A&W is a popular fast food restaurant chain known for their root beer. Many customers enjoy the classic taste of A&W’s root beer, but some may be looking for a sugar free option due to dietary needs or preferences. In this article, we will explore whether or not A&W offers a sugar free root beer option.
The Origins of A&W Root Beer
A&W Root Beer has a long history dating back to 1919 when Roy Allen first started selling root beer at his roadside stand in Lodi, California. The roots of the A&W name come from Allen’s partnership with Frank Wright, who helped expand the root beer business with more roadside stands. A&W was one of the first franchised restaurant chains in the United States and became well-known for its frosty mugs of root beer served at drive-in locations.
Through the mid-1900s, A&W grew rapidly by focusing heavily on root beer innovations and marketing. They released the first frozen root beer product in 1963 and opened international restaurants in Malaysia, Singapore, and other countries. Today, A&W restaurants and root beer products are available across the United States and worldwide.
The Introduction of Diet A&W Root Beer
In 1971, A&W introduced Diet A&W Root Beer, a sugar-free version sweetened with saccharin instead of sugar. This was likely in response to growing public health concerns around sugar consumption and demand for low calorie or sugar free food and beverage options. The product release was A&W’s first major step into the diet soda segment, which was expanding rapidly at the time following the introduction of other popular diet sodas like Diet Coke.
Diet A&W Root Beer was sweetened with a blend of saccharin, sodium cyclamate, and aspartame. Like many diet sodas of the 1970s and 1980s containing artificial sweeteners, it had a distinctly different taste profile from regular A&W root beer. While it attracted some consumers focused on limiting sugar, many felt it did not live up to the full, rich taste of the original.
A&W’s Current Root Beer Offerings
Today, A&W offers both regular and diet root beer options. Their classic A&W Root Beer contains cane sugar and vanilla. A&W Diet Root Beer is sweetened with aspartame and contains no calories.
In 2011, A&W reintroduced cane sugar sodas for a limited time, featuring Throwback Root Beer and other flavors made with pure cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. This was in response to consumer demand for more natural products made without artificial ingredients. The cane sugar sodas were brought back permanently to stores in 2013 due to their popularity.
Sugar Free Root Beer Options
While A&W has offered Diet Root Beer for decades, they do not currently have a designated sugar free root beer option using natural sweeteners like stevia. Their diet product relies on aspartame rather than sugar alcohol sweeteners sometimes found in sugar free or naturally sweetened sodas.
Some factors that may contribute to A&W not having a specially labeled sugar free root beer include:
- Costs of developing and launching a new sugar free product line
- Uncertainty regarding consumer demand and profitability
- Complications managing more sku’s and offerings
- Concerns that a sugar free line could erode Diet Root Beer sales
While many restaurants have added stevia-sweetened drinks to appeal to those avoiding both sugar and artificial sweeteners, A&W has stuck with their classic and diet root beer options for now.
A&W’s Root Beer Ingredients
Here is a comparison of the ingredients found in A&W’s regular root beer versus their diet root beer:
| A&W Root Beer | A&W Diet Root Beer |
|---|---|
| Carbonated water | Carbonated water |
| Cane sugar | Aspartame |
| Caramel color | Caramel color |
| Natural and artificial flavors | Natural and artificial flavors |
| Sodium benzoate (preservative) | Potassium benzoate (preservative) |
| Citric acid | Citric acid |
| Caffeine | Caffeine |
As you can see, the main difference is the sugar versus aspartame as the sweetener. The other ingredients are quite similar between the two varieties.
Alternatives for Sugar Free Root Beer Lovers
While A&W themselves do not offer a specially labeled sugar free root beer, there are some other options on the market for those looking to avoid both sugar and artificial sweeteners:
Virgil’s Zero Root Beer
Virgil’s is a premium root beer brand that has been around since the 1990s. They produce a Zero line of sodas sweetened with stevia and erythritol, natural sugar alcohol sweeteners. Virgil’s Zero Root Beer has no sugar or calories while providing the rich, bold flavor of root beer. You can find it in many major grocery stores, often near the specialty soda section.
ZenZev Root Beer
ZenZev is a newer root beer company focusing on health-conscious ingredients. Their sugar free root beer is sweetened with organic stevia without any artificial sweeteners or preservatives. You may see it in natural food stores or can order online if it’s not available locally.
DIY Sugar Free Root Beers
There are recipes online for making your own sugar free root beer at home. By mixing herbs, extracts, and stevia or erythritol yourself, you can control the ingredients. Homemade options won’t have the exact same flavor as A&W since the recipe isn’t secret, but you can get close. Try searching for “sugar free homemade root beer” for recipes to test out.
The Bottom Line
While A&W offers classic and diet root beer, they do not currently have a separately labeled sugar free root beer option. Their Diet Root Beer relies on aspartame rather than natural sweeteners like stevia that some consumers may prefer. Sugar free root beer fans have a couple alternative options from brands like Virgil’s or ZenZev. But for those who love that signature A&W taste, the Diet Root Beer may be their only choice on the menu for now.
A&W has stuck with their traditional and diet recipes rather than releasing multiple varieties of sugar free root beer. Time will tell if consumer demand is strong enough to get them to develop a new sugar free offering. But in the meantime, those searching for sugar free root beer do have some other brands to consider even if it’s not the classic A&W taste.
