Root beer brands in the United States:Which are most popular?

Name: Root beer brands in the United States: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Barq's was the most searched root beer brand in the United States, accounting for 28.3% of all searches among the ten brands we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Sprecher was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Barq's was recommended most often, though no response put it first.

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Top root beer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Sprecher was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Barq's was recommended most often, though no answer put it first. A&W Root Beer was second, and Mug Root Beer was third.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Sprecher	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Barq's	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
A&W Root Beer	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Mug Root Beer	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
IBC Root Beer	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Stewart's	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Virgil's	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Dad's Root Beer	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
OLIPOP	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Zevia	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5

Sprecher4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Barq's3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
A&W Root Beer3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Mug Root Beer3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
IBC Root Beer3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Stewart's2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Virgil's2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Dad's Root Beer1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
OLIPOP1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Zevia1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about root beer brands

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Which root beer should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best root beer brands?”
1. 1A&W Root Beer
2. 2Barq's
3. 3Mug Root Beer
4. 4Virgil's
5. 5Sprecher
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best craft root beer?”
1. 1Sprecher
Searched Google, AI Overview
“root beer brands”
1. 1A&W Root Beer
2. 2Barq's
3. 3Mug Root Beer
4. 4Dad's Root Beer
5. 5Stewart's
6. 6IBC Root Beer
7. 7Sprecher
8. 8Virgil's
9. 9OLIPOP
10. 10Zevia
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best root beer”
1. 1Stewart's
2. 2Barq's
3. 3IBC Root Beer

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 25, 2026.

Which root beer brands do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each root beer brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten root beer brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, by month

Month	Barq's	A&W Root Beer	Mug Root Beer	Sprecher	IBC Root Beer	Dad's Root Beer	Stewart's	Virgil's	OLIPOP	Zevia
Oct 2025	26.7%	26.7%	14.6%	8%	8%	5.3%	5.3%	2.9%	1.9%	0.66%
Nov 2025	26.9%	26.9%	14.8%	8%	8%	5.4%	4.4%	2.9%	1.9%	0.66%
Dec 2025	25.7%	25.7%	14.1%	11.5%	7.7%	5.1%	4.2%	3.4%	1.8%	0.64%
Jan 2026	24.9%	30.4%	13.6%	9.1%	7.4%	5%	3.3%	3.3%	2.2%	0.8%
Feb 2026	23.1%	34.5%	12.7%	6.9%	6.9%	6.9%	3.8%	2.5%	2.1%	0.74%
Mar 2026	20.4%	45.3%	9.1%	7.5%	6.1%	4.1%	3.3%	2.2%	1.5%	0.54%
Apr 2026	25.1%	30.6%	13.7%	9.2%	7.5%	5%	4.1%	2.7%	1.5%	0.66%
May 2026	23.7%	28.9%	13%	10.6%	7.1%	7.1%	4.7%	2.6%	1.7%	0.62%
Jun 2026	22.4%	27.4%	12.3%	10.1%	6.7%	12.3%	4.5%	2.4%	1.3%	0.59%
Jul 2026	25.4%	25.4%	13.9%	11.4%	7.6%	6.2%	5.1%	2.8%	1.5%	0.67%
Aug 2026	25.7%	25.7%	14.1%	11.5%	7.7%	5.1%	5.1%	2.8%	1.5%	0.68%
Sep 2026	28.3%	23.2%	15.5%	10.4%	8.5%	4.6%	4.6%	2.5%	1.7%	0.74%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, moved from 2nd to 1st	Barq's	28.3%	49.5K	0%	+2.6 pointsmoved from 2nd to 1st
2, moved from 1st to 2nd	A&W Root Beer Keurig Dr Pepper	23.2%	40.5K	-18.2%	-2.5 pointsmoved from 1st to 2nd
3, held 3rd	Mug Root Beer PepsiCo	15.5%	27.1K	0%	+1.4 points
4, held 4th	Sprecher	10.4%	18.1K	-18.5%	-1.2 points
5, held 5th	IBC Root Beer Keurig Dr Pepper	8.5%	14.8K	0%	+0.8 points
6, held 6th	Dad's Root Beer	4.6%	8.1K	-18.2%	-0.5 points
7, held 7th	Stewart's Keurig Dr Pepper	4.6%	8.1K	-18.2%	-0.5 points
8, held 8th	Virgil's	2.5%	4.4K	-18.5%	-0.3 points
9, held 9th	OLIPOP	1.7%	2.9K	0%	+0.2 points
10, held 10th	Zevia	0.74%	1.3K	0%	+0.1 points

