Capt'n Eli's Blueberry Pop

It’s back to the world of awesome bottle art with today’s soda review!  Earlier in this sites history we reviewed Capt’n Eli’s Root Beer and while the root beer itself was tasty the art on the bottle is still one of my favorite scenes.  With that said I’m very happy to see that Capt’n Eli’s Blueberry Pop has incredibly similar bottle art with the exception that young Capt’n Eli is surrounded by blueberries.  In fact even his root beer barrels have been replaced by heaping barrels of blueberries, so many that I fear for the buoyancy of his boat.  Now join me as I review one of my favorite flavors of soda made by a pretty darn good brand.  Put on your life jacket, give Murphy the Parrot a sip of your root beer, and shove off!

I can already tell that it’s going to be a good day sailing these waters with Eli.  The scent that floats out of the mouth of this bottle is unmistakably blueberry and why shouldn’t it be?  Blueberry juice is the third ingredient listed, right after water and cane sugar, so you know this is about to be a fantastic experience.  The aroma is deliciously sweet and not so much tart.  So here’s where I give up on typing any more words that might describe the fragrance so that I may now drink.

Blueberry soda is one of the biggest gifts starting this site ever gave me.  As TheSodaJerk.net historians know, and I have to believe they exist to feed my own hungry ego, I’m not keen on blueberry.  Blueberry never did it for me as a fruit, but as a soda… more please.  Honestly I’m not sure I’ve run into a legit blueberry soda that I didn’t like and Capt’n Eli’s Blueberry Pop is no exception either.  Upon my first sip my mouth is awash with blueberry tastes, almost to the point where I expect the skins to come floating to the top with each drink.  Nothing about the taste of this tastes artificial to me at all which should make sense since none of the ingredients are artificial.  Ferocious, tiny bubbles attack the back of my throat reminding me at this is indeed blueberry POP and not something of a safer nature.  Grape juice is also used in the making of Capt’n Eli’s Blueberry Pop and it is noticeable, but still takes a back seat to the blueberries as it should.  I can’t imagine someone titling something “Blueberry” but having grape be the main attraction.  It’d be like watching a Muppet special with a bunch of celebrity guests, but instead of Kermit hosting you get 90 minutes of Bronson Pinchot.  While amused you’d still feel slighted at the sight of this perfect stranger.  Do I care that the last analogy was forced?  Not really. 

Any who, while very tasty Capt’n Eli’s Blueberry Pop does have its weak points and they’re all at the end of your soda journey.  As I mentioned before the blueberry flavoring is fantastic, but its finish could be improved upon greatly.  The strength you experience at the beginning of each sip wilts away into sadness right before it descends into your stomach.  If the flavor could maintain throughout then this would be an all-around amazing soda.  Right after you experience this flavor funeral you’re greeted with a boring aftertaste as well.  Is it probable that the weak flavor preceding it is the cause?  Yes, I’d say so, but that’s just another reason to have a strong flavor throughout.  Even with these weak points Capt’n Eli’s Blueberry Pop is still something you should try, preferably before Murphy consumes it all.

~A

Faux Fact: A Parrot a day keeps Twist at bay

GolferAID

I know less about playing golf than every single one of our readers combined.  With that last sentence in mind you’ll understand why I was a bit hesitant to take on this review of GolferAID.  GolferAID is tagged as “The World’s Most Advanced Functional Golf Beverage”.  It’s sweetened with 9 grams of blue agave and has 3 grams of supplements.  Heck even on the back of the can it diagrams which ingredients help you with what.  For example it says that Glucosamine promotes joint health, and that Magnesium lessens muscle fatigue.  Bilberries, which I didn’t even know existed, apparently improve your visual acuity and balance.  Of course at the bottom in small print they have the legalese that the statements above haven’t been evaluated by the FDA… if this bothers you then so be it, if not so be it again. 

Ok, so GolferAID is chock full of golfy goodness.  I told the nice man who sent me this that I didn’t really care what it did for my nonexistent golf game.  All I cared about was how it tasted; I mean it is a soda after all.  He assured me that they would “take the Pepsi challenge with our drink against anything out there.”  Those are some bold words for a drink that at a glance I would call a golf energy drink.  Now maybe I’m wrong; this site has only reviewed 300+ drinks and while that seems like a large number on paper I bet it’s not even 2% of all the sodas out there.  So let’s get out on the green and tip back this can of 100% Natural GolferAID and see if it aces or bogeys.  Hopefully for your sake with that last sentence I’ve now exhausted all of my golf lingo

The scent to me is definitely citrus in origin.  Grapefruit is what it most closely resembles, but I’m not completely sure of even that.  Looking for the grapefruit in the ingredients I notice that stevia is also in here… sneaky, sneaky stevia.  Aside from the grapefruit aroma I’m also reminded of a protein shake.  By no means am I saying this will taste powdery and chalky, but the scent of GolferAID isn’t the most welcoming in the world.  On with the drinking!

Better than I thought it’d be.  The End.  While I can name several sodas on our site that would destroy this in the “Pepsi challenge” as far as supplemental beverages go it seems to be one of the better we’ve tried.  Of course “lifestyle beverages”, as we call them, do not get a free pass in terms of flavor so we’ll see how well it does in the long haul.  The initial taste is the worst part of your journey through GolferAID.  You’re greeted with a quick bitter slap in the mouth before it fades away creating a grapefruit-esque atmosphere in your gullet.  The carbonation level is almost non-existent due to the fact that they used agave to sweeten.  While I’m sure not being bloated on bubbles is beneficial to your golf game, I think that a bit more fizz to GolferAID would help its overall experience quite a bit. 

It’s sad to say the more I drink it the less I like it.  The flavor left on my lips is a pleasant one, but each gulp is becoming a bit more tasking.  Every sip reminds me I’m drinking what is basically a healthy energy drink.  Sure it has wonderful ingredients, but that doesn’t mean as much if a good taste isn’t attached to it.  I always want beverage companies to succeed in their craft, but on taste alone GolferAID doesn’t do that.  Maybe it’ll help you with your golf game, I’m not here to debate that point.  I’m here to tell you that if given the choice I’d pick a more delicious golf drink… SLICE!  See what I did there was take a non-golf drink with a golf term name and made a joke to tie the article all together.  Genius.

