Chicago-Style”. Found at Dollar Tree.
Carbonation and Head:
Decent carbonation. Very little head.
Overall Flavor Profile:
Smooth and creamy. Not too sweet. Taste some sort of “root” but not sure what it is. Can’t quite pinpoint one particular flavor. Unusually fruity aftertaste.
Enjoyment:
This is an average root beer, and one I wouldn’t probably buy on a regular basis. However, it was crisp and smooth and one that deserves maybe a little more attention.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
#8: Sprecher
Description:
Sprecher’s motto is “The Best Root Beer in America”. While the company offers many more products in addition to root beer, like beer, ginger ale, and cream soda, it makes more and sells more root beer than any of their other products.
Carbonation and Head:
Very little carbonation. Almost no head: very flat root beer.
Overall Flavor Profile:
Sprecher surprised me. It’s not your typical bubbly root beer: it’s by far the smoothest root beer on this list, almost to the texture of honey or cough syrup. Speaking of honey, the main sweetener is honey, and it stands out. Nice wintergreen. Unusually bitter.
Enjoyment:
Sprecher is definitely a root beer I would drink again, but it’s not your typical root beer and takes some getting used to.
Rating: 7 out of 10
#7: Dad’s
Description:
Dad’s Root Beer is an “old-fashioned” root beer, having been on the market since 1937. Dad’s Root Beer was the first drink in the US to be available in a “six-pack” as well as in half gallon bottles.
Carbonation and Head:
Average carbonation. Decent head, you can tell it’s definitely a creamy root beer just by looking at it.
Overall Flavor Profile:
Very sweet. Almost tastes like caramel or molasses. Strong wintergreen taste and smell. Very smooth root beer, but definitely has some bite.
Enjoyment:
Dad’s lives up to its name as an old-fashioned root beer: its somewhat medicinal taste coupled with its robust sweetness make it a delicious root beer that pays true respect to the root beers of yesteryears. Some might find this brew to be a little too strong or bitter, but nevertheless a good option.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
#6: A&W
Description:
Easily the most recognizable and highest selling root beer of all time, A&W is legendary. Since its creation by Roy W. Allen in 1919, A&W has been a fixture of American society for over a century. In addition to the root beer, Allen and business partner Frank Wright (the inspiration for the A&W name, which spells out Allen and Wright) founded one of the very first restaurant chains in 1923, also called A&W.
Carbonation and Head:
Has great carbonation. Average head: foamy.
Overall Flavor Profile:
Extremely sweet. Very mild root beer, but very smooth and creamy. Hints of sassafras and caramel, and lots of vanilla.
Enjoyment:
A&W is a classic creamy root beer, great wherever it is available. While it is not super representative of a true root beer, it’s the perfect root beer for people who don’t like the typical bitterness or flavors of root beer, and yet it still is authentic.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
#5: IBC
Description:
IBC is probably the most common root beer to be found in glass bottles, as it is often sold at stores like Walmart and Target. Like A&W, IBC has also been in production since 1919.
Carbonation and Head:
Good carbonation. Not much head.
Overall Flavor Profile:
Surprisingly well-balanced. Very clean, smooth taste. Has a decent bite. Can definitely make out flavors of vanilla and wintergreen.
Enjoyment:
IBC is like the Toyota Corolla of root beer: there’s nothing super special about it, but it’s reliable and will never fail you. It’s actually decently similar to A&W, but with a little bit more depth and richness.
Rating: 8 out of 10
#4: Fitz’s
Description:
Fitz’s has been brewed in St. Louis, Missouri since 1993. The company has a vintage approach, using a vintage 1940’s bottling machine that bottles one bottle every second.
Carbonation and Head:
Nice fizz. Average head, but somewhat frothy.
Overall Flavor Profile:
Very crisp and clean. Smooth texture. Hints of vanilla, sassafras, and wintergreen. Has that cane sugar natural sweet taste, although this is definitely a “rooty” beverage.
Enjoyment:
This is a very tasty root beer that you can tell has a lot of attention and care put into its production. It’s possibly the most refreshing root beer on the list. Would definitely drink again!
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
#3: Triple XXX
Description:
Triple XXX has been continuously made since 1895, and at one point hundreds of Triple XXX “thirst stations” were located across the U.S. While not the easiest root beer to find, you can find it in town.
Carbonation and Head:
Moderately bubbly. Not much head.
Overall Flavor Profile:
Very smooth, creamy root beer. Great natural sweetness and very fresh. Very well balanced between sweetness and bitterness. It has just enough bite that you get that kind of tickling sensation on the tongue. Somewhat similar to A&W, but sweeter.
Enjoyment:
Very fine root beer with great taste. Something about the bottle’s old fashioned packaging makes it even more enjoyable, and makes me want a hamburger to pair with it.
Rating: 9 out of 10
#2: Red Arrow
Description:
Red Arrow is probably the most difficult to find on this list. Bottled in Michigan, the legend goes that the name originates from the Red Arrow 32nd Infantry of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard that fought in WWI and WWII.
Carbonation and Head:
Great carbonation, has that little tickling feeling. Perfect smooth, bubbly head.
Overall Flavor Profile:
Not as sweet as the other ones; the flavorings rule on this one. Very aromatic. Strong hints of licorice and wintergreen, with a little bit of molasses too. Almost minty, but in a very refreshing way. Very smooth.
Enjoyment:
One of the most “natural” tasting root beers on this list, Red Arrow is a seriously good root beer. Very enjoyable and refreshing. Would buy a whole case!
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
#1: Weber’s
Description:
Weber’s Root Beer has a unique history: Oscar Weber Bilby, a native Tulsan, created Weber’s recipe in the late 1800’s, combining 14 natural ingredients and aging it in birch bark barrels to make his fire-brewed root beer. Bilby is also sometimes credited (although the true inventor may be argued about forever) as being the first to place angus beef between two buns, effectively creating the first “hamburger”.
Carbonation and Head:
Very carbonated. By far the best head: smooth, frothy, and creamy.
Overall flavor profile:
Nice level of sweetness. Strong flavors of vanilla, birch, and sassafras. Weber’s has some bite! Has a little bit of spice. One of the most unique and flavorful drinks I’ve ever tasted.
Enjoyment:
Weber’s is just special, and not just because of its local connection. It’s like a three-course meal of flavors, as you can taste distinguish each flavor and thoroughly enjoy it. The fact that Weber’s Root Beer is still produced over 130 years after it’s creation, still made with the exact same process and containing the same special 14 ingredient recipe, and is still produced every day by the same family is just nothing short of legendary. It’s everything you would want in a root beer and more.
Rating: 10 out of 10
And that’s a wrap! May this guide be of much help to you in your future grocery store endeavors, and lead you down a wonderful path of sweet soda exploration. Now go, get yourself a frosty mug of root beer!
