If there is one thing I love about Barq's is that even if at a restaurant or movie theater the other sodas are horribly watered down Barq's is strong enough to retain most of its flavor even when purposefully cut.
You're just saying watered down in a different way. The 'set up' youre referring to is the ratio of syrup to water& carbonation. Restaurants can, and do, vary the ratio to be 'stronger' or 'weaker'@@UBuyTYFlys
Dad was a police officer. In the 80s into the 90s, he would bring me(6-13yo) to this old gun range in Houston called "the Marksman" to teach his handgun classes. I'd grab a Barqs and a moonpie, sit in the lobby and watch the TV, usually a Stephen J Cannell production like Fall Guy or A team. Good times. Dad passed away in 2020. Miss you dad.
My grandad was a cop who worked in the Hoston areas. He worked in Channelview in the 80's and was working in a small community just outside of Pearland when he passed. Edit: nothing to do with rootbeer, of course, just reminded me of him.
@jasonsanders8797 Small world. We lived in Channelview in the 80s, a small suburb called Sterling Green. My father was a constable. If your granddad was a constable, my dad knew him. If he wasn't, there's still a good chance. My dad tended to know EVERYONE because he was an instructor and constables coordinate with multiple departments because of the civil work they do. I know Pearland very well, we later moved to clear lake for 15 years, just across I45 from Pearland.
@@fredtaylor9792 Never actually got familiar with the area. We were there from late 87 through mid 90, but I was young, and we lived in one of the few secludes spots. A 10 acre plot directly on the channel, across from the San Jacinto monument. I do remember it was Market st, across from the truck stop and fireworks warehouse. Went to Crenshaw elementary and De Zavala. If we're close to the same age, we might have known some of the some kids.
I grew up in the 'Barq's has bite" era. Its what I always think of when I see their cans, ' It has bite!" Similar to how I remember Klondike and the, " What would you do for a Klondike bar?!" ads..
DID YOU KNOW: Root beer is so distinctly American that most of the world… hates it? Sees it as weird foreign stuff? “It tastes like medicine. This is disgusting” is a common sentiment. Anyway, Barq’s is awesome and still pretty ubiquitous. I just had some yesterday.
Really, "most of the world"? I don't believe you've asked most of the world. Where exactly are you actually talking about? What countries were the people from that you've asked about this?
Even more specific, growing up we had Zataran's root beer mix. Think kool-aid, but root beer flavored. It was something completely normal to parts of Louisiana. It had never even occurred to me that it was anything unusual until I made a glass for someone and she freaked out about it. It was root beer, but not even carbonated.
Well yeah for Root Beer!! When we were kids mom and dad always made Hires root beer in a huge crock and we’d have to stay out of it until it was ready- something about the fermentation and bubbles! Then we were always told we (our ) family had invented root beer due to our last name. We happily told all the other kids at school that story.! Alas not true! But there was a delivery truck that tipped over around the corner from our house. It was a Mug root beer truck. The driver told us we could take what we wanted but be careful of the broken glass. We ran back home and got ou red wagon and filled it up. Went back for more too. Somehow dad came and we put wooden cases in the Travel All, and brought em home. That was amazing as we had a huge dirt sided basement to store them in. We had Root Beer for weeks. It was great!!
@@tahoemike5828 hey. We always went on rock hounding expeditions. We had one of those huge canvas Army Tents. Great fun. That vehicle had a Panoramic View!🤗
Interesting, I grew up in New Orleans and I always thought of barqs as our own but I learned that it has roots in Mississippi as well. Abita is also another good Louisiana based root beer.
Barq's, Mug, and A&W are the three big root beer brands. Fun fact, there's actually quite a few varieties of root beers, including sarsparilla, root beer, and white birch beer.
Yep, there's a lot, there's only a handful of national brands in the kind of typical soda price bracket. But, you've also got ones like Thomas Kemper that are glass bottled for a bit more.
Quark : I want you to try something for me. Take a sip of this. Elim Garak : What is it? Quark : A human drink. It's called root beer. Elim Garak : [unwilling] Uh, I don't know... Quark : Come on, aren't you just a little bit curious? [Garak sighs, takes a sip and gags] Quark : What do you think? Elim Garak : It's *vile*! Quark : I know. It's so bubbly, and cloying, and *happy*. Elim Garak : Just like the Federation. Quark : But you know what's really frightening? If you drink enough of it, you begin to *like* it. Elim Garak : It's insidious! Quark : *Just* like the Federation
DS9 is free over the antenna for those who get H&I network, 10pm six nights a week. At 8 they start TOS and go through one episode each of the original five shows, with Enterprise starting at midnight. It's hard to tear myself away from the TV if I turn on any of them. They work great one at a time like this, it makes them all more interesting.
One of my favorite scenes in all of DS9 besides "It's a *faaaaake* ! One of the few times we get to see two aliens talk to each other, and one of the few times we get to see what the Federation looks like from the outside.
Only the regular canned/bottled versions (outside of SLC). The fountain drinks may contain caffeine; regular like at Chick Fil A does, while out of Coke Freestyle machine does not
When I was a kid, whenever we visited our grandparents in Mississippi, I would get a can of Barq's and pork rinds from this little convenience store up the road from their house. It was a good time and a better snack.
My grandpa always had Barq’s or Mug in his refrigerator so whenever I would visit it was like a little ritual of getting rootbeer and sitting on the couch with him
For me, barqs was the first root beer i ever tried, and to this day, it's my favorite one. It's kind of sentimental too, because my dad introduced me to it. We went to the local gas station- we went there to rent movies, pick up small things, etc. It was an old country convenience store, where the owner was just a local guy running a business. Anyway, he talked me into trying a can of it, and it was one of those moments i remembered fondly; sitting in the car with my dad, drinking this root beer. Written out, it seems like so little, but it was memorable to me at least.
I miss the old country convenience type store that had an old wooden porch and a regular house door with a thin wood screen door that creaked when you opened it. Remember the rusty metal coil thingy than would pull the screen door back closed? The sound it would make. We'd go inside and get a root-beer in a glass bottle and a bit of candy! I miss those days! (50's-60's). They were probably new stores around 1900-1920ish!
same, i remember my stepdad always drinking it, i asked him what it was and we went to the gas station and i ended up getting it. it's one of my favorite sodas
Barqs was my favorite root beer for a long time. But the high fructose corn syrup in it tastes funny to me now. Vergil's root beer use to be really good. But they kept changing the recipe and now it just tastes like carbonated liquefied bubble gum.🤢
That just reminds me of Dr. Pepper. I like the taste, but it is so syrupy and thick, I can't take the sugar. I feel like I might as well be just drinking some pancake syrup. I don't want to do that, either. As for something that has come to taste more and more like bubble gum - Crush pineapple.
I didn't know Vergil's changed its recipe. A long time ago I didn't really like it very much. I tried it again a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I thought my palate matured, but maybe they reformulated it less sophisticated tastes.
Do a "What ever happened to?" on Wink. It was a Canada Dry brand back in the day that contained real grapefruit juice, tiny traces of pulp and all! I used to guzzle that stuff by the 750 ml glass bottle back in the day.
