Our list of the best tasting soda that you can buy that does not contain any caffeine. Get your carbonated fix! We have a list of the best ones I have found, some easy to find, some more of a search. And what is the cheapest options.
Many people reach for a soda (or pop as we call it in Michigan!) because they want the caffeine. Maybe because they need to stay alert or that coffee isn't available. Or its 100 degrees out and they don't like iced coffee!
If you are someone that is interested in drinking soda just for the fun and flavor but want to reduce their intake of caffeine.
Let's make those drinks count. In this post I will share with you my favorite sodas that are non caffeinated. The "craft soda" business has been increasing in recent years. Now you can find many different places carrying glass bottled drinks that taste better than the standard offerings from Coke and Pepsi. For this post we are going to be focusing on these soft drinks.
This list is meant to be the best, not necessarily the cheapest, but we will give you some low budget options as well at the end.
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Best Caffeine-Free Sodas
I have travel across the United States in my camper over the last 3 years, So I have a good idea of what you can find from coast to coast. Here is my list of the best caffeine free sodas you can buy. After this list, I will go into more detail about each one and some additional soda from those brands.
I will give you info on where to look for each drink. If you are ever in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, Jungle Jim's International Market has the largest selection of sodas I have ever seen. They have nearly everything on my list.
You can find a lot of these brands on Amazon as well, but the prices are usually not very good, so unless you just have to try one and can't find a source near you, I wouldn't recommend them.
Note that none are made with artificial sweeteners. A lot of them use pure cane sugar, but some use high fructose corn syrup. This list is in no particular order.
- Sprecher Cream Soda
- Americana Honey Lime Ginger Ale
- Gale's Root Beer
- Saranac Shirley Temple
- Boylan’s Red Birch Beer
- Cherry Republic Cherry Flavored Pop
- Jackson Hole Soda Co Sarsparilla
- Fitz's Strawberry
- Frostop Root Beer
- Abita King Cake Soda
- Hot Lips Ginger Ale
- Towne Club Honolulu Blue Cream Soda
- Faygo Rock'n Rye
- Jarriots Lime
Sprecher
Right off the bat I have to mention Sprecher. They are a brewery out of Wisconsin that makes so of the most amazing soft drinks you'll taste buds will ever encounter. They call their drinks fire brewed and they use raw Wisconsin honey, although not the exclusive sweetener.
My favorite and the one I most often buy is their Cream Soda. But I haven't had one that I didn't like.
Their Puma Kola is a caffeine free cola that I actually think tastes better than either of the big two. If you prefer cherry in your cola you can get that too. It actually containers fruit juice from Door County Wisconsin cherries.
My wife's favorite soda flavor is apple and the Sprecher Red Apple is at the top of her list.
Sprecher is also one of the best brands of root beers you are going to find. They even have a maple root beer. A few other flavors to try include:
- Orange Dream
- Grape Soda
- Strawberry Soda
🛒 Where to Buy - Kroger stores carry some flavors like Root Beer, Cream Soda, and Orange Dream. I have also seen at Macey's stores in Utah, and the Root Beer at Walmart. Woodman's stores in Wisconsin & Illinois have the best selection.
Americana
Americana is a brand of classic American bottle sodas. I first discovered them at my local Cost Plus World Market. All of their options are caffeine free. The best of the bunch is their Honey Lime Ginger Ale. The honey, lime, and ginger flavors all perfect compliment one another. It's an amazing drink.
The Huckleberry is another favorite. You don't see a lot of Huckleberry sodas and two of them I am going to mention today!
🛒 Where to Buy - I don't see them at Cost Plus anymore, but I have seen some flavors at Cracker Barrel. I have heard you may be able to get them at Albertsons/Safeway stores. Check Rouses Market in Louisiana or Mississippi.
Gale's Root Beer
One of the most unique root beers out there. It's only root beer I know containing cinnamon and ginger, both I think really work to give this caffeine free option a complex, tasty flavor.
🛒 Where to Buy - I have mostly found this one at small independent grocery stores. I did see them listed on HEB's websites so you should check there if you got one.
Saranac
Saranac Shirley Temple is SOOO good!!! You might not except to see a kiddie cocktail on this list, but this was definitely deserves to be. It has a strong cherry/lemon-lime flavor. I still can't believe how much I liked it. I found it just across the border in Ohio, I need to get back to get some more!
🛒 Where to Buy - Walt Churchills Market in Maumee, Ohio (near Toledo) is where I first spotted it. If you are in New York look for them at Tops Friendly Market or Wegmans.
