Why Root Beer Is One of America's Most Polarizing Drinks?

Although root beer has been around for centuries, it remains polarizing in ways other mainstream sodas are not, even though it can be bought in most convenience stores, diners and grocery stores (and online at Rocky Mountain Soda) and is a staple of summertime BBQs, where it is often combined with ice cream to create a super-delicious float for the kids. In this post, the team at Rocky Mountain full-flavor natural soda looks at the issue of why root beer is one of America's most polarizing drinks.

The First Root Beer Encounter

Without meaning to be, root beer is perhaps the perfect drink for the 2020s, where polarization seems the order of the day. When it comes to root beer, the average person's first encounter results in them either loving it or hating it. Nobody "kind of likes it", and for better or worse, nobody forgets it. Root beer isn't formulated to be a people-pleaser and has little interest in being agreeable. Instead, it knows what it is and leaves it up to the consumer to decide if they're on board with it or not.

While Refreshing It's Not Refreshment in the Modern Sense

With root beer, there is none of the citrus snap you expect from modern soft drinks. There's no single flavor you can point to and say "That's it!". Instead, the taste of a beverage like our Rocky Mountain Root Beer Colorado soda spreads slowly outward. Sweet at first, then lightly herbal, then a hint of bitterness, and then something that's almost medicinal that lingers. It's called flavor complexity.

For aficionados, that complexity reads as depth. For others used to modern soda pop, it can be confusing.

They're used to their soda delivering its flavor hit and then stepping aside. Root beer though stays in the mouth and invites interpretation. That fact alone is enough to put some people off.

"Modern sodas tend to be built around simple, high-impact flavor cues like lemon-lime or cola spice mixes. Root beer leans into a more layered, botanical profile, which can feel unfamiliar if your palate is tuned mainly to citrus and sweetness."

Rocky Mountain Soda, Soda Jerk

Why Some Americans Tend to Give Root Beer More Leeway

In the US, root beer is introduced to some folks early and in a positive manner. They enjoy root beer floats, they associate it with novelty mugs, diner experiences, and even summer evenings on the veranda with mom and dad. Even if they eventually grow to prefer other types of soda, they keep those fond memories with them so that when they encounter root beer's bitter, herbal notes later in life, their early experiences have softened the edges of their reaction.

For Some, However, That Nostalgic Buffer Doesn't Exist

For others without that nostalgic buffer - whether they live outside or inside the US - root beer stands naked, with nothing to protect it or soften people's reaction to it. Instead, it is evaluated purely from a taste perspective, and that's a much harsher evaluation.

Why? Because over the past 50 years or so, global palates have been standardized around sweetness and acidity. During this time, however, root beer has stubbornly refused to be anything but what it is. The result is a drink that feels somewhat like a regional taste, with an insular quality modern sodas aggressively avoid.

• Root beer doesn't lean into the whole citrus thing
• It doesn't apologize or try to hide its bitterness
• It doesn't try to mask its herbs for the sake of approval

Just for the record, that doesn't mean root beer is still living in the 19th century. Skilled craft soda manufacturers like Rocky Mountain Soda have been able to address modern concerns around soda in a discreet and effective manner, creating not only a root beer that is true to its full flavor natural soda roots, but one that is also vegan and a first class non GMO soda.

Carbonation Makes the Argument Louder

In root beer, fizz sharpens everything. It doesn't just add bubbles, it adds and amplifies texture. Carbonation pushes bitterness and spices to the forefront, adding bite where some people expect comfort. That's a big reason why root beer floats are so successful, even with those who are not fans of root beer.

In a float, the ice cream changes the entire flavor and textural experience. It calms the bubbles, softens the edges, and shifts the perspective of root beer from drink to dessert. As a result, many who profess to "hate" root beer will soften their tone once they've had a root beer float.

Transcending the "Old Fashioned" Accusation

If there is one thing we hear about root beer over and over in myriad ways, it's that it is an old-fashioned drink, something only old fogies still gravitate to because they're living in the past. We touched on this accusation of root beer being a 19th-century drink earlier and how some crafty craft soda makers have ensured it is also in tune with important 21st-century concerns.

Still, root beer doesn't pretend to be cutting edge. It doesn't have to. It's a timeless experience, and proud to be one. It looks back and says "not everything from the past deserves to be plowed under by progress".

Why Root Beer is Polarizing and What It Reveals About Taste Itself

Root beer is not polarizing because it's extreme in any sense. It's polarizing because it discreetly reveals how taste works, and some people aren't fond of that. The truth is, we do not experience flavor from an objective perspective. We experience it through memory (or lack thereof), culture, expectations and timing.

Root beer refuses to smooth over those variables and has no interest in chasing universality. It accepts that it's going to create friction and by doing so, becomes a sort of litmus test. Not necessarily for good taste or bad, but for how we decide on agreeable and disagreeable tastes in the first place.

Why Root Beer Endures

Like other drinks from the 19th century, root beer could have been shoved to the side by the onslaught of progress. But it wasn't because it didn't attempt to adapt to the times or sand down its edges. And the people who have lovingly produced root beer over the years have embraced its quirkiness and timeless qualities without hesitation. And the fact is, many people appreciate this stubborn refusal of root beer to cry "uncle" to the times.

Enjoy Our Rocky Mountain Root Beer Along With Our Other Non GMO Sodas

Our Rocky Mountain Root Beer soda is one of our most popular, with warm vanilla and caramel notes and just a hint of cinnamon and sarsaparilla to ground it. If you are looking for a timeless taste that will bring a smile to your BBQ guests, it's time you gave our Rocky Mountain Root Beer a try. It's a full-flavored Colorado soda you need to experience for yourself.