>>21675782 (OP)
>dislikes Barqs
Barqs has caffeine, so it has that dry aftertaste. Well, back in my day, the glass bottle I.B.C. was decent. Today, I'd say it's just overly sweet. I do like the Culver's brand, as well as "Stubborn" brand at Jersey's Mikes. Sprecher and Bundaberg brands both sold at Total Wine. There are some breweries that do a good on tap root beer, such as Berghoff in Chicago.
Storebrands: wal-mart, winn-dixie and publix do a great root beer. The diet at publix is also nice. They sell Virgils at some of them, or Whole Foods. I actually like birch beer, which is great from Foxon's in the northeast.