I find it interesting that VERY few people know the New Coke from the 80s and Diet Coke (also based on New Coke) is Tab. When the company wanted to move away from sugar to corn syrup to save money they also wanted to change the taste a bit because sales were down. Tab with aspartame or corn syrup instead of Saccharin was testing well so they tried it. New Coke was a failure and they switched back to the old recipe but with corn syrup instead of sugar, but Diet Coke was a huge success and is still using the Tab formula. Saccharin has a nasty aftertaste and lack of the Coke branding and marketing held the drink back for years. Coke Zero is "classic" Coke with aspartame and sucks. I actually liked New Coke and love Diet Coke.
So, it was all a scheme to take the original coke away from us. I knew it! They took the original coke away, and introduced New Coke which is Tab with corn syrup. Then they lied, and said they brought back original Coke, when it was really original coke with corn syrup instead of sugar. Bastards!
I dislike Diet Coke, probably in no small part to it being the only soda my mom bought for the house. I don't have any major issues with other Diet Colas. I especially preferred the Diet Pepsi without the Aspartame; it was generally less likely to upset my stomach. Coke Zero is far from perfect, but it is multitudes better than Diet Coke.
"I bought a pack of Camels, a burrito and a Barq's".... I was always more of an IBC root beer guy. But I haven't seen IBC in years. Not sure they even still make it.
I've only been able to get IBC from an almost entirely local to NY Chain Restaurant by the name of Tully's Good Times, Gotta say it's not bad but Stewart's imo is the best, and IBC and Barq's are tied at 2nd place for me.
@@12012channel I'm in Texas, outside of Dallas. I did some research today...because it beats workin' 🤣- apparently the original IBC company is out of business, and the "remnants" were sold to Dr. Pepper. I saw modern IBC labels, the red white and blue ones, on the bottles. The IBC I grew up on was in plain brown monogrammed bottles, like Coors Beer. I'll try it, if I can find it. The thing I remember about the old IBC was that if you guzzled it, it tasted very bitter.
Root Beer floats are delicious. I just fill a large glass or cup 3/4 of the way with vanilla ice cream, fill the rest with root beer, stir, and drink. One can of Root Beer will usually be a perfect amount filling the voids between the ice cream scoops and rest of the cup. Try it.
Won a radio contest when i was a kid for barqs root beer in a k-mart parking lot for barking got a cool am fm radio shaped like a can of root beer and a poster with half naked ladies on it.
I miss Barq's as I cannot drink soft drinks any more for health purpose. Even Dr. Pepper told me "no." That's just not right. Well, somethings of good memories.
If it’s cuz of the sugar, try Oli Pops instead! Their formula has a bunch of botanicals for gut health and no added sugar. But I actually really like their root beer and other flavors.
Interesting, I'd never even heard of Barq's until some time in the '90s with their "Barq's has bite" commercials. I thought it was a new brand. I guess it had been a regional brand until fairly recently Here in the PNW where I grew up in the '70s and '80s, it was mainly A&W, Hires and Mug. Barq's didn't exist on our store shelves. Of course all big brand soda pop in America sucks now since they switched to HFCS instead of cane sugar. I've drank an occasional bottle of Mexican coke and had an occasional root beer float, but mostly I haven't drank pop since the '80s.
I love root beer. Lots of people do. The fact is nobody is trying to market it aside from A&W, and even THEY don't do it well. And while I do enjoy Barq's, I personally love Dad's far more. The big issue is I can only find it as a drink mix powder. So I dissolved some into a makeshift syrup (leaving it to dissolve for a day before use to prevent sudden decarbonation when mixing) and use my SodaStream to handle the rest. It's not perfect. But since it's literally the only way I can have Dad's Root Beer in my area, it works.
I don't know where this guy got his thing about 'Barq's is America's most iconic root beer'-- like, huh? For one thing, 'no', and for another, wtf does 'most iconic' mean anyway aside from 'best known'? People gotta stop acting like that's some kind of argument-winner at random, it's bizarre.
@jamescarter3196 yeah, I was thinking that too. I've always thought of A&W as the most well known. I like Barq's and I distinctly remember those commercials. But, I just don't think it's the most "iconic".
Same. To me, the "bite" in Barq's was in the flavor itself, not the presence of caffeine. Other root beers are a lot sweeter and less interesting to me. A&W root beer is perhaps the worst I've ever had. It tastes like smoke. But their cream soda is definitely the best.
I was really disappointed I'm my new case. specially searched: "Did Barq's change the recipe?" I don't feel the hard tingle from over carbonation that only Barq's had. I hesitate to write this, but it's almost as flat as A & W. Am I crazy or did they used to print "Barq's has bite" on the label. They don't even have any ribbon text anymore.
Diet Barq’s is the ONLY diet root beer that makes a decent float. I love the diet in cans. It’s got all the bite without the caffeine. I discovered the caffeine on an occasion when I was trying to avoid caffeine for a good night’s sleep. The first swallow had me zipping around like a race car! I prefer Barq’s to any of the other root beers I have tried. I grew up with Hires in central Pennsylvania, but the second I tasted Barq’s I was hooked.
Hires is only made by a few independent Dr. Pepper bottlers because A&W shrewdly paid Dr. Pepper, Hires' parent, to distribute A&W's wintergreen-type root beer firstly.
I was born and raised in the small town of Lodi, California, birthplace of A&W back in 1919. There’s a plaque near the Lodi Arch that says that spot was where the first A&W was sold, I’ve had an A&W right on that spot where it all first started. With a good root beer, you’ll be glad you’re stuck in Lodi!
In my neck of Canada, its hard to find unfortunately. Only one grocery store sells it in bulk, only in 12 can packs. Can't find 2 liter bottles anymore.
@@SavedByZero Atlantic SuperStore carries it in my area as 12 can packs. Not sure if other loblaws brands carry it. I know the gas stations carry the 591ml bottles, but I’m not paying 4$ for one of those.
@@ingridfong-daley5899 It's a regional thing. The Northern half of the country tends to say New Or-leens. I know, because I grew up in Illinois, and that's how the Midwest all pronounces it. Most of the South says something like New Or-lins or one word, N'Orleans. I've only heard the R completely dropped in Louisiana and bayou country, where some do actually say it like Naw-lins.
@@litigioussociety4249 I don't think I commented on New Orleans? (I'm from New Orleans so i left that one alone.) My comment was about Biloxi--which i've heard mangled on a few channels (Scary Mysteries/Every Town Has a Dark Side most recently). Wikipedia has pronunciations if people aren't sure, and locals always have a 'pet' way of referring to their city/hometown.
Great video. I had a Barqs and a Hire's maybe 5 years ago... just wimpy sweetness with root beer-ish taste. So many foods now being made sweeter or saltier, while cutting down on any unique attribute that may include hints of sourness (eg. sour cream, pink and red grapefruit instead of white, oranges, etc), or of pungency or bitterness (eg. broccoli, green cabbage, root beer, ginger snaps...), or of sharpness (eg. North American "swiss" or "Parmesan" cheese, root beer, "spicy" baked goods) Corn and tomatoes that taste more like candy than vegs. It's "the great dumbing down of flavour".
