A cream soda brand is nowhere to be found on the list of the top-selling sodas in the United States. While cream soda is overshadowed by the colas, Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper, and Sprite, it certainly has not gone out of style. The number of companies that still produce cream soda should be an indicator of its demand by soft drink lovers.
We have compiled our big list of cream soda brands to help readers learn about the brands they love or to find something new. Be sure to vote for your favorite brand of cream soda at the end of this article!
A&W
Most people think of root beer when A&W is mentioned. That is because it is the most popular root beer out there. It was also invented long before the cream soda came out. The founders Allen and Wright (A&W) developed the brand name for their root beer in 1922. It wasn’t until 1986 that the cream soda and diet cream soda were released. Today, A&W is a brand under Keurig Dr Pepper that still makes regular and diet cream soda.
A-Treat
A-Treat has been around since 1918. The company is currently owned by Jaindl Companies with a bottling agreement with The Coca-Cola Bottling Company. A-Treat makes a Cream Soda, Diet Cream Soda, and Orange Cream Soda.
Barq’s
Barq’s was first bottled in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1871. In 1995, Barq’s was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company. The company currently produces Creme Soda and Red Creme Soda. Unlike the unique caffeinated regular root beer, both of Barq’s creme sodas are caffeine-free.
Big Red
Big Red is a popular soda in the southern United States and is primarily distributed by Keurig Dr Pepper who has its roots in that region. It is considered a red cream soda with a vanilla flavor, but it also has lemon and orange oils that contribute to its taste. You’ll hear a lot of different answers if you ask people what Big Red tastes like. Some of the answer given to Kiss FM out if Texas include: Fanta Strawberry, Robitussin, Double Bubble, and more.
Blue Sky
Blue Sky was founded in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1971. The company became a brand of The Coca-Cola Company in 2015 in a partnership between Coca-Cola and Monster Beverage. All beverages, including the cream soda, are sweetened with cane sugar.
Boylan Bottling
Boylan Bottling dates back to 1897 when William Boylan, a pharmacist, produced a serum using birch trees. A few years later, in 1900, Boylan began bottling birch beer.
The company still makes birch beer today, but has added a variety of other products including creme soda. The creme soda has a touch of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee. It is sweetened with cane sugar for a superior taste.
Dad’s
Dad’s might be known for their root beer, but they also do make a nice selection of cream soda flavors. These flavors include original, red cream, blue cream, and orange cream sodas. They can be purchased in cans, bottles, and 1 liter bottles. The Dad’s brand was launched in 1937 near Chicago and quickly became a success in the region.
Dr. Brown’s
As the can says, the company has been around since 1869. It began in New York and gradually gained its popularity in delis and among the Jewish community. It remains a favorite soda in New York City and southern Florida. Today, bottling is completed by PepsiCo with brand ownership by Honickman Beverage. The cream soda can be purchased in both regular and diet varieties.
Faygo
Faygo is a Detroit-based soda (called pop where it is produced) manufacturer owned by National Beverage Company. They make a diet and regular vanilla creme soda. The regular creme soda is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup and sucralose, but they do make a premium vanilla creme soda with cane sugar.
Fitz’s
Fitz’s root beer came out in 1947and was sold at the company’s hamburger stand in St. Louis. Production of Fitz’s beverages terminated in 1976 but was rebooted in 1991 with the original root beer recipe. Fitz’s still has restaurant locations in St. Louis. They make a Cream Soda, Diet Cream Soda, Cardinal Cream, and Orange Cream.
Frostie/Towne Club
Frostie is a brand of Intrastate Distributors which is located in Detroit. They make a Blue Cream Soda as pictured above. The company also owns Towne Club which produces a Honolulu Blue Cream soda, a Vanilla Cream Soda, and a Diet Cream Soda.
Henry Weinhard’s
In addition to beer, Henry Weinhard’s also produces gourmet sodas. The flavors are Vanilla Cream, Orange Cream, Black Cherry Cream, and Root Beer. The company is owned by MillerCoors.
IBC
This is a premium root beer and cream soda brand that is associated with Keurig Dr Pepper. Its sweetness comes from cane sugar, which changed from high fructose corn syrup in 2016. IBC stands for Independent Breweries Company, which started in 1919 but eventually went under. However, the IBC trademark lived on.
Jones Soda
Jones Soda is known for their bottles that feature user submitted photos. You can even create custom labeled soda bottles on their website. However, the photos aren’t a gimmick to disguise a low-quality cream soda. Jones uses pure cane sugar to sweeten their cream soda for a premium quality taste.
Mug
Mug is owned by New Century Beverage Company as a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Mug first made root beer in the 1940s but diversified into cream soda in the 1960s. It is caffeine-free and contains high fructose corn syrup for the sweetener.
Shasta
Shasta began as a mineral springs company back in the late 1880s. The company’s name comes from Mount Shasta where they were started in California. The company began selling alcohol mixers in the early 1930s, including ginger ale – the company’s first soda product. It wasn’t until the 1950s that soda production was truly launched.
Shasta makes a regular creme soda and a diet creme soda. The regular creme soda is available as a 2 liter or in 12 ounce cans. The diet creme soda is available only in 12 ounce cans. This budget-friendly soda is a brand of National Beverage Company.
Sioux City
Sioux City is a brand of White Rock Beverages which was established in 1871. The Sioux City Cream Soda is made with cane sugar with just the right amount of vanilla for a top-notch cream soda flavor. Put this one on your short list to try if you haven’t done so already.
Sprecher
Sprecher was started by Randy Sprecher in 1985. He built the first craft brewery in Milwaukee since the Prohibition era. The company’s first beverages were German lagers. Today, the company produces a wide-variety of drinks such as beer, hard ciders, hard sodas, and non-alcoholic sodas. They make a fire-brewed cream soda with Wisconsin honey that is caramelized.
Stewart’s
Stewart’s was originally drive-in restaurants that began in 1924 by Frank Stewart. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the famous Stewart’s sodas began to be bottled. The cream soda officially started to be bottled in 1992. Stewart’s is manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper, today.
The cream soda and related flavors made by the company include Cream Soda, Orange ‘n Cream, Diet Orange ‘n Cream, and Cherries ‘n Cream. They are sweetened with cane sugar for superior taste.
Virgil’s
Virgil’s is often regarded as one of the best cream sodas out there. Their vanilla cream is made with high-quality ingredients that includes sparkling filtered water, cane sugar, natural caramel color, and natural flavors. In addition to regular vanilla cream soda, the company also produces a zero sugar vanilla cream soda. While not cheap, this is a premium cream soda that it worth the extra cost in many cases.
Vess
Vess is probably not well-known to many considering it is a regional soda. You can find it primarily in the St Louis area and Canada. Despite its limited distribution, the company has been in around since 1916.
Zevia
Zevia offers healthier sodas that are sweetened with stevia leaf extract. Every ingredient comes from plant-based sources. All Zevia sodas, including cream soda, contain zero sugar and no calories. The cream soda contains the following simple ingredients that won’t leave you scratching your head wondering what you are drinking: Carbonated Water, Natural Flavors, Stevia Leaf Extract, Citric Acid.
Poll: Favorite Cream Soda Brand
Do you have a favorite cream soda brand? Vote for it below in our poll!
