I'm writing about a very important retirement topic this week. That topic is Root Beer! I've tried numerous different Root Beers over the years but recently have gotten on a kick to try even more root beer brands. I searched the internet today and found that the Root Beer Institute (who knew there was an Institute?) reports there are about 150 different brands of Root Beer. I think a new goal for me is to try and see how many of those 150 I can try over the next year or two.
Root Beer was originally made from the root bark of the sassafras tree as the primary flavor. In 1960 the FDA banned safrole, a key component of sassafras, because it was found to cause liver cancer in mice. Today's Root Beer is made with artificial flavors instead of sassafras. Root Beer was first sold in confectionary stores in the 1840's. Pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires developed the first commercially made "root tea" in 1875 and changed the name of the "non-alcoholic" tea to root beer to market it to coal miners. Barq's Root Beer began in 1898. A&W Root Beer began in California in 1919.
We have a neat little store here in Oklahoma City that has a cooler with a wide variety of Root Beers and Sarsaparillas. I have been there twice and bought a 6 pack of different Root Beers. The photo above is of a few of the ones I have in my refrigerator. I tried the Dublin Texas last night and it was very good. I have seen and tried several Root Beers when we travel to different areas of the country, but I have not kept track of them and not sure what I have tried or not tried.
This week, I began keeping the bottle caps and will begin a list of those I have tried to see how many I can sample in the near future. I would not be sampling 150 Root Beers if it was still made from real sassafras (pre 1960) as my liver could not handle that much poison. Not that the pure cain sugar will be particularly beneficial to my health either!
Here is a list of the top 19 Root Beers according to tastingtable.com. An asterisk indicates that I have tried it.
- Sprecher
- Bulldog
- Hank's
- Saranac
- Boylan *
- Virgil's *
- Maine Root
- Hosmer
- Fitz's
- Dublin Texas *
- Sparky's
- Dang! That's Good
- Henry Weinhard's
- IBC *
- Sioux City *
- A&W *
- Dog n Suds
- Mug *
- Olde Rhode Island Molasses
I'm not a big root beer connoisseur though I've had the rare one now and then. By far the best one is one that probably isn't on your list since to my knowledge, it is made and sold only in town in this country.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.redbrickstore.com/product/root-beer/241
The closest I come to sampling any one product is my desire to eat a patty melt sandwich anyplace I stop that has one I haven't already tried.
I'll look that up next time I'm in Illinois. I like your patty melt sandwich quest. Yum!
DeleteHow many mice died? Is that keeping us from really good REAL root beer? Bummer. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI do wonder how much difference the taste it today from the original root beer.
DeleteI love a good challenge. I might have to follow your lead and start trying different brands. Cool idea and lots of interesting history. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Yes, do join the Root Beer movement!
DeleteWhen I was on vacation in the fall I had a 'flight' of root beers at a store that specialized in them.
ReplyDeleteFitz's is a local brand for me. It's very good.
A flight of root beers sounds awesome!
DeleteI am a fan of sassafras tea. I never heard about the cancer. When I was younger I worked with some Appalachian folks who drank birch beer. I tried it and I couldn't tell a taste difference with root beer. Have you heard of birch beer?
ReplyDeleteI've heard of birch beer but have never tried it. I'll look for a bottle at that store I mentioned.
DeleteI think I've had three of those brands. I do like root beer. I didn't know it was from a sassafras bark. Right now, I'm liking the Poppi root beer.
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