~A

(Note:  This beverage was supplied to us by GolferAID)

Twist was the secret founder of St Andrews

Jones Soda Lime

I tried to get my dog to pick out todays soda.  All I wanted him to do was sniff a bottle and that would be the one I reviewed.  Oddly enough he seemed much more interested in the thin mint cookie I was consuming and cared nothing for helping out the site.  Since I didn’t have the help of my canine friend I had to brave the choice myself… hopefully picking something satisfactory for you all to read.  In a perfect world the previous sentences written would be a build up to the flavor reveal which is Jones Soda Lime.  Because of the helpfulness of titling articles I’ve never been able to do a proper build up.  Ah well, I’m about to drink a lime soda and that is usually one of the things in life that makes me happy.  Currently my favorite lime soda is Jarritos Lime; let’s see if Jones can compete with the boys from across the border.

The scent my nostrils receive is more sweet than tart, so I’m wondering if this will be closer to Key Lime than plain old lime.  Jones Soda Lime even smells a bit creamy, another warning that this may not be the lime soda I’m looking for.  I can go about my business.  Move along.

Ok, so it’s not as smooth as I thought it might be, but it definitely leans towards key lime in terms of flavor.  The carbonation level is powerful and compact.  My throat feels like it has been exposed to a lime flavored sleet storm for a brief moment as the soda passes by.  The lime flavoring, while candy-esque, isn’t overly sweet making it more likely I’d consume Jones Soda Lime with a meal.    There’s also a good level of sour/tart in the works here.  There’s nothing that agitates me more than a weak lime soda.  Well, there are several things, probably hundreds, that agitate me more than weak lime soda, but I’m trying to really hammer this home.  With that said drinking Jones Soda Lime will give you a terrific balance in taste, mouth feel, and overall experience.  Is it better than Jarritos Lime?  Short answer, no.  Long answer, noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, but I’ll definitely mention it from here on out every time I’m asked to give a commencement speech with the subject of lime sodas.  Honestly all of the commencement speeches I’ve been to could have been about lime sodas, I don’t remember a single word from any of them.

~A

Twist used to be lime flavored, now if you were to lick him you'd see through time.

Brain Wash

Picture a skull and crossbones staring at you from the label of your potential beverage.  Now picture the top of the skull cracked open exposing the oddly fresh brain inside of it.  That my friend is what is currently staring into my soul on this label of Brain Wash.  Brain Wash is made from the same fine folks that brought us Black Lemonade, one of the harshest beverages my throat ever dealt with.  Just like Black Lemonade, Brain Wash has amusing blurbs on its label like “This may be your only way out!” and “May cause special effects”.  Navy blue isn’t a color you usually associate with soda, but they’ve put enough Blue Dye #1 in this bad boy to reach that level.  It has a lot of the same ingredients that Black Lemonade has with a few exceptions.  Brain Wash sadly uses HFCS instead of Cane Sugar, but on the plus side also uses Sage and Jalapeno Oil.  I’m not sure how the sage will play a role in this performance, but I’m hoping the jalapeno oil is at least noticeable.  Since Brain Wash isn’t exactly a flavor I’m a little curious as to what this will most taste like in the realm of real tastes.  My initial guess is going to be a fruity ginger beverage that’s about to scald the back of my throat through the act of chemical warfare.  Let’s find out, shall we?

The initial odor I’m getting is that of green NyQuil which isn’t what you want to smell when you first open anything… except NyQuil of course.  I will say that the bubbles forming in the neck of the bottle look rather nice when contrasted against the dark blue soda.  Will they keep this from tasting like carbonated NyQuil?  No, but hopefully something else does.

A barrage of pain shoots through my sinuses as the spice/carbonation combination reaches my nose with ease.  With my mouth a bit more acclimated the second sip is much more tame allowing me to properly review this beverage known as Brain Wash.  Right off the bat I can tell you that the jalapeno oil is indeed noticeable as the back of my throat now has a (nice?) continuous burn going.  The flavor of the drink itself is rather vague, honestly it tastes like a generic blueberry soda you might find anywhere.  My brain may have just associated this vague taste with blueberry due to the hue, but it’s all I’ve got to go on right now.  Even though the base flavor itself is vague and unspectacular the experience of drinking Brain Wash is so far one I’ll remember for a long time.  Each sip assaults my mouth in every way possible.  The ginger/jalapeno/capsicum combination proves volatile at first, but calms down a bit once you’re throat learns how to cope.  The strongest of these, as mentioned before, is what I assume to be the jalapeno oil as my throat feels like it would after enjoying a spicy plate of nachos.  While this is very similar to the mouth feel of Black Lemonade I find that Black Lemonade at least had a purpose.  It was a harsh lemonade unlike anything you’d had before.  Brain Wash is a harsh… fruity… blue… drink that in my opinion the gimmick of destroying your mouth becomes nothing more than just that… a gimmick.  It’s not original because Black Lemonade exists.  It’s almost like they said “hey, Black Lemonade is doing ok… how else might we ruin someone’s vocal chords (which of course it does not do)” so they invented Brain Wash because they could.  I need more of a reason than the one I just made up for them to promote this beverage.  If you want a throat conquering soda then purchase Black Lemonade, as for Brain Wash...

~A

Twist mocks you're extreme label with his own extreme...ness?

Taylor's Tonics Cranberry Dream

For the last few Christmas’s my best friend Dustin has purchased a basket of sodas for me to review.  We don’t usually exchange gifts until middle to late January and I don’t usually start reviewing them until February.  I tell you this seemingly pointless information because I’m about to review several Christmas themed sodas and I didn’t want you to think that I was slow to the draw.  Today’s soda is Taylor’s Tonics Cranberry Dream.  We’ve reviewed Taylor’s Tonics before and they’re always both unique and powerful.  The flavors aren’t always my favorite, but I always appreciate the amount of effort they put into each one.  Seeing Cranberry Dream in my fridge I figured I’d be consuming a cranberry soda and nothing more.  Looking at the ingredients label I found that I couldn’t be further from the truth.  The ingredients are as follows:

Sparking Water (Infused with Wildcrafted Balsam Fir Needles, Ginger, & Allspice), Evaporated Cane Juice, Coconut Water, Cherry Juice, Cranberry Juice, Natural Douglas Fir & French Vanilla Flavors, Extract of Orange, and Citric Acid.

The usually talkative Twist was even at a loss for words.

I immediately notice two things after reading those ingredients.  The first is that there are an insane amount of flavors in what I thought was just cranberry soda.  The second thing I notice is that this is also flavored with CHRISTMAS TREES!  Honestly I have no idea how tree translates into soda, but I’m excited to find out.  Holding the bottle up to the light I glance at the peach colored soda and remove the festive green bottle cap.

