Virgil’s is my favorite, but a bit pricey. A six-pack goes for almost the same price as a six-pack of actual beer.
Among the regional brands, St. Arnold’s, the beer brewery in Houston, makes a really good cane sugar root beer.
Among the brands you named, IBC and Dad’s are my favorites. I try to get a bottle of Dad’s whenever I’m at the Dollar Tree.
A&W from an actual A&W restaurant, is amazing…
Joe
I pretty much only drink diet now and Diet Barq’s is much better than any others I’ve tried.
Best root beer I ever had was Fanta but that was 30 years ago.
Virgil’s.
Thomas Kemper is pretty good, too (as is Henry Weinhard’s.)
I have a diet Barq with me now, it doesn’t list caffeine. I would like it to have some tho.
Agreed ! Back in the day when they brewed it “In house”…so so creamy!
Voted other for Virgils.
The correct answer is Sprecher.
The best was the old draft A&W from childhood. More recently, the best I’ve had was draft root beer made at Glacier Brewhouse in Anchorage.
Barq’s is supreme, when you can’t get draft A&W. IBC is in the same ballpark, but lacks that sharp taste.
A&W in the can is a fine root beer, which I tend to think of as a kind of candy – bright and sweet. A&W fresh from the restaurant is the standard by which root beer is to be judged.
I wasn’t aware it was controversial. What’s not root beer about it? Is it flavored with wintergreen? And do you have a cite for this information?
I had something called Tommyknockers which was just awful, and the hint of maple which was its selling point really didn’t help.
So why are root beers caffeine free?
Because nothing they make it with has caffeine.
I actually was not impressed with Virgil’s. A&W from an actual A&W does in fact kick ass. In the bottle I like Thomas Kemper best.
Yep, I voted Other because of Sprecher’s, but IBC is the best on that list.
Maine Root. If you can find it on draft, it’s even better.
Barq’s because it has caffeine.
A&W from the soda fountain at an A&W restaurant.
IBS is best from the bottle.
There’s some great small company root beers.
Dogs n Suds is good.
Triple X is really good AT Triple X but I don’t know how it is from a bottle.
I like Hansen’s. It has a nice complex flavor, even the diet version.
They sell it at dollar general. (dad’s)
Henry Weinhardt’s and Hires are the best.