Cascal Light Red

   So I saw a bottle of what I thought was a soda called Cas Cal… but it turns out that’s the actual companies name.  First off that reminds me of a dish detergent name but I don’t know why.  Then I searched the bottle for the name of the flavor it incased and the best I could find was “Light Red”.  Fortunately the bottle also included the fact that the soda had “notes” of black current, cherry, and mirabelle, which is apparently a variety of plum.  So I take this bottle to Mike’s so that we may record a Popcast about it, and in the process of studying the bottle I learn that almost everything in this is fermented.  Sigh.  I’m not a big fan of the fermented sodas but needless to say it still needs to be reviewed. 

   This smells horrible.  Ok, maybe horrible is too strong a word but this isn’t anything I would normally ingest without some sort of compensation.  Today’s compensation is the fact that I later get to post this article to our fellow citizens of the Carbo-Nation.  Time for consumption.

   Amazingly it doesn’t taste nearly as horrible as it smells, so I guess it’s got that going for it. One delightful thing about this is the fact that it’s very lightly carbonated.  There is a slight fruity flavor, but honestly there is nothing special here.  I occasionally get the slight flavor of tea but the fermentation is warping the “light red” flavor to the point where I really don’t want to finish this bottle.  I feel badly making this such a short review but honestly there is nothing else that needs to be said about this.  It has light carbonation and a slight but warped fruit flavor tainted by fermentation.  This is a big ol’ bottle of Meh.

~A

Light Red... more like Light Dead. Sigh.  Twist always wrote the witty captions.

Jarritos Lime Soda

   Please be good.  Please, please, please be the best lime soda I’ve ever had.  Oh!  Hi there, Aaron here from TheSodaJerks.net.  Perhaps you saw me begging and pleading with this bottle of Jarritos Lime Soda to be of excellent quality and taste.  If so, I’m very sorry to have embarrassed you like that.  If not… well then you don’t read our reviews very carefully do you?  As you may know I have a dream of finding a great lime soda but that dream has not been realized yet.  Hopefully today Jarritos will show me that my dream is not of the “pipe” variety.  Let’s open this up and see where it takes us. 

   Upon smelling the opening of the bottle I notice a very slight lime scent.  This of course is somewhat promising, but how much of that promise will translate into a delicious lime taste?  There’s only one way to answer that question… drink the soda.  I guess we could have someone else drink it, and then allow them to review the soda for us but that wouldn’t be much fun would it?  Here goes.

   I’m… I’m liking this.  Fortunately this is not one of those lime sodas where it just tastes like you’re drinking off brand 7-Up.  While I wouldn’t compare it to cutting open a lime and sucking out the sour goodness, I also wouldn’t compare this to lime flavored candy either.  The flavor I’m experiencing here is in the middle of those two places, not too sour, not too candy sweet, in fact it’s very pleasant.  Jarritos Lime Soda starts off without a lot of bite but as its incredible journey through the mouth continues the carbonation seems to attack your throat with a barrage of tiny bubbles. 

   The aftertaste that is left is slight, but delightfully sweet.  This is also a very refreshing beverage with a somewhat light mouth feel, one I would enjoy on a hot day.  That must sound kind of silly.  “What kind of soda wouldn’t be good on a hot day, YOU FOOL?!”  First off… cool it.  Secondly, there are several beverages that might sit heavily in your stomach.  For example strawberry soda is one you might not want to chug after playing cartoon freeze tag with all your friends.  Well all your friends except Tyler since he’s a jerk and all.  I can’t believe he borrowed Super Dodge Ball from you and when you finally got it back it wouldn’t work.  You tried to play it but you just kept getting the title screen and some weird jumbled version of the title screen flashing back and forth while the first second of the title music repeats over and over again.  What kind of friend ruins your favorite Nintendo game?  No friend of mine.  Getting back on track though, you could chug that strawberry soda but be prepared to watch all your friends recall in horror as you seem to lose more blood than humanly possible through your mouth.  What a delightful mental picture that is! 

   Back to this, now empty, bottle of Jarritos Lime Soda.  While I will not say that my dream has been fulfilled, Jarritos Lime Soda is the best lime flavored soda I’ve had to date.  With that said my rating may hold a bit of a bias.  I have just had the best lime soda I’ve ever tasted, and lime soda might not be all that important to you.  With that said, know that this is a definite buy but that my rating is as follows.

~A

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Jarritos.)