I have no idea what is Root Beer, having only heard of it by name in North American films and TV Shows. (Mostly Westerns) My favourite drink is the good old-fashioned Dandelion and Burdock. D&B has been brewed in the British Isles since the Middle Ages and is made from the fermentation of the roots of the Dandelion Plant and the Burdock plant (The clue is in the name). As a child, I often wondered if Root Beer would be of a similar taste? Whatever the case, it would take a great deal of flavour to surpass Dandelion & Burdock. Not even that unpleasantly sweet American Coke is up to the task. You can keep your Cocas and your Pepsis, I am sticking with Barr's' until I can have a snifter of Root Beer. Who knows, I may be in for a pleasant surprise.
@@DonVhanDude Thank you for that. Very kind. I have seen sarsaparilla in a few shops, but noting it's lethally high sugar content, I have never given it a go. I will look for a tin of the drink next time. Maybe I can find a sugar-free option. Cheers.
@@crazydrummer181I've lived in Biloxi for the last 30yrs. If its not in glass bottle, its not a real Barqs. Can is ok, but plastic bottles are nasty...
I still love A&W root beer the most . I do like Barq's too. A little caffeine in something other than a cola is nice. I still prefer A&W but i do dig Barq's from time to time. Stewart's is a good one too.
Barqs tastes uniquely fruity, which is refreshing, but I avoid caffeine. A&W is peak with it's woody vanilla notes. Beats most "artisan" root beers imo.
I grew uo drinking Barq's Root beer and Cream soda, the original plant was around the corner from my Grand parent's home in Biloxi. I still grab one when I have a chance.
The original Barq building featured at 3:25 is still standing, although displaced several blocks from its original location, in Biloxi. It’s rather dilapidated but, after a quick look a few weeks ago, it appears there’s a slow rehabilitation effort happening. The larger Barq warehouse building in downtown Biloxi has mostly been renovated and repurposed for shops and apartments.
The first time my nephew ever had rootbeer was when he was around 8-ish and, he said, "i can't have that." My mom and i asked him why. He said, "im not allowed to drink beer." Omfg, my mom and i died. 😂
I haven’t had Barq’s in a few years, but it’s consistently been good in glass bottles. It loses something in translation when it’s put in 2-liter bottles. It’s alright in cans. Though this is true regarding the MS and LA Barq’s companies. The bottle with the pinkish red blocks on the label was the Louisiana Barq’s and the blue was Biloxi. People in Louisiana always wanted the New Orleans-made ones. Until the 80s, it was in reusable bottles. My dad said he knew someone who had found a dead mouse in an old bottle of Barq’s. Sounds like urban legends to me.
HIRES, the original, was and is the BEST. I haven't had it in a long time, since it was bought and buried by competitors. Why they did that, I'll never understand. I'm told it's still sold in some small midwest areas. I hope I get to have it again someday, since I still remember it being my favorite.
As a Californian I feel I am missing out on some old Americana. I think it would be nice to take time off and just drive around the midwest exploring that type of living for a while.
I have always loved root beer and Barq's is my fav. Most root beers are smooth but this one has something extra. Now that you have your Barq's but now you have to add in a strawberry pop and bam...you got something special.
I'm quite the root beer connoisseur myself.❤🍻 Barq's A&W Mug Hank's Faygo Frosty's Even some home brewed root beer from my home state West Virginia. You name it I love it.
@@Livnglrg If you can find a restaurant yes. The last time I was in one of their locations they had a completely separate tap for the rootbeer from the regular soda fountain with the typical drinks. And, it definitely is better out of that tap, however, the chain has been continuing to shrink. Which is a shame, because the last time I ate there the burgers were way above average for a chain. Apparently even converting them into KFC/A&W combinations hasn't helped much.
For me, what I love about Barq's over others is that it isn't so vanilla forward. So many root beers are at heavy on the vanilla it might as well be cream soda. Barq's is spicier, gives a better pleasurable throat burn, and of course, has that caffeine kick.
Thought I was drinking a sugary coca cola when I last had a can. Been years since I had one before that. I was shocked. Went back to drinking local, dad's, and henry weinhards.
Root beer lover since the '60s. Hires, Barq's and A&W for me, in that order. I can't get Hires anywhere, so I usually get Barq's. In fact, I haven't seen Hires in a store since the late '90s. Maybe it's just a geographical thing (I live in RI). There was one called Rob's which was only available in New England, but I haven't seen that one since the 1970s. My root beer of choice is Barq's Zero Sugar. I almost always have some in my fridge.
I do not know who decided Root Beer wasn't allowed to have caffeine, but I can tell you I definitely do (and did) care. I remember way back as early as middle school deciding that Barq's was my favorite root beer BECAUSE it was the one that had caffeine. That said, I still love the A&W root beer taste, but if I am going to drink a soda I prefer it have caffeine. Also I did not know the difference between using sasafras and sasparella, the 2 names in my mind were always stored interchangeably since I knew they shared similar spaces and had similar sounding names, so I never really differentiated. Learn something new every day.
That marketing campaign got me to become a fan. It's still my favorite root beer. I remember an an advertising tie-in with the show Third Rock From The Sun where they gave you 3D polarized glasses for the season finale.
@@BillyBob-im7og Yeah Mug has teh dog and tastes like a dog brewed it. A&W has way too much vanilla and tastes like a cream soda. Barq's has always been the best non craft root beer in my opinion.
@@thedogefather I dunno about that. Barq's has basically no flavor compared with any of the options. And if you think A&W tastes like cream soda, try drinking cream soda. They taste almost completely different.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade because of course a person consciously choosing to make the comparison and post it online wouldn’t have ever tried cream soda 😂 Everyone’s palette is different and your opinion is as valid as mine is this entirely subjective discussion.
Barqs still have the bite, was my ace up until 2004. The year that A&W won me over, in Root Beer terms after 25 years as my ace root beer brand. Before that was Hires my parents were a big fan of that brand, when it became extinct they were saddened. For me Root Beer was the ace of the soft drinks, brings back a lot of memories up until 2020. I was 44, after 39 years it was down to 3rd place that's when regular cola and it's cherry variant respectively took over mostly coke and pepsi. I'm not sure if it's me or something else that changed my taste of preference, whatever it was as a 48 year old me Barqs, A&W or any root beer brand is always hold a special place in my heart, despite the change of taste preference in the soft drink brand.
Bars is my favorite root beer but man is it hard to find here in lower michgan. Not every gas station have it and my local big box store usually only has 2 liters of it for sale.
I still swear the best root bear is my home state's specialty, Sprechers. Actually, can you do a video on them? It does seem like they've been doing a lot of growth over the last couple of years, introducing new flavors and showing up in more stores. Also, they were awarded by the New York Times the title of #1 best tasting root beer in America.
A video on those little, half sized, soda cans, that were Nintendo themed,, would be a drink I'd be interested in knowing more about. Mario, Luigi , Yoshi, and Princess Toadstool each had their own unique fruity flavor. I believe it was the late 80s or early 90s. I do know they weren't around too long, unfortunately.
It was through birch beer that I started to drink root beer. It was back in the early/mid 1970's (I don't remember exactly when) when on a school trip to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration on Long Island that I encountered birch beer. I was very thirsty (it was a very warm spring day) and the old-fashioned country store didn't sell cola, but they did sell birch beer. They said it was like root beer, so I gave it a try. I found that I liked it, and so afterwards I started drinking root beer.
