What's a good Root Beer?

"zeontestpilot" (zeontestpilot) 03/18/2016 at 09:45 • Filed to: Foodlopnik

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MrsZtp and I are don’t drink alcohol, but we both enjoy a nice cold root beer. Her favorite is Virgil’s, which I agree is absolutely fantastic. A strong second contender, IMHO, is this Frostie brand that we recently tried. What have you guys tried and liked?

uofime-2 > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 09:48

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IBC

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 09:51

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Grace’s Ginger Beer. Technically a root.

zeontestpilot > uofime-2 03/18/2016 at 09:54

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We've had that before. The two above a definitely smoother in taste.

zeontestpilot > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 03/18/2016 at 09:54

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I've been meaning to try a ginger beer. What's the difference?

jovimon7 > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 09:56

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Southern favorite, made in New Orleans since 1889. If you can’t find it locally (walmart) it’s available on Amazon.

nafsucof > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 09:57

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Spicy! Bold, Fresh ginger flavor.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 09:58

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Entirely different. Root beer is kind of sweet and syrupy, Ginger beer is still sweet, but fiery as heck and oh so good. It attacks the sinuses and the lips in particular and the sensations are wonderful.

Recommend for people with head colds :)

7:07 > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 09:58

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Henry Weinhard’s. Amen and amen

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > nafsucof 03/18/2016 at 10:01

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Read: F*cking AMAZING.

But then I can never get enough ginger, so perhaps I’m a little biased.

nafsucof > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 10:01

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Hosmer Mountain: Connecticut local soda company, local spring water and brown sugar. It’s delicious and they have a full line of flavors.

Tripper > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 10:03

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Even though I’m off soda for the most part, I’m still a fiend for it. I love Virgil’s but it’s almost not sweet enough for me. I like to f eel the tooth decay. Never had Frostie but now I’ll be on the lookout for it.

Smallbear mentioned Ginger Beer, which I have been recently introduced to and I love. However, my all time favorite soda is still glass bottle, cane sugar sweetened, Coke (Mexican Coke).

Sam > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 10:03

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Sprechers is my personal favorite.

Your boy, BJR > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 10:04

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Soux City Sarsaparilla!!!!

Sam > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 03/18/2016 at 10:05

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Does it have the anti-nausea effect of ginger? Because drinking it seems preferable to eating it.

zeontestpilot > jovimon7 03/18/2016 at 10:05

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Nice, is that a small bottle or a really big mouth? :)

uofime-2 > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 10:06

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Fair enough, I’m a fan of a beer that bites back

zeontestpilot > nafsucof 03/18/2016 at 10:06

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Now I'm interested, lol.

zeontestpilot > 7:07 03/18/2016 at 10:08

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I think we tried that one...it sounds familiar.

Stapleface > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 10:11

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Diet A&W. Seriously. That’s some good stuff. Tastes better than the full sugar variety to me.

One thing you shouldn't waste your time on? Hard root beer. Unless the brand I had just sucked (Coney Island), it tasted like someone took a mediocre root bear and spiked it with cheap Vodka. It wasn't complimentary at all.

zeontestpilot > Tripper 03/18/2016 at 10:16

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Frostie’s is sugar cane and no high fructose corn syrup. It looks cheap so I was surprised at how good it was.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Sam 03/18/2016 at 10:17

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Never tried it for that. I have used Ginger Ale though, and here’s my advice there:

Canada Dry FTW when you’re coughing up shit. Very good, not too sweet. The rest of the time it’s better relegated to mixing with Jameson.

Shweppes can burn at any time. Not enough ginger but too much sugar gives it a watered down taste to me.

Vernors is good on it’s own when you aren’t sick, but when you are it’s just too sweet to do any good.

Graces GB is sweet too, but there’s just SO MUCH more ginger flavour that I imagine it’s about the same as Canada dry for effectiveness when you’re sick. And it’s just WAY better the rest of the time.

As far as eating, try candied ginger, it’s awesome. They made Ginger Altoids for a while, which were also awesome, but sadly they’ve been discontinued. Pissed me right off.

zeontestpilot > nafsucof 03/18/2016 at 10:18

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If I visit, I'll look for some.

zeontestpilot > Sam 03/18/2016 at 10:18

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Never heard of them....hmm...

Tripper > Sam 03/18/2016 at 10:19

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Sure does!

zeontestpilot > Your boy, BJR 03/18/2016 at 10:19

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I'm jealous now, that sounds local so I can't find it in stores!

jovimon7 > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 10:21

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LOL, it’s a concentrate, that small bottle makes 5 gallons.

There are several recipes on the web, we use plain water but you can use seltzer or club soda.

zeontestpilot > Stapleface 03/18/2016 at 10:22

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Diet a&w is pretty good, it tastes pretty close to the original, which surprised me.

7:07 > Sam 03/18/2016 at 10:22

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For me this is in close running with Sprecher’s I mentioned earlier. So good.

zeontestpilot > uofime-2 03/18/2016 at 10:23

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I've chugged IBC before....it's a horrible idea, lol.

