# Root beers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [December 20, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724 "2007-12-20T17:21:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/1 "2007-12-20T17:21:05Z")
My local grocery store has just started carrying Jones Pure Cane Root Beer. Normally, I get Stewart’s, which is the best I can get there (IBC is my other choice … well I’m sure there’s Shasta or something in cans, but … c’mon), so I’m wondering if anyone has an opinion on the Jones stuff. Is it worth the premium over Stewart’s? ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/2 "2007-12-20T17:22:37Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] My local grocery store has just started carrying Jones Pure Cane Root Beer. Normally, I get Stewart’s, which is the best I can get there (IBC is my other choice … well I’m sure there’s Shasta or something in cans, but … c’mon), so I’m wondering if anyone has an opinion on the Jones stuff. Is it worth the premium over Stewart’s? [/QUOTE] To me Jone’s is too sweet. It’s worth a taste, but I would stick with Stewart’s. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/3 "2007-12-20T17:24:37Z")
Moved from IMHO to CS. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/4 "2007-12-20T17:25:39Z")
Aw, crap. Sorry Frank! ---
**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:** [December 20, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/5 "2007-12-20T17:31:09Z")
Give Hansen’s Signature Sarsaprilla a try if you can find it. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/6 "2007-12-20T17:31:52Z")
This brings to mind the root beer tasting that my buddy did a few years back at his housewarming. We picked up a few bottles of every root beer they had on the shelves at the local BevMo and then did a blind taste-test with at least 20 people ranking every sample. The winner by a long shot was one of the major brands - I think it was Barq’s or A&W. The “microbrews” didn’t do very well, many of them were unpleasant and several were universally reviled by all tasters. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/7 "2007-12-20T17:33:11Z")
Try Henry Weinhard’s Root Beer if you can find it. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/8 "2007-12-20T18:04:03Z")
IMO, all of the above are completely demolished when compared to Boylan’s. (which also makes a very excellent and properly spicy birch beer, incidentally) ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/9 "2007-12-20T18:33:38Z")
A&W is a brilliant root beer at a reasonable price. If you think you like IBC, take a sip after having the A&W. It will be the last IBC you buy. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/10 "2007-12-20T19:32:58Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] A&W is a brilliant root beer at a reasonable price. If you think you like IBC, take a sip after having the A&W. It will be the last IBC you buy. [/QUOTE] I don’t know if that’s fair. There are a number of things that will taste “off” or worse when consumed immediately following some other particular thing; that doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t like them, or don’t prefer one over the other if sampled individually. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/11 "2007-12-20T20:52:24Z")
Sprecher’s root beer is purty good. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/12 "2007-12-20T20:56:58Z")
A&W has an unpleasant creamy taste to it. Sprecher and Birghoff are far superior. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/13 "2007-12-20T21:24:24Z")
[QUOTE=LawMonkey] I don’t know if that’s fair. There are a number of things that will taste “off” or worse when consumed immediately following some other particular thing; that doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t like them, or don’t prefer one over the other if sampled individually. [/QUOTE] Well, you could try the IBC first for fairness. I thought I liked it. In fact, I thought it was the bomb. It isn’t. It’s a flat weird syruppy thing. I still like the cream soda, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/14 "2007-12-20T21:58:06Z")
I was never into root beer but my dad looked for Masons. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/15 "2007-12-20T23:53:13Z")
Virgil’s is my favorite from the root beers I’ve drank. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/16 "2007-12-21T02:33:10Z")
Virgil’s is the best I’ve had that’s not a local one (a local beer brewery here also makes delicious root beer,) but Stewart’s is my second fave, and is a bit cheaper so I go to it more often. IBC is good too, and we have it at work, so I actually drink that the most since free is even cheaper than the Stewart’s. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/17 "2007-12-21T02:54:51Z")
> [@](#): > > a local beer brewery here also makes delicious root beer Which one is this? I travel through Burlington a bit and I’d keep an eye out for it. ---
**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/18 "2007-12-21T03:20:13Z")
I must third Sprecher’s, who also brew some fine regular beer. And the A&W root beer that you get from the stands (not the mall/gas station fast food places) in a half gallon milk jug. Nothing is finer to bring home on a sweltering summer day. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/19 "2007-12-21T03:34:11Z")
edit: dual post ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724/20 "2007-12-21T03:33:53Z")
Oh, man one of my favorite outings as a kid was to the A&W Drive-In. Those root beer floats and chili dogs with all the fixin’s! Pardon me while I swoon… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/root-beers/430724.md?page=2)