Boylan’s
Boylan's is one of the most common brand of "craft sodas" you can find. My favorite has to be their Creamy Red Birch Beer. It offers a more wintergreen type taste than root beer. Creamy is definitely the way to describe it.
I had a local grocery store that unfortunately decided to stop carrying it. However I was able to get a ton of them on clearance. That was a fun time.
Boylan's makes a Shirley Temple which is great but a step below the one from Saranac I just mentioned. The orange is a favorite of my wife, so don't miss out on that one.
🛒 Where to Buy - Boylan's has a larger nationwide distribution thanks to Kroger stores (Kroger, Ralphs, Smith's, etc), where you can find a lot of their flavors. Look at Walmart and Whole Foods Market as well.
Cherry Republic
From the Traverse City area of Michigan, this brand is actually produced by Northwoods Soda for the Cherry Republic stores.
Cherry cola is a popular combo, but you don't see adding cherry to root beer. After drinking this, I think cherry has a new best friend in root beer. The cherry used here is real Michigan cherries!
I highly recommend each and every one of their flavors:
- Black Cherry Cream Soda
- Cherry Soda
- Cherry Peach Soda Pop
- True Cherry Cola
- Cherry Root Bear
- Cherry Ginger Ale
🛒 Where to Buy - Exclusively at Cherry Republic stores or online. If you are going to order anything online it would be this one.
Read more about Michigan Made Soda pop
Jackson Hole Soda Co
Sarsparilla is the cousin of root beer, and while there isn't a clear definition of the difference (read what I wrote in my review of Kutztown soda), this is my fav sarsparilla out there. Their Huckleberry soda is another one that I have much love for.
🛒 Where to Buy - This brand ends up in a lot of tourist spots, especially out west. I have seen at Rouses Market down south.
Fitz's
For a long time I had trouble locating a good strawberry soda pop. It took a trip to St. Louis, Missouri for me to find the best strawberry pop out there, created by Fitz's. I visited their restaurant where you can drink fresh out of the tap soft drinks and watch the bottling process go on as you eat. How cool!
🛒 Where to Buy - In the Missouri area look in Schnucks and Hy-Vee stores. I have seen them at a few other random places across the country, but not consistently.
Frostop
For many years I have been enjoying Frostop Root Beer from time to time. I knew that they had drive-in locations, although not many were left. When I was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with my son, we found a Frostop restaurant.
They had the root beer on tap that was used to make root beer floats. So we each got one and both of us are in agreement - BEST ROOT BEER FLOAT EVER!!!! I just couldn't believe how good it was.
You can buy the root beer in 24 oz bottles. My mom loves their Vanilla Caramel Cream Soda. It's like drinking crème brulee!
🛒 Where to Buy - Many ACE Hardware stores carry their root beer and other flavors. I got them in Rouses Market in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Towne Club
Towne Club is a Michigan brand that almost faded away, but came back with glass bottles sodas in several flavors. As a Detroit Lions fan, I have to show my love for their Honolulu Blue Cream Soda. It's the color of the football team.
Often I will find sales on them for a dollar a bottle.
🛒 Where to Buy - Lots of stores in Michigan have them, like Meijer and Busch's.
Faygo
When it comes to cheap soda, no one does it better than Faygo. They have a cult following in Michigan. And people get excited when they travel elsewhere and can still find them.
The flavor I have to highlight here is Rock & Rye. What is that? I would best describe it as a cream soda with cherry undertones. It was named after a drink that become illegal during Prohibition. I also like their grape soda.
🛒 Where to Buy - In Michigan, pretty much any store that carries soft drinks will have it. Outside of Michigan, I have seen it in a few random places. Their website has a store locator, that you can check out to see if it's in your area. I found a flavor of it once at a small grocery store in Fort Stockton, TX. So it pops up from time to time at different places.
Best Cheap Soda
If you are looking on the cheap end but don't want to just buy the store brand then I suggest Jarriots. Depending on where you shop you can often find it for less than a $1 a bottle, especially at Mexican grocery stores. I have seen them at Kroger stores for less than a $1 like you see in the photo above in the 4 packs that are on sale.
Lime is my go-to flavor.
Cracker Barrel
Before I wrap this up, I have to talk about Cracker Barrel, if you have ever been in one of their restaurants you can find a section of glass bottle sodas, usually near the restrooms. Offerings may vary but here are some of the best ones I have seen there:
- Stewart's Root Beer
- Nehi Peach
- Nehi Orange
- NuGrape
- Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer
- Hank's Orange
What are your favorite caffeine free sodas? Leave a comment below and share it with us.
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