Faux Fact:  Twist is lime flavored.

Maine Root Blueberry Soda

   Let me start off this review, which you would know the outcome of if you listened to Popcast Episode 29, by stating the fact that I’m not all that fond of blueberries.  I like blueberry muffins but that’s pretty much where my love for the tiny spherical fruit ends.  I do not like them in the raw; I do not like them in my jaw.  I do not want them in my cakes; they make my taste buds slightly ache.  I will not eat them with a goat; I will not eat them in a moat.  I do not like the berries blue; but I would not mind a new kazoo.  There… point made.  On the other hand this is Maine Root Blueberry Soda.  Maine Root sodas are known for including fair trade ingredients with an excellent quality about them.  Hopefully that will help sway the flavor to something closer to my liking.  On with the drinking!

   Ok, so I haven’t tasted it yet but if you’ve read any of my reviews you know that I huff my beverage first to get you a little bit more information about them.  This one smells remarkably like blueberries but not overly so.  It’s a nice sweet smell without being too powerful.  No without further adieu… the first sip.

   Delicious!  This is a fantastic soda!  The blueberry flavoring (created by using actual blueberry juice) is flavored just right.  This isn’t as tart as a raw blueberry would be, nor is it as sweet as you might find in a pie.  I compare the aftertaste to that of a blueberry muffin, without the warm bread of course.  For someone who isn’t all that fond of blueberries I must say that I’m highly impressed.  For a company to make me like something I normally do not is truly a success on their part!  Maine Root Blueberry Soda also packs the perfect amount of carbonation for its flavor.  It’s not necessarily a smooth beverage but a blueberry soda shouldn’t be in my opinion.  Sorry if my words seem a little jumbled but I’m generally excited about this soda.  The only downside I’ve noticed is that the flavor degrades the warmer the bottle gets.  I know this is common with all sodas but this one seems to be doing so at a much quicker pace.  So as I chug the last bit of Maine Root Blueberry Soda I’ll leave you with this… the rating.

~A

It stands alone in awesome blueberry taste... on a Formica counter top

Jarritos Mango

   Continuing the Jarritos reviews, we now have Jarritos Mango to experience.  When I think of this exquisite fruit all that floods my mind are these scholarly words.  "Can you know the mighty ocean?  Can you lasso a star from the sky?  Can you say to a rainbow... 'Hey, stop being a rainbow for a second'?  No!  Such is Mango!"  While I’m not sure if the intellectual that spoke those words is absolutely right with their description of mango, it does indeed have a very unique flavor.  I’m excited; you’re excited, let’s drink.

   What a great aroma this Jarritos Mango produces.  Since I somewhat know what I’m to expect here, this exceeds what I did expect.  It’s a very rich and robust mango scent that emits from the top of the bottle.  Enough of the chit chat; let us partake in my first mango soda.

   CURSE YOU NOSE!  My nose always seems to be the hype engine when it comes to soda.  Recently the smell seems to be stronger than the taste in the sodas I’ve reviewed.  With that said, this is still a very nice soda.  You definitely get a punch of mango to the back of the throat almost instantly.  The mango flavor is easily identified, and the aftertaste is delightful as well.  This has more of a soda mouth feel than what I thought it would, strong, tart, and to the point.  To improve this though I think I would make it a little bit creamier of a soda.  I want less punch to the throat and more ‘sitting on a beach’ relaxation.   Mango soda should be smooth in my opinion, and a bit more flavorful than what Jarritos has done here.  This, of course, is my opinion.  If you’re a fan of the mango, or even if you’re not, you should still try this soda.

~A

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Jarritos.)

Twist, sadly, is allergic to Mangoes

HEB Original Cola

   What sits in front of me today is a marvel of the world, but then again I’m not that well traveled.  HEB Original Cola is the name of the game: a store brand cola.  If you haven’t guessed by now, HEB is a grocery store here in Texas.  As far as grocery store chains go… this one is definitely in my Top Three.  “Why is this HEB Original Cola a marvel?” you ask?  It’s made with pure cane sugar.  THANK YOU!  A store brand cola made with pure cane sugar!  HEB Original Cola also doesn’t have any sodium benzoate polluting it either!  The art on the outside of the can is retro and unlike anything you’d see branded by a grocery store.  With all that said this still needs to taste delicious.  So let us find out together. 

