# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/41 "2013-08-29T21:47:41Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Hmm, not so sure about this. > > Agreed, it’s not ubiquitous like Coke or 7-Up, but I can get Bundaberg root beer (Australian I believe, and bloody delicious) in two places within walking distance of me; the petrol station outside Battersea Park, and a convenience store down the Queenstown Road. I can also find it on the shelves in most Waitrose stores and I get a regular delivery from them. > > So I think it’s a case of being something that one only realises is fairly readily available in the UK if one seeks it. > > BTW, to me it tastes of Germolene and liquorice! Really?! Waitrose sells it? I’ve been looking for the damn stuff for two years since the one shop I could find it in shut down… Incidently, I first tried root beer at the age of 23, and loved it from the start. Weird taste 'n all. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/42 "2013-08-29T21:54:31Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Really?! Waitrose sells it? I’ve been looking for the damn stuff for two years since the one shop I could find it in shut down… > > Incidently, I first tried root beer at the age of 23, and loved it from the start. Weird taste 'n all. Look no more! Just pop along to [waitrose.com](http://waitrose.com) and do a search for Bundaberg. You should find both their root beer and ginger beer (also highly recommended). I’ve also found it in-store in both London and Suffolk, so I presume it’s stocked country-wide. ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/43 "2013-08-29T23:56:52Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > One that I found appealing was a lightly-carbonated orange-flavored cola from Germany, the name of which I’ve forgotten. [Spezi?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spezi) It’s fairly popular there, particularly in the south. Spezi is a brand name though, a more generic term is “Cola-Mix”. ---
**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 30, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/44 "2013-08-30T00:08:45Z")
> [@Fish\_Cheer](#): > > [Spezi?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spezi) It’s fairly popular there, particularly in the south. Spezi is a brand name though, a more generic term is “Cola-Mix”. Ah, that sparked a memory from my European days. I bet it was [Mezzo Mix!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=cSw3ByBOT3w#t=91) They apparently sell it, or used to at any rate, at Wegman’s, a chain of groceries in Western New York. I know I’ve seen it somewhere around here before, and that must be it, as it doesn’t seem to be available anywhere else in the US, and I’ve been to Wegman’s a few times. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/45 "2013-08-30T07:37:45Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > It’s more Germolene than TCP, I think. Germolene! That was it. Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/46 "2013-08-30T08:23:21Z")
The problem with root beer is that each brand has a somewhat unique flavor. I had a root beer a number of years ago that tasted wonderful, best I’ve ever had, but almost immediately forgot the brand. I recall it being slightly more vanilla-y than others, but I could be mistaken. Maybe twice a year I’ll have a root beer hoping it to be the one that I liked so much. So far no luck. Most root beers I’ve tried are borderline terrible. I don’t associate it with medicine, I simply don’t like the taste. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/47 "2013-08-30T10:03:52Z")
Is Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer still available anywhere? When I was very young, there were root beer stands where one sat in one’s car and had root beer in ice cold mugs delivered to one’s car by “car hops.” You used to see tons of Dad’s root beer stands. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/48 "2013-08-30T15:08:15Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Is Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer still available anywhere? I see bottles of it in the specialty pop aisle at my local grocery store, along with the Sprecher, Stewarts and stuff like that. Their site has a Find It link; [http://www.dadsrootbeer.com/dads/dads.nsf/vwContent/Homepage](http://www.dadsrootbeer.com/dads/dads.nsf/vwContent/Homepage) Looks to be available at Kmarts and Big K stores in your area. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/49 "2013-08-30T16:01:07Z")
Get a bottle of A&W and a pint of good vanilla ice cream. You can thank me later. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/50 "2013-08-30T16:16:42Z")
I found a rather simple root beer recipe [here](http://www.learningherbs.com/support-files/rootbeerbranch.pdf) (pdf) I thought I’d try and I ordered all the ingredients [here](http://www.pennherb.com/) as I could get them in smaller than the 4 ounces sizes on that other site. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/51 "2013-08-30T16:22:53Z")
I really liked Hire’s Root Beer and I see it’s still available, but the prices online are beyond outrageous. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/52 "2013-08-30T17:03:30Z")
I grew up on Dad’s root beer. I know they still make it, but damned if I can find it anywhere. And birch beer too. I’ve only seen it in import stores (very expensive). ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/53 "2013-08-30T18:03:10Z")
Ah, Hires, my brother once bought a bottle of the flavoring mix that you use to make your own, with sugar (IIRC), water and yeast (for the carbonation). Seems to me he left it age a little longer than the instructions recommended, so it really was root _beer_. A little bitter for my young palate at the time. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/54 "2013-08-30T19:21:11Z")
Moved to Cafe Society from General Questions. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/55 "2013-08-30T19:31:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Ah, that sparked a memory from my European days. I bet it was [Mezzo Mix!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=cSw3ByBOT3w#t=91) That sounds right. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/56 "2013-08-30T19:40:56Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I really liked Hire’s Root Beer and I see it’s still available, but the prices online are beyond outrageous. :eek: What? $28.99 a case from Amazon too much? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GovernmentMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GovernmentMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GovernmentMan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/57 "2013-08-30T20:00:47Z")
It’s fairly popular in the Philippines ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/58 "2013-08-30T21:32:47Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > What? $28.99 a case from Amazon too much? 😉 Well, if you add on the safety deposit box rental it is. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/59 "2013-08-30T22:59:01Z")
Maybe I’m wrong about this but I think the main reason why Root Beer and Sarsaparilla seem to be American or Canadian things is due to the strength of the prohibitionist movement in North America during the 19th and early 20th century. There were many teetotalers who, while taking the pledge to avoid alcohol, still wanted to socialize with the rest of the drinking populace and that often meant doing so in the local saloon, bar, or tavern. As a result, many drinking establishments began stocking non-alcoholic alternatives like root beer or sarsaparilla for them. From there, various entrepreneurs–eyeing the vast teetotaler market–began bottling the various brands of root beer, sarsaparilla, and other soft drinks for those who chose not to partake in beer, wine, and whiskey. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/60 "2013-08-30T23:13:12Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > The problem with root beer is that each brand has a somewhat unique flavor. I had a root beer a number of years ago that tasted wonderful, best I’ve ever had, but almost immediately forgot the brand. I recall it being slightly more vanilla-y than others, but I could be mistaken. Maybe twice a year I’ll have a root beer hoping it to be the one that I liked so much. So far no luck. > > Most root beers I’ve tried are borderline terrible. I don’t associate it with medicine, I simply don’t like the taste. Virgil’s Root Beer has a much more pronounced vanilla/anise taste than most. You can always browse brands (and learn a lot more about root beer) at [Root Beer World](http://www.root-beer.org). They also have links to places where you can buy root beer and other sodas. I loves me some root beer, but lately (Diet) Cherry Dr. Pepper has become my default soda. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459.md?page=4)