We Tried 13 Root Beers and This Was Our Favorite

With exception to brews made by Amish communities and other small-scale soda creators, today's root beer tends to lack the key root — sassafras — that gives the soda its name. But that hasn't lessened America's love affair with the sweet, earthy and somewhat spicy soda. From national brands to small-time bottlers, we easily found thirteen root beers vying for our buck online and in our local grocery stores.

Given the amount of choice available to root beer lovers, we decided to test out which version of this classic cola should end up in your cart. So grab a cold can and settle down for our picks, from best to worst.

Best Root Beer at a Glance

Best Overall: Red Arrow Root Beer
Runner-Up: Henry Weinhard's Gourmet Root Beer
Best Sweet Root Beers: IBC Root Beer, Bulldog Root Beer
Best "Rooty" Root Beers: A&W Root Beer; Barq's Root Beer
Best Budget Root Beer: Signature Select Root Beer
Best Diet Root Beer: Zevia Ginger Root Beer
Best Low Sugar Root Beer: Original New York Root Beer Seltzer
Best Low Carbonation Root Beer: Bundaberg Root Beer
Best Decaffeinated Root Beer: Mug Root Beer

What We Looked For When Ranking Root Beer

Taste: Obviously, taste is the primary factor we consider when conducting these tests. For this taste test, however, flavor balance was crucial to the process of sorting out our favorites. Some root beers erred more on the sugary-tasting side, others had deeper wintergreen and licorice notes and some managed to find a Goldilocks combination. Since preferences vary amongst soda lovers, we've made sure to highlight root beers across the flavor spectrum.

Price: Even counting regional taxes on soda and other sugary drinks, a bottle of root beer shouldn't break the bank. A couple of our picks, notably vintage or craft root beers, can cost a pretty penny if you have to hunt them down online. By and large, however, we chose root beers that cost around $5 or $6 for a case.

Sugar Quantity/Type: As our testers can attest, root beer is not really a low sugar drink. Most of the brands we tested contained 40 or more grams of sugar — definitely enough to give you a good sucrose jolt. A few, however, included less sugar than their usual competitors, and some even opted to use cane sugar rather than corn syrup. We've tried to note those that did a bit better on the sweet factor throughout this review.

Additional Features: In addition to the above considerations, we also took into account the root beer's original vessel. Where possible, we bought cans; for smaller brands and craft root beers, we bought our root beer in bottles.

How We Tested Each Root Beer

Most of this taste test was conducted solo. However, my housemates stepped up to help me with the sorting as well. Each soda was chilled overnight in my office mini fridge before it was sampled. I also tested each soda initially by drinking it from either the can or the bottle, to prevent ice or a different container from influencing the test.

Best Overall: Red Arrow Root Beer

Unless you live in Michigan, or your grocery stores are particularly proficient at stocking antique sodas, you probably won't see Red Arrow on your shelves. Luckily, our local Safeway had individual bottles in stock, or we wouldn't have been able to try this classic cola from the Great Lakes State. Besides balancing sweet and sassafras taste perfectly, this lesser-known root beer also contains a good bit of bubble for carbonation fans. If you happen across Red Arrow in your travels, definitely add it to your shopping cart.

Buy It: $50, Orca Inc.

Runner-Up

Henry Weinhard's Gourmet Draught Style Head Root Beer

Henry Weinhard primarily specializes in alcoholic beer, but their non-alcoholic offerings are equally worth trying. Weinhard's root beer is a bit on the sweet side while containing slightly less sugar than some of its well-known competitors. The carbonation is also slightly more present than you might expect in a national competitor's offering, so it's perfect for craft soda enthusiasts or anyone else who prefers a fair amount of bubbles in their root beer.

Buy It: $5.99, Safeway

Best Sweet Root Beers

IBC Root Beer and Bulldog Root Beer

For those who prefer a sweeter tasting root beer, we found no better national offering than IBC's root beer. Made with cane sugar, IBC's offering is a bit closer to cream soda than to some of the other brands which contain more wintergreen or licorice flavor. Fans of smaller soda brands who still prefer a sweeter taste might want to look for Bulldog, a California brand that tastes shockingly like IBC. The biggest difference is that Bulldog has a deeper root flavor while still packing in a good bit of sucrose.

Buy It: $3.39, Big Lots; $42.50, Amazon

Best "Rooty" Root Beers

A&W Root Beer and Barq's Root Beer

If you prefer a bit more of that classic sassafras flavor, then you'll probably want to reach for two of America's favorite root beer brands. Barq's and A&W, while still admittedly containing just as much sugar as some of their sweeter-tasting rivals, pack in more of the spicy, deep, hard-to-describe flavor that root beer is known for. And while Barq's seemed to contain slightly more carbonation, both taste remarkably similar and can often be found for close to the same price. If you're looking for a soda that still packs in a sugar rush without skimping on the root beer taste, either of these brands will slake your thirst.

Buy It: $5.68, Walmart; $5.79, Target

Best Budget Root Beer

Signature Select Root Beer

Signature Select's root beer offering is definitely on the sweeter side. It's most comparable to Mug's, in that the root beer taste is definitely overpowered by the sugar. But as far as price goes, it's probably the friendliest option for Safeway customers, particularly once customer discounts or coupons are included. It's admittedly a bit middle-of-the-road compared to our favorite picks, but it won't break the bank.

Buy It: $4.94, Safeway

Best Diet Root Beer

Zevia Ginger Root Beer

Zevia's weakest selling point is its color. Most people are simply not expecting clear liquid from a root beer can. Beyond that, however, Zevia's root beer is a delicious alternative for those who don't want to take in more than 40 grams of sugar just for a can of soda. The addition of ginger to Zevia's version also makes for an interesting flavor profile without straying too far from what most people would expect from their root beer.

Buy It: $5.29, Target

Best Low Sugar Root Beer

Original New York Root Beer Seltzer

I'll admit it: I'm not a fan of seltzer. I don't really understand the point of drinking bubbly, usually bitter water that is occasionally flavored with a bit of fruit. That said, Original New York Seltzer might change my mind. Their seltzer tasted like, well, root beer. The bitter seltzer taste wasn't present. And while it is clear (which, as we mentioned with Zevia, is disconcerting for colas), it also contains the lowest sugar of any of the sugary options we tried without sacrificing flavor. At 25 grams per serving, it serves as a kind of halfpoint between no sugar brands and fully sweetened varieties. If you happen to need an alternative to diet, Original New York Seltzer may not be a bad solution.

Buy It: $1.00, Safeway

Best Low Carbonation Root Beer

Bundaberg Root Beer

Confoundingly, some soda fans (like my wife) seem to prefer their drinks a bit flat. And while we certainly wouldn't describe Bundaberg as flat, we would say that it was overwhelmingly the favorite for testers that prefer lighter carbonation. It also has quite a bit of root beer flavor, another bonus for those who don't prefer sweeter drinks. If you're looking for a lighter carbonation without sacrificing any soda taste, this Australian brand is probably a good bet.

Buy It: $6.29, Target

Best Decaffeinated Root Beer

Mug Root Beer

Caffeine-sensitive soda fans who still enjoy sweeter drinks will be glad to know that Mug's variety nearly tied in our testers' opinions with IBC and Bulldog. It deserved a separate mention, however, because of its caffeine-free status. If you're looking for a soda that won't keep you revved up, Mug is definitely a good option.

Buy It: $4.99, Target