Editing Root beer (section)

{{Short description|North American carbonated beverage}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Distinguish|Beer}}
{{Infobox beverage
| name = Root beer
| image = Root beer in glass mug.jpg
| image_size        = 300
| caption = Freshly poured root beer in a glass mug
| type = [[Soft drink]]
| ingredients = 
| variants = 
| related = 
| region = [[North America]]
| color = [[Caramel color|Caramel]] (dark)
| year = {{circa|18th century}}
}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2018}}

'''Root beer''' is a sweet North American [[soft drink]] traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree ''[[Sassafras albidum]]'' or the vine of ''[[Smilax ornata]]'' (known as sarsaparilla; also used to make a soft drink called [[Sarsaparilla (soft drink)|sarsaparilla]]) as the primary flavor. Root beer is typically, but not exclusively, [[non-alcoholic]], [[Decaffeination|caffeine-free]], sweet, and [[carbonation|carbonated]]. Like [[cola]], it usually has a thick and foamy [[Beer head|head]]. A common use is to add [[vanilla ice cream]] to make a [[root beer float]].

Since [[safrole]], a key component of sassafras, was banned by the [[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] in 1960 due to its [[carcinogen]]icity, most commercial root beers have been flavored using [[artificial flavor|artificial]] sassafras flavoring,<ref name="dietz" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.drugs.com/npp/sassafras.html |title=Sassafras Uses, Benefits & Dosage - Herbal Database |work=Drugs.com |access-date=2016-08-27 |archive-date=2021-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319172022/https://www.drugs.com/npp/sassafras.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but a few (e.g. Hansen's)<!--E.g. Hansen's (http://www.hansens.com/images/nutrition/NutritionLabels_Creamy%20Root%20Beer.jpg)--> use a safrole-free sassafras extract.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/53525/your-sassafras-has-been-neutered |title=Your Sassafras Has Been Neutered |website=chowhound.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328182715/https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/53525/your-sassafras-has-been-neutered |archive-date=28 March 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Major root beer producers include [[Mug Root Beer|PepsiCo]], [[Barq's|Coca-Cola Company]], [[Dad's Root Beer|Dad's]], [[Hires Root Beer|Keurig Dr. Pepper]], [[Sprecher Brewery|Sprecher]], and [[A&W Root Beer|A&W]].