The smell is fantastic.  It smells like a candle store during the holiday season.  The sweet aroma hits your nostrils with such a mixture of scents that you’re nose isn’t even sure where to start.  The ginger, allspice, and vanilla are the most discernible fragrances coming out of the bottle.  I do find it odd that I can’t even smell the titular berry, but honestly this smells so good I don’t even care.  I’m not sure how a scent this interesting will translate to taste… I guess we’ll find out together.

Good news everybody, it doesn’t taste like a tree.  Taylor’s Tonics Cranberry Dream has now surprised me in all three sections of this review.  At first taste the ginger and allspice hit my tongue for what I thought was going to be a harsh ride.  Wrong.  While the two spices made themselves at home on my palate they both gently went to sleep upon arriving.  The cranberry is noticeable, but again not tart in the slightest.  I’m guessing the cranberries are muted by the amount of vanilla in the beverage, which by the way works fantastically well in this soda.  The last few sips I’ve taken did have hints of tree and I must say that I liked it.  Picture yourself outside in the forest… the Piney Woods if you will.  The air is crisp and quiet, the only thing around you are pine trees and that one bird that you can’t quite identify.  After you come to the realization that you’re never going to figure out what kind of bird that is, disappointing your Ornithologist dad once again in the process, you take a deep breath.  The crisp air combined with the surrounding trees coats your mouth with a distinctive taste.  That taste is nature and it makes you feel alive.  That is what the tree taste of Taylor’s Tonics Cranberry Dream likens to.  Even though the orange extract is one of the last ingredients its flavor still reaches your mouth.  In fact I can taste every single ingredient on this label, like identifying instruments in an orchestra… you just have to sit down and really listen.  Well I’m listening and I love what I’m hearing.  Cranberry Dream is one of the most impressive sodas I’ve had since I’ve started this site.  If you see a bottle you should pick it up and listen to what it has to say.

~A

*One addition.  By the time I was finished writing this review I had only one gulp left in the bottle.  I posted the review and then took said gulp.  This gulp had a lot of sediment in it and was not pleasant.  I'm not changing the rating of the soda based on this, but if you do try it you might want to skip out on that last taste.*

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Grand Teton Brewing Company - Black Cherry

I turned 30 yesterday and today I finish the line of sodas from Grand Teton Brewing Company.  I’m sure if I were a wiser man I could make witty comparisons about the two journeys and you would be tickled pink upon reading it.  Instead, on this day after my 30th birthday, I’ve hurt my back to the point of not wanting to be witty.  I just want to be grumpy, and old (which I know I’m not), and cantankerous.  So here is the final Grant Teton Brewing Company review… Black Cherry.  Overall I’ve been quite pleased with this line of beverages, saving black cherry for last because I know how potentially awesome it might be.  So join me won’t you?  As I toss my 20’s behind me and dive mouth first into a bottle of soda.

I mistakenly thought this might be black cherry cola, had my reading comprehension level been above that of a first grader then I could have clearly seen that the word “cola” is nowhere to be found on the label.  This, my friends, is just black cherry soda, and the aroma is so very rich and sweet that it reminds me of sno-cone syrup.  Sadly I have no crushed sno-esque ice to pour this on.  Grand Teton Black Cherry will have to be judged as it stands without the help of the sno-cone fairies.  By the way, if you ever seen a sno-cone fairy kill it as fast as possible, they’re terribly evil.  I’ve had a few run-ins with them… not good times.  They will CUT YOU!  Onward.

The most consistent thing I’ve noticed about Grand Teton sodas is their carbonation.  Grand Teton has the most unique carbonation levels, style, and mouth feel  that I’ve witnessed in any line of beverage.  In the case of black cherry I’m met with a raucous amount of fizz attacking all the nooks and crannies of my mouth.  It splashes against the back of my throat and delightfully stings like a cherry Icee.  The flavor, while just a bit overly syrupy, is very robust and well defined.  There is no doubt in my mind what this is at any point of the journey.  From opening the bottle to the last few drops you are slapped in the face with a very strong black cherry soda.  It tastes as if it has more sugar in it than listed on its label.  That’s not to say it has very little sugar, 39 grams, but to say that it seems like it should have closer to 50.  I like this… a lot.  This is the most in your face black cherry soda I’ve ever tasted, I guess they’re all “in my face” as I consume them, but you get the idea.  Grand Teton Black Cherry… drink it and love it!

~A

(This beverage was supplied to us by Grand Teton Brewing Company)

I literally had to wrestle this out of his hands... 4 hours.

Big K Root Beer

Quickly… think of your favorite Root Beer.  Did you?  Is it Big K Root Beer?  For those of you who said “yes” then you can refute whatever I’m about to write.  For those of you who answered the negative then just sit back and find out what category I’m about to fall into.  Big K Root Beer is Kroger brand root beer.  For those of you not familiar with Kroger, it’s a super market.  So yes, Big K Root Beer probably won’t be my favorite as very few stores actually try to make a good soda.  I’m pretty sure this won’t be my new favorite root beer, but hopefully this chemical concoction will at least please my taste buds somewhat.  The label even says that they “promise” my whole family will enjoy this or my money back… or a replacement.  I’m kind of curious as to what a proper replacement is of Big K Root Beer.  My imagination is shot for the day so I think I’ll just continue the review.

Big K Root Beer does indeed smell somewhat like a root beer… so… that’s a plus, although there is also something odd about this aroma.  After smelling the somewhat obvious root beer scent the smell just kind of vanishes.  The fragrance (I’m running out of words for ‘smell’) doesn’t seem to be strong enough to maintain a simple inhalation thus frightening me just a bit as to what this will taste like.

Not terrible, not good.  Big K Root Beer is most similar to Barq’s, but without the bite that makes Barq’s slogan so memorable.  The initial mouth fell is very watery and a bit off putting.  As you might expect this is a very generic tasting root beer.  It does have a bit of a licorice flavor to it and just a whisper of wintergreen as well.  Did they actually use these ingredients?  No idea, but the artificial/natural flavors they used somewhat replicate them.  There’s not much else to be said about Big K Root Beer except this.  If you have an extra dollar just buy the Barq’s instead.  While there are better root beers out there than Barq’s at least you’re not rewarding a grocery store for making a less than stellar product… instead you are rewarding the Coca Cola company.  If you want to take a few steps up from that then look no further than these two.