   The smell that comes from this cream colored can is definitely that of cola.  You could wave this in front of my nose and I’d probably guess it was a Coke or an RC Cola.  I’m not the best sniffer in the world, but the aroma seems to be a combination of the two.  Enough chatter, more drink!

   Very nice.  HEB Original Cola tastes like a Coke but without as much of the bite.  That’s not to say its’ bite isn’t noticeable, in fact it’s quite pleasant.  As much as I’d love to sing the praises of this cola’s amazing flavor, it’s going to be pretty hard to.  There is nothing in the flavor that sets it apart from Coke, Pepsi, or RC… but that is where it achieves victory.  This is a store brand cola sold at a lesser cost than the big three.  HEB Original Cola also has better ingredients than the big three colas.  You’re getting the flavor of cola you’re familiar with for a cheaper price and with better ingredients.  Give me a reason NOT to buy it.  Think of any movie where they need to recruit a warrior of some sort to help defeat an evil force.  Do they pick the biggest warrior with the shiniest red armor that will join you for a price?  Do they pick the flashy blue warrior with the newest gear that constantly tells you how he could beat up the red warrior at a moment’s notice?  No.  They pick that guy in the back of the bar.  Sure he gave up being a warrior a lifetime ago, but they appeal to his honor, his morals, and his values.  He reluctantly joins, and the audience is disappointed at first that this was the best the group could get.  As soon as the first battle starts you realize he’s not just some washed up warrior, he’s Hebor, King of All Warriors!  All he needed was for someone to give him a chance, to let him shine.  Give HEB Original Cola a chance to shine.  Pick it up one day instead of Coke or Pepsi, and see if you aren’t impressed.

~A

Twist enjoys the fact that the can has a picture of a bottle cap on it

Zuberfizz Creamy Root Beer

   Sadly I’ve been neglecting the Zuberfizz sodas in my fridge.  Zuberfizz brand sodas have found to be very inconsistent in their quality.  One minute I’m drinking a great Key Lime, and the next minute I open a different bottle of the same flavor and it’s a watery version of the soda I just fawned over.  Today I am examining a bottle of Zuberfizz Creamy Root Beer!  If it’s not one of the watery ones I bet it’ll be delicious!  Times a waistin’!

   It has a very nice root beer aroma, Captain Obvious… I know.  It almost has the smell of A&W Root Beer Barrels, which I love.  So far so good, let’s see if its flavor can match up to its smell.

   No…no it can’t.  This isn’t gross, this isn’t horrible, this doesn’t make me go into a Oedipal rage making me want to kill my father and marry my mother.  I’m not even sure that last sentence made sense.  Anywho, this is boring root beer.  Guess what?  This tastes watered down, and THIS is why I’m not fond of reviewing Zuberfizz sodas.  I know for a fact they can be good, but for whatever reason I keep catching watered down batches of them.  I like this company so much;  I want them to succeed.  The label art is great, the ingredients for the most part are great, heck even the name is cool.  I’m not going to go into a rant today just because I don’t think the fine folks at Zuberfizz are deserving of one.  Zuberfizz Creamy Root Beer is kind of creamy, but for the most part it’s just watery.  If indeed all of their root beer tastes like this you’re better off drinking other brands.  This, in short, is root beer for babies.

~A

Twist's mouth is watering so much for this watery root beer that water is on the bottle... water.

Gamer Soda Grape

   Three Gamer Soda flavors down… one to go!  Since this particular Gamer Soda doesn’t have a flavor listed on it, yet the packaging is purple, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that it’s grape.  I am the connoisseur of grape flavored sodas between the two of us, and I look forward to trying this installment from Gamer.  You can read all about my history with grape sodas in some of the many links I’m posting in this article.  Enough chit chat… time for business!

   This has a cheap grocery store brand grape soda smell.  Now if you’ve read those articles I told you about, then you’d know that sentence is a compliment.  For those of you who are too lazy to read the articles, that first sentence means that it has a strong, recognizable, definite, grape odor.  Gamer Soda surprises me most every time when it comes to the punch of the aroma that escapes the bottle, shame on me for doubting.   Let’s find out if the flavor matches.

