Editing Mug Root Beer (section)

== History ==
Mug Root Beer was originally sold under the name Belfast Root Beer in 1940 by the Belfast Beverage Company in [[San Francisco, California]]. The company had been known for making sparkling water and ginger ale since 1877.<ref name=":0" /> Belfast Beverage Company was purchased around 1925{{When|date=February 2025|reason="around 1925" isn't specific but I can't find anything else online that gives a more specific date}} by New Century Beverage Company, which had successfully launched [[Crush (soft drink)|Crush Soda]] in 1918. 

In 1936, New Century Beverage Company was granted permission to franchise Pepsi-Cola products, and about four years later, it launched Belfast Root Beer. An advertisement for Belfast Root Beer appears as early as 1947.<ref>September 24, 1947, ''Bakersfield Californian'', p. 7 (available at newspaperarchive.com)</ref> According to the [[San Francisco Examiner]], the catchphrase, 'You haven't tasted Root Beer like this in years!' filled 1950s newspaper advertisements.<ref name=":0" /> An advertisement for Belfast Old Fashioned Mug Root Beer appears as early as 1952.<ref>March 4, 1952, ''Mountain Democrat'', p. 5 (available at newspaperarchive.com)</ref> In the 1950s, the soda took on the title Belfast Old Fashioned Mug Root Beer before its name was eventually shortened to Mug Root Beer.<ref name=":0" />

In the late 1960s, Sugar Free Mug (later known as Diet Mug Root Beer) was introduced.<ref name=mug>[http://www.mugrootbeer.com Mug Root Beer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127000114/http://www.mugrootbeer.com/ |date=2013-11-27 }} Retrieved August 22, 2012.</ref> Mug [[cream soda|Cream Soda]] and Diet Mug Cream Soda were later introduced, but they are not as widely available.  Mug was purchased by Pepsi in 1986, and replaced On-Tap Draft Style Root Beer as Pepsi's root beer brand.<ref name=mug/>  Mug Root Beer is currently manufactured by independent bottlers under the authority of New Century Beverage Company.

Since Mug Root Beer's acquisition by [[PepsiCo]] in 1986, the company's logo has displayed a [[bulldog]] named "Dog" holding a glass of what appears to be frothy Mug Root Beer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Guerrero |first=Susana |date=October 2, 2021 |title=The brief story of how one of America's favorite root beer brands started in San Francisco |work=SFGate |url=https://www.sfgate.com/food/history/article/The-brief-history-of-Mug-Root-Beer-and-it-s-San-16499876.php |access-date=March 13, 2022 |quote=At that point, Mug Root Beer became part of the Pepsi family, which later got rid of the root beer vessel completely and opted for a bulldog — quirkily named "Dog" — as its new soda mascot. |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313041139/https://www.sfgate.com/food/history/article/The-brief-history-of-Mug-Root-Beer-and-it-s-San-16499876.php |url-status=live }}</ref> [[PepsiCo]] stopped producing its sodas in San Francisco in the early 1990s, including Mug Root Beer.<ref name=":0" />