~A

This is Twist's "meh" face

Grand Teton Brewing Company - Cream Soda

We rush back to the mountains to review Grand Teton Brewing Company Cream Soda today.  We’ve already reviewed, and enjoyed, their Mountain Berry Soda and root beer so hopefully the cream soda will stand equally as tall as its brothers.  As I’m writing this review I’m realizing that I have very little opinion when it comes to cream soda.  Cream soda is something I enjoy as it reminds me of my childhood for some reason, but I’m just not very passionate about it.  Maybe I just haven’t had a terrible enough cream soda to be disappointed to the point of passion.  I’m a very opinionated person when it comes to very trivial things like Pizza Hut commercials, the pronunciation of particular tree nuts, and the state of Texas A&M football… therefore it’s not like me to just let cream soda slide.  I’ve probably bored most of you out there so I’m going to drop this and continue on with the review of Grand Teton Cream Soda.  DRINK ON… but seriously when’s the last time Pizza Hut had a good commercial?

That is a sugar filled scent attaching itself to the inner workings of my nose.  The scent itself is smooth, buttery, and very enticing.  Maybe, just maybe, today will be the day I become passionate about the taste of my cream sodas.  If today is indeed that day please believe me when I tell you that the first paragraph was not a “lead in” for the rest of this review that I wrote after consuming this beverage.  All of my reviews are consumed in the same order the reviews are written, from staring at the label, to opening, to consumption.  I’m over explaining a lot today, hopefully I just need a good cream soda to shut me up. 

This, my friends, is a good cream soda.  It doesn’t invoke passion in me, but that bridge may never be crossed.  That said, Grand Teton Cream Soda is a solid entry into the cream soda market.  The aroma inhaled earlier is an honest representation of the taste I’m experiencing now.  It has a very smooth, creamy mouth feel that any cream soda enthusiast would enjoy.  The carbonation adds a fleeting bite to the back of my throat upon each gulp which is something I’m not quite used to in a cream soda, but it’s only worth noting not complaint.  One small thing irks me though, the finish.  Completing each sip I’m left with an aftertaste that starts off just fine but ends on an artificial note.  It’d be like having a delicious sundae in front of you, but instead of a cherry on top you have a cherry made of wax.  Sure you can take it off, but you aren’t going to be as happy as you would be with an actual cherry.  With that said, Grand Teton Cream Soda is good enough to purchase multiples and my rating will say the same.

~A

(This beverage was supplied to us by Grand Teton Brewing Company)

Twist was just spotted peeping over the fence.  Stay cool, stay cool.

Refreshe - Cherry Cola

It’s time to re-visit the Safeway brand “refreshe” in all its un-capitalized glory.  Today’s flavor of choice is refreshe Cherry Cola, which contains 0% juice.  You know how I know this?  Well it’s stated on the can silly, if that wasn’t printed on here I bet I’d be wondering all day if there was real cherry juice in here.  Sigh… I wish sarcasm had a font because I’d use the heck out of it.  How’s about we use Comic Sans as the official “Sarcasm Font”?   People would like it more if it were used for the benefit of sarcasm wouldn’t they?  I understand that some use Comic Sans ironically, but let’s take it back from the Hipsters and use it for the sarcastic!  Surely a large portion of Hipsters are sarcastic so the lash-back won’t be that great.  So yet another trend is decided on this site.  TheSodaJerks.net:  Setters of trends, and nothing more!  Wait… we also review sodas.  Speaking of… this refreshe Cherry Cola has a very mysterious ingredients list as Natural Flavors are listed alongside HFCS, Coloring agents, and acids.  Let’s just open it up and see what we get.

The scent test proves refreshe Cherry Cola to be more cola than cherry, which is perfectly understandable.  I can discern the cherry scent mind you, but it wasn’t the first thing my nose noticed.  Then again my allergies are kicked up today so there’s that.  DRINK ON!

The first sip is a major disappointment.  The cola taste immediately falls flat and the cherry gets crushed underneath it.  Swishing it around in my mouth I can feel the cola trying with all its might to intrigue me with bursts of carbonation.  “Like me! Like me!” it screams, but once you stop swishing… it quiets down to a whisper.  Every sip I take allows the flavor to build on itself which you might think would help its case.  No, Ma’am.  No, Sir.  While the flavor is becoming more pungent it’s just revealing how weak of a Cherry Cola this really is.  You can almost taste the chemicals, assuming they are since Natural Flavors are all we’re given.  Honestly I hope they are chemicals because if you use real deal ingredients and you make it taste this underwhelming then shame on you.  Fortunately the aftertaste vanishes fairly quickly but you’re left with the caustic feel of refreshe Cherry Cola on your teeth.  It’s holding on to my enamel for dear life, making my teeth more easily grind when I close my mouth.  That’s it.  I’m done.  I could finish this can, but I see no reason to do so.  This is one of the worst attempts at a Cherry Cola, something that should be a treat in any definition, which I have seen in a very long time.

~A

Twist doesn't even realize it's there... that's how flavorless it is.

Grand Teton Brewing Company - Mountain Berry

I’ve had a relatively rough day.  It’s been much more stressful than a lazy Sunday ever should be.  I wasn’t even sure I was going to do a review today, but since I flaked out last week and relied solely on the Carbo-Nation I figured I should post one.  Looking into my refrigerator I picked up the calmest named beverage I had on hand, Grand Teton Brewing Company – Mountain Berry.  The label is a serene purple and blue which pairs nicely with the dark pink soda.  Being as thirsty as I am I’m skimping on this first paragraph and drinking now.

My soda smells like a blueberry muffin.  This makes some sense because the listed berries on the front are huckleberry, blueberry, and blackberry.  Apparently the blueberry wins the aroma battle in that particular cage match; let’s find out if he wins the flavor battle royale.

I chugged a fairly large portion of the bottle wanting to quench my thirst.  Immediately I was greeted by the blueberry flavoring quickly followed by blackberry and what I assume is huckleberry.  I’ve never had a huckleberry before.  I’ve read Huckleberry Finn.  I’ve watched Huckleberry Hound.  Heck, I’m your Huckleberry, but I’ve never eaten one.  It’s probably about time I get around to that.  The carbonation is sharp, but dissipates quickly allowing for the robust flavor of the berries to emanate in your mouth.  Grant Teton Mountain Berry is a bit on the sweet side (but most berry sodas are actually sweeter), and your mouth is left with a syrupy feel, but overall I’m pleased with it.  It’s a different kind of berry soda that I would be happy consuming at most any occasion.  My apologies for the short review, but I do believe it’s time for a nap.

~A

(This beverage was supplied to us by Grand Teton Brewing Company)

The top of a dog house is the closest thing to a mountain for nearly 700 miles.

