A&W

I'm going to hop to the commercial market quickly because I truly believe that what the rest of us do is driven by what they're doing.

Without question A&W is the heavyweight company in the Root Beer world.  They've been doing it right since 1919 and have a lot to show for it.  Founded in Lodi, California, they are also my first critique of a West Coast company.  Just as a testament to how well they stay on top of the times they are the proud owners of the url rootbeer.com!  Their foresight and intuition have set them as the best commercial brewer.  Their drive-ins all over the country are a perennial favorite, and their creamy vanilla taste is amazing is given by the real vanilla extract used in production.  They have gone with the crowd on switching to corn syrup, a bad move in my opinion, and have subsequently compromised on quality.  In addition to other commercially driven compromise, they've also gone over to plastic and aluminum bottling.  The flavors of either container affect the taste adversely.


Overall though A&W continues to deliver the most dependable beverage at the gas station, and has left an indelible mark on the industry.  It is for this purpose that A&W is my personal standard for root beer; not that they are my perfect ten by any means, but they set my middle bar on taste and quality.  For this reason I rank A&W as the most perfect 5, all root beers bellow them I wouldn't often drink, all above them have a right to be proud.