Taste Test: Root Beer

With literal roots in American history—indigenous tribes like the Choctaw and Cherokee would make infused beverages from sarsaparilla and sassafras plants, the flavors traditionally associated with root beer—the classic soda today inhabits a dual space of craft-maker-favorite and nostalgic darling. So whether you’re stocking the cooler for summer gatherings, whipping up root beer floats, or simply cracking a cold one on a hot day, delicious options abound.

Maine Root Root Beer

Maine Root founder Matt Seiler simply wanted a better root beer option for his friend’s Portland, Maine, pizza restaurant, so he made one himself. Launched in 2001, Maine Root emphasizes the use of fair-trade organic cane sugar for their full line of sodas, now available nationally. The OG root beer remains a favorite with a spice-forward flavor profile that incorporates clove, anise, and wintergreen, with just enough sweetness to round it all out. $45.99/12-pack, louisianapantry.com

Boylan Bottling Co. Root Beer

With a history dating back to 1891 when pharmacist William Boylan began selling his own birch serum, New York–based Boylan Bottling Co. today makes a full range of classic cane-sugar sodas. Aiming to replicate the traditional flavor of sassafras, Boylan uses vanilla, sweet birch, cinnamon, and wintergreen for a root beer that lands on the sweeter side of the spectrum, with flavors of bubblegum and butterscotch. It also makes for an especially creamy float. $41.75/12-pack, boylanbottling.com

Sprecher Root Beer

Milwaukee brewery Sprecher treats its craft sodas more like craft beer—brewed in their fire-heated kettle to caramelize the sugars in the honey they use as a sweetener. Their fan-favorite root beer opens with a honey-forward, earthy sweetness balanced by prominent notes of licorice and a hint of wintergreen. $38.99/12-pack, sprecherbrewery.com

Wild Bill’s Root Beer

Founded in 2002, Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. aims to be both nostalgic and modern with their line of sodas, from Orange Cream to Pumpkin Spice. Their root beer keeps things more or less classic, made with cane sugar and extracts of vanilla, juniper, and licorice. The soda opens with a bright citric kick, rounds out with a caramelized sweetness, and finishes crisp. $33/12-pack, drinkwildbills.com

Henry Weinhard’s Root Beer

German immigrant Henry Weinhard opened a brewery in Portland, Oregon, in the mid-19th century. The Blitz-Weinhard Brewery survived Prohibition by pivoting to soda—a decision that proved prescient. The brewery operated until 1999, but the soda brand lives on (today owned by Molson Coors) and its root beer, with a rich aroma and flavors of bubblegum and sweet wintergreen, remains a favorite among aficionados. See henryweinhards.com for distribution.