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Is There Caffeine in A&W Root Beer? 2026 Breakdown

variety of A&W Root Beer

If you’re reaching for a can of soda, it is only natural to wonder how much caffeine you’re drinking. But while most sodas have some caffeine, A&W Root Beer is caffeine free. But do any root beers have caffeine, what other caffeine-free sodas are out there, and how much caffeine is in other soda options? We’ll answer all those questions and more for you here.

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Is There Caffeine in A&W Root Beer?

While caffeine is a popular addition to most sodas, A&W Root Beer is caffeine free. Most root beers are, in fact. However, while most root beers don’t have caffeine, the one notable exception to this is Barq’s Root Beer, which has 23 mg of caffeine per 12-ounce drink.

A&W Rootbeer 12 oz

Other Caffeine Free Sodas

A&W Root Beer is caffeine free, and it’s far from the only soda option that doesn’t have any caffeine. If you’re looking for something with a bit of fizz and sugar but want to skip out on the caffeine, then you’re in luck. We’ve highlighted seven different sodas below that are caffeine free, and those are in addition to A&W Root Beer!

  • Sprite

  • 7-Up

  • Mug Root Beer

  • Sierra Mist

  • Fresca

  • Ginger Ale

  • Fanta

Caffeine Content in Other Sodas

While we’ve already highlighted quite a few caffeine-free sodas, sometimes when you grab a soda, you’re looking for a little caffeine pick-me-up to go with it. If that’s the case, you still want to know exactly how much caffeine is in each soda option. We’ve highlighted six of the most popular soda options below and broken down how much caffeine you can expect from each 12-ounce can.

SodaCaffeine Content (per 12 fl oz)
Coca-Cola34 mg
Pepsi38 mg
Dr. Pepper41 mg
Barq’s Root Beer23 mg
Mr. Pipp40 mg
Mountain Dew55 mg
A&W Root Beer on a glass

What Is A&W Root Beer

With a name like root beer, it’s only natural to wonder what exactly is in an A&W Root Beer. The top three ingredients in A&W Root Beer aren’t all that surprising, with carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, and caramel color making the cut. Essentially the top three ingredients are fizzy water, sugar, and coloring. But what really gives A&W Root Beer its flavor is the last ingredient on the label, “Natural and Artificial Flavors.” But this doesn’t exactly say much, and it leaves us going with A&W's description of what gives A&W Root Beer its signature flavor. A&W claims that it comes from aged vanilla mixed with everything else. It’s been A&W’s claim to fame for over 100 years, and it seems to be working just fine!

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3 Fun Facts About A&W Root Beer

While A&W Root Beer is a delicious caffeine-free drink, the truth is that it’s so much more than that. We’ve highlighted three of our favorite facts about the iconic American brand for you here.

1.   A&W Gives Out Free Root Beer Floats on August 6th at Participating Locations

August 6th is National Root Beer Float Day, and nobody celebrates it quite like A&W. At many of their restaurants they give out free A&W Root Beer floats. During these events, they encourage donations to veterans groups, but the donations are optional.

2.   A&W Gets Its Name From Partners Roy Allen and Frank Wright

A&W might just seem like an acronym now, but they come from A&W founders Roy Allen and Frank Wright. Over 100 years later, the initials still make it on every can of A&W Root Beer!

3.   A&W Root Beer Is Older Than Sliced Bread

A&W first hit the shelves in 1919. It took sliced bread almost a decade longer to first hit supermarket shelves in 1928. So yeah, A&W Root Beer is older than sliced bread!

Table of Contents [Hide][Show]
  1. Is There Caffeine in A&W Root Beer?
  2. Other Caffeine Free Sodas
  3. Caffeine Content in Other Sodas
  4. What Is A&W Root Beer
  5. 3 Fun Facts About A&W Root Beer
  6. 1. A&W Gives Out Free Root Beer Floats on August 6th at Participating Locations
  7. 2. A&W Gets Its Name From Partners Roy Allen and Frank Wright
  8. 3. A&W Root Beer Is Older Than Sliced Bread
Kate MacDonnell

Kate MacDonnell

Kate has spent years writing about, drinking, and traveling for coffee, and her favorite part of the job is comparing how beans taste in different places around the world.

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