ok
here is my review of sioux city rootbeer
it has a great tast and a little aftertast
full bodied
pretty foamy
and great root beer

on a scale of one -10
its a 9.5
barqs is still king
but it has moved hanks off the top three
now its
3 stewards and ibc
2 sioux city
1 of course barqs bo ya

what yall think of this raiting for this rootbeer

Glad you enjoy Barqs. But technically, When Coke bought that company they added caffiene which should never be in real root beer. If you want to try some great ones pickup some Bulldog, Triple XXX, Henry Weinhards, Dog n Suds, Boylans, just to name a few. Most of these use cane sugar and they all come in glass bottles. Cans and plastic just do not cut it when it comes to good root beer.

Thanks Kink

yo
barqs is king for me
im the barqs man
i love root beer
and i dont come across a lot of root beer where i live
cant find it
but barqs
ibc
stewards
mug
a and w
are about the only ones i see
then every now and again i will see another one

Tons of sites on the net that will send just one bottle to your front door. Try RetroSoda.com. Some great root beers there. Just a few more that are great. Frostop, Americana, Thomas Kemper, Sprecher, and Point Premium from Stevens Point Brewery.

Thanks Kink

kink wrote:

Glad you enjoy Barqs. But technically, When Coke bought that company they added caffiene which should never be in real root beer. If you want to try some great ones pickup some Bulldog, Triple XXX, Henry Weinhards, Dog n Suds, Boylans, just to name a few. Most of these use cane sugar and they all come in glass bottles. Cans and plastic just do not cut it when it comes to good root beer. Thanks Kink

Actually, Coke didn't add caffeine. Ed Barq's original formula contained caffeine. In the late 30's, when the federal government banned the use of caffeine in root beer, he changed the name of Barq's root beer to Barq's Sr. and it became caffeine-free . When the ban was lifted, the Sr. disappeared from the label and Barq's original recipe returned.

Not every brand of root beer contains every ingredient that's ever been used in root beer. I'm not really sure, having read some of the posts here, why people are so "prejudiced" about Barq's containing caffeine...to the point where they insist it's not root beer. And I've even seen a few people adding it to some list of reasons for boycotting the Coca-Cola Company, even though the CCC had nothing to do with caffeine being in the formula.

I was a total Pepsi addict and for some reason when I quit smoking a few years back, I quit drinking Pepsi as well. I returned to my childhood love of root beer, perhaps because I could actually TASTE again, and went through a bunch of different brands - Stewart's, A&W, Mug, Jones, IBC, Barq's. I became hooked on Barq's because I liked the flavor...and because it's readily available. I had no idea at the time that it contained caffeine, and I assumed it didn't. Not being a coffee drinker, and Pepsi having been my only source of caffeine, it really didn't bother me that Barq's contained it, especially considering that it contains less sugar and about half the caffeine of some sodas.

Anyway, just finding it sort of silly for people to be knocking a soft drink, insisting it's not "technically" root beer, because it contains an ingredient that most others don't. I'm sure that somewhere out there, there's at least one other root beer that has an ingredient that none of the others have...does that mean it's not a root beer??? LOL!

I guess my first sentence went unnoticed. These are just all opinons. I would love to read the story about Barqs and caffiene if you can point me in the right direction. I also prefer cane sugar over corn syrup and glass bottles over plastic and cans. Tons of good root beers out there but you have to hunt or order over the internet. My daughter even likes Barqs and always orders it when we dine out. That is her opinon. Another opinon, root beer should never be poured over ice. Tons of drive-ins around here who still make their own root beer that is great.
I guess commercial brands (in my opinon) just can not hold up to small brewed batches of root beer with great flavor, sugar sweetness, and ice cold glass bottles or mugs.

Kink
P.S. Barqs is swill. (just an opinon)

Information presented as "fact" is by definition not an opinion. My post wasn't specifically directed to you, yours just happened to be the post I replied to. And I don't care who does or doesn't like a particular soft drink. You're right that we all have our own opinions of what constitutes a good beverage and what's swill.

I had a problem with the facts (specifically, the "fact" that CCE added caffeine to Barq's), not the opinions. You're not the only one who has posted the urban legend about Coke's adding caffeine to the formula. I'll happily point you to some links with the real story, but it's readily available on the web for anyone able to perform a simple Google search.......... I'd think people on a site called Root Beer World would have already done enough research to realize they had their facts wrong.

