Did you know that Barq’s Root Beer is caffeinated?
If you didn’t, the BYU Store wants you to know that it is. The store put up a sign to let its customers know that Barq’s contains caffeine. At the beginning of BYU’s winter semester, it was a handwritten sign. Later, it was professionally printed with the logo of the store. No similar signs were found on vending machines, or in the Creamery, even though all the Barq’s Root Beer in cans and bottles are also caffeinated.
If you thought Barq’s was a non-caffeinated soda, you are also right. In fact, the soda was not originally caffeinated. It became caffeinated after being acquired by Coca Cola, according to Carl Foster, the communications director of Swire Coca-Cola.
“Primarily due to being consistent, Barq’s Root Beer is caffeinated throughout the U.S.,” he said.
Swire Coca-Cola is the arm of Coca Cola in charge of production, sales and distribution for 13 states in the Pacific West, including Arizona, California, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.
When Barq’s made the switch to a caffeinated formula in mid-2018, BYU took issue to it. At the time, BYU’s policy was to sell exclusively caffeine-free soda.
“BYU Dining stopped selling Barq’s in a bottle prior to the change in the caffeine soda policy,” Dean Wright, the director of dining services at BYU, said. Once the policy changed and campus began selling caffeinated sodas, BYU brought the soda back.
According to Wright, BYU struck a deal with Coca-Cola. “Barq’s Root Beer is not caffeinated in any fountain machine, including the Freestyle machines in the Cougareat,” he said. It’s the bottled formula that has caffeine, and the BYU Store wanted to make that clear.
Utah is one of the only markets for Barq’s caffeine-free formula. According to Foster, the caffeine-free formula is not commonly distributed to the other twelve states within Swire’s division.
“Swire Coca-Cola, USA made the choice to continue distributing a non-caffeinated version of Barq’s Root Beer as a fountain drink for its Utah division,” Foster said, adding that the choice came after BYU Dining decided to stop selling Barq’s.
The sign regarding the bottled formula, then, was only news to Utah locals, as they’ve been drinking non-caffeinated Barq’s Root Beer from the start. Wright admitted that the bottles and cans of root beer “are one of our slowest moving products.”
However, just before Valentine’s day, BYU’s director of communications Carri Jenkins informed The Universe that the sign was taken down.
“It was put up for a short time to clarifyfor customers what they were buying,”she said. “There was no other reason than this.”
It is also common for Barq's that is sold in the state of Utah to be caffeine-free because many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints avoid caffeinated beverages.
Barq's is one of the few root beer brands to add caffeine to their product. Even though Barq's includes a pop of stimulant, it's not that much. A 12-ounce can contains 22 milligrams (mg) of caffeine. That's a fairly small amount compared to commercial energy drinks, coffee, or other sodas.
Caffeine was added when the recipe was developed in the 1890s to compete with colas. Barq's Has Bite was it's original catch phrase for a reason. The caffeine was taken out in the 1930's because of government over regulation.
Enjoy Barq's Zero Sugar Root Beer by itself or with your favorite meal. With the same great taste and bite of regular Barq's, our Zero Sugar Root Beer can help you keep the calories down and is caffeine free.
In 1897 Edward Barq moved to Biloxi, Mississippi and soon opened the Biloxi Artesian Bottling Works. Shortly afterwards he started producing "Barq's which later became Barq's Root Beer.
Barq's tasted more authentic, had that "spike", it was very fizzy, and wasn't as sweet. A&W tasted sweeter, a little bland, and didn't taste as authentic as Barq's. Although A&W was favored, out of 13 people surveyed, Barq's had 7/13 of the votes, just edging over A&W.
A good number of healthy adults drink root beer, as it is not a high caffeine beverage compared to diet co*ke or other coca cola caffeinated beverages. In the real sense, many popular brands of root beer are caffeine free. Therefore, Americans who like low caffeine content soda drinks can opt for root beer.
These beverages, and other high sugar drinks, are certainly tasty and refreshing, but can have a harmful effect for waistlines or teeth, especially if enjoyed daily. But there's good news! According to recent studies, root beer is the least harmful soda when it comes to your teeth.
The Bottom Line is most Root Beer is caffeine free. But the Barq root beer is one of the rare root beer brands that has caffeine. Also root beer has a high amount of sugar which is unhealthy. And it can lead to so many different diseases if you consume a high amount of sugar for many years.
“Barq's Root Beer is not caffeinated in any fountain machine, including the Freestyle machines in the Cougareat,” he said. It's the bottled formula that has caffeine, and the BYU Store wanted to make that clear. Utah is one of the only markets for Barq's caffeine-free formula.
The flavor of Barq's differed from other root beers on the market, as it used sarsaparilla instead of sassafras and incorporated more caffeine and less sugar than other brands, giving it a bit of a “bite.” Over the years, the drink grew in popularity and was ultimately acquired by Coca-Cola in 1995.
It wasn't until the creation of root beer in 1876 that soda began to evolve into a drink option. Cola flavored soda entered the market shortly after in 1881. Dr Pepper was created in 1885 and believed to be the first soda as we know it today followed by Coca-Cola one year later.
Most fruit sodas are caffeine-free, except for the orange sodas Sunkist and Diet Sunkist. Popular caffeine-free brands include Fanta, Fresca, Crush, and Slice.
One of the most common questions about root beer is whether it contains caffeine. The answer is: Yes and no. All root beer is naturally caffeine-free, and brands such as A&W, Mug and Dad's do not contain caffeine. But there are exceptions to the rule, most notably Barq's does contain caffeine.
Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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