According to the Wikipedia front page

[ericcoleman]

On this day in 1866 Root Beer was first prepared commercially by American pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires.

So, IYNSHO, what is the best Root Beer?

Comments

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

A&W, but only in a frosty mug.

[ericcoleman]

For years I had one of those mugs, and I mean years, since I was about 12. My ex dropped it a couple years ago ... grumble ...

[rmeidaking.livejournal.com]

It's not that hard to get another one.

One of the cool things about living here is the authentic A&W Drive-In over by the railroad tracks.

[born-to-me.livejournal.com]

I think A&W is the best, but I love Stewarts, too. I've also had some root beers, ginger beers and sarsaparillas at various "health food" stores that I really liked, can't remember brand names, though.

One of the most delicious things I've ever had in my life is a root beer float with chocolate chip ice cream. The ice cream has to be a creamy vanilla and the chips need to be very small and well-distributed. *happysigh*

[hardly-angelic.livejournal.com]

A&W, period.

I do miss Barrelhead, though.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Dog 'n' Suds
and Culver's makes a fine root beer.

[powersalad.livejournal.com]

Virgil's baby! And for those in the Southeast, Dr Rootbeer's Hall of Foam (formerly of Sneads Ferry NC, now in Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach) makes all his own sodas.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

I should make a note of the latter, as I am going to Myrtle Beach this summer.

[tollermom]

When are you Myrtle Beaching?

My sister and I are going to Oak Island for a week in August (it's about an hour north of Myrtle Beach).

[mihai-lado.livejournal.com]

Boylan's is very good, but my absolute favorite (my friends and I ran a taste-test of various microbrew root beers) is Sparky's. (It is produced by one family out in California, and is very hard to find. Of course, there are online stores that sell it, but the shipping costs are high.)
Try it if you ever get the chance.

[ericcoleman]

Was it you who gave me the Sparkys this weekend? I tried sending email to your LJ email but it bounced back at me.

I quite liked it, but it is a little too smooth for me, I like a little more bite. Still, it's awfully tasty.

[libra-dragon.livejournal.com]

A&W
and Culvers a close 2nd.

[eye-ar-smaurt.livejournal.com]

Barq's.

If you put ice in Barq's and let it melt, it will taste like A&W.

More flavor.

[rsmit212.livejournal.com]

Virgil's for root beer, but A&W as a national brand.

Though I love birch beer better. Grandma's brand when I can get it.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

I am quite liking Boylan's these days. As a bonus, their sugar-free version is sweetened with Splenda, not Nutrasweet [to which I have a very bad reaction].

[guppiecat]

Court Avenue Brewing Company makes the best root beer I've ever tasted.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Sarsaparilla, the original root in root beer. Haven't had it in a while, and I don't remember the brand... chewing on sarsaparilla roots (or anise roots) was what kids did for fun Way Back When.

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

My mom used to get strips of sarsaparilla roots and make tea from them. When it was cold and lightly sweetened, Hey Presto! Homemade root beer (non-carbonated, but still . . . )

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

I said this the last time you brought up root beer.

The first couple of times I had Big Horn (which you can get at the Ram brew pub, which has a couple of locations in the north 'burbs; how many other Ram locations there may be or where else Big Horn is available I've no clue) I thought it was the best I'd ever had, but the last time I obtained a case of it it was drastically inferior to my memory and expectations; I don't know if I got a bad batch or if they messed up the formula.

Sparky's (mentioned above) is my current favorite. It's too sweet, but it is so flavorful that it is still absolutely wonderful.

I suppose I really ought to actually try A&W in a frosty mug at an A&W stand, rather than just assuming that all of my friends who claim that it's wonderful are just nuts. To me, A&W in a can is to root beer as stale Bud Light is to beer -- barely admissable as a bad example of the species.

[bdunbar.livejournal.com]

A+W.

and

Whatever brand they have at Charlie's, the local drive-in. You can order it by the gallon and it comes in an unmarked gallon jug, pulled from the tap inside.

I suspect some kind of alien influence. First small-town Wisconsin, then the world.

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

A&W or Culver's are the best "generally available" brands. Dad's used to be a LOT better before Pepsi bought them out. My favorite ever is Mason's, which, if it is even still made, is extremely hard to come by. And it probably isn't as good as it was then, anyway. Sprecher's is EXCELLENT! And the local Amana Colonies brand made in Iowa Eric-land, although I personally don't care for the mint aftertaste (don't like mint).

[ericcoleman]

I remember Mason's.

http://www.popsoda.com/masonsrootbeer.html

I had one of the Amana Colonies root beers on one of this years road trips. It was pretty yummy.

[wildcard9.livejournal.com]

Right now it is Barq's. Previously it was Muggs. I don't expect to be going off of Barq's anytime time soon unless they switch their diet from Nutrisweet over to Splenda (as some diet sodas are doing, and Splenda is the same as regular sugar to a lot of diabetics, including myself)

[singlemaltsilk.livejournal.com]

Berghoff. No one else comes close.

[tollermom]

Oooooh... I can get Berghoff's here (the beer, at least). I'll have to see if my local supplier also sells the root beer!

Lord, I was born a Ramblin' man...

[fredhuggins.livejournal.com]

Does anyone remember Ramblin' Root Beer?

It was AWESOME. Very sweet, but not too sweet, and not too fizzy either. Perfect with a nice slice of pepperoni. Distributed by Coke, and available at almost any Coke-product-heavy soda fountain up until around '92, when BARQ'S came along. Bah. All "bite," no flavor, I say. (Bite = fizz = nice-looking nothingness). And aggressive youth-oriented marketing forced Barq's to the forefront and left Ramblin' in the dust.

Since then, I'd have to say A&W, though I've had significantly less love for that company since they inexplicably removed the "Vanilla" from their "Diet Vanilla Cream Soda." Now all that's left of their Diet Cream Soda is flavorless, creamless fizzy water. Fuck it, I'd rather get fatter.

But the WORST root beer ever is Hansen's, the only root beer sold at the otherwise-exemplary Trader Joe's markets. HEY, HANSEN'S! WHEN I DRINK ROOT BEER, I DON'T WANNA FUCKING TASTE *LICORICE* FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST!!!

[theaspins.livejournal.com]

Goose Island.
Either that or homemade with a recipe from herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. I just tried making some with another recipe and didn't like it at all, so I'm back to my old one-now I need to work on making a lacto-fermented version.

[tollermom]

Sprecher's!

Now if I could only get it in Indy... *sigh*

[woyro.livejournal.com]

i had some really first-class "microbrew" Sarsaparilla at a little restaurant north of Phoenix.