Anyway, here are some links:
http://www.answers.com/topic/barq-s
http://www.angelfire.com/tn/traderz/barq.html
http://alamo.nmsu.edu/~lockhart/EPSodas/Chapter1-4/history.htm
http://thebarqsman.com/?p=43
http://www.promotega.org/HGR06016/barq.html

I've tried a lot of root beers through the years (I grew up on root beer, birch beer, sarsaparilla, etc.), and I don't really think you can even compare the home brews or microbrew root beers with the national commercial brands anyway, so I'm not really sure why anyone does. I've had some great-tasting root beers, but I'd never be able to afford to have them on a regular basis.

Barq's for me, even if you think it's swill:)

I am glad you enjoy Barqs. Thanks for the info. With the price of commercial brands rising the price of great root beers are more affordable. I also do not use root beer or any soda as a staple in my diet, or as drink with every meal. One a day is great, as long as it is one of the best in the world. If you are ever in Indiana and want to try some great root beers send me a message and we will go to my candy and soda store and drink root beer. I always have about 15 to 20 different brands in stock all in glass bottles and ice cold.

Thanks Kink

Thanks for the offer, I might take you up on it someday, if I ever get to Indiana:) I agree with you on the price of commercial root beer - going up like anything else. I usually buy mine on sale and tend to stock up. Unfortunately, I'm limited to cans because (a) Barq's doesn't come in glass bottles, (b) I keep them in a lunch bag in the fridge at work, and (c) 2-liter bottles go flat before I finish them (neither my husband nor my son drinks root beer at all...more for me!!).

I'll admit my vice - I have at least one Barq's a day, usually 2 to 3 per day. I don't drink coffee at all, sometimes have tea, often have milk or water. So the rate at which I drink it would put me in the poor house if I went for one of the glass-bottle brands:( And the fact that it has a bit of caffeine in it (much less than most soda, and even less than tea) doesn't bother me all THAT much.

I liked A&W when I was a kid, Mug is "ok," but I like the spicier taste of Barq's over the vanilla-cream-soda-ish taste of the other two. My parents used to bring home red soda (everything from birch beer to cream soda to sarsaparilla and root beer, but they were all red) from Pennsylvania Dutch country every Autumn when I was growing up. Not sure what the brand name was, but it was the bomb, to steal a phrase from my son. Barq's actually reminds me of that.

We have some local restaurants that feature Mug/A&W/Barq's on tap or a specialty "homemade" brew, and I will say I usually get the specialty brew in those instances. So I'm not a total commercial-head:)

Haha, then again, I was absolutely ADDICTED to Dr. Pepper growing up...so maybe I just like swill LMAO!

I'm not really sure, having read some of the posts here, why people are so "prejudiced" about Barq's containing caffeine...to the point where they insist it's not root beer.

As for myself, I have never claimed that Barq's is not root beer, but I won't drink it. I don't see a point in comparing caffeine, which is an addictive drug, to any other ingredient. It might occur to you that the lack of caffeine is one reason some of us came to root beer in the first place.
_________________
"It is better to have drunk and tossed
than never to have drunk at all."

I also carry Dublin Dr Pepper and must admit I like the stuff very much. The carbonation is very soft compared to the regular soda. Nothing comes close to all my root beers in flavor and taste though. If you get a chance try Triple xxx root beer, some great beer. When I go for bite in a root beer I like Blumers with a touch of vanilla.

Thanks Kink

arcticpenguin wrote:

I'm not really sure, having read some of the posts here, why people are so "prejudiced" about Barq's containing caffeine...to the point where they insist it's not root beer. As for myself, I have never claimed that Barq's is not root beer, but I won't drink it. I don't see a point in comparing caffeine, which is an addictive drug, to any other ingredient. It might occur to you that the lack of caffeine is one reason some of us came to root beer in the first place.

Yes, it has occurred to me, and I totally understand it, and whether or not root beer, Barq's or otherwise, has caffeine was never really the point of my post anyway - just the misinformation that Coca-Cola changed the formula. If I offended, it certainly was not intended. You're more than welcome to avoid caffeine-containing soda...?

Root beer for me is so different than any other carbonated drink. I love carbonated beverages but root beer is so much more. I also love coffee. I was miss informed until Sassi posted. Every where I read, Coca Cola did this to a once great root beer. I never investigated till being called on it which was my mistake. I still do not care for Barq's but thats just an opinon. Thanks again Sassi and you go have another!

Thanks Kink

i think the "Barq's is not root beer" argument is more due to the fact that at many times in the brand's history they claimed it was NOT root beer. when they got sued by Hires for using the words and after the caffeine ban was revoked, they would claim it was just "Barq's". and distinct in itself. they whole "Is it Root Beer?" campaign further supported that.

actually Barq's does come in glass bottles if you go down to Mississippi. much better that way in fact. supposedly they still use the original formula which Coke changed a bit, but that may just be rumor.
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anthony's root beer barrel http://rootbeerbarrel.com