As a Muslim (we are not allowed to drink alcohol), I am so happy that root beer exists. I like it, although I generally drink Mug root beer. I’ll check out Barq’s though (when it’s on sale).
@@pXnTilde Well, Dexter, Boy Genius did not drink ginger beer in "Dexter's Laboratory" (1996) on Cartoon Network. He drank root beer. Even if I discovered ginger beer, credit to you, it won't have the nostalgia factor that root beer does in my memories.
Barq's was always my favorite brand of root beer. I don't know if it was a subconscious thing induced by the marketing campaign, but Barq's always seemed like it had a bit sharper of a taste and more of a burning sensation as it went down as compared to Mug and A&W which had a smoother flavor with less "burn." Unfortunately, Root Beer is hard to find where I live... and the only kind available is mug. Anyways, I still enjoy it when I can find it!
I don't think it's the marketing! I was born after the marketing campaign, and as far as I know I never saw the "Barq's has bite" motto. But it has always been one of my favorite root beers, and when I thought about why, I decided it had a "bite," for exactly the sharp/burning sensation you describe. I was shocked when I discovered that "bite" was actually used in its marketing!
If there is one thing I love about Barq's is that even if at a restaurant or movie theater the other sodas are horribly watered down Barq's is strong enough to retain most of its flavor even when purposefully cut.
They don’t water it down lmao they just don’t serve it the suggested way setting it up
Those Columbians are always cutting the product
You're just saying watered down in a different way. The 'set up' youre referring to is the ratio of syrup to water& carbonation. Restaurants can, and do, vary the ratio to be 'stronger' or 'weaker'@@UBuyTYFlys
@@UBuyTYFlys ya, that's watering it down, in soda fountains. They often do it to save money on the syrup but using lower than recommended ratios.
What do you mean barqs has bite?
Dad was a police officer. In the 80s into the 90s, he would bring me(6-13yo) to this old gun range in Houston called "the Marksman" to teach his handgun classes. I'd grab a Barqs and a moonpie, sit in the lobby and watch the TV, usually a Stephen J Cannell production like Fall Guy or A team. Good times. Dad passed away in 2020. Miss you dad.
My grandad was a cop who worked in the Hoston areas. He worked in Channelview in the 80's and was working in a small community just outside of Pearland when he passed.
Edit: nothing to do with rootbeer, of course, just reminded me of him.
@jasonsanders8797 Small world. We lived in Channelview in the 80s, a small suburb called Sterling Green. My father was a constable. If your granddad was a constable, my dad knew him. If he wasn't, there's still a good chance. My dad tended to know EVERYONE because he was an instructor and constables coordinate with multiple departments because of the civil work they do. I know Pearland very well, we later moved to clear lake for 15 years, just across I45 from Pearland.
@@fredtaylor9792 Never actually got familiar with the area. We were there from late 87 through mid 90, but I was young, and we lived in one of the few secludes spots. A 10 acre plot directly on the channel, across from the San Jacinto monument. I do remember it was Market st, across from the truck stop and fireworks warehouse. Went to Crenshaw elementary and De Zavala. If we're close to the same age, we might have known some of the some kids.
Your childhood sounds similar to mine. Good times.
so sick of this comment section vomit
Root Beer floats used to be my big birthday treat as a kid... loved it more than the cake, by far.
Love me a good root beer float
root beer taste funny
Youve changed…
I wonder if Root Beer cake is a thing; they should make a Root Beer Ice-cream cake; that'd probably taste awesome.
They don’t hit the same way they used to..
I grew up in the 'Barq's has bite" era. Its what I always think of when I see their cans, ' It has bite!" Similar to how I remember Klondike and the, " What would you do for a Klondike bar?!" ads..
Johnny!?
What would you do ou ouuu for a Klondike bar
@xR0N1Nx Whudda you mean barqs has bite?
“Barq’s got sparks!” Is what remember from the 70’s-80’s.
The one with bite......that's what it was
DID YOU KNOW: Root beer is so distinctly American that most of the world… hates it? Sees it as weird foreign stuff? “It tastes like medicine. This is disgusting” is a common sentiment.
Anyway, Barq’s is awesome and still pretty ubiquitous. I just had some yesterday.
I feel the same way I hate it but I am first gen with foreign parents. Not something I grew up on
I'm sure they'd like it if they tried it a bit more
@@jango7889as a European , damn right. I always look for root beer now 🇺🇸 🦅 🗽
Really, "most of the world"? I don't believe you've asked most of the world. Where exactly are you actually talking about? What countries were the people from that you've asked about this?
Even more specific, growing up we had Zataran's root beer mix. Think kool-aid, but root beer flavored. It was something completely normal to parts of Louisiana.
It had never even occurred to me that it was anything unusual until I made a glass for someone and she freaked out about it. It was root beer, but not even carbonated.
Well yeah for Root Beer!! When we were kids mom and dad always made Hires root beer in a huge crock and we’d have to stay out of it until it was ready- something about the fermentation and bubbles! Then we were always told we (our ) family had invented root beer due to our last name. We happily told all the other kids at school that story.! Alas not true! But there was a delivery truck that tipped over around the corner from our house. It was a Mug root beer truck. The driver told us we could take what we wanted but be careful of the broken glass. We ran back home and got ou red wagon and filled it up. Went back for more too. Somehow dad came and we put wooden cases in the Travel All, and brought em home. That was amazing as we had a huge dirt sided basement to store them in. We had Root Beer for weeks. It was great!!
I love this! Thanks for sharing it :)
That’s a fun story 😅 lucky break with the truck
The best part here is that you had a Travelall ! My family had one, in International Harvester Yellow. I have so many memories of that beast!
@@tahoemike5828 hey. We always went on rock hounding expeditions. We had one of those huge canvas Army Tents. Great fun. That vehicle had a Panoramic View!🤗
I love them all! Always have! Mug, A & W, Barqs, Hires, Dad's, Shasta....the list goes on!
Huge root beer fan, only "soda" I drink. That said never liked Barq's.
Have you tried Sprecher's Root Beer?
Mug had the best radio commercials!
A&W is the best root beer...but ONLY at an A&W Restaurant. Otherwise, Dad's is the best.
Dont forget IBC in those glass bottles!
Interesting, I grew up in New Orleans and I always thought of barqs as our own but I learned that it has roots in Mississippi as well. Abita is also another good Louisiana based root beer.
I love abita rootbeer(some of their regular beer is good too)
Elmers cheetos are my favorite and Hubigs pies.....probably spelled wrong...lol
@@anonymousf454 Now that's what I'm talkin about
Abita has real cane sugar not corn syrup
A Barq's with a roast beef poboy is like the quintessential NOLA lunch combo
Shout out to kid me who thought Root Beer was just Beer without the Alcohol, like how Diet Coke is Coke without the Calories.
Yeah I would even get it in the brown glass bottles and pretend it was beer . 🤣🤣
I think all the kids pretended it was beer in that bottle! Great stuff🤗!
Barques is still the best root beer.
Technically beer doesn't even have to have alcohol, or have the same ingredients, like ginger beer.
One thing I notice about Barq's is that it stays fizzy for ages. I've left one open when I went to the store. When I came back it was just as good.
