Road trips and unique beverages go hand in hand—there’s something special about discovering a local soda that captures the spirit of a place. While gas station coolers stock the usual suspects, craft soda makers across America create flavors that tell stories of their regions, from lavender fields in Oregon to sarsaparilla roots in Texas. These small-batch beverages offer road trippers a chance to taste local ingredients and family recipes passed down through generations.
Here is a list of 18 craft sodas worth seeking out during your next adventure.
Boylan Bottling Co. Root Beer
This New York-based company has been crafting sodas since 1891, using pure cane sugar and natural extracts in small batches. Their root beer delivers a creamy, complex flavor that’s miles away from mass-produced alternatives. The glass bottles add to the authentic experience, and you’ll find Boylan products in specialty stores throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
The company’s commitment to traditional brewing methods shows in every sip—it’s like tasting soda history.
Maine Root Handcrafted Beverages
Founded in a garage in Portland, Maine, Root creates organic sodas using Fair Trade-certified ingredients and pure cane sugar. Their root beer incorporates wintergreen, vanilla, and anise for a distinctive New England twist.
The company’s environmental consciousness extends to carbon-neutral shipping and sustainable packaging. You can spot their earthy-labeled bottles in natural food stores across New England, though their distribution has expanded nationwide due to growing demand.
Sprecher Brewery Sodas
This Milwaukee institution started as a craft brewery but gained equal fame for its sodas, particularly its root beer made with Wisconsin honey. Fire-brewed in small batches using the same kettles as their beer, these sodas develop deeper, more complex flavors than cold-mixed alternatives. Their orange dream soda tastes like a creamsicle in liquid form.
Sprecher products are widely available throughout the Midwest, making them perfect discoveries during Great Lakes road trips.
Virgil’s Real Cola
Marketed as the ‘world’s best tasting all-natural soda,’ Virgil’s uses a blend of vanilla from Madagascar, cinnamon from Ceylon, and kola nut extract. The result tastes more sophisticated than typical colas—think of it as cola for grown-ups. Their root beer also deserves attention, incorporating herbs and spices that create layers of flavor. You’ll find Virgil’s in health food stores and gourmet markets, particularly along the West Coast, where natural beverage culture thrives.
IBC Root Beer
While not as small-scale as other craft options, IBC maintains artisanal qualities that set it apart from corporate sodas. Brewed with sassafras, vanilla, and honey, it delivers the classic root beer taste many people remember from childhood. The frosted glass bottles add nostalgia to the experience. IBC products appear in convenience stores and restaurants across America, making them accessible discoveries during any road trip route.
Fentimans Curiosity Cola
This British import brings Victorian elegance to American road trips through its botanical brewing process and apothecary-style bottles. Fentimans ferments their sodas using traditional methods, creating slight carbonation naturally rather than forcing CO2 into the liquid.
Their Curiosity cola includes ginger and herbal extracts that create a warming sensation. Though pricier than domestic options, you’ll find Fentimans in upscale grocery stores and specialty beverage shops, particularly in metropolitan areas.
Jackson Hole Soda Company
Operating from the heart of Wyoming, this company captures the rugged spirit of the American West in bottles. Their wild huckleberry soda showcases local berries that grow wild in the Rocky Mountains. The root beer incorporates pure mountain spring water that gives it exceptional clarity and taste. Limited distribution means you’ll mostly find these sodas in Wyoming, Montana, and parts of Colorado—making discovery part of the adventure.
Crater Lake Root Beer
Named after Oregon’s famous geological wonder, this root beer uses Cascade Mountain water and Northwest ingredients. The brewing process involves aging the extract mixture, which develops more complex flavors than quick-mixed sodas. Their commitment to Pacific Northwest ingredients shows in every bottle.
Distribution centers around Oregon and Washington, though some specialty stores in California and Idaho carry limited selections.
Reed’s Ginger Brews
Founded by a surfer in Los Angeles, Reed’s creates ginger-based sodas with varying levels of spice intensity. Their original ginger brew packs enough heat to clear sinuses, while milder versions accommodate different palates.
