# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/61 "2013-08-31T00:21:01Z")
I’m partial to Mug, but if you want a _really_ good root beer, IBC is the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/62 "2013-08-31T01:42:50Z")
[Related thread about root-beer floats](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=692134) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/63 "2013-08-31T03:25:00Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I’m partial to Mug, but if you want a _really_ good root beer, IBC is the way to go. I drink diet Mug in the evenings because it has no caffeine. Cannot stand IBC rootbeer. ---
**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 31, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/64 "2013-08-31T04:04:25Z")
IBC was considered a very good root beer before they made the switch to HFCS. Now I think it is a fairly pedestrian product. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/65 "2013-08-31T04:18:41Z")
Well, now that we’ve devolved into root beer recommendations: If you can get it, grab some [Saint Arnold’s Root Beer](http://www.saintarnold.com/beers/rootbeer.html). They’re not making a dime off it apparently, so grab some beer too, if you like that sort of thing. And the more easy to get Bundaberg is delicious, too. You can get it here at specialty shops. It’s so good I’m surprised to hear that root beer isn’t popular in Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/66 "2013-08-31T09:58:26Z")
> [@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)? Yeah. I still hate root beer. It makes me want to yak. But hey, that means more for you, right? I fully support the right of root beer lovers to drink root beer. Oddly enough, I actually like the taste of sassafras tea, as sassafras was supposedly the original root in root beer. But sassafras tea is distinctly different from root beer. I also like Dr. Pepper. Go figure. ---
**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 31, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/67 "2013-08-31T17:08:38Z")
Someone once described Dr. Pepper as carbonated prune juice. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/68 "2013-08-31T19:15:43Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > 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. I don’t know where he gets it, but there’s a guy with a stall at our Farmer’s Market, and he sells vintage sodas. I stopped and looked for the first time today and I saw Dad’s. There were at least a dozen varieties of root beer, plus all kinds of other soda flavors. I bought a bottle of root beer called “Brownie” and it’s in my fridge now getting chilled. There were several orange soda, plus some other odd flavors. I remember a coffee soda, and something called Cheerwine, which is supposed to be a cherry flavored drink. ---
**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 31, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/69 "2013-08-31T19:20:36Z")
Oh, and I think there may be some debate concerning ice. I have been taught that one should never pour root beer over ice because it messes up the flavor balance. Frosted mugs only. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/70 "2013-08-31T19:25:32Z")
When I was living in Japan, root beer was not available except around American military bases or in shops that specialized in imported foods. On several occasions Japanese people I knew who’d tried root beer at some point told me how awful they thought it was. “It tastes like medicine” was the usual description. A coworker told me that she’d tried it while on vacation in Okinawa, and that she’d had to check the can to make sure it wasn’t expired – she couldn’t believe it was _supposed_ to taste like that. ---
**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/71 "2013-08-31T20:11:42Z")
In Germany I found it one time. An Thai brand in an Asian food store. In the Netherlands, it is fairly common in supermarkets. The brands I’ve seen are “Stars & Stripes” and “White Rock”. ---
**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 31, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/72 "2013-08-31T20:32:46Z")
I just bought some Virgil’s so we’ll see if it is the best in the world. ---
**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 31, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/73 "2013-08-31T20:49:13Z")
Anyone remember the root beer flavor of New York Seltzer? It lacked the caramel coloring, so it was completely clear. Disconcerting at first, but it did taste like ok root beer. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/74 "2013-08-31T23:14:23Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Someone once described Dr. Pepper as carbonated prune juice. But I _like_ prunes! Mmmm… dried plums! Actually, I think cherry is supposed to be a larger component of Dr. Pepper. It doesn’t take particularly cherry to me, though. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/75 "2013-09-01T00:38:44Z")
> [@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? Hah, Root Beer reminds me a LOT of dandelion and burdock, so I think you’d starting closer than you expected. They’re not identical, but definitely in the same family: herbal, hard-to-ID, and lingering on the palette. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/76 "2013-09-01T00:42:31Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Oh, and I think there may be some debate concerning ice. I have been taught that one should never pour root beer over ice because it messes up the flavor balance. Frosted mugs only. For “normal” root beer, I don’t think it matters. It’s syrupy and fizzy enough that ice dilution won’t cause an issue. Good root beer for a “craft” maker has a milder flavor and is less carbonated, so ice tends to make it seem watery. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/77 "2013-09-01T01:30:58Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > 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). Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer is available in some East Coast grocery stores but, since you’re not on the East Coast, you might want to [get it from Pennsylvania Dutch themselves](http://www.daretogodutch.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=BB). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/78 "2013-09-01T03:31:30Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I have always understood root beer to be a basically American acquired taste, although it seems to also sell well in Montreal (don’t know about the rest of Canada). Root beer is a common pop flavour throughout Canada. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/79 "2013-09-01T03:55:48Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > But I _like_ prunes! Mmmm… dried plums! > > Actually, I think cherry is supposed to be a larger component of Dr. Pepper. It doesn’t take particularly cherry to me, though. There may be drupes in its flavoring, it’s purportedly got 23 flavors. But I have it on good authority that it’s actually primarily flavored by a berry. Which one? I am not about to say more than I already have. I live in their territory, and well, have an addiction to the stuff. It’d be child’s play for them to kill me off. 🙂 ---
**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:** [September 1, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459/80 "2013-09-01T05:08:38Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > There may be drupes in its flavoring, it’s purportedly got 23 flavors. But I have it on good authority that it’s actually primarily flavored by a berry. Which one? I am not about to say more than I already have. I live in their territory, and well, have an addiction to the stuff. It’d be child’s play for them to kill me off. 🙂 I thought almond was the main flavor (and happen to agree.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-root-beer-an-american-canadian-thing/667459.md?page=5)