Sprecher Cherry-Cran

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Sprecher Cherry-Cran

I thought I’d tried every Sprecher soda out there, but thankfully I haven’t.  Sprecher makes some of the most consistently great soda out there and has wonderful label art to boot.  Today’s flavor offering is Cherry-Cran (sweetened with a combination of glucose syrup and honey), which is sounds a bit odd if you ask me.  Normally when “Cran” is involved it gets first billing, like Cran-Apple or Cran-Grape.  Perhaps Ocean Spray has just made my brain accept that this is the normal order of things.  Well here comes Sprecher to throw chaos into the mix with their Cherry-Cran taste, and I’m quite pleased to try it.

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Jackson Hole Soda - Grand Teton Grape

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Jackson Hole Soda - Grand Teton Grape

My fifth grade teacher was talking to us about the Grand Teton Mountain Range.  I’m not sure why, I just remember the subject being discussed.  At the end of the conversation she told us “Do you know what Grand Teton means?  It means large *makes motion with hands that would make anyone think breasts*”.  I’m not sure why she told us that, if it was a giggle test to check our maturity or if she just wanted to make learning cool.  Either way it stuck with me, though there’s a chance it was named after the Teton Sioux tribe instead.  

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Private Selection - Huckleberry Hibiscus Cream Soda

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Private Selection - Huckleberry Hibiscus Cream Soda

The final bottle of Private Selection (Kroger Brand) soda is upon us.  Huckleberry Hibiscus Cream Soda is the flavor on hand and I’ve saved it for last for a reason.  I’m often intimidated by flower flavored beverages.  You tell me something tastes like cherry I know what to expect.  Cola?  You bet, I have several examples of that in my mind.  Sarsaparilla is where it begins to get a little fuzzy, but I still feel confident enough to write on it.  Rose, Hibiscus, or Lemongrass… I really reach to put my thoughts on paper.

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MTN DEW Game Fuel - Arctic Burst

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MTN DEW Game Fuel - Arctic Burst

In clearing out my backlog of sodas that I need to review I came across a variety of Mountain (stock symbol MTN) Dew (stock symbol DEW).  MTN DEW as many of you are aware is known for their somewhat experimental nature with sodas which is certainly something I applaud them for. Their army of soda flavors and penchant for change is a strength in the soda world in my opinion.  Not all of the flavors are a hit with me, but guess what, I’m not the only person in the world who drinks soda so that’s A-OK.

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Private Selection - Creamy Ginger Root Beer

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Private Selection - Creamy Ginger Root Beer

Another day, another bottle of Private Selection soda from Kroger.  The past few bottles have been honest in their flavor which is appreciated.  Today’s offering is Creamy Ginger Root Beer.  From the name alone I’m fairly excited to taste this one.  I like creamy sodas, I like ginger sodas, I like root sodas, and I like beer sodas.  Perhaps my breakdown is a little off, but you get the jist.  Here’s hoping this soda’s “title” isn’t the only delectable portion.

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Private Selection - Irish Cream: Cream Soda

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Private Selection - Irish Cream: Cream Soda

“Howdy” to all the citizens of the Carbo-Nation!  It’s 2018 and we’ve got some new sodas to review.  First things first we’re going to continue visiting some of the Private Selection (read: Kroger) brand sodas I picked up a while back.  They all seem to be non-alcoholic sodas themed to be like alcoholic sodas.  It’s an odd pairing, but they’ve been pretty spot on so far with their flavor creation.

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Private Selection - Bourbon Barrel Cola

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Private Selection - Bourbon Barrel Cola

It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed a cola, so when I ventured out into the wilds and found myself in a Kroger I was hopeful.  On the far end of the soda aisle, where the “fancy” sodas live, I saw a grouping of Private Selection brand beverages.  Private Selection is a Kroger brand, but they do a good job keeping their name off the bottle and go with a simple, elegant design.  Fortunately for me one of the Private Selection sodas is a cola, specifically Bourbon Barrel Cola.

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Lester’s Fixins Ranch Dressing Soda

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Lester’s Fixins Ranch Dressing Soda

I’m not going to hem and haw all that much here.  I’m about to drink a Ranch Dressing Soda by Lester’s Fixins.  With a surprisingly short ingredient list of Carbonated Water, Sugar, Sodium Benzoate, gum acacia, natural flavor, and ester gum, I’m a little impressed/concerned.  Let’s just get to it.

