Does Root Beer Typically Have Caffeine In It?
A good caffeine boost is great for keeping us awake when we need it, but there are times when we want to limit our intake or avoid it altogether. Beverages that naturally contain caffeine aren't required to list the exact amount, but items that artificially add caffeine need a label, so it's easy to see which of your favorite soda brands contain caffeine and which don't. When it comes to root beer, you generally don't have to worry about caffeine –- but it's still important to consult the label because the occasional root beer brand does contain caffeine.
Most root beer brands at the grocery store or soda shop are caffeine-free since caffeine isn't involved in the root beer-making process and traditionally never was. Modern root beer only contains sugar, food coloring, and carbonated water (it used to contain sassafras, but no longer does). Root beer brands such as Mug Root Beer, A&W Root Beer, IBC Root Beer, and Culver's Root Beer are all caffeine-free. Checking labels is imperative in deciphering caffeine levels, though, since some popular root beer brands like Barq's Root Beer do contain caffeine.
Root beer doesn't contain caffeine, usually
Barq's Root Beer, the ever-popular soda with the large white logo you've probably seen front and center at the grocery store, is one of the few root beer brands that does contain caffeine. A standard can contains about 22 milligrams of caffeine, though Barq's Diet Root Beer contains zero. While caffeine isn't necessary in the root beer-making process, some brands will add it simply to give the soda a little extra buzz, enough to compete with other soda brands that do contain caffeine thanks to the kola nut. Compared to a standard Pepsi, Barq's Root Beer only contains about half of the amount of caffeine.
Experts recommend that the average adult doesn't consume more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, so in terms of the amount of caffeine there is in a can of root beer, you don't have much to worry about. That being said, if you're the kind of Barq's fan who consumes two or three cans in one sitting plus a large coffee in the morning, then it's understandable to be concerned about that caffeine intake. If you're in the mood for that iconic root beer taste without the fear of over-caffeination, it might be best to pick one of the many other root beers which don't have caffeine in it.