Grand Teton Brewing Company - Root Beer

I was approached by the fine people at Grand Teton Brewing Company to review their line of sodas.  There were four flavors in all, thus giving me the difficult decision on what to try first.  Thankfully they have a root beer as I feel you can almost always judge a company on how serious they take their root beer.  You see root beer is a beverage that can be made unique with effort, and with even more effort it can stand away from the crowd.  The use of interesting ingredients often sets one apart from the other.  That said I don’t know if Grand Teton has used any of those ingredients because they’ve chosen to list them as “Natural and Artificial Flavors”.  Fortunately it does say that it’s made with Sugar and Spring Water, two ingredients that should help this experience. 

The label itself is brown with their logo on it.  The logo consists of what a quick Google search confirms are the Grand Tetons.  How embarrassing would that have been if it was Old Smokey… awkward.  There is also a river running from said Grand Tetons that a moose has wandered next to.  Here is where you might insert a Monty Python and the Holy Grail joke.  Grand Teton Brewing Company’s bottle also mentions that it’s a Kettle Brewed Soda.  I’m not sure how that factors into the taste, but I do know that kettle chips are delicious versions of chips so maybe the same is true for soda.  Don’t quote me on that… unless it’s on a very popular website that will get us thousands upon thousands of hits, thrusting us into the upper echelon of internet stardom.  Enough babble, time for drinking.

Grand Teton Root Beer has a very rooty aroma that reminds me a bit of Moxie.  I’m sure, without even tasting it, that Grand Teton Root Beer will not taste like Moxie though.  Huzzah!  With that said the scent that flows from the top of this bottle is faint and doesn’t give me much of a clue as to what this will taste like.  Only one way to find out!

Wow, that has more carbonation than I’m used to root beer having.  The root beer itself isn’t that rich or creamy, but I’m not saddened by this.  The strong carbonation gives it a coke like kick to the back of your throat, setting it apart from most other root beer experiences.  The flavor you initially experience is root beer barrel candy, but not as strong.  The finish to Grand Teton Root Beer is most certainly licorice.  This will keep it from being a lot of folks beverage of choice, but fortunately for me I like licorice.  Is this out of this world amazing root beer?  No, not really, but it is better than your average fare.  Grand Teton Root Beer gives you a mouth feel that is unique to its type and a flavor that any licorice lover will like.  I really wish I knew that benefit kettle brewing had on this soda, but I guess that’s going to have to be a life lesson for another day.

~A

(This beverage was supplied to us by the Grand Teton Brewing Company)

Twist enjoyed this so much he licked part of the label off.

Zenify

With the holiday season wrapped up and all the orange soda consumed the stress level among the human population is now steadily declining.  If only there was some way to hurry up this stress relief, some sort of… soda.  Thanks to the fine folks at Zenify there just might be!  Zenify calls itself “the live stress free drink”, and says this no less than 4 times on each can.  This is apparently due to the active ingredient L-theanine which “increases serotonin and dopamine levels, promoting relaxation and concentration.”  This ingredient is followed up with the 2nd active ingredient Gaba which is “a natural calming agent that enhances relaxation and memory support.”  Something that amuses me about this “if the 90’s were still the future” can design is the fact that there are no capital letters in the primary design or explanation of the drink.  I was also told by the Zenify PR firm (this was given to us by them, btw) that it was sweetened with Stevia.  Now if you’ve read any review I’ve written about an only Stevia sweetened beverage you know I haven’t liked any of them.  Here’s the e-mail conversation that always happens between me and whoever is peddling the Stevia sweetened beverage.

Company X: Would you like to review this drink?  It’s sweetened with Stevia.

Totally Awesome Me:  Thanks!  I’d love to, but I’ve never liked a soda sweetened only with Stevia.

Company X: Yeah, me either, but ours is completely different and I actually like it.

T.A.M.:  Ok, can’t say I didn’t warn you.

Then I usually drink the beverage and dislike it, thus completing the Stevia cycle.  The folks at Zenify said that the citrus taste of Zenify should mask the terrible parts of the Stevia it’s sweetened with.  I think I’ve babbled long enough about it; it’s time to see if they’re correct.  Off we go!

I will say that Zenify smells a bit like grapefruit juice mixed with mango so they’re already off on the right foot with the old nose.  C’mon Zenify… wow me.

Thank you for not lying to me Zenify, the citrus flavor does indeed cover any terrible Stevia aftertaste that I might have experienced otherwise.  It’s light, fruity, and one of the more enjoyable “lifestyle beverages” I’ve had to date.  The primary taste to me is that of grapefruit, but I can’t seem to shake the mango off of my palate either.  I can’t tell if either of these fruits were used in making it because the ingredients list the ever vague “natural flavors”.  What I can do is tell you that this has a ridiculous amount of Vitamin C, B6, B12 and only 13 grams of sugar. 

Looking at the tiny print I noticed that Crystalline Fructose is also included in the ingredients.  According to Old Man Internet, Crystalline Fructose is 98% fructose and the rest are trace minerals and water.  It’s also apparently 20% sweeter than table sugar and 5% (not sure how you measure that) sweeter than HFCS.  However sweet it is I’m sure it’s helping cut into this Stevia aftertaste as well.  We once had a 50/50 drink sweetened with Stevia and Sugar and it was fantastic.  I really wish more companies would use Stevia like that instead of relying on it solely to sweeten their drink. 

Zenify isn’t a very sweet drink at all, relying more on the flavor of the fruit to carry the drink.  I don’t know if it’s due to the drink but I do feel more relaxed now that I’ve finished the can.  We don’t usually review the “affects” of a beverage, just the taste.  I’ll let you decide for yourselves if Zenify actually calms your body.  As for me, I’ll be drinking this again.

~A

(This beverage was supplied to us by Zenify)

Why is there an adorable monkey in this swag picture?  That's the kind of power Twist yields.

Refreshe - Lemon Lime

I like generic store brand soda… well, I like the idea of them.  Here’s this soda that a grocery store chain is putting out there.  They are doing this for one of two reasons.  They either want the generic soda at hand to compete and be favored over the mainstream counterpart, or they just want to make a quick buck in the soda game.  Today I’m giving Safeway store brand soda a try once again, but this time around they seem to be a bit more fancy.  Before the can would just say the flavor with a fun graphic now I’m greeted with the word “refreshe”.  I’m pretty sure they used the word “refreshe” (in all lowercase letters mind you… because that’s more hip) to look the part of a snazzy soda.  The flavor, Lemon Lime, is titled on the lower portion of the can in a pop-art blob.  The can itself is green with equally retro looking designs as well.  Just look at the picture.  The tale here is that they’re trying to at least look like an upscale soda while maintaining the price of a generic one.  This refreshe Lemon Lime is sweetened with HFCS and filled with an assortment of other chemicals.  I feel as if I’ve already dedicated too many words to refreshe Lemon Lime, but hopefully it’s about to prove me wrong.

