Root beer has been a favorite soft drink for generations. Its early production was influenced by the “small beer tradition,” drinks with less than 2% alcohol that was a safer alternative to water. Pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires adapted traditional sassafras teas brewed by North American First Nations into an extract to flavor teas and debuted his product at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. In 1886, he began selling bottled versions of his concoction and root beer as we know it was born.

Since then, root beer production has gone from small-town soda shops to factory bottlers and niche microbreweries. While the availability of the brew has changed, people’s love of root beer has remained consistent. It’s still one of the most popular soft drinks in the United States. 

Are you craving some frothy root beer right now? Let’s look at some of the best root beers to tickle your taste buds with their delectable creamy texture and delicious fizz. They’ll have you reaching for a frosty mug and an ice cream scoop in no time.

1. OLIPOP Classic Root Beer 12oz Can

This botanically driven root beer marries a classic bite with a creamy sweetness with extracts of sweet birch, smooth-vanilla bean, and naturally sourced burdock root. We recommend pairing it with rich vanilla ice cream to make everyone’s favorite root beer float.

$3.29

2. Rocky Mountain Soda Root Beer 12oz Btl

Rocky Mountain Sodas makes the highest quality, most unique root beer in the world. It also happens to be all-natural, non-GMO, gluten-free, Kosher, and vegan. Their root beer is custom crafted in small batches and bottled by hand the day it’s made. Taste the outcome of their efforts in every sip you take. 

$2.19

3. Mug Root Beer 20oz Btl

Bless root beer for staying relevant all these years. Grab a frosty mug of this delicious drink for all ages. Mug Root Beer sticks to the basics — a rich foam, unique aroma, and ice-cold refreshment. Enjoy with a meal, as a delicious ice cream float, or when you’re hanging with friends.

$2.59

4. Not Your Father's Root Beer 6pk 12oz Btl 5.9% ABV

For those of you who want a grown-up’s version of root beer, there’s Not Your Father’s Root Beer. This classic root beer has the same traditional flavor of sarsaparilla you’ve grown up with and enough of a boozy kick for you to appreciate as an adult with 10.7% alcohol by volume (ABV). 

$10.99

5. Bull Dog Root Beer 12oz

Root beer, unleashed! Bulldog Root Beer uses traditional brewing methods to craft its root beer using only premium ingredients like pure cane sugar and vanilla extracts. The process delivers a slightly fizzy beverage that allows the delicate flavors of vanilla and honey flavors shine through.

$1.89

6. Sprecher Craft Soda Root Beer 16oz Bottle

A unique, award-winning soda, Sprecher Root Beer has an old-fashioned flavor that comes when raw Wisconsin honey, pure vanilla, and aromatic botanicals are blended in handmade, gas-fired brew kettles. The resulting brew is aged just long enough to achieve peak flavor, a super creamy mouthfeel, and a frothy head.

$1.99

7. Dang! Butterscotch Root Beer 12oz

If you enjoy butterscotch candy, you’ll love this. Root beer’s distinctive sassafras flavor combines with the deliciously sticky butterscotch to create a one-of-a-kind taste that’ll transport you straight back to your childhood. One sip, and you’ll know why it’s called Dang!

$1.99

8. Barq's Root Beer 20oz Btl

Barq’s has bite! Enjoy the classic taste of Barq’s Root Beer. It’s crisp, refreshing, and tastes as good today as it did in 1898. Enjoy Barq’s Root Beer plain, or pour yourself a delicious and refreshing root beer float. Enjoy the taste that has stood the test of time.

$2.59

9. Dad's Root Beer 12oz

Dad’s Root Beer has arguably been America’s best root beer brand for over 100 years. It blends the traditional ingredients of licorice, wintergreen, and vanilla into the classic velvety soft drink that you know and love. Dad’s tastes like Root Beer should!

$1.99

10. Virgil's Root Beer 4pk 12oz Btl

An old-fashioned root beer direct from the oldest soda-making company in the United States! It’s the soda that started it all. Virgil’s brews their root beer by hand in small batches so that you can taste the complex flavor that comes from 15 different roots and spices. The result is a rich, creamy, and deliciously complex brew.

$6.99

11. Sparky's Root Beer 12oz

Sparky’s Root Beer started as an old family recipe. They combine the highest quality sassafras, wintergreen, and a secret blend of spices with pure cane sugar and then kettle-brew the mixture in small batches for optimal root beer flavor. The result is a silky smooth beverage, arguably the best root beer around.

$2.29

12. Bundaberg Root Beer 4pk 375ml

Traditionally brewed to a genuine old recipe, Bundaberg combines real sarsaparilla root with licorice root, vanilla beans, and molasses and then brews for over three days to craft the rich, unique color and refreshing flavor. One of the best bottled root beers around, enjoy a taste of yesteryear with Bundaberg Root Beer.

$6.99

13. Bawls Guarana Root Beer 10oz

Unleash the power of Bawls and stay awake with the first root beer flavored energy drink. This unique hybrid drink combines great root beer taste with high amounts of caffeine and energy-boosting guarana into a smooth, easy-drinking beverage in a distinctive glass bottle.

$2.69

14. A&W Root Beer 20oz Btl

A&Ws signature root beer has been unchanged since they opened their first tiny root beer stand in 1919. It’s still made fresh with pure cane sugar and a proprietary blend of herbs, bark, spices, and berries. Raise a frosty root beer mug and celebrate an American icon.

$2.49

FAQ

What is root beer made of?

The primary flavoring of root beer used to come from sassafras or sarsaparilla root. These days, producers use a proprietary combination of allspice, wintergreen, ginger, black cherry bark, nutmeg, anise, cinnamon bark, sweet birch bark, or prickly ash bark mixed in with either molasses, honey, cane sugar, or corn syrup, and water. 

Commercial bottlers use these ingredients to create a syrup that they add to soda water to make a fizzy mouthfeel and generate the beer-like head that accumulates when you first pour it into a glass.

Craft producers actually brew root beer like beer. The ingredients are boiled in kettles, combined with yeast, and then left to ferment to carbonate the liquid. The difference between alcoholic root beer and root beer that you can give to your kids is that the fermentation process is halted, and the root beer is bottled before the yeast has time to convert the sugar to alcohol. The result is a virtuous and good root beer with similar qualities to your favorite suds but none of the vices.

Then again, you could always indulge in alcoholic root beer once the kids are asleep.

Is root beer healthy?

Root beer is a sugary soda, so it’s not what you would call a healthy beverage choice. That being said, there are qualities to root beer that make it somewhat healthier than a Coca-Cola or a Dr. Pepper.

One benefit of root beer is that it’s naturally caffeine-free. It doesn’t contain any stimulating qualities that could lead to insomnia, nervousness, or irritability if you indulge in too many ice cream floats. 

Also, you can choose a brand of root beer from a small microbrewery that uses clean ingredients, pure cane sugars, and no additives to craft their drinks. 

If you’re concerned about the sugar levels in root beer, you can find the best diet root beer brands that are either calorie-reduced or sugar-free at the grocery store.

Is root beer the same as ginger beer?

Root beer and ginger beer are brewed using the extracts of roots, but that’s where the similarities end. 

Root beer originally used sassafras or sarsaparilla root as its main flavor ingredient. Our modern version combines spices, licorice, and wintergreen as the flavor base. The traditional zippy flavor of ginger beer is derived from another plant, ginger, and is more carbonated than root beer.

While both beverages are delicious and refreshing, root beer has more in common with cream soda than ginger beer. Take the time to taste-test them both. You might find that spicy ginger beer is a worthy alternative to sweet root beer occasionally.