Barq's, Mug, and A&W are the three big root beer brands. Fun fact, there's actually quite a few varieties of root beers, including sarsparilla, root beer, and white birch beer.
IBC was also up there
I remember Snapple root beer. Polar also has a good clear birch beer.
Hires
You can find jones soda in a surprising amount of places
Yep, there's a lot, there's only a handful of national brands in the kind of typical soda price bracket. But, you've also got ones like Thomas Kemper that are glass bottled for a bit more.
Quark : I want you to try something for me. Take a sip of this.
Elim Garak : What is it?
Quark : A human drink. It's called root beer.
Elim Garak : [unwilling] Uh, I don't know...
Quark : Come on, aren't you just a little bit curious?
[Garak sighs, takes a sip and gags]
Quark : What do you think?
Elim Garak : It's *vile*!
Quark : I know. It's so bubbly, and cloying, and *happy*.
Elim Garak : Just like the Federation.
Quark : But you know what's really frightening? If you drink enough of it, you begin to *like* it.
Elim Garak : It's insidious!
Quark : *Just* like the Federation
🖖
_"THEY IRRADIATED THEIR OWN PLANET....?"_
That was one of my favorite exchanges between Quark and Garak, it's almost as good as Worf's love of Prune Juice
DS9 is free over the antenna for those who get H&I network, 10pm six nights a week. At 8 they start TOS and go through one episode each of the original five shows, with Enterprise starting at midnight. It's hard to tear myself away from the TV if I turn on any of them. They work great one at a time like this, it makes them all more interesting.
One of my favorite scenes in all of DS9 besides "It's a *faaaaake* ! One of the few times we get to see two aliens talk to each other, and one of the few times we get to see what the Federation looks like from the outside.
There’s a restaurant in downtown San Antonio, TX called Shilo’s that makes their own root beer and serves it in frosted mugs. I highly recommend it 👍🏻
As far as I know, it's the only root beer that contains caffeine
The diet version has no caffeine....
Mug used to have caffeine. Not sure if it still does.
@@danarose2677It doesn’t anymore. Hasn’t had caffeine for a long time.
@@danarose2677 It does not. but i do remember when they did!
Only the regular canned/bottled versions (outside of SLC). The fountain drinks may contain caffeine; regular like at Chick Fil A does, while out of Coke Freestyle machine does not
Every time I think of rootbeer, I think of a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Great upload
When I was a kid, whenever we visited our grandparents in Mississippi, I would get a can of Barq's and pork rinds from this little convenience store up the road from their house. It was a good time and a better snack.
Oh man that sounds good, I need some pork rinds and root beer.
My grandpa always had Barq’s or Mug in his refrigerator so whenever I would visit it was like a little ritual of getting rootbeer and sitting on the couch with him
North West pa kid here and I grew up on homemade root beer and pork rinds.
For me, barqs was the first root beer i ever tried, and to this day, it's my favorite one. It's kind of sentimental too, because my dad introduced me to it. We went to the local gas station- we went there to rent movies, pick up small things, etc. It was an old country convenience store, where the owner was just a local guy running a business. Anyway, he talked me into trying a can of it, and it was one of those moments i remembered fondly; sitting in the car with my dad, drinking this root beer. Written out, it seems like so little, but it was memorable to me at least.
I miss the old country convenience type store that had an old wooden porch and a regular house door with a thin wood screen door that creaked when you opened it. Remember the rusty metal coil thingy than would pull the screen door back closed? The sound it would make. We'd go inside and get a root-beer in a glass bottle and a bit of candy! I miss those days! (50's-60's). They were probably new stores around 1900-1920ish!
same, i remember my stepdad always drinking it, i asked him what it was and we went to the gas station and i ended up getting it. it's one of my favorite sodas
Barqs was my favorite root beer for a long time. But the high fructose corn syrup in it tastes funny to me now. Vergil's root beer use to be really good. But they kept changing the recipe and now it just tastes like carbonated liquefied bubble gum.🤢
pretty sure you can get Dad’s with real sugar only.
It’s not the sugar used, it’s the soap used as a foaming agent these days. It’s called quillaja extract.
That just reminds me of Dr. Pepper.
I like the taste, but it is so syrupy and thick, I can't take the sugar. I feel like I might as well be just drinking some pancake syrup. I don't want to do that, either.
As for something that has come to taste more and more like bubble gum - Crush pineapple.
I didn't know Vergil's changed its recipe. A long time ago I didn't really like it very much. I tried it again a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I thought my palate matured, but maybe they reformulated it less sophisticated tastes.
Do a "What ever happened to?" on Wink. It was a Canada Dry brand back in the day that contained real grapefruit juice, tiny traces of pulp and all! I used to guzzle that stuff by the 750 ml glass bottle back in the day.
no shit? huh. sounds neat.
Yes,that was gooood!
I've never heard of that before, but I want some now.
So, sort of like fresca with actual pulp?
Nothing like an ice-cold Bangs Root Beer first thing in the morning.
I prefer oliet bang's, but to each their own!
@@DanielPearson1 Oliet don't do they Bang's right, has a weird aftertaste.
No wonder America is so obese 😃
After a LOOONG couple of weeks, it is nice to zone out to our OG Narrator's voice!!!
"Everybody knows Barq's has bite!"
"Johnny?"
"Everybody knows Barq's has bite!"
"Johnny?"
"Everybody knows Barq's has bite!"
"Johnny!"
He says "Whaddya mean Barq's has bite?"
I can still remember the Barq's radio jingle from the 90's about Barq's has bite. Good slogans and marketing wins the long term.
This makes me so happy to see a video on root beer because I made multiple requests for it. I could cry right now.
:)
We're all glad you can stop whining about it now.
@@Heike-- found the guy that no one invites to parties
@@grizz9150 I dunno, this seems like the kind of channel where we should be nicer in the comments section.
@@Heike--
Obvious jealousy is a stinky cologne.
8:31 to get to the point of the title
and it didn't even get there! The bite is caffeine... it still has caffeine. Stupid AI videos.
Please do The History of A&W Root Beer & Mug Root Beer
mug is gross
@@mkv2718nah, it's the BEST.
@@mkv2718it goes hires barqs and then a&w
I find it interesting that VERY few people know the New Coke from the 80s and Diet Coke (also based on New Coke) is Tab. When the company wanted to move away from sugar to corn syrup to save money they also wanted to change the taste a bit because sales were down. Tab with aspartame or corn syrup instead of Saccharin was testing well so they tried it. New Coke was a failure and they switched back to the old recipe but with corn syrup instead of sugar, but Diet Coke was a huge success and is still using the Tab formula. Saccharin has a nasty aftertaste and lack of the Coke branding and marketing held the drink back for years. Coke Zero is "classic" Coke with aspartame and sucks. I actually liked New Coke and love Diet Coke.
I agree with you. Coke Zero is foul. 🤮
So, it was all a scheme to take the original coke away from us. I knew it!
They took the original coke away, and introduced New Coke which is Tab with corn syrup.
Then they lied, and said they brought back original Coke, when it was really original coke with corn syrup instead of sugar.
Bastards!
I dislike Diet Coke, probably in no small part to it being the only soda my mom bought for the house. I don't have any major issues with other Diet Colas. I especially preferred the Diet Pepsi without the Aspartame; it was generally less likely to upset my stomach.