It has about ¾ of the scent 7up does, but I will note that the carbonation is so prevalent that I can easily hear it.  Putting my ear closer I can even hear some larger bubbles getting into the mix.  Drinking time!

Better than expected, but nothing to write home about.  It has a smoother mouth feel than 7up does which makes it kind of forgettable after each sip is finished.  The aftertaste is a bit stickier much like Sprite.  I’ll tell you right now “those of you who haven’t read all 300+ articles” that I dislike Sprite BECAUSE of that very aftertaste.  The flavor itself differs slightly from both as I feel you can taste more of the lime in this than you can in any of the big 3 Lemon/Lime sodas.  It’s not so strong that it sets refreshe Lemon Lime apart from anyone, but I felt it was worth noting so that’s something.  Going back to the first couple of sentences that are written in this review, I’d have to say that this is just Safeway trying to make a buck in the soda biz while trying to look like they’re making a unique beverage at the same time.  If you like Sprite or 7up and don’t want to spend as much on soda then refreshe Lemon Lime is for you.  If you’re looking for a whole ‘nother experience when it comes to the Lemon Lime soda genre, then be prepared for a can full of “meh”.

~A

The extra "e" is for "extra e"

Chubby Orango Tango

As you may have noticed this year, primarily… well only from this site, the newest trend going on is that orange sodas now represent the feeling of winter.  Put it up there with crisp cool air, family, and ice skating.  Today’s festivities allow us to open another bottle of Chubby, this one with the interestingly named flavor of Orango Tango.  Today the mascot on the label, who I assume is named Chubby, just seems to be standing there smiling at me.  He’s a rather friendly looking fellow.  If you don’t feel like reading previous Chubby reviews I’ll give you a quick rundown.  Chubby is a drink from Mexico sweetened with sugar and tends to be very average in taste while being overly sweet.  Let’s find out if Orango Tango walks along this same path.

Chubby Orango Tango smells like a fun fizzy orange as the bubbles jump up to grab my nose.  Hopefully they’re welcoming me to the drinking experience and not trying to warn me of my impending doom.  That might be a Twilight Zone episode, but I’m going to chalk it up as an original idea.

Bleh.  Chubby Orango Tango has very little carbonation so I’m now in fear of whatever was jumping up at my nose making me think it was fun bubbles, or fubbles.  There is an orange taste thankfully, but it’s one masked in the shroud of cardboard as so many mediocre to bad orange sodas are.  When I say something tastes like cardboard I’m not using that as a blanket statement that it tastes badly.  This actually tastes of cardboard, like you licked a packing box of some sort.  The only thing Chubby Orango Tango has going for it is that the aftertaste reminds me of generic orange candy that you might find in a Piñata.  I can’t recommend this to anyone.  You could go to the store and pick up a Sunkist, chemicals and all, and it would taste much better than Chubby Orango Tango.  I’m going to throw an artistic fit now and claim that this soda has brought me such banal flavoring that I’m too distraught to continue this review.

~A

Twist is ashamed to be this close to mediocrity.

HEB Orange Burst

Video Review from Apr. 29, 2020. Written review (below) from Dec. 19, 2011.

Nothing says “It’s Winter” quite like an orange soda.  Actually several things purvey that it’s winter much better than an orange soda, but that doesn’t work very well as an introduction.  Who knows, maybe this review will inspire so many citizens of the Carbo-Nation that orange soda sales will skyrocket through the roof, setting a new trend in the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/ Ramadan/Holiday market.  The soda I’ll be reviewing today is from Sarzec, that’s not the company that’s the name of the gentleman who gave it to me.  He handed me a bottle of HEB Orange Burst Soda and said “have at it!”  What he really said was “I left you an orange soda in the break room fridge”, but “have at it!” seems so much more adventurous and free.  HEB as you may remember from earlier reviews is a grocery store chain in Texas.  They have their own soda brand, as so many stores do, but theirs is of a higher grade using “Pure Cane Sugar” instead of our old nemesis HFCS.  With that said let us now dive into HEB Orange Burst Soda and winter simultaneously.

Sweet, sweet orange.  The aroma this gives off when inhaled is that of a juicy orange combined with a glass of Tang.  It’s not a 100% natural smell by any means, but it still got my mouth to salivate.  I guess it’s the anticipation of that first orange soda to signify that winter has arrived. 

HEB Orange Burst is a very gentle orange soda.  When you first take a sip the orange flavoring is fairly weak and has hints of tangerine.  You can obviously taste that it’s an orange soda, but the BURST is definitely missing at this point.  It’s a fairly smooth soda with the carbonation level being a few strong attacks of tiny bubbled magic... like the kind reindeer use to fly.  Only after you finish consuming your sip does the orange really go to work.  As soon as the swallowing process begins the carbonation kick in and tickles the back of your throat disappearing as quickly as they arrived… like elves.  Then your mouth is left with nothing for a brief moment before a fantastic orange aftertaste takes over.  The aftertaste reminds me of a candy I had when I was a kid, but I haven’t be able to remember the name of it as of yet.  Let me just tell you that it’s a wonderful note to end a soda experience on… like carolers on a snowy night.  HEB Orange Burst soda is tasty, but some might feel the weak intro hurts it.  As for me I enjoyed the experience and leave you by saying, “HEB Orange Burst to all, and to all a good night!”

~A

P.S.

There are a few things that I never got from Santa growing up that I’m going to go ahead and put on my list here at the bottom.  Some of these might be a bit dated, so bear with me.

Crossfire – (You’ll get caught up in the Crossfire, Crossfire, CROSSFIRE! YEAH! YEAH!)

Power Wheels Jeep – I’m a bit large for this now, so I’ll take the adult version

Super Mario Bros. 2 – America’s fake version, not Japan’s real version

Baseball cards – Only the valuable ones though, thanks.

Grubby – of Teddy Ruxpin fame

Boglins and Blurp Balls – I had both of these, but I lost ‘em.  Promise I’ll take better care of them this time!

Thanks!

Aaron

Merry Twistmas!

