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Ed Murrieta | Saturday, September 29, 2007 at 12:30 am When it comes to sweetening fizzy soda, there's nothing fuzzy about the flavor of pure cane sugar. "The sweetness really snaps," said brewmaster Don Spencer, who makes ginger ale and root beer at Silver City Restaurant and Brewery in Silverdale. "It's not the dull sweetness you get from a corn sugar." Before high-fructose corn syrup started dominating the pop market (and Americans' diets) in the late 1970s, soda was made with sugar. It still is in Latin America, Europe and Asia, and by boutique bottlers in the United States, including Seattle's Jones Soda, which recently switched to cane sugar from high-fructose corn syrup. Sugar is how Spencer learned to sweeten the root beer he made with his dad growing up on their Poulsbo farm. It's how he made root beer in the four years he worked at Thomas Kemper in the 1990s. It's how he makes root beer and ginger ale today at Silver City. "I haven't even tried making soda with corn syrup," said Spencer, who admitted to drinking soda made with high-fructose corn syrup. "Pure cane sugar is just a cleaner sweetness. You can really taste the difference." ...

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"It is better to have drunk and tossed
than never to have drunk at all."

Hey Penguin,

Not trying to be contrarian with my first post here, but I'm just taking the threads as they come.

In the past week I have tried about 17 different brands of boutique root beer and the only two I distinctly DIDN'T like were the only two labeled with "made with real cane sugar" and those were Boylan and AJ Stephans. Granted, there were only a couple brands I REALLY LIKED, but the only two I really DIDN'T like were the cane sugar brands.

I was actually looking forward to those two thinking I would like the real cane sugar more.

-GageFX

1. Cane sugar, beet sugar, and high fructose corn syrup taste the same.

2. High fructose corn syrup is the least expensive.

3. There is controversial evidence that high fructose corn syrup is the most unhealthy.

4. Every food manufacturer who uses high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar, prefers to err on the unhealthy side to pinch pennies.

gagefx: You tried 17 "boutique" root beers and 15 of them had corn syrup? I'm thinking you need to hang out in a higher class of boutique.

Maybe you should stay out of the boutiques and try some "Gourmet" root beer sometimes.

It's a fact, just because a soda has cane sugar doesn't make it good tasting, Boylan's and AJ Stephens would make for two not to try as your only "sugar" sodas. be like trying Jones soda first and saying it's the best.

If you want some good quality cane sugar sodas. Look for my favorite Goose Island, or Henry Weinhard's, there's also Virgil's, Thomas Kemper, Dad's, A&W, Bulldog, Purple Cane Road, Sprecher's or Iron Horse. All I feel are great choices, one or two might not be cane sugar. Just going off memory.

Soda-MN-Good wrote:

... If you want some good quality cane sugar sodas. Look for my favorite Goose Island, or Henry Weinhard's, there's also Virgil's, Thomas Kemper, Dad's, A&W, Bulldog, Purple Cane Road, Sprecher's or Iron Horse. All I feel are great choices, one or two might not be cane sugar. Just going off memory.

Last time I drank it (2005), Henry Weinhard's had high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and no cane sugar. As I recall, Goose Island has no HFCS.

It is a fair bet that any mass produced non-diet soda such as Dad's or A&W have HFCS, but, since I almost only drink diet, I will have to check the labels at the store to be sure.

Hi there,
I'm new to Root Beer World.My favorite all time Root Beer is Route 66(HFCS).I like Bulldog (Cane Sugar),Frostop(HFCS and or Cane Sugar).

Filberts Cane Sugar Root Beer is HORRIBLE! I haven't tried Tommy Knockers NEW Cane Sugar Root Beer but their Cane Sugar Almond Creme is good.

Also good is Frostop's Vanilla Caramel Creme Soda.I love that.
Also,Dang That's Good Butterscotch Root Beer(HFCS)..

ALL TIME WORST!! Red Ribbon Home Brewed Root Beer(Cane Sugar) .I think they brew it in the local Septic Tank..

Basically, following on aruzinsky's earlier point, the choice of sweetener rarely determines whether or not you like the taste (unless it's saccharine, which makes anything taste horrible IMO). It's the recipe, which includes flavorings as well as the amount of sweetener.
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Bottoms up!
Kevin Guske

So heres a tribute toast with root beer in hand to you and the many mugs of suds along your happy trails. --Charles Wysocki, artist and root beer fan, 1928-2002