Coke Zero is far from perfect, but it is multitudes better than Diet Coke.
"I bought a pack of Camels, a burrito and a Barq's"....
I was always more of an IBC root beer guy. But I haven't seen IBC in years. Not sure they even still make it.
It’s very common here in Texas. IBC is our second best selling Rootbeer behind Barq’s, at least in my area.
I see it all over here in Arizona.
I've only been able to get IBC from an almost entirely local to NY Chain Restaurant by the name of Tully's Good Times, Gotta say it's not bad but Stewart's imo is the best, and IBC and Barq's are tied at 2nd place for me.
Where are you located? I am in the L.A. area and most stores have it.
@@12012channel I'm in Texas, outside of Dallas.
I did some research today...because it beats workin' 🤣- apparently the original IBC company is out of business, and the "remnants" were sold to Dr. Pepper. I saw modern IBC labels, the red white and blue ones, on the bottles. The IBC I grew up on was in plain brown monogrammed bottles, like Coors Beer.
I'll try it, if I can find it.
The thing I remember about the old IBC was that if you guzzled it, it tasted very bitter.
Root Beer floats are delicious. I just fill a large glass or cup 3/4 of the way with vanilla ice cream, fill the rest with root beer, stir, and drink. One can of Root Beer will usually be a perfect amount filling the voids between the ice cream scoops and rest of the cup. Try it.
Won a radio contest when i was a kid for barqs root beer in a k-mart parking lot for barking got a cool am fm radio shaped like a can of root beer and a poster with half naked ladies on it.
Hell yeah.
Nice!
9:23 the way you timed "root beer can't compete" with the music was hilarious and amazing 😂😂😂
I miss Barq's as I cannot drink soft drinks any more for health purpose. Even Dr. Pepper told me "no." That's just not right. Well, somethings of good memories.
If it’s cuz of the sugar, try Oli Pops instead! Their formula has a bunch of botanicals for gut health and no added sugar. But I actually really like their root beer and other flavors.
I cant either but if i occassionaly drink a small half glass 4 a treat..no1 will kno😂
A mathematician walks into a bar and says "I'll have 1.41421356 beers please." The bartender sighs. "Next time, just say you want a root beer."
Interesting, I'd never even heard of Barq's until some time in the '90s with their "Barq's has bite" commercials. I thought it was a new brand. I guess it had been a regional brand until fairly recently Here in the PNW where I grew up in the '70s and '80s, it was mainly A&W, Hires and Mug. Barq's didn't exist on our store shelves.
Of course all big brand soda pop in America sucks now since they switched to HFCS instead of cane sugar. I've drank an occasional bottle of Mexican coke and had an occasional root beer float, but mostly I haven't drank pop since the '80s.
I love root beer. Lots of people do. The fact is nobody is trying to market it aside from A&W, and even THEY don't do it well.
And while I do enjoy Barq's, I personally love Dad's far more. The big issue is I can only find it as a drink mix powder. So I dissolved some into a makeshift syrup (leaving it to dissolve for a day before use to prevent sudden decarbonation when mixing) and use my SodaStream to handle the rest. It's not perfect. But since it's literally the only way I can have Dad's Root Beer in my area, it works.
I'll drink Barq's if it's the only one there, but it's A&W for me. But beating those out are the craft root beers I find in NY deli's.
I don't know where this guy got his thing about 'Barq's is America's most iconic root beer'-- like, huh? For one thing, 'no', and for another, wtf does 'most iconic' mean anyway aside from 'best known'? People gotta stop acting like that's some kind of argument-winner at random, it's bizarre.
@jamescarter3196 yeah, I was thinking that too. I've always thought of A&W as the most well known. I like Barq's and I distinctly remember those commercials. But, I just don't think it's the most "iconic".
Barq's is overrated. Now their red creme soda . . . WOW! Dad's was my favorite childhood root beer. A & W is my favorite now. Mug is 2nd.
I think A&W and Mug might as well just call themselves vanilla soda - it’s all I can taste any time I drink them 😭
I introduced my sister to boylan. No more aw and barq for her 😂
The best narrator on TH-cam! The OG voice. ❤
Barqs is the best root beer out there. There are some more expensive brands just as good, but I don't like paying $5.99 for a 6 pack.
I like the more complex flavor of VIrgil's.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had where Quark and Garak shared some root beer. Their comments about it are hilarious. The scene is on TH-cam.
It's vile.... it bubbly and happy. and if you drink enough of it, you begin to like it. Insidious.
Barq’s is my favorite root beer, A&W is my favorite cream soda.
Same. To me, the "bite" in Barq's was in the flavor itself, not the presence of caffeine. Other root beers are a lot sweeter and less interesting to me. A&W root beer is perhaps the worst I've ever had. It tastes like smoke. But their cream soda is definitely the best.
This dude has the best voice over voice I’ve ever heard !
Barqs still has bite!
Best tasting mainstream root beer by far ❤
I agree it’s the best! A&W is too vanilla and too sweet. But I’ll drink it for a root beer float.
I was really disappointed I'm my new case. specially searched: "Did Barq's change the recipe?" I don't feel the hard tingle from over carbonation that only Barq's had. I hesitate to write this, but it's almost as flat as A & W. Am I crazy or did they used to print "Barq's has bite" on the label. They don't even have any ribbon text anymore.
@@nilawarriorprincess never had this happen to me..sounds like you got a bad case
Diet Barq’s is the ONLY diet root beer that makes a decent float. I love the diet in cans. It’s got all the bite without the caffeine.
I discovered the caffeine on an occasion when I was trying to avoid caffeine for a good night’s sleep. The first swallow had me zipping around like a race car!
I prefer Barq’s to any of the other root beers I have tried. I grew up with Hires in central Pennsylvania, but the second I tasted Barq’s I was hooked.
Bring back Hires Root Beer.
Yes!
Hires was sadly discontinued because it was bought out by the company that also owns A&W. 😢
Hires is only made by a few independent Dr. Pepper bottlers because A&W shrewdly paid Dr. Pepper, Hires' parent, to distribute A&W's wintergreen-type root beer firstly.
@@eileenkean9787 That company that own Hires and A&W can still bring back Hires Root Beer.
Hires was the best. I miss it.
I was born and raised in the small town of Lodi, California, birthplace of A&W back in 1919. There’s a plaque near the Lodi Arch that says that spot was where the first A&W was sold, I’ve had an A&W right on that spot where it all first started. With a good root beer, you’ll be glad you’re stuck in Lodi!
Scared me with that title. Thought they got rid of Barq's.
I thought so, too. I started thinking, trying to remember the last time I had one. Usually I drink just whatever brand is available.
*SAME HERE!!!!!*
In my neck of Canada, its hard to find unfortunately. Only one grocery store sells it in bulk, only in 12 can packs. Can't find 2 liter bottles anymore.
@@sighsquinn9473 It appeared again for a while earlier this summer but I'm unable to find it again. Which store have you found is carrying it?
@@SavedByZero Atlantic SuperStore carries it in my area as 12 can packs. Not sure if other loblaws brands carry it. I know the gas stations carry the 591ml bottles, but I’m not paying 4$ for one of those.
Here we have a Barq's Cream Soda Slurpee and it's the best, I always have lived and died by Barqs.
