A&W Root Beer Prices

When Americans and Canadians think of root beer, among the first brands that come to their minds is “A&W Root Beer” and we’re not surprised. Between the classic creamy and smooth mouth-feel and the refreshingly icy feeling, it’s a root beer that people can drink the entire day – and not feel too guilty about it, too! When served in a frosty mug, the drink is a family favorite, as well as a favorite among people of all ages.

Below are the latest A&W Root Beer prices.

Overview

Several corporate entities actually own the brand so it can become confusing. Basically, Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG) owns the A&W brand rights outside of Canada; DPSG, in turn, licenses it to the A&W restaurant chain based in the United States.  The A&W root beer products are distributed across the United States by a chain of bottlers in the country, while the A&W Food Services of Canada (i.e., an independent entity from the U.S.-based restaurant chain and DPSG) owns brand rights in Canada.  Just to make things more complicated, The Coca-Cola Company bottles and distributes the A&W retail products for the A&W Food Services of Canada.

The origins of A&W Root Beer are, fortunately, simpler.  Roy W. Allen used a formula he bought from a pharmacist as the basis for his own root beer, which he sold in his first roadside root beer stand opened in June 1919 in in Lodi, California.  He soon opened several more stands in Stockton and Sacramento.

By 1920, Allen partnered with Frank Wright – and thus the now-famous name “A&W Root Beer” came to be.  The chain of A&W restaurants was inspired by the drink when its first location opened in 1922.

The A&W brand doesn’t come from the initials of Alice and Willard Marriott, a common misconception among the public. The mistake was due to the fact that the couple’s first business was an A&W franchise. In fact, their first root beer restaurant was calls Hot Shoppe, which later became part of the Mariott Hotels.

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There are several brands under A&W including:

• Diet A&W, which was originally known as A&W Sugar-free Root Beer
• A&W Cream Soda
• A&W Diet Cream Soda
• A&W Floats
• A&W Sunkist Floats
• A&W Ten

These beverages are obviously based on the well-loved root beer formula so consumers have something familiar and something new in these drinks.

Drink Profile

The A&W Root Beer is usually described in positive terms by its happy consumers. The root beer has the classic creamy, light, and smooth mouth-feel that explodes with natural flavors in the palate. The cold sensation, due to the drink being served in a frosty mug, refreshes the senses while the addition of whipped cream adds to the sweetness without being cloyingly sweet.

Think of the A&W Root Beer as the Tom Petty of all root beers and you have an idea of its enviable status in the beverages industry.  In lists of the best root beers in North America, the A&W Root Beer brand is typically listed in the top ten – and it speaks well for the vision of Allen and Wright.

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The A&W Root Beer is also made with natural ingredients including:

• Natural cane sugar gives the drink a combination of floral aroma and fruity sweetness
• Sarsaparilla root gives it distinctive notes of caramel, vanilla and wintergreen
• Birch bark gives it a unique, if delicate, earthiness and mint flavor
• Anise provides the underlying notes of tarragon and fennel to the drink
• Licorice imparts a rich flavor with sweet and spicy notes, which are offset by a slightly note at the end

The drink has several other ingredients obviously but these are the most noticeable in each sip or slurp.  Many people enjoy it straight from the can or glass bottle, usually ice-cold, but the best way to enjoy it is by serving it in a frosty glass.

Interesting Trivia

Did you know that the A&W Root Beer brand is the bestselling brand of root beer in the United States? The cans fly off the shelves, so to speak, aside from the orders in the A&W chain of restaurants.

But people who buy A&W Root Beer from supermarkets and groceries, among other retail stores, should take note of the drink’s shelf life. Emphasis must be made that the beverage’s refreshing taste and fresh quality will depend on its sugar content and type of container.

If you’re looking for the longest “best by” date, then your best choices are the A&W Root Beer in cans and glass bottles with a 39-week shelf life. The root beer in plastic bottles and the diet version can only last for 13 weeks before its desirable qualities fizzle out in your mouth.

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On August 6 of each year, the A&W chain celebrates the National Root Beer Float Day.  It’s a big deal for root beer float lovers because the restaurants give free mini floats to its diners.