1.Barq's
28.3%
Moved from 2nd to 1st. 49.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +2.6 points.
2.A&W Root Beer
23.2%
Moved from 1st to 2nd. 40.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.
3.Mug Root Beer
15.5%
Held 3rd. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.4 points.
4.Sprecher
10.4%
Held 4th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.
5.IBC Root Beer
8.5%
Held 5th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.
6.Dad's Root Beer
4.6%
Held 6th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.
7.Stewart's
4.6%
Held 7th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.
8.Virgil's
2.5%
Held 8th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
9.OLIPOP
1.7%
Held 9th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
10.Zevia
0.74%
Held 10th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among root beer brands in the United States?

10 brands

In September 2026, Barq's was the most searched among root beer brands in the United States, with an estimated 49.5K branded searches, 28.3% of all searches for the ten we track. A&W Root Beer is in 2nd place, 5.1 percentage points behind at 23.2%.

United States root beer brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Barq's	26.7% → 28.3%	28.3%Sep 2026	20.4%Mar 2026	2nd → 1st
A&W Root Beer	26.7% → 23.2%	45.3%Mar 2026	23.2%Sep 2026	1st → 2nd
Mug Root Beer	14.6% → 15.5%	15.5%Sep 2026	9.1%Mar 2026	3rd
Sprecher	8% → 10.4%	11.5%Aug 2026	6.9%Feb 2026	5th → 4th
IBC Root Beer	8% → 8.5%	8.5%Sep 2026	6.1%Mar 2026	4th → 5th
Dad's Root Beer	5.3% → 4.6%	12.3%Jun 2026	4.1%Mar 2026	6th
Stewart's	5.3% → 4.6%	5.3%Oct 2025	3.3%Jan 2026	7th
Virgil's	2.9% → 2.5%	3.4%Dec 2025	2.2%Mar 2026	8th
OLIPOP	1.9% → 1.7%	2.2%Jan 2026	1.3%Jun 2026	9th
Zevia	0.66% → 0.74%	0.8%Jan 2026	0.54%Mar 2026	10th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Barq's’ share of searches among root beer brands in the United States increased from 26.7% to 28.3%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, A&W Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States decreased from 26.7% to 23.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mug Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States increased from 14.6% to 15.5%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sprecher’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States increased from 8% to 10.4%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, IBC Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States increased from 8% to 8.5%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dad's Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States decreased from 5.3% to 4.6%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Stewart's’ share of searches among root beer brands in the United States decreased from 5.3% to 4.6%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Barq's’ share of searches among root beer brands in the United States peaked at 28.3% in September 2026 and was lowest at 20.4% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, A&W Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States peaked at 45.3% in March 2026 and was lowest at 23.2% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mug Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States peaked at 15.5% in September 2026 and was lowest at 9.1% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sprecher’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States peaked at 11.5% in August 2026 and was lowest at 6.9% in February 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, IBC Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States peaked at 8.5% in September 2026 and was lowest at 6.1% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dad's Root Beer’s share of searches among root beer brands in the United States peaked at 12.3% in June 2026 and was lowest at 4.1% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Stewart's’ share of searches among root beer brands in the United States peaked at 5.3% in October 2025 and was lowest at 3.3% in January 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgil's’ share of searches among root beer brands in the United States peaked at 3.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 2.2% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Barq's rose from 2nd to 1st among root beer brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, A&W Root Beer fell from 1st to 2nd among root beer brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sprecher rose from 5th to 4th among root beer brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, IBC Root Beer fell from 4th to 5th among root beer brands in the United States.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgil's, OLIPOP and Zevia held steady: their share of searches among root beer brands in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for United States root beer brands in September 2026?

8 changes

In September 2026, Barq's overtook A&W Root Beer to become the leader among root beer brands in the United States, with 28.3% of the searches.
In September 2026, Mug Root Beer gained share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 14.1% to 15.5%.
In September 2026, IBC Root Beer gained share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 7.7% to 8.5%.
In September 2026, A&W Root Beer lost share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 25.7% to 23.2%.
In September 2026, Sprecher lost share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 11.5% to 10.4%.
In September 2026, Dad's Root Beer lost share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 5.1% to 4.6%.
In September 2026, Stewart's lost share of searches among root beer brands in the United States, from 5.1% to 4.6%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Zevia in the United States rose 30% over 12 measured months, from 1K to 1.3K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for root beer brands?

10 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among root beer brands comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.