HIRES ROOT BEER ~ vs ~ VERNOR'S GINGER ALE

[SODABOB]

Please Note ...

It is not my intent to post a never-ending array of Hires Root Beer pictures, documents, and histories. I only intend to post just enough of that type of material to establish ...

1. That Hires Root Beer originated in 1876.

2. That Hires Root Beer might be the oldest continuously produced soda pop in the United States.

3. That Hires Root Beer might have been carbonated and bottled before Vernor's Ginger Ale.

Footnote:

The use of the term "soda pop" applies to Hires extract as well as Vernor's extract regardless of the fact that the term "soda pop" generally refers to carbonated and bottled soda pop. With the main emphasis being able to find the earliest time-period use of the words ...

1. Hires Root Beer (Currently at 1878)

and ...

2. Vernor's Ginger Ale (Currently at 1884)

 

[SODABOB]

Speaking of carbonated/bottled Hires Root Beer ...

Most of the historical accounts claim it was first bottled in 1893 or 1894. Which might be correct, but the earliest time-period references I can find so far are from 1895 ...

Note: I'm not 100% certain, but I believe these references would be for "blob-top" bottles and not "crown-top" bottles. As near as I can determine, the first "crown-top" bottle was used in 1897.

Altoona, Pennsylvania ~ June 17, 1895



Dixon, Illinois ~ July 3, 1895



Wilkes-Barr, Pennsylvania ~ July 17, 1895

 

[Eric]

Just saw this thread Has anyone contacted the Vernor's company about their claim of being around since 1866...
What about Schweppes being bottle since 1783?

 

[SODABOB]

Eric

Thanks for stopping by.

For Schweppes you typed 1983. But I know you meant 1783. If you edit it I will edit mine.

Anyway, you'll have to ask someone else about what the current manufacture of Vernor's Ginger Ale has to say. As far as I know, its currently being produced by the Plano, Texas Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, and believe they claim it was developed and first served in 1866.

As for Schweppes, I don't know their entire story, but there could have been gaps when it was not produced, thus eliminating it from the "Continuously Produced" category. I'm really not sure. Perhaps you can investigate it and see what you can find.

 

[SODABOB]

Reminder ...

Neither Hires Root Beer nor Vernor's Ginger Ale is claiming to be the "oldest" and/or "first" soda pop ever produced in the United States. That distinction goes to ... ? As I mentioned a minute ago, the claims being discussed here are only for the oldest "continuously produced" soda pop. There were hundreds of brands that came and went over the years, but only a handful of them were continuously produced from their conception to the present.

 

[SODABOB]

Back to carbonated bottles ...

The earliest time-period references I'm aware of for Vernor's Ginger Ale being carbonated and bottled are from ...

This 1897 Vernor's Ginger Ale receipt - but only because it depicts a picture of and list Siphon bottles, which might explain the various other references that claim it was first bottled in 1896-97



Even this time-period publication is a little vague as to whether its referring to the extract or the carbonated version. But because it mentions a "bottle rebate" I acknowledge that it is probably referring to a returnable, carbonated-type bottle. But whichever it refers to, it's the still earliest reference I'm aware of for Vernor's Ginger Ale being bottled in a carbonated form other than for the somewhat vague 1897 siphon bottle receipt.

1902

 

[SODABOB]

Are these the earliest carbonated bottles for the two brands being discussed?

Hires Root Beer (Blob-top)

View attachment 175602

Vernor's Ginger Ale (Crown-top)

View attachment 175603

View attachment 175604

 

[SODABOB]

These are the earliest time-period references I'm aware of for "Crown-top" Hires Root Beer bottles ...

Life Magazine ~ 1897

View attachment 175605

Cosmopolitan Magazine ~ 1897

View attachment 175606

Harper's Weekly magazine ~ 1897

View attachment 175607

And look something like this ...

View attachment 175608

 

[SODABOB]

First pertinent question of many ...

Why are there numerous pre-1880 time-period references for "Hires Root Beer" but not a single pre-1880 time-period reference for "Vernor's Ginger Ale"

 

[VernorsGuy]

Dr Pepper Snapple Group owns all three pops: Schweppes, Vernor's and Hires. Vernor's claim is America's oldest continuously produced pop, because Schweppes is uncontested as the oldest of all pops that still exist today.

DPSG puts Schweppes at 1783, Vernor's at 1866 and Hires at 1876. Due to the DPSG ownership of the A&W root beer brand, Hires has taken a back seat. It is no longer sold in Canada and is rarely found in the United States.

DPSG notes that Charles Hires was the first businessman to agressively advertise his product, which is why so much evidence can be found for his root beer. James Vernor, on the other hand, thought his soda fountain was getting in the way of his druggist business.

Schweppes does deserve much more credit than just being the oldest. It is the original soda pop as Jacob Schweppe patented the method for carbonating water. (Earlier drinks were carbonated naturally through fermentation. In 1750, a method was discovered to artificially carbonate water. Joseph Priestly, in 1767, discovered the basic method that Scheweppe would eventually refine for his brand.) Any other brand that followed used his methodology. Schweppes is known as an English soda pop, yet it originated in Switzerland.