Fresh ginger root provides the base, supplemented with honey, lemon, and lime. Reed’s products appear in natural food stores across the country, but they’re particularly common along the California coast, where the company originated.
Sioux City Sarsaparilla
This soda evokes the Old West through both its name and flavor profile, using real sarsaparilla root extract. The taste differs significantly from modern root beers—earthier and more medicinal, like beverages cowboys might have actually consumed. Glass bottles feature vintage-inspired labels that enhance the historical atmosphere.
Sioux City products appear in novelty shops, Western-themed restaurants, and some grocery stores throughout the Great Plains and Southwest.
Dublin Dr Pepper
Though production ended in 2012, the remaining bottles of this Texas legend still surface in specialty stores and collectors’ markets. Made with pure cane sugar instead of corn syrup, Dublin Dr Pepper delivered a cleaner, more intense flavor than regular Dr Pepper.
The small bottling plant in Dublin, Texas, operated independently for decades before corporate changes shut it down. Finding an authentic bottle becomes a treasure hunt worth pursuing during Texas road trips.
Cheerwine
North Carolina’s signature cherry soda has maintained its regional identity since 1917, though distribution has expanded beyond the Carolinas. The unique cherry flavor comes from a secret blend that creates a taste, unlike any other cherry soda on the market.
Cheerwine pairs particularly well with Southern barbecue, making it perfect for discovering during food-focused road trips. The burgundy color and distinctive taste make it instantly recognizable to anyone who’s spent time in the Southeast.
Moxie
Maine’s official state soft drink predates Coca-Cola and offers one of the most distinctive flavors in American soda history. Made with gentian root extract, Moxie delivers a bitter, herbal taste that people either love or hate—there’s rarely a middle ground.
The flavor inspired the phrase ‘you’ve got moxie,’ referring to someone with boldness or courage. Finding Moxie requires dedication since distribution remains primarily limited to New England, making discovery part of its appeal.
Henry Weinhard’s Root Beer
Though production ceased in 2020, remaining inventory occasionally appears in specialty beverage stores. This Oregon-based root beer used pure cane sugar and natural vanilla extract to create a smooth, creamy texture.
The brewing heritage came from Henry Weinhard’s brewery legacy in Portland. Bottles that remain available offer a taste of Pacific Northwest beverage history, making them worthy discoveries for collectors and enthusiasts.
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
This Australian import brings authentic ginger intensity to American palates through traditional brewing methods. Real ginger provides significant heat, while natural fermentation creates complex carbonation. The squat bottles undergo a unique brewing process that includes sediment settling, requiring gentle inversion before drinking.
Bundaberg products appear in international sections of grocery stores and specialty beverage retailers, particularly in areas with diverse populations.
A&W Root Beer
While widely available, A&W deserves recognition for maintaining quality standards that many mass-produced sodas have abandoned. Their root beer still uses aged vanilla extract and a proprietary blend of herbs and spices. The brand’s association with drive-in restaurants adds nostalgic value to road trip experiences.
Glass bottles provide the best flavor experience, though they’re becoming increasingly rare compared to cans and plastic bottles.
Dad’s Root Beer
This Chicago-based root beer maintains old-school brewing techniques that create a distinctive foam head and creamy texture. The recipe includes sarsaparilla, vanilla, and wintergreen for complexity that develops as you drink. Dad’s has survived corporate ownership changes while keeping its essential character intact.
Distribution varies by region, but it appears frequently in Midwest convenience stores and restaurants with vintage American themes.
Natural Brew Draft Root Beer
Marketed as ‘the root beer with bite,’ Natural Brew delivers intense flavor through concentrated extracts and pure cane sugar. The brewing process creates significant carbonation that enhances the herbal and spice notes. L
imited distribution makes finding this root beer feel like discovering a secret. When available, it appears in health food stores and specialty beverage shops, particularly in areas where craft beverage culture thrives.
The Road Ahead
These craft sodas represent more than refreshment—they’re liquid snapshots of American regional culture and brewing tradition. Each bottle contains stories of local ingredients, family recipes, and communities that refused to let corporate giants homogenize their tastes. The hunt for these distinctive beverages adds purpose to road trip stops and creates memories that outlast the last sip.
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