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Bai Lambari Watermelon Lime

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Bai Lambari Watermelon Lime

Unexpected, but sweet.  Like a water balloon fight with your grandma.”

In a font the same size as the flavor of the drink, that’s what the makers of Bai - Lambari Watermelon Lime want you to know about their beverage.  This stylish black can with minimalistic design caught my eye at the store.  According to the can it’s not a soda it’s a “sparkling antioxidant infusion”.  You’re a non-alcoholic, carbonated, flavored beverage; that’s a soda in our book.

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Saborsazo Manzana Fresca

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Saborsazo Manzana Fresca

Who here has never had an apple soda?  If your arm is up I applaud your dedication to this bit and suggest you try an apple soda this week.  Pepsi makes one called Manzanita Sol that should be fairly easy to get if you can’t find one from a Mexican bottling company.  Apple sodas are good and are rarely as sweet as your berry flavored carbonated beverages.  They’re usually smooth, refreshing, and hold a somewhat natural taste to apples.  What I have in front of me today is an apple soda, specifically one called Saborsazo Manzana Fresca. 

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La Gloria Sicilian Lemon

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La Gloria Sicilian Lemon

I’m fortunate to be surrounded by kind people.  One of those said kind people, Blue Rumer as she’ll be referred to, went to Spain.  Blue Rumer went to Spain and brought me back a soda, a sparkling lemonade to be exact called la Gloria Sicilian Lemon.  Anytime I consume a beverage from another country it’s like a miniature vacation for my face.  Here is where I thank Blue Rumer for the tiny bottle of sparkling lemonade, the miniature face vacation, and get on with the review at hand.  

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MTN DEW.S.A.

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MTN DEW.S.A.

As we approach July 4th a swell of patriotism may begin to fill the chests of American’s.  MTN Dew has given us the opportunity to pair this patriotism with bubbly sugar water with not one, but three flavors.  MTN DEW.S.A. (GET IT?!) is what I hold in my hand thanks to one J. Dewitsky.  The three Dew flavors that have been combined to create this are Code Red, White Out, and Voltage.  The flavors, as you DEW Heads may have noticed, are red, white, and blue.  They are really hammering this theme here, so we might as well indulge in it ourselves.

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Saborsazo Limon

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Saborsazo Limon

This review is a review of firsts for me.  I’ve never used my phone as a mobile hotspot until now and I’ve never typed a review in my car until now.  How will this affect the overall quality of the review?  Read on to find out.  Today we’re going to tackle a drink I already have an opinion on, Saborsazo Limon.  I bought this soda from HEB a while back, possibly last year, but after consuming it didn’t want to write about it… I just wanted more.  I’ve had probably twenty cans of the stuff since then, but with my new push to put out content for the site felt it was time to jump this the biggest of hurdles.

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7UP

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I didn’t think I’d be writing a review of 7UP, but here we are. Back in 2011 I reviewed Retro 7UP, the cane sugar sweetened version of what I’m about to drink. Since 7UP, in it’s most common state, is filled with HFCS it felt needed to included on the site. Is this considered stat padding? Perhaps… but it’s different enough to count, just like you. There, don’t you feel motivated now?

The green tail of a plastic iguana wraps around a 7.5 ounce can of 7-UP.

Opening the can created a thunderous crack, much more so than any cans I can remember opening in recent memory. The scent that wafts out is a familiar one, more crisp lime than lemon but so bright a smell that it’s hard to not just call it citrus. Let’s drink, shall we?

A somewhat sticky lime/lemon taste immediately coats my mouth. Through no fault of it’s own I remember being sick. You see, 7UP was the “go to” cure all for an upset stomach in my house as a kid, often paired with a sleeve of Ritz crackers. So while 7UP is by far and away my favorite of the mainstream lemon/lime sodas, there is also the curtain of sick nostalgia that weighs it down.

The sips begin with a sharp burn on the back of my throat, and after three or four a burp is summoned burning just a little bit more skin off the ol’ uvula. The lemon and lime play nicely together, sharing my tastebuds equally. The aftertaste is sticky, but pleasant. It mirrors the initial flavor of the beverage instead of being some fun house mirror version of it. All in all I still enjoy the occasional 7UP and often keep it stocked in my fridge along side the Dr Pepper. Are they the fanciest sodas around? No, of course not, but they hold strong in my own personal culture.

~A