Ooooh--where's that?!
Awww! I would love to try that.
Beh-lux-ee is the pronunciation of Biloxi .
Also no one pronounces New Orleans "New Orleeens" aside from sports announcers. It's "Nieu Orlins" or "Nieu Orlee-ins"
If you're not from these places, nobody cares how the locals slur their city names.
I've heard "Biloxi" pronounced this goofy way on other videos too... they're saying it like the fish "Lox"😆
@@ingridfong-daley5899 It's a regional thing. The Northern half of the country tends to say New Or-leens. I know, because I grew up in Illinois, and that's how the Midwest all pronounces it. Most of the South says something like New Or-lins or one word, N'Orleans. I've only heard the R completely dropped in Louisiana and bayou country, where some do actually say it like Naw-lins.
@@litigioussociety4249 I don't think I commented on New Orleans? (I'm from New Orleans so i left that one alone.) My comment was about Biloxi--which i've heard mangled on a few channels (Scary Mysteries/Every Town Has a Dark Side most recently). Wikipedia has pronunciations if people aren't sure, and locals always have a 'pet' way of referring to their city/hometown.
Great video. I had a Barqs and a Hire's maybe 5 years ago... just wimpy sweetness with root beer-ish taste. So many foods now being made sweeter or saltier, while cutting down on any unique attribute that may include hints of sourness (eg. sour cream, pink and red grapefruit instead of white, oranges, etc), or of pungency or bitterness (eg. broccoli, green cabbage, root beer, ginger snaps...), or of sharpness (eg. North American "swiss" or "Parmesan" cheese, root beer, "spicy" baked goods) Corn and tomatoes that taste more like candy than vegs. It's "the great dumbing down of flavour".
I have no idea what is Root Beer, having only heard of it by name in North American films and TV Shows. (Mostly Westerns)
My favourite drink is the good old-fashioned Dandelion and Burdock. D&B has been brewed in the British Isles since the Middle Ages and is made from the fermentation of the roots of the Dandelion Plant and the Burdock plant (The clue is in the name). As a child, I often wondered if Root Beer would be of a similar taste? Whatever the case, it would take a great deal of flavour to surpass Dandelion & Burdock. Not even that unpleasantly sweet American Coke is up to the task. You can keep your Cocas and your Pepsis, I am sticking with Barr's' until I can have a snifter of Root Beer. Who knows, I may be in for a pleasant surprise.
Disgusting. Have had that it tastes terrible. Dandelion and Burdock is a drink only a person with no taste enjoys.
i mean, if you got sarsaparilla around, thats like the OG version of root beer
@@rickjames7615 All you need to do now is drink some Root Beer and give your comparison of the two.
@@DonVhanDude Thank you for that. Very kind. I have seen sarsaparilla in a few shops, but noting it's lethally high sugar content, I have never given it a go. I will look for a tin of the drink next time. Maybe I can find a sugar-free option. Cheers.
It’s got a wintergreen and vanilla sort of taste.
"drink barq's, it's good" is solid and i respect that
I currently live in Biloxi and I can assure its still a big part of life here.
Glass bottles ftw
@@crazydrummer181I've lived in Biloxi for the last 30yrs. If its not in glass bottle, its not a real Barqs. Can is ok, but plastic bottles are nasty...
@@006ahenry can’t beat it with a poboy
*makes mental note of places worth moving to*
Cause aint nothing else there I have to assume.
I still love A&W root beer the most . I do like Barq's too. A little caffeine in something other than a cola is nice. I still prefer A&W but i do dig Barq's from time to time. Stewart's is a good one too.
Barqs tastes uniquely fruity, which is refreshing, but I avoid caffeine. A&W is peak with it's woody vanilla notes. Beats most "artisan" root beers imo.
I grew uo drinking Barq's Root beer and Cream soda, the original plant was around the corner from my Grand parent's home in Biloxi. I still grab one when I have a chance.
The original Barq building featured at 3:25 is still standing, although displaced several blocks from its original location, in Biloxi. It’s rather dilapidated but, after a quick look a few weeks ago, it appears there’s a slow rehabilitation effort happening. The larger Barq warehouse building in downtown Biloxi has mostly been renovated and repurposed for shops and apartments.
Lol I was more disturbed by how he said biloxi
Have you done OK Soda? I couldn't find it in your library. It might be a good "rise and fall" video.
The first time my nephew ever had rootbeer was when he was around 8-ish and, he said, "i can't have that." My mom and i asked him why. He said, "im not allowed to drink beer." Omfg, my mom and i died. 😂
Hey, I left a comment on a previous video requesting an episode on root beer/sassafras/sarsparilla! Thanks so much!
Virgil's Root Beer is my favorite.
I haven’t had Barq’s in a few years, but it’s consistently been good in glass bottles. It loses something in translation when it’s put in 2-liter bottles. It’s alright in cans.
Though this is true regarding the MS and LA Barq’s companies. The bottle with the pinkish red blocks on the label was the Louisiana Barq’s and the blue was Biloxi. People in Louisiana always wanted the New Orleans-made ones. Until the 80s, it was in reusable bottles. My dad said he knew someone who had found a dead mouse in an old bottle of Barq’s. Sounds like urban legends to me.
HIRES, the original, was and is the BEST. I haven't had it in a long time, since it was bought and buried by competitors. Why they did that, I'll never understand. I'm told it's still sold in some small midwest areas. I hope I get to have it again someday, since I still remember it being my favorite.
Agreed
As a Californian I feel I am missing out on some old Americana. I think it would be nice to take time off and just drive around the midwest exploring that type of living for a while.
They still make the syrup, if you want it, you can always buy the syrup and mix your own the way they used to at those soda shops.
I have always loved root beer and Barq's is my fav. Most root beers are smooth but this one has something extra. Now that you have your Barq's but now you have to add in a strawberry pop and bam...you got something special.
I still don't understand why rootbeer isn't more popular. Rootbeer and creme soda are way better than coke, mountain dew, Pepsi, etc.
The government outlawed the saprole which was one of the main ingredients which lack has destroyed the character of rootbeer
I'm quite the root beer connoisseur myself.❤🍻
Barq's
A&W
Mug
Hank's
Faygo
Frosty's
Even some home brewed root beer from my home state West Virginia. You name it I love it.
Those are all cheap mainstream brands. Not connoisseur level.
@@vids595 okay, so what would you consider connoisseur level?🤔
I know some people don't like root beer , which is fine as that leaves more the rest of us to enjoy.
I absolutely love Root Beer. My favorites are small craft varieties. Cheers! 🍻
I love Barq’s root beer!
Hearing this man say “sassafras” is not something I knew I needed
I love Barq's! But , A&W will always be my favorite
Barq's is better in the bottle or can but A&W is better when you get it from the restaurant.
@@Grymgardo they still have the bear tap in the restaurant? I haven’t seen one in years all of our restaurants are A&Ws/KFC with a small menu.
@@Livnglrg If you can find a restaurant yes. The last time I was in one of their locations they had a completely separate tap for the rootbeer from the regular soda fountain with the typical drinks. And, it definitely is better out of that tap, however, the chain has been continuing to shrink. Which is a shame, because the last time I ate there the burgers were way above average for a chain. Apparently even converting them into KFC/A&W combinations hasn't helped much.
