Ahhhh, root beer, my favorite soft drink. Root beer floats mean sitting on the front step with my grandfather and sipping Schwan's vanilla ice cream and Shasta. I should mention this was rural Iowa so forgive the lack of specialty ingredients. I prefer home brewed now, and get into Sasprilla and birch beers too.

I think IBC is right up there. I'll have to track down some local New England ones though and will see if I can find a Portland one in the stores here around Boston.

As for DiSpirito, it seems like a lot of people get that little taste of fame and then will do anything to recapture it.

I am a big fan of 1919, which I believe is contract brewed by the August Schell Brewery in New Ulm. It is a treat to have a frosty mug with a great root beer poured straight from a tap.

I do like Sprecher--it isn't overly carbonated and the tastes seem more natural than other mass market root beers. I could be biased though--our family just took a quick "food trip" to Milwaukee and one of our kids' favorites stops was the tour and tasting (of all the sodas) at Sprecher.

Seriously Andrew, can you please keep the shallow and worthless complaints about other people in your dream journal? I come to this site to read about food and the business of food, ostensibly the topic of a blog with "chow" in the title. Be above being the US Weekly of food blogs...please, there has to be something more meaningful going on than this. Or start a new blog about the business of food media egos...there we go.

As for root beer...here here! Sprecher is good, but it is missing the herbaciousness I like and IBC has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. The best though are the little places that brew their own. There is a place in Oshkosh Wisconsin called Ardy & Ed's that brews there own and sells it in empty milkjugs...it is fosty, licoricey, and creamy as hell.

Hands down, the best rootbeer has got to be Henry Weinhard's. Much sweeter than the usual rootbeers with a much deeper, almost smoky flavor topped with honey.

Kudos to David Foureyes...AZ would you like some cheese with your whine?

I find Guy Fieri to be very entertaining and knowledgeable but wonder sometimes how much caffeine he consumes. LOL He's much less pompous than some of the "old school" Food Network stars.

Zimmerman is a total D-Bag. Case closed. And he chews with his mouth open like a goat.

Four eyes, thanks for the reminder...I am sometimes simply a fan and the realm of T V offerings becomes increasingly derivative, makes me angry. And to Paul G., i love you too....

James Page, when they were alive and brewing in Northeast Minneapolis, made a KILLER root beer. Sorely missed.

The best thing about AZ whining about the various Food TV "stars" is the fact that his current bit is eating bugs, geoducks and various other items that many other people would not want to touch. I'll take that "insolent" Fieri and quality comfort food over that any day of the week.

Mmm, Sprecher, without a doubt. Town Hall Brewery's root beer is also very good, though we don't get over there to sample it often.

AZ, Amen. I get that Rocco is a a big empty ego that makes his poor 80 year old mother slave away deep-frying zuccini blossoms and anyone with food knowledge and has watched Iron Chef knows that the Queer Eye dude does not have any insight into food; it just seems below you to point it out. Trust us, we know.

Who is Guy Fieri's (sp?) target audience? Do country music festival-goers that hang their Oakley's around the backs of their necks or on the brims of their hats really eat out that much?

See, it's ok when I do it cuz I'm not on TV.

I agree with Gomesz. Zimmerman is always chewing with his mouth open. Its very goat-like.

I cannot believe anyone has commented on A&W Rootbeer. Hell, they practically invented the rootbeer float. They also had the cool drive in with waitress on rollerskates!

As far as Guy Fieri. I just find him annoying as hell. It seems everywhere I look I see his mid 40's fat booty with the "I feel like I'm 19" spikey colored haircut that went out of style in the 90's. I definately skip past whatever I am watching while channel surfing when his nappy head pops up.(YES, since I am not on TV or radio It is ok when I say people have nappy heads)

Andrew, you seem like a likeable guy, but your show is about traveling the world to locations most people can never go to and eating food most people would never eat. I have a hard time understanding how that represents a better attitude towards food than the FN people you mention.

I have a great idea for a Food Network show, but it involves that dirty word so rarely spoken on the network: "vegetarian."

I'm a fan of the Hansen's natural root beer because I can grab one at most local grocery stores. Whole Foods has a decent natural one, as well, but it goes flat almost immediately upon cracking open the can.

Andrew--

I just wanted to let you know that I LOVE watching you eat. I like how you just pop things in your mouth and chew them up, or gnaw on them. I really enjoy it for some reason.

Keep it up! :)

- V

When I was a kid, my uncle had a root beer Keg-O-Rater in his basement rumpus room. I'm pretty sure he stocked it with A&W root beer. It was the best, and tasted better than what we got at the A&W drive in.

There are plenty of good root beers around. I'm not an expert, but my favorites would have to be:

1919
Sprecher
Virgil's

But my absolute favorite is Sioux City Sasparilla. If you've never had it, do yourself a favor and pick some up.

Sprecher's rootbeer is my favorite...but for the root beer float experience you'd be hard pressed to beat Taylor's Falls'Drive In Restaurant
http://www.taylorsfalls.com/aboutus.html
http://youtube.com/watch?v=a4i2ZHDSCQY

Andrew, please DON'T CHANGE A THING ABOUT THE SHOW. It all works so well to make it what it is....perfect. I love the Maasai, I am from So. Africa and anything you do w/tribesmen is fantastic. Keep up the good work. Can't wait till next season.

As far as I'm concerned, 1919 is the end-all-be-all of rootbeers. I grew up down the street from an old-school drive-in A&W, so that always has a place in my heart, and it's the best for rootbeer floats.

I have to chime in on 1919. It had previously been available keg-only and only within a certain distance of New Ulm, but I saw a big section of Cub dairy section cooler with little home kegs.

I didn't buy any, I think it was the vicinity of $20, I figure I can wait until the Fair to indulge in my 1919...

Hey Eric, everyone I talk to says that about the drive-in at Taylor's Falls, but when I went there I wasn't impressed, maybe it was an off day, I should try it again. My son (8) loves root beer, his favorite is 1919, but for myself, I know it sounds silly, I enjoy the root beer at Culver's. It is so creamy and smooth.

I quit watching a lot of Food Network when it went to cable. I miss Gale Gand and Alton Brown, but other than that anyone who has worked with a Chef knows that they are all egocentric and puffed up. The world revolves around them and if anyone disagrees with one, they have no palate. I think the Food Network just gives us hope that we can all be Chefs or at the very least-Food Snobs.

The best root beer I've ever had was in college: we had a "keg" party in my dorm room with, what else? Root beer! It was the first time I've ever had root beer in a keg, and let me just say this: I'm addicted. If ever given a chance again, I'd gladly do a keg stand or two.

Hi Andrew,

I did a google search on you and found this blog. All I want to say is I LOVE YOUR SHOW! Some of the stuff you eat trips me out, but you have a lot of heart to at least try that stuff once. My favorite shows are the ones where you ate something that was disgusting to you: the authentic stinky Tofu, the rotted meat w/eggs from the Middle East, the fried yellow fish roe in the South USA, and of course the dreaded Dorian fruit. Oh man, I was in tears with laughter watching those episodes. lol!

But I WILL have to find that Bake & Shark place in the Carribean though. How you ate at and raved about it, I was sold! :)

Thank you for all you do!