IBC is good to, not my favorite but it is good. If anybody gets a chance, stop by BJ's Brewery and Pizza as they have a pretty good home brewed Root Beer.
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Favorite Root Beer
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IBC is good to, not my favorite but it is good. If anybody gets a chance, stop by BJ's Brewery and Pizza as they have a pretty good home brewed Root Beer.
I got introduced last year to Dog N' Suds, which is sold in one liter plastic bottles in some stores (root beer and also black cherry, orange, and cream soda, and some others maybe). I really like it. Not bad in diet, either.
The HFCS stuff just doesn't cut it for me anymore. A&W is okay in a pinch, but when I can help it, I get the cane sugared stuff.
In no particular order:
Fitz's
Sprecher
Boylan's
Virgil's (strong anise flavor; one of those is plenty)
Hank's
Maine Root
BJ's and Gordon Biersch make their own brews, both of which are fantastic.
In no particular order:
Fitz's
Sprecher
Boylan's
Virgil's (strong anise flavor; one of those is plenty)
Hank's
Maine Root
BJ's and Gordon Biersch make their own brews, both of which are fantastic.
Having never had Maine Root I can say this is likely my list as well. Fitz's still being #1. Now that I've had all of those except one above, drinking Barqs, A&W, Mug, even IRC is similar to me buying store-brand soda. I do it, but I wish I had better and that better was not $2-3 a bottle.
Forgot about Maine Root. That's one I like too, though I have found it to be a bit more variable than some of the others.
Strange how I never ventured onto the "root" side of life at either BJs or GB. They must serve some other kinds of beverages too.
B
Barq's is probably my favorite, mostly due to nostalgia. I don't care what Coke says, they screwed with the formula after buying it in the 90s. It was created in Biloxi, MS, and was huge in the state in the 70s and 80s. My dad used to have a Coke machine in his office that had the 12oz glass bottles, and he kept it cold enough to almost have ice shards in it. It was pure heaven. You can still find it on the coast in glass bottles. It's not quite as good as it used to be, but it is still really enjoyable. A good shrimp poboy + Barq's in a glass bottle is heaven.
Forgot about Maine Root. That's one I like too, though I have found it to be a bit more variable than some of the others.
Strange how I never ventured onto the "root" side of life at either BJs or GB. They must serve some other kinds of beverages too.
B
You should try BJ's root beer. It is in a tie for the best root beer I have ever tasted along with Old Dominion which is a local brewery in the DC area.
I used to live right near one, but now the closest one would be in Ohio.
I've also been to Old Dominion's brewhouse in DC, just tend to like a bit more hops in my brew when I have the option.
B
I'm fond of the occasional Boylan's root or birch beer. Virgil's is good too. Although I think my favorite is the Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock soda (if you count this as a "root beer").
I'm not a big root beer fan, but for me it would have to be IBC, followed by A&W in a very close second. Barq's is just...unpleasant.
Henry Weinhardt's.
Used to run Henry Weinhardt's down around Saragossa. Back then they come in a tall bottle... or was they a short bottle...?
Cans?
Used to run Henry Weinhardt's down around Saragossa. Back then they come in a tall bottle... or was they a short bottle...?
Cans?
I am going to +1 Fitz's. I miss that stuff since I moved from STL. But I have decided that any mediocre Root Beer can be amazing with a frosted glass mug. I still don't know if it is all in my head, but I sure do enjoy it a lot more.
The restaurant I work in has Bundaberg, and it is like a totally different drink than the other root beer found in the states. Are all international root beers more like this? I am imagining that the americanized root beer changed from the original to be more... mild? I don't know if that is the right word... but the removal of the fermentation taste?
The restaurant I work in has Bundaberg, and it is like a totally different drink than the other root beer found in the states. Are all international root beers more like this? I am imagining that the americanized root beer changed from the original to be more... mild? I don't know if that is the right word... but the removal of the fermentation taste?
There was an A&W here in Glasgow until a few years ago, when it closed.
Maybe it might just be due to lack of exposure of the stuff, but I can't stand root beer, the smell of it alone is enough to make me run a mile.
Maybe it might just be due to lack of exposure of the stuff, but I can't stand root beer, the smell of it alone is enough to make me run a mile.
Anise has that effect on many people.
To those in that camp: What is your reaction to black licorice or Pastis/Ouzo/Sambuca?
B
To those in that camp: What is your reaction to black licorice or Pastis/Ouzo/Sambuca?
B
I believe A&W is shut down as a restaurant now. Our local one close recently and now we're getting a Chipotle. Yum!
Not dead yet. Yum! sold the chain to its franchisees late last year. (FWIW: The one near where I user to live turned into a Chipotle many years ago....)
B
Good to know. Either way. I'll take Chipotle over A&W any day of the week. Though I'll probably go to Chipotle as often as I didn't go to A&W but it sounds cooler haha
I Love IBC! There's definitely something to the bottle. I've got a few left from a six pack I picked up the other day. Delicious.
Great suggestions, too fro other folks. I'll have to give these a try, especially Old Dominion. I grew up around DC but I've never heard of it. It's on my list next time I'm in town.
