# Is Root Beer an American?Canadian Thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [August 29, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459 "2013-08-29T00:52:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/21 "2013-08-29T13:38:58Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > You forgot dandelion and burdock. > > Root Beer is such a non product in the UK that even MacDonald’s doesn’t sell it. We only know the name from US TV. What does it taste like? A very good British friend of mine says it tastes like toothpaste. He can’t stand the stuff. This makes me think that your toothpaste over there must taste _awesome_. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/22 "2013-08-29T13:39:53Z")
Only know it from TV & movies… haven’t come across it in Europe as of yet. Seems to be a US only thing for the most part. Buddy told me, that there are several different ones and tasting all different. When I’m in the US the next time, I guess I have to kick that can and try some. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/23 "2013-08-29T13:57:19Z")
I had never heard of it growing up in the UK. > [@MandaJo](#): > > McDonald’s doesn’t sell root beer here, either. Or at least not in the south. Root beer is probably on tap at about a third, maybe a half, of food places. They do in Florida and Georgia. The soda selection in any given McDonald’s is determined by the regional management. Barq’s is one of the regional options along with various Fantas, caffeine-free Coke, Sprite Zero and some Minute Maid offerings. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/24 "2013-08-29T14:05:26Z")
What is in it? A bunch of stuff. > **[How to Make REAL Homemade Root Beer with Herbs](https://nourishedkitchen.com/homemade-root-beer-recipe/)** > > This homemade root beer is so delicious, brightly flavored with herbs and spices, naturally sweet and lightly fizzy. And it's made the old-fashioned way - through fermentation. Fermented sodas are naturally fizzy, and loaded with probiotics. Plus... •1/4 cup sassafras root bark •1/4 cup winter green leaf •2 tablespoons sarsaparilla root •1 tablespoon licorice root •1 tablespoon ginger root •1 tablespoon dandelion root •1 tablespoon hops flowers •1 tablespoon birch bark •1 tablespoon wild cherry tree bark •1 teaspoon juniper berries •1 cinnamon stick •1 cup unrefined cane sugar •1/2 cup ginger bug (get the tutorial), fresh whey or 1 packet kefir starter culture (available here) [http://www.chow.com/recipes/10681-chow-root-beer](http://www.chow.com/recipes/10681-chow-root-beer) •1 vanilla bean •1 (5-inch) licorice root, broken into pieces •3/4 cup chopped dried sarsaparilla root •2 tablespoons dried sassafras root bark •1 tablespoon chopped dried burdock root •1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick •3 heads star anise •3 quarts distilled water (12 cups) •2 cups lightly packed dark brown sugar •1 tablespoon molasses •2 (1/8-inch-wide) strips of orange zest •1/8 teaspoon ale yeast (also called brewer’s yeast) As you can see, the ingredients vary, but all include Sarsparilla and Sassafras. Root Beers like A&W and Mug contain more Vanilla. Some of the regional ones I like use more Birch. None of them is really “X ingredient and a bunch of sugar” - they’re a bit more complex. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/25 "2013-08-29T15:12:59Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Root Beer is such a non product in the UK that even MacDonald’s doesn’t sell it. We only know the name from US TV. What does it taste like? If you’ve never tasted it, the best description I can think of is that it’s like wintergreen soda. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/26 "2013-08-29T15:20:08Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > A very good British friend of mine says it tastes like toothpaste. He can’t stand the stuff. That’s understandable. Toothpaste is flavored with wintergreen or spearmint to make it more palatable. But if your only exposure to mint flavors has been in toothpaste, then you’d be prone to make that association. A friend of mine hates the taste of orange, because she associates it with the medicine she had to take as a child when she was sick. I never though much about it, but that’s probably the same reason I can’t stand cherries. The flavor additives that were meant to make medicine more tolerable to children ended up doing just the opposite, making pleasant flavors offensive to us as adults. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/27 "2013-08-29T15:27:53Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > You forgot dandelion and burdock. > > Root Beer is such a non product in the UK that even MacDonald’s doesn’t sell it. We only know the name from US TV. What does it taste like? I don’t think I have seen Root Beer in MacDonald’s in the US for a long time. I suppose it depends on the franchise owner if he wants to carry it or not. But near me MacDonald’s doesn’t have Root Beer. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/28 "2013-08-29T15:34:38Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > …Root Beer is such a non product in the UK that even MacDonald’s doesn’t sell it… It’s not like McDonald’s has umpteen soda options. They sell the 6 or so that sell the best. For those that think root beer is an acquired taste, I can tell you that I loved it the very first time I tried it as a kid. Birch beer too. The person that said that maybe you need to drink it first in your youth maybe onto something. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/29 "2013-08-29T15:37:35Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Is there a place where people don’t think it tastes like cough syrup? I just assumed it was popular in places where people like the taste of cough syrup. It doesn’t taste anything like any cough syrup I’ve ever had. Wintergreen, though, is the flavor that medicines elsewhere in the world are often flavored with, so that’s where the cough syrup connection may come from. And, yes, it’s generally seen as an acquired taste outside of the US. I don’t remember a time ever NOT liking root beer, but it’s rare I’ve met, say, a European who is not at least flummoxed by the drink the first time they have it. Most don’t develop a taste for it, but some do. I’m surprised it’s as jarring to non-American taste buds, especially given that a lot of these cultures have very herbal liqueurs (like Jager, Fernet, Unicum, Unterberg, St. Vitus, Pimm’s, etc.) that are popular. If you look at a root beer recipe, if you just took those ingredients and steeped them in grain alcohol and then cut them with some water and sugar to your desired ABV, you’d have something not unlike a typical bitters recipe. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/30 "2013-08-29T15:39:24Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > What is in it? A bunch of stuff. > > [How to Make REAL Homemade Root Beer with Herbs](http://nourishedkitchen.com/homemade-root-beer-recipe/) > > •1/4 cup sassafras root bark > •1/4 cup winter green leaf > •2 tablespoons sarsaparilla root > •1 tablespoon licorice root > •1 tablespoon ginger root > •1 tablespoon dandelion root > •1 tablespoon hops flowers > •1 tablespoon birch bark > •1 tablespoon wild cherry tree bark > •1 teaspoon juniper berries > •1 cinnamon stick > •1 cup unrefined cane sugar > •1/2 cup ginger bug (get the tutorial), fresh whey or 1 packet kefir starter culture (available here) Hops? Interesting. I rather want to try this, though god knows where I’d get all of that stuff. Also, it’s a bit of a stretch to say root beer is ‘popular’ in the US. I like it from time to time, though it’s easy (for me) to get burnt out on. I’ve got a case of Barq’s (my favorite widely available RB) sitting in the fridge now, but I’m fairly over this particular little infatuation with the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/31 "2013-08-29T15:39:27Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It took me a long time to appreciate Dr. Pepper, but I’ve always loved root beer. Has any root beer hater ever had a [root beer float](http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Root-Beer-Float)? Or how about [Root Beer Barrels](http://www.oldtimecandy.com/root-beer-barrels.htm)? I hate it. I can tolerate it if it’s ice cold out of those big barrels, like at a fair, but even then I don’t like it. My first ‘real’ job was working at A&W. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/32 "2013-08-29T15:46:19Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > If you’ve never tasted it, the best description I can think of is that it’s like wintergreen soda. That’s about the best description I could offer. Root beer is one of those things that has a rather unique taste. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/33 "2013-08-29T16:18:43Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Hops? Interesting. I rather want to try this, though god knows where I’d get all of that stuff. Here ya go: > **[Mountain Rose Herbs](https://mountainroseherbs.com/)** > > Shop bulk herbs and spices at Mountain Rose Herbs. Our herbs are trusted for their unmatched quality and freshness and are hand-selected from the finest harvests each year. That’s where I order that kind of stuff from, when I’m in my bitters making mood. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/34 "2013-08-29T16:24:59Z")
Looks like they don’t have wintergreen there, though (although all the other herbs seem to be there.) So you can find wintergreen here (but I’ve never used this vendor): [http://qualitybulkherbs.com/shopping/wintergreen-herb-c-s.html](http://qualitybulkherbs.com/shopping/wintergreen-herb-c-s.html) ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/35 "2013-08-29T16:58:02Z")
A few years ago I was in Paris browsing in the travel section of a bookstore. I was flipping through the pages of a guidebook to the USA. It was saying something about different types of food. I remember this one section where it mentioned that the reader should try root beer just to experience what Americans like, but don’t be scared if you don’t like it, because (the authors said), it was really disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/36 "2013-08-29T18:39:09Z")
Eenteresting. May have to give it a go. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/37 "2013-08-29T18:53:18Z")
Obligatory Star Trek clip (Rootbeer enters at 1:45) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4hdiuRMK3UQ/hqdefault.jpg "Star Trek DS9: Quark and Garak - Just like the Federation") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hdiuRMK3UQ) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/38 "2013-08-29T18:53:35Z")
[It’s not popular in space, either…](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hdiuRMK3UQ) ETA: Goddamit, **Chimera!** ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/39 "2013-08-29T21:03:53Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > A few years ago I was in Paris browsing in the travel section of a bookstore. I was flipping through the pages of a guidebook to the USA. It was saying something about different types of food. I remember this one section where it mentioned that the reader should try root beer just to experience what Americans like, but don’t be scared if you don’t like it, because (the authors said), it was really disgusting. This written by people who enjoy eating snails. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/40 "2013-08-29T21:15:12Z")
I never cared much for root beer as a child, but I grew to like it as an adult. It’s nowhere near as popular or commonplace these days as it was before 1970, though. Several years ago, I visited the Coca-Cola Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia (the birthplace of Coke). At the end of the tour, there’s a self-service soda fountain where you can sample soft drinks that are popular in countries outside of the United States. One that I found appealing was a lightly-carbonated orange-flavored cola from Germany, the name of which I’ve forgotten. But the most memorable one was an extremely bitter beverage from Italy called Beverly. Few American visitors could manage more than a single sip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459.md?page=3)