Birch beer and root beer both evoke the same 19th-century vibe when soft drinks as we know them were in their infancy and people still relied largely on age-old recipes and natural ingredients (certainly no GMOs). Because they share that old time vibe a lot of people today assume they're the same thing and that the names probably reflect old regional preferences. But are they the same? In this post, the team that brings you Rocky Mountain Soda pop will answer that question.
History of Birch Beer and Root Beer
As we mentioned in the opening, both of these beverages can trace their origins back centuries. Let's see if that means they had a common origin or if they were developed separately.
Root Beer
Root beer gets its name from early American settlers who used indigenous roots and herbs to brew their own beverages. In time the sassafras root became the root of choice and lent the drink its distinctive spicy flavor. Sassafras and root beer slowly parted ways in the 19th century, however, after Charles Hines introduced his brand of root beer made with artificial flavorings. Hines Root Beer became one of the first wildly popular commercially available soft drinks and is still with us today. Sassafras ultimately fell out of favor, and in the 20th century its main ingredient, safrole, was banned by the FDA. However, it's still possible to find sassafras soda pop today with the safrole removed.
Birch Beer
Like root beer, birch beer can trace its origins to colonial America. But while root beer was derived from the sassafras root, birch beer was derived from the bark of the birch tree (specifically the black birch). So you can see right off the bat that the two drinks are not the same, despite emerging in roughly the same places at roughly the same time. At first birch beer was fermented and had a mild alcoholic kick to it. But in time the alcohol was removed, creating the soft drink so many came to know and love. You can still buy birch beer natural soda today from craft beverage makers like Rocky Mountain Soda who also sell a world-class root beer.
Birch Beer Vs Root Beer: A Closer Look
Let's go through the various characteristics of root beer and birch beer to see where they're similar and where they vary from one another.
Appearance
Root beer has a dark brown color that can be attributed to key ingredients including molasses and caramel coloring. Beverage producers with a global footprint will sometimes add artificial darkening agents to achieve the classic color profile. All-in-all the appearance of root beer is meant to evoke an old-fashioned vibe that complements the robust taste.
Birch beer by comparison is lighter with a color profile ranging from pale amber to reddish brown. With the exact color depending on the maker, their process, and the ingredients they use. You can even get white birch beer these days that is essentially clear.
Texture and Other Characteristics
Root beer and birch beer are both carbonated soft drinks. Root beer tends to have a rich, and if it's done right, creamy texture to it with a very frothy head that may or may not be created using artificial foaming agents. This creamy, frothy texture makes it an ideal choice for ice cream floats.
Birch beer, as we said, is also carbonated but tends to have a brighter, crisper quality that makes it a better choice for quenching your thirst. The head on birch beer is usually less pronounced than that on root beer and tends to dissipate pretty quickly.
Ingredients & Flavor: Root Beer
The ingredient list for contemporary versions of root beer has a throw-back aura about it. Even the largest commercial root beer producers will include the following ingredients alongside their various artificial colorings and flavorings:
- Sarsaparilla root
- Licorice root
- Nutmeg
- vanilla
- Clove
- Cinnamon
- Molasses
As you can imagine any beverage that includes nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon is going to have a spicy taste to it, while ingredients like licorice root, vanilla, and molasses add deeper, complementary background notes that mitigate the spiciness to a certain extent.
Ingredients & Flavor: Birch Beer
Compared to root beer the ingredient list for birch beer has always been extremely simple. And while modern, mass-produced birch beer features artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives the essential ingredient list is still minimalistic.
- Birch bark syrup
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
- Malt
Some pop makers will add their own proprietary herbs and spices to set their birch beer apart from the competition but that doesn't change the fact that the main ingredient has been and still is birch bark syrup. As a result, the primary taste experience is the taste experience of the birch bark, meaning it tends to be smooth, a bit sweet and with minty traces. Those with discerning tastebuds will pick up on the vanilla, cinnamon and malt in the background, but these ingredients do not impose themselves over the birch bark flavor.
Popularity
Root beer has managed to carve itself out a durable niche in the global soft drink market. A big part of that can be attributed to the efforts of Charles Hines who worked so successfully to market his brand of root beer to the masses in the 19th century. By the time the early 20th century rolled around the two most popular commercial fountain drinks were Coca-Cola and Hires Root Beer. Although root beer has given back some of its market share over the years to a blizzard of other, newer soft drinks, it remains popular, with estimated worldwide sales of almost $1 billion in 2025 alone.
"During the Prohibition era (1920-1933), root beer became a popular non-alcoholic alternative to beer...prohibition begat root beer stands and barrel-shaped drive-ins, which became iconic symbols of the era."
–History Oasis, "The Unknown History of Root Beer"
Birch beer on the other hand has never enjoyed global, or even nationwide success. It was and remains largely a regional taste, enjoying something akin to cult status in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Rocky Mountain Soda, however, aims to change that with their gluten-free, vegan, and kosher version of birch beer that has been finding an ever-growing fanbase throughout the western states.
In Summary
Birch beer and root beer share some very real historical traits, ingredients, and characteristics, but they are not the same thing. Root beer offers a robust, earthy flavor profile and a creamy texture and head that make it an ideal choice for creating ice cream floats and the like. While birch beer's flavor profile is much more muted, crisp, and refreshing, making it a good choice if you are looking to quench a serious thirst.
Each soda has a loyal fan base but the market footprint of birch beer cannot hope to compete with that of root beer, which has enjoyed prolonged global popularity. Birch beer by comparison is more a regional favorite found mostly in the Northeast US, as well as through the website of visionary craft beverage mavericks Rocky Mountain Soda, who also sell the very popular vegan and gluten-free Rocky Mountain Root Beer soda pop.
Browse Our Organic Soda Flavors
Rocky Mountain Soda Co. is proud to offer a variety of natural soda flavors – each made with organic, vegan-friendly cane sugar. Visit the online soda shop below to browse our selection!Shop Organic Sodas
In our quest to provide the highest-quality craft beverages to our customers, we look both forward and backward for inspiration. Our Rocky Mountain Boulder Birch Beer and Rocky Mountain Root Beer are great examples of the passion and commitment we bring to this work. Try some today, or pick up a variety pack of our natural sodas.