   The first thing I noticed is that my stomach is VERY empty.  I really need to eat something after I finish this review.  Secondly I’m really impressed with the amount of flavor I’m getting here.  It has that “artificial grape” taste (again, read the articles…), but with a very clean finish.  Gamer Soda Grape seems to have the best of both worlds, excluding the sodium benzoate of course.   You get just the right amount of grape flavoring without all of the heaviness a non-brand grape soda would carry with it.  If I do say so myself, Gamer Soda Grape is the first refreshing grape soda I’ve ever had.  There’s really not much more to say.  I don’t even have a funny story to go with this, so here’s an amusing word… Wolpertinger.

~A

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Gamer Soda)

Twist is actually half Wolpertinger... which makes him 100% Wolpertinger

Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock Soda

   As promised I’m going to try something a little different today with the review today.  In front of me is the head of a dog.  I don’t know if the dog’s name is Fentiman, or if Fentiman is a particularly unattractive person who happens to look like a dog.  It doesn’t matter who/what Fentiman is.  What does matter is that I have a bottle of his Dandelion & Burdock soda in front of me, given to us by Dustin H.  Since I haven’t the slightest idea of what this could taste like, I thought it might be fun to do the review without trying the soda… then taste the soda and give the real review.   Care to play?  Yes, let’s.

***Faux Review:

Ok let’s take some time to smell the roses…er… dandelions, and open this beautiful bottle up.  Wow, the smell isn’t quite as strong as I thought it’d be, but what I do smell has a fruity scent to it.  The closest thing I can describe the smell to is mixed berry yogurt, Yoplait of course.  Ok, enough smelling… time to drink!

Hmm… that’s a hard flavor to describe (especially when I haven’t tasted it yet, tee hee).  While I definitely still taste the berries I initially smelled, I also get kind of an earthy flavor hitting me in the spot my tonsils used to reside.  I like this, but I don’t think I’d drink it every day.  The sweetness is just about perfect, but I wish there was a bit more fizz to this.  I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but I’m glad I ended up giving it a try.  Speaking of trying new things…

Faux Verdict – Buy a Pack***

   Ok, how was that?  Hopefully it’s fairly accurate, but we’re about to find out for realsies.  Let’s open this bad boy up.

   Ok it definitely does have a fruity smell, but much closer to a combination of cherries and grape Robitussin.  I can smell the slight amount of alcohol in this.  Just a heads up, it is fermented, and has less than 0.5% alcohol by volume.  I decided to drink this because it was given to us by a fan, but it technically doesn’t meet all of our standards for a soda we’d normally review.  Enough chatter, let’s take a swig.

   That is a peculiar flavor, and I don’t really taste much sugar at all.  Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock starts off with a flavor comparable to cough syrup, which transforms into… well, cough syrup.  It’s obviously not thick like cough syrup so I guess that’s a plus.  Oh no!  Someone has put a gun to my head, and is making me describe it in one sentence!  It tastes like cough syrup soda without the vapory feeling cough syrup gives your mouth.  Fwew!  He’s gone… thanks for all your help!  Oh, another thing.   It also has a bit of a black licorice finish to it, but it’s so slight I reluctantly added it only after Twist made me.  One positive comment I will say about Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock is that you don’t have to search for the flavor… unlike my previous experience with Dry Soda Co. Lavender.  Sadly though, it seems that this really isn’t up my alley… and that’s fine.  If you’re a big fan of the ‘Tussin maybe you should give it a try.  I for one like a little ‘Tussin.

~A

Twist got soooooo WASTED!

Thomas Kemper Vanilla Cream

   It seems that when you drink a Thomas Kemper product you’re probably not going to regret your choice.  Hopefully today’s installment follows that particular path.  In front of me sits a bee.  The bee in front of me sits on a bottle of Thomas Kemper Vanilla Cream.  As you probably know Thomas Kemper has both Northwest honey, and cane sugar included in the ingredients… so we may be in for a sweet treat here.  Let’s take a whiff.

   It smells like a cream soda flavored Dum-Dum brand sucker… which is certainly not a bad thing, but I can assume (yes I know what happens when you assume) that this is going to be incredibly sweet from the aroma alone.  I wasn’t really feeling a cream soda today, but this may get me to change my tune.  Time for a drink.