For me, what I love about Barq's over others is that it isn't so vanilla forward. So many root beers are at heavy on the vanilla it might as well be cream soda. Barq's is spicier, gives a better pleasurable throat burn, and of course, has that caffeine kick.
I feel like it’s changed its recipe recently. It used to be more crisp, and almost a little spicy.
Yeah, just like everything else, slowly becoming less and less recognizable. Eventually everything's going to taste the same.
Thought I was drinking a sugary coca cola when I last had a can. Been years since I had one before that. I was shocked. Went back to drinking local, dad's, and henry weinhards.
I'm not sure why, but I love these videos.
10 Minutes of my life, I'll never get back.
Your the idiot that watched.
Better waste your time then you waste someone else's you fuc.kin mo.ron
Root beer lover since the '60s. Hires, Barq's and A&W for me, in that order. I can't get Hires anywhere, so I usually get Barq's. In fact, I haven't seen Hires in a store since the late '90s. Maybe it's just a geographical thing (I live in RI). There was one called Rob's which was only available in New England, but I haven't seen that one since the 1970s. My root beer of choice is Barq's Zero Sugar. I almost always have some in my fridge.
I do not know who decided Root Beer wasn't allowed to have caffeine, but I can tell you I definitely do (and did) care. I remember way back as early as middle school deciding that Barq's was my favorite root beer BECAUSE it was the one that had caffeine. That said, I still love the A&W root beer taste, but if I am going to drink a soda I prefer it have caffeine.
Also I did not know the difference between using sasafras and sasparella, the 2 names in my mind were always stored interchangeably since I knew they shared similar spaces and had similar sounding names, so I never really differentiated. Learn something new every day.
I always thought Sarsaparilla was the drink made out of Sassafras...
That marketing campaign got me to become a fan. It's still my favorite root beer. I remember an an advertising tie-in with the show Third Rock From The Sun where they gave you 3D polarized glasses for the season finale.
For me it's A&W, then Barqs. I only drink Mug if I have no choice
Is mug the one with the dog on it? If so I would rather stay thirsty then drink it
@@BillyBob-im7og Yeah Mug has teh dog and tastes like a dog brewed it.
A&W has way too much vanilla and tastes like a cream soda.
Barq's has always been the best non craft root beer in my opinion.
@@thedogefather I dunno about that. Barq's has basically no flavor compared with any of the options. And if you think A&W tastes like cream soda, try drinking cream soda. They taste almost completely different.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade because of course a person consciously choosing to make the comparison and post it online wouldn’t have ever tried cream soda 😂
Everyone’s palette is different and your opinion is as valid as mine is this entirely subjective discussion.
1:50 lmao I subscribed as soon as I heard that distinct pronunciation
I didn't realize it had caffeine in it, it's decent.
The diet version is caffeine free....
Barqs still have the bite, was my ace up until 2004. The year that A&W won me over, in Root Beer terms after 25 years as my ace root beer brand. Before that was Hires my parents were a big fan of that brand, when it became extinct they were saddened.
For me Root Beer was the ace of the soft drinks, brings back a lot of memories up until 2020. I was 44, after 39 years it was down to 3rd place that's when regular cola and it's cherry variant respectively took over mostly coke and pepsi. I'm not sure if it's me or something else that changed my taste of preference, whatever it was as a 48 year old me Barqs, A&W or any root beer brand is always hold a special place in my heart, despite the change of taste preference in the soft drink brand.
"Find a regional variant near you."
(looks at the World's Largest Candy Store near where I live in Minnesota) Just one?
Bars is my favorite root beer but man is it hard to find here in lower michgan. Not every gas station have it and my local big box store usually only has 2 liters of it for sale.
Personally don't like root beer unless it's a small brand more expensive version in a glass bottle. But regardless the history is still fascinating.
If you've got the money, the smaller brands that use glass bottles are often times a lot better.
I still swear the best root bear is my home state's specialty, Sprechers. Actually, can you do a video on them? It does seem like they've been doing a lot of growth over the last couple of years, introducing new flavors and showing up in more stores. Also, they were awarded by the New York Times the title of #1 best tasting root beer in America.
I still drink Barq’s. I love their root beer zero
If you get a chance, do a root beer(and barqs) flight where you try 5 or more in a row. Their variations are amazing.
I have a tattoo of the Bargs logo right above the Baja Blast logo. My 2 favorite drinks
CM Punk did it first 🤣
A video on those little, half sized, soda cans, that were Nintendo themed,, would be a drink I'd be interested in knowing more about. Mario, Luigi , Yoshi, and Princess Toadstool each had their own unique fruity flavor. I believe it was the late 80s or early 90s. I do know they weren't around too long, unfortunately.
History of sarsaparilla
I'm a huge Root Beer fan. Hires was my favourite. Seems to have disappeared in the last few years. Mug is a reasonable replacement.
Barq’s “bite” is caffeine. It’s the only root beer that has it, that I’m aware of.
Thank you for telling us that.
@@daakrolb yeah. I can’t drink caffeinated beverages at all.
Actually drinking a Barq's right now. My area only has the root beer and the red cream soda. It's a shame, I wouldn't mind trying the other flavors.
What about Birch Beer?
This
It was through birch beer that I started to drink root beer. It was back in the early/mid 1970's (I don't remember exactly when) when on a school trip to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration on Long Island that I encountered birch beer. I was very thirsty (it was a very warm spring day) and the old-fashioned country store didn't sell cola, but they did sell birch beer. They said it was like root beer, so I gave it a try. I found that I liked it, and so afterwards I started drinking root beer.
As a Muslim (we are not allowed to drink alcohol), I am so happy that root beer exists. I like it, although I generally drink Mug root beer. I’ll check out Barq’s though (when it’s on sale).
why is root beer more of an alcohol stand-in than any other soda?
@@pXnTilde Well, it has the name "beer" in it.
@@aasifazimabadi786 wait till you hear about ginger beer
@@pXnTilde Well, Dexter, Boy Genius did not drink ginger beer in "Dexter's Laboratory" (1996) on Cartoon Network. He drank root beer. Even if I discovered ginger beer, credit to you, it won't have the nostalgia factor that root beer does in my memories.
“Help Doc, I’ve got TB”
“Here ya are son, a root beer”
What about Mug?
Due to the caffeine, it was the one root beer my mom never let us have growing up. She didn't want us up all night.
Love me some Bang's
Oliet Bang's is the patrician's choice.
Barq's was always my favorite brand of root beer. I don't know if it was a subconscious thing induced by the marketing campaign, but Barq's always seemed like it had a bit sharper of a taste and more of a burning sensation as it went down as compared to Mug and A&W which had a smoother flavor with less "burn." Unfortunately, Root Beer is hard to find where I live... and the only kind available is mug. Anyways, I still enjoy it when I can find it!
I don't think it's the marketing! I was born after the marketing campaign, and as far as I know I never saw the "Barq's has bite" motto. But it has always been one of my favorite root beers, and when I thought about why, I decided it had a "bite," for exactly the sharp/burning sensation you describe. I was shocked when I discovered that "bite" was actually used in its marketing!
OMG!!! I FORGOT ABOUT BARQ’S!!!!