Because 'powder root tea,' the name of the original concoction, just didn't sound like it had the kick that beer, the miners' poison of choice, did. Fortunately for Charles E. Hires, the man ...

Even modern root beer as we know it (carbonated, cold, sweet) was initially marketed as a medicinal beverage by drug stores. Hires Root Beer, for example, was invented by a pharmacist who first ...

While Hires fell victim to mergers and acquisitions, the others are still doing just fine. In fact, A & W is said to be the gold standard in judging root beer. You don't have to buy it ...