Root beer renaissance: Old-time soda is back with a bang

Root beer is back.

Across the country, people are talking about "craft" root beer and "premium" root beer.

Artisan root beer is among the "flavor trends" identified for 2010 by Flavor & The Menu magazine, a publication for chefs and restaurateurs.

In 2008, the McCormick spice and flavoring company named root beer as an up-and-coming flavor trend.

But in Utah, where a large segment of the population doesn't drink alcoholic beverages due to their LDS faith, it's not a question of people getting "back into" root beer.

"Have they ever gotten out of it? That's the question," said Mike Brown, marketing manager at Red Rock Brewing Co. in Salt Lake City. The brewpub has been making Red Rock Root Beer for 15 years, he said. The caffeine-free beverage is flavored with birch and cane sugar.

Not only do customers order it off the menu, they also buy half-gallon glass "growlers" to take home.

Root beer carries a touch of nostalgia for an era when the family bought frosty mugs at the local "drive-in," or dating couples shared a root beer float at the local ice cream parlor.

But today's trendy root beers don't come from the malt shop but local brew pubs better known for their beer.

Righteous Root Beer is chugged at Hopper's Seafood & Grill; it's the same award-winning recipes served at Ruby River Steakhouses.

Brigham's Brew, made by the Utah Brewer's Cooperative, is on tap at Squatters in Salt Lake City and Park City, and Wasatch Brew Pub in Park City. The Beehive Grill in Logan has Beehive Brew, the same root beer served by its sister restaurant, Moab Brewery in Moab.

And at Roosters in Ogden and Layton, "Roost beer" accounts for 60 percent of the soda sales.

"And that's a big deal when you're comparing it against Coke products because they're so popular," said Kym Buttschardt, Roosters co-owner.

"We sell about 45 gallons a week of root beer in each location."

It's not just a Utah thing, Buttschardt added. Roosters' brewmaster, Steve Kirkland, came from Sprecher Breweries in Wisconsin, where root beer was a big part of the business, she said.