   Well oddly enough it’s not a sweet as I thought it would be, nor is it all that creamy.  While the bite you feel before the cream is weak, it’s still stronger than something you’d normally find in a drink as smooth as cream soda.  The vanilla flavoring can’t be missed as it jumps in behind the initial fizz.  Since I enjoy giving random analogies, and it seems a few of you enjoy them too, here’s one describing the relationship between the fizz and vanilla flavoring.  Picture that you’re walking through an empty castle; you’ve been there a week exploring with your best friend, so you kind of know your way around.  Turning through the corridors you hear the laughter of children coming from around the corner.  Poking your head around you only see a deserted hallway, but no sooner do you turn back around that someone jumps out in front of you and gives your heart a slight rush.  Don’t worry; it’s your best friend Fizz.  Why his parents named him Fizz we’ll never know.  It only takes a split-second to realize this and begin to calm down, but then a tiny deformed version of Fizz jumps out from behind him and screams at you.   Thankfully tiny deformed Fizz is wearing a shirt that reads “Vanilla” so that this analogy would make more sense.  That was just a fun way of saying, first you’re hit with fizz, then a dose of vanilla you can’t ignore… but the vanilla isn’t very smooth.    This is an ok Vanilla Cream soda… but there better ones out there.

~A

Twist is afraid of bees... hence the shaking

Gamer Soda Orange

   Gamer soda is back in our hands, and this time it has the flavor of oranges.  As you may know we’ve already tried two of the Gamer soda flavors… cherry and citrus.  I’m a fan of orange soda, so I’m quite interested to see how well this clear concoction delivers.   Let’s open it shall we?

   The smell is most definitely orange.  It’s not a chemically smelling orange either; in fact it smells like the fine mist that occurs when you squeeze an orange peel.   For now I’m going to file that in the “Yay” book.  Drinkin’ time.

   Well that’s odd.  The smell definitely has a more lingering orange experience to it than the taste.  Gamer Orange doesn’t have a diet taste to it, but the mouth feel is that of a diet drink.  What I mean by that is it doesn’t sit heavy in your mouth like say a Sunkist Orange Soda would.  A light mouth feel is fine and dandy (like sour candy) but this is just a bit too light for me.  Picture one of those people who own a pet parrot, but are really too close to it.  You know the people I’m talking about, they allow the birds head into their mouth so it can pick at their teeth.  Now picture a parrot of your choosing picking at the teeth of its owner, who we will now call Raphael.  This particular parrot accidentally dropped a candy orange slice on the back of the Raphael’s tongue (no questions on how he got one, parrots are crafty creatures), but then being greedy the parrot immediately picked the orange slice back up again.  This only teased Raphael’s taste buds to the fantastic flavor of orange he could be experiencing had he not raised a greedy parrot.  That is what Gamer Orange tastes like… without the taste of parrot feathers of course.  The beverage taunts you with what it could be if the flavor only lasted a little longer.  Sure you have a decent aftertaste, and in a lot of cases that would be enough for me, but not in this one.  After this rant you might think that I’d rate this beverage lower, but the orange flavor they tease you with really is tasty… like crackers.

~A

**Update!**

We received an e-mail from Gamer Soda explaining the way the flavor hits your tongue!

Considering your parrot analogy, when you sweeten with real (cane) sugar, the flavor comes & goes quicker because it doesn’t coat your mouth like syrup. HFCS has been commercially used for so long now that most consumers have gotten used to it’s yuckiness. You can really tell the difference when comparing side-by-side, and if you ever compare the 2 at room temperature, there’s a huge difference (not that you’d drink a soda at room temperature…this almost qualifies as a sin). The cane sugar soda tastes fine, but the HFCS can barely be tolerated. Lastly, cane sugar sodas don’t need nearly the same carbonation, because you don’t have to trick your taste buds like you do when using corn syrup. As they say, you get what you pay for!

Thanks to Gamer Soda for showing an interest in the site, and helping teach us all a little bit more about soda.

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Gamer Soda)

After one too many oranges I can get Twist to clean my teeth

Saint Arnold Root Beer

   Funny story… we’ve reviewed Saint Arnold’s Root Beer before, but we lost the review.  So here it is again… kinda.  Many people in Houston feel that Saint Arnold’s Root could be the best root beer out there.  I think this has to do with the Saint Arnold’s Brewery being located in Houston (Saint Arnold is the patron saint of hop-pickers and Belgian brewers), but you can’t blame citizens being proud of something from their hometown.  I was born and raised here in Houston, so let’s find out if by the end of this review Saint Arnold doesn’t get a title upgrade.  Wait… what’s higher than a Saint?  Never mind…  it’s time to open.  Wait, I can't continue without mentioning this.  The bottle cap says "Saint Arnold - Yummy Root Beer" Really?!  Ok, REVIEW ON!

   The smell is quite nice, vanilla is definitely noticed which is pleasant.  If I had to compare it to a brand that most everyone has tried then I’d say it’s very similar to IBC in odor.  Let’s check out the taste.

   That whole “smell is 80% of taste” thing just might have some validity behind it, as this tastes similar to IBC Root Beer as well.  The vanilla I tasted is also featured, but quickly ducks behind the curtains only to shove carbonation onto the stage.  That was just a fancy way of saying that I tasted the vanilla, but then the burn from the bubbles took over my mouth.  So far so good right?  Not so fast there Sport.  The finish of this root beer is quite watery.  Not obscenely watery mind you, but something that’s going to take its rating down a notch.  “But I like watery root beer” you say, well what if that watery finish was followed by a dirty aftertaste?  “But…but…but…” you’d stammer, and then I’d tell you to visit our site and try again.  Saint Arnold’s got halfway to a good root beer and then stopped.  The first half of your taste experience is great, and sets your mind to positive thoughts.  Sadly the second half just doesn’t deliver.  Let’s try this Generation Y example… the first half of the beverage is TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze… the second half is TMNT 3: Turtles in Time.  If you thought that TMNT 3 was awesome, then I have no more words for you… well except these.

~A

Faux Fact:  Twist is the patron saint of bottle caps.

Bundaberg Australian Ginger Beer

   Oh boy!  It’s time to remind myself of how much of a wuss I am as I attempt to consume a Bundaberg Australian Ginger Beer.  Read as I curl into the fetal position because the main ingredient is “fire”.  There is no actual fire in this bottle, but something tells me that if I can’t drink an American ginger beer without discomfort, an Australian one will leave me in tears.  If you don’t know our history of reviewing ginger beer, here’s a short lesson.  Neither one of us can finish a bottle because our throats cry as much as you do when you watch Steel Magnolias.  BURN!  Yes, we’re talking about the burn.  You know the packaging… cool top, cool kangaroo, and pieces of ginger floating within.  Let’s take a whiff.

   Smells like ginger… I was always a Mary Ann kinda guy myself though.  BRING ON THE PAIN!

   The first drink is how I remember most ginger beer, a little bit of bite, with an almost gingersnap aftertaste.  It’s like the ginger beer is luring you into a safe place, waiting to pounce on you with napalm.  Let’s us now continue… counting along the way to see how many drinks it will take before I can takes no more!  Two.  I felt a little bit of the fire on this one, but nothing that’s going to scare me off.  Three.  The flames are lingering a bit more, but I’m still enjoying the flavor enough to keep on going.  Four.  That gulp had some bite in it… not so much fire as the initial sting of the ginger.  I kind of liked it.  Am I becoming a man?  Five.  Tamer than four, and I think I’m going to stop counting now and see if I can’t just finish this off.  I’ve now consumed more than half the bottle, and while my throat is in a little bit of discomfort, finishing this beverage will make me feel better about myself. (88 MPH)  Finished, and the only time I felt any true discomfort was on the last swig.  While I know I shouldn’t, I genuinely feel tougher.  Yes look at me; I’m so tough I can drink an Australian ginger beer.  Ha HA!  Watch as my fist goes through this brick wall, into a bank safe, and comes out with a fist full of diamond dust that I created by crushing a piece of coal.  To be honest I’ve had harsher ginger beer, but I could never truly appreciate them due to my kitten like sensitivities.  With Bundaberg Australian Ginger Beer I’m able to drink, taste, and enjoy it while getting a feeling of accomplishment at the end.  This has a great ginger flavor, a tolerable amount of burn, and a rockin’ kangaroo on the bottle.  If you like ginger beer at all you’ll probably want to…

~A

Oddly enough, Twist had kangaroo for dinner

Zuberfizz Grape Soda

  Oh Zuberfizz, how you perplex us.  One minute I can be enjoying a delicious beverage from your factory, and the next I can open a different drink of the same flavor only to find it watery.  In front of me I have a bottle of Zuberfizz Grape Soda, and since I’m such a “Grape” guy, it’s my job to review it.  I already know Mike’s call on this beverage… he claimed that it was watery.  He also made that claim before we knew that Zuberfizz Soda was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde.  Now that we know that there are both, I have to hope this is one of the good ones.  If in fact it is watery, I have to hold it against them.  Hopefully, like Hot Lips did, they will explain why some of their beverages don’