A&W on tap is just fantastic.
I love a good root beer, and of the brands listed in the poll, IBC is my favorite. I’ve learned that the more licorice-y a root beer tastes, the less I like it. Brands like IBC and A&W (which I’ve only had from a can, not from tap) are on the less-licorice-y end of the spectrum, while Virgil’s is on the more-licorice-y end.
Several brands have gotten multiple mentions in this thread, such as Sprecher and Henry Weinhardt’s. Can folks tell me how licorice-y they taste, so I can know if I should bother spending time seeking them out?
**Stewart’s-**regular and diet.
Yes. It is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group now, which also owns A&W. It is only available in select markets so as not to too badly cut into the A&W brand. But if you ever find yourself in Utah there are even a Hires Big-H chain of burger joints with it on tap.
What makes this country great is that you can go into an A&W, plunk down a measely $1.35, and you can serve yourself as much A&W rootbeer as you can drink, from the tap, exactly the way that you want it poured. It is so good, I feel guilty, like I am at a strip joint or something.
To me, rootbeer is like a candy or a dessert. It doesn’t make me less thirsty, it makes me more thirsty. The purpose of drinking it is to experience the flavor.
All other rootbeers that I have tried are in my judgement at least “good” in their own way. Kinda like pizza.
Ironhorse. It’s made in Minnesota, but, for some reason, they sell it 'round here at a Texas Barbeque-style restaurant.
It’s the first root beer I ever tasted that did not taste exactly the same. Since then, I’ve noticed the differences in other root beers, but I always go back to this one. Too bad you have to buy it in bottles at a restaurant that has free refills for everything else…