Mattbob > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 10:24

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My favorite growing up was always IBC. Haven’t had it in years though.

zeontestpilot > jovimon7 03/18/2016 at 10:33

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So....don't drink from the bottle? :).

zeontestpilot > Mattbob 03/18/2016 at 10:34

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Go out and buy it then!

Jayhawk Jake > Stapleface 03/18/2016 at 10:42

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Yeah, I tried Best Damn Root Beer, which is a low alcohol content, and it’s okay. Not Your Fathers Root Beer is not good. Not Your Father’s Ginger Ale though is fantastic.

Jayhawk Jake > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 10:43

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Where do you live?

If the answer is Texas, Saint Arnolds. Or anywhere for that matter, but Saint Arnold’s is a brewery in Houston with fairly limited distribution.

zeontestpilot > Jayhawk Jake 03/18/2016 at 10:50

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Michigan, so I'm pretty close. :).

Chteelers > Stapleface 03/18/2016 at 11:00

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Not your father’s root beer.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 11:08

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This stuff, right here. Good luck getting it in Michigan, though I know their distribution has expanded in the past few years.

zeontestpilot > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 03/18/2016 at 11:15

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I’ve seen it in stores, haven’t picked it up yet. It’s on the ‘to-get/try’ list, :).

bobbe17 > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 11:24

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Sprecher wins. Brewed in Milwaukee but it seems like there are places throughout the country that have it.

Cash Rewards > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 11:34

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Abita, from Louisiana. They make beer too, but their root beer is great.

vicali > Your boy, BJR 03/18/2016 at 11:41

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The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 11:46

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Try the birch beer too! It and the root beer are my favorites.

shop-teacher > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 11:51

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I also don’t drink, and I love root beer. My two favorites are Abita (out of New Orleans), and Berghoffs (out of Chicago). If you can’t find Abita, World Market usually gets some in stock around Mardi Gras. I used to buy them out every year, but now a local grocery store chain started carrying it, so I don’t have to.

zeontestpilot > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 03/18/2016 at 11:56

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Oh? How is the birch beer different?

zeontestpilot > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 03/18/2016 at 11:57

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Oh? How is the birch beer different?

zeontestpilot > shop-teacher 03/18/2016 at 12:05

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Nice! We buy only on special occasions.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 12:25

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It’s more ‘birch’ than ‘root’? I can’t describe it, but birch beer has a different but still herby flavor compared to root beer. I’d suggest trying it given your appreciation for root beer.

JRapp: now as good as new again > Your boy, BJR 03/18/2016 at 14:36

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Had some fantastic Sarsaparilla floats in Goodsprings NV, a little town in the middle of nowhere made famous again by Fallout New Vegas. Don’t know what kind it was, but they had it on tap, and it was delicious. First time I had tried sarsaparilla.

Meatcoma > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 16:11

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Coney Island is the best.

Not your fathers is ok.

Best damn root beer is blech.

Side note: Henry’s hard orange is pretty good too. Tastes like sunkist.

shop-teacher > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 16:35

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I don’t drink it very often, either. I’ll buy a 4-pack, and it’ll last me anywhere from a month to several months.

shop-teacher > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 16:38

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It’s red and made from birch. That Sioux City brand somebody else mentioned makes a great birch beer.

zeontestpilot > shop-teacher 03/18/2016 at 19:26

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I’ll drink a 4 pack in a day if given a chance. I love drinking, :).

shop-teacher > zeontestpilot 03/18/2016 at 19:43

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I never drink more than two. The second never tastes as good as the first to me, and on the rare occasion that I start a third, I’ve found I never enjoy it.

zeontestpilot > shop-teacher 03/19/2016 at 07:44

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Yeah, I’ll keep drinking until I can’t drink anymore. The taste remains consistent to me, and I love having the taste dance on my tongue. It’s one of many reasons I don’t bother with alcohol, I enjoy drinking liquids way too much. I have easily consumed a liter of Mountain Dew a day in the past. I’m a glutton, I’m willingly to admit it.

My self control has become better at portion control, but my wife only stocks tea and coffee, and with water from the tap, so I tend to go crazy whenever I get something different...mainly because I don’t get many chances to drink pop, lol.

shop-teacher > zeontestpilot 03/19/2016 at 12:00

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I don’t drink because I cannot stand the taste of alcohol, and I hate the burning sensation in my esophagus that comes with it. Portion control with food is the one area I struggle with. Food is my only vice. I mostly drink water and black coffee, plus some tea and the occasional root beer. Yesterday I was given a Coke, which I like the taste of, but couldn’t finish because it’s just too sweet.

zeontestpilot > shop-teacher 03/19/2016 at 14:23

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I hate Coke, but I'd easily down it it a minute if I'm desperate for pop, lol.

shop-teacher > zeontestpilot 03/25/2016 at 10:52

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Sprecker root beer is on sale at Menards this weekend. This is good stuff, and it comes in 16 oz bottles.