Lester's Fixins - Buffalo Wing Soda

Today marks the end of my journey with Old 52, for the time being of course.  They supplied us with several bottles of soda to review and I’ve saved the most bizzare for last.  Cautiosly I stare at a bottle of Lester’s Fixins Buffalo Wing Soda remembering how accurate their Sweet Corn Soda tasted.  I know this is going to taste like liquid Buffalo wings, and I know that’s going to be interesting… and that’s as polite as I can say it.  On this bottle filled with orange liquid there is a picture of a Buffalo wing… just kinda laying there.  They aren’t trying to “fancy” it up; it’s just a Buffalo wing on a bottle of Buffalo wing soda.  They know what they’re doing, and they’re daring you to test it. Enough dawdling, let’s do this.

This.  Is.  Ridiculous.  It smells like Tony Chachere’s seasoning, which is a Cajun seasoning and a staple of many Southern foods.  If I pretend hard enough I think I can smell a bit of orange aroma in the background, but I’m pretty sure that’s just my brain trying to be nice to me.  All the while Lester just sits there on the bottle grinning at me, like he’s waiting on me to try it just so he can see my reaction for his own amusement.  As I’ve said so many times before… let’s amuse Lester.  It’s pretty much my catch phrase.

Ok, so I chickened out just a bit and took the tiniest of sips.  I could have sworn I got a granule of spice in between my teeth when I did it too.  The flavor I received wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t of this world either.  Time to dive in head first.  When it first hits your mouth it tastes a bit like orange soda and that sweetness grasps the inside of your mouth and hangs on even after you’re finished with your current gulp.  The Buffalo sauce flavoring swings in midway and finishes out the experience.  It’s almost like the orange is opening for the Buffalo.  Ever been to a concert where the opener is better than the main event… that’s Lester’s Buffalo Wing Soda.  I’m swishing it around my mouth as I type this wanting to say that it’s horrible, but it’s not.  Don’t get me wrong I’m never going to buy this for myself again, but I can actually drink it.  There’s a spicy kick at the end of each gulp that I would liken to ginger, but it’s not as over powering as ginger can be.  Originally I was going to heat this up and pour it over chicken, which I never bought, because I thought it would be so terrible I wouldn’t get past sip one.  Well I’ve almost finished half the bottle and all is going well.  My stomach is burning a bit, so the after effects (which won’t be listed here) might not be so nice.  Lester’s Buffalo Wing Soda walks that fine line between “prank soda” and “legitimate soda” but tips its hat more towards “prank”.  Of course I have to compare this to all the other sodas I’ve rated, but it’s not going to be as low as I thought it would be.  Malta Hatuey, Beverly, and even Lester’s Sweet Corn are far, far worse than this.  With that said, and my stomach burning and bubbling I leave you with this fun fact.

“Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo” is a working sentence.  Look it up!

~A

Iguana tastes nothing like Buffalo wings... the rumours are FALSE

Rocket Fizz - Gram's Cracker

In front of me I have another Rocket Fizz concoction.  The flavor is officially named Gram’s Cracker, but I think we can all assume that it’s a graham cracker flavored soda and not a cracker flavored soda made by a guy named Gram.  I knew a guy named Gram once, good guy, moving on.  I’m already a little sad to be drinking this soda because I’ve already had Rocket Fizz S’mores Soda which included what I think would be the same graham cracker finish.  Aside from that the S’mores soda also had hints of chocolate and marshmallow, leaving Gram’s Cracker with the remaining solitary flavor.  Are three flavors better than one?  Well the Party Rock themed review I wrote a few days ago would tell you that isn’t always true.   I have a task ahead of me though, so let’s get to it shall we?

Maybe I spoke too soon.  I can unequivocally, yup, went there, say that this smells very strongly of graham cracker, much more so than the S’mores soda did.  Rocket Fizz Gram’s Cracker also smells a bit like burnt cake, but this isn’t off putting by any means.  Let’s see if this would make good ol’ Reverend Graham happy as a substitute for his age old crackers.

Bizzare.  This seems like something I would end up trying at my local carnival.  The graham cracker taste is most certainly there, but I’m not sure I would identify it as such if I didn’t know the flavor I was imbibing.  This has a cream soda taste mostly with a graham cracker finish.  Oddly enough the taste reminds me of those little boxes of animal crackers you’d find at the grocery store.  No, not the bubble shaped ones where you can’t tell hippo from hawk.  I’m taking about Barnum’s Animal Crackers, the one with the actual string handle.  The carbonation level is adequate.  Hey there’s a spider crawling across my shirt.  That’s a little freaky, one sec as I peacefully remove him.  Ok, back.  As I was saying, the carbonation levels aren’t anything to write home about, they blend rather seamlessly into the soda drinking experience.  My biggest qualm is actually how sugary this soda is.  S’mores soda didn’t taste as sweet as this, and without chocolate and marshmallow I’m not sure why Gram’s Cracker reaches this level of sweetness.  There you have it.  Rocket Fizz Gram’s Cracker is somewhat graham cracker flavored, somewhat animal cracker flavored, and somewhat cream soda flavored, all while being too sweet.

~A

One of Twist's middle names is Gram.

Fentimans Cherrytree Cola

Everyday I’m shuffin’… through the bottles in my fridge to figure out which one to review.  I wish one would just jump out at me.  LMFAO!  I can’t believe Old 52 sent us a bottle of Fentimans Cherrytree Cola!  For your information Fentimans Cherrytree Cola is a Fermented Botanical Cherry Drink with Ginger and Herbal Extracts.  That’s what the label says anyway.  This isn’t a level of fermentation though that would keep anyone of any age from purchasing it legally.  I’ve always liked the look of Fentimans bottles and the use of the Cherrytree Records logo (the two companies are linked by this drink) is a great addition.  It’s like the bottle is sexy and it knows it.  Fun fact from Wikipedia:  Cherrytree Records was founded by a Martin Kierszenbaum.  Funner fact from Wikipedia: Kierszenbaum (Kirs zen baum) is German for Cherry Tree.  This beverage in front of me is certainly a higher end soda as it uses cane sugar and ginger root as two of its ingredients.  Let’s see if it’s just as fun to drink as it is to look at.  Everybody just have a good time!

It’s not the strongest aroma you’ll smell, but a good whiff of Fentimans Cherrytree Cola will tell you they aren’t lying about the flavor.  The scent is more of a rich aroma than it is a pungent one.  I can tell there’s a lot going into the soda I’m about to upend into my mouth.  So come to my table, and take a sip.

Unique, I’ll give it that.  I don’t initially think of cherry cola when I’m drinking it which is odd.  The ginger is more overpowering than I thought it would be, but it doesn’t mask the cherry flavor to the point of vanishing.  This shares in the cherry flavoring better than Reed’s Cherry Ginger Brew and that was primarily a cherry beverage where this is a cherry cola.  This certainly tastes fermented a bit, and I’m not positive that’s working too well with the cola.  The cola base is very strong, but is held back by the constant reminder that you have two other flavors to deal with.  Fentimans Cherrytree Cola is like a dance battle in your mouth.  First you have Cola who steps up and reminds you why you joined this crowd of people to watch these random dancers.  He’s good, but not amazing, still worth your time though.  Then Fermented Cherry, or FC, jumps in and kicks Cola in the leg… breaking it.  You immediately don’t like him because he’s already a bit of a jerk (not the good kind), but you still watch in hopes that he’ll be entertaining.  Just as FC starts to grow on you his partner Ginger jumps in and makes the whole scene annoying.  She’s up in your face, screaming at you to “Take it to the Hole”, trying to get you to cheer more for her boy FC, but you’re just not having it.  All you really want is Cola to come back alone and dance or maybe just partner with FC.  Like many dance battles there’s just one too many players here for it to be completely enjoyable.  Remove one and you’d have either a smooth cherry cola, or a fun ginger cola.  Ok, I need to stop.  Hatin’ is bad.  I’m still going to suggest you buy a bottle as it’s a unique soda that I feel should be tried at least once, but I’m not promising it’ll be a night you won’t forget.  As for me… well I just kinda wish I had a Hot Dog.

~A (I work out)

Twist is NOT sorry for party rockin'

Rocket Fizz - Mud Pie

When I picked up this bottle of Old 52 supplied soda I had one question.  What is a mud pie?  My wife said they were treats that composed of chocolate and marshmallows, and then showed me such a treat in the store.  “Huzzah!” I thought to myself, or I said allowed in the store… who knows depending on my mood.  Then later someone reminded me of a Mississippi Mud Pie which is a super chocolaty pie with chocolate filling and crust.  “Huzzah!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, which was rather awkward since we were at the dry cleaners.  As you may have guessed, and I’m saddened if you haven’t, today’s soda is mud pie flavored.  To be more specific the soda of the day is Rocket Fizz Mud Pie soda.  Rocket Fizz has surprised me so far in how good their oddly flavored sodas tasted.  Today they won’t be able to get the sneak attack on me as I’m ready for this to be tasty.  The soda itself is dark amber which give me hope in the amount of chocolate I’ll taste.  Older readers, those of you who have been diligent in following us not those of you over a certain age, may remember when we were on the search for a non-diet chocolate soda.  Well we eventually found one, but it was pretty hit or miss.  Hopefully Rocket Fizz Mud Pie is a more consistent contender.  Let’s find out, shall we?

I’m a little off put by the lack of chocolate scent hitting the inner workings of my nose.  I can smell it, but I really have to pull it in.  For some reason I’m getting more coffee than chocolate, but if I remember correctly that’s how S’mores soda started off as well.  So all is not lost just yet.  On with the tasting!

Whelp, I’m saddened.  Just as the scent warned this tastes more of coffee, mocha really, than it does chocolate.  This is a shame as I’m not a fan of coffee at all.  You can tell they didn’t mean for it to taste like coffee as I said it does at least have the rumblings of mocha.  If this was truly a coffee soda I wouldn’t still be drinking it for this review.  I’m pretty sure the review would say “Gross.  Coffee Soda.  Run Away”.  I’m not really sure why I capitalized every word in that fake review, but that’s a path we’ll have to wonder about later.  The carbonation I’m greeted with here is light, but noticeable.  At least they went the right route when choosing the amount of bubbly to put into this lie.  I can’t imagine a heavily carbonated coffee/chocolate soda; both of those things need a smoother mouth-feel than other sodas in my opinion.  So now I sit here contemplating what to rate Rocket Fizz Mud Pie.  On one hand I could probably finish this bottle, on the other I feel that the flavor listed is a lie.  I’m sorry Rocket Fizz, but you had the chance to really knock something out of the park this time.  Instead as I threw you the pitch you pulled out a tennis racket.

~A

Twist makes a mean mud pie.

Howdy - Lemon Lime

Howdy!  Not hello, hi, how are you, ‘sup, or anything else.  I’ve greeted people this way for years now.  Heck I said it so much it was my nickname for a while.  Some might say it’s because I’m a Texan, but a lot of Texan’s don’t say “Howdy”.  I guess it sounds just a bit too country for them.  My grandfather used to say “Howdy Do”, which of course is short for “How do you do?”  I’ve always felt that “Howdy” sounded friendlier than other greetings and my time at Texas A&M proved that to me.  People would greet one another on campus with a friendly “Howdy” even if the recipient was a stranger.  So you see, whenever you label something with the word “Howdy” you’re already in my good graces.  Today’s soda, once again supplied to us by Old 52, is Howdy Lemon Lime.  From the research I’ve done I learned that Howdy Lemon Lime is the original 7up formula.  The bottle even says “The Taste that made Lemon Lime Famous”.  Frequent or observant readers of the site may remember that 7up is my favorite lemon-lime soda of the big 3.  So now we have a soda with one of my all-time favorite words that’s also the original formula for one of my favorite mainstream lemon lime sodas.  Howdy has been around since 1920 and of course is made with pure cane sugar.  Enough chatter, this green glass bottle is starting to sweat out of nervousness that I’m not going to drink it.

Howdy Lemon Lime has a strong citrusy aroma.  My nose can sense that this may be sourer than I originally thought.  The sweetness lilts in my nose after the sour has dissipated.  Congratulations Howdy, your scent has made me thirsty. 

There is certainly more lime in here than I bargained for and I love it.  So often when a soda is labeled with being flavored lemon-lime you get a generic citrus taste where each flavor can’t be discerned.  Howdy Lemon Lime breaks that mold and allows you to taste both the lemon and the lime individually.  I’m sure using lime juice and lime oil help this cause tremendously as it’s the lemon that’s usually too overpowering for its green brethren.  Carbonation wise it fizzes just enough to tickle the tonsils (or back of the throat if you’re tonsil free) on its way down.  Lime steps out first shocking your senses, making you wonder about lemon.  As lime drifts away lemon steps up and socks you in the face leaving you licking your lips tasting the sour fruit.  Howdy Lemon Lime both improves my mood and makes me sad.  I’m happy for all of the reasons listed above.  I’m saddened because this is what 7up could have been today.  With all that said color me pleased to have tasted Howdy Lemon Lime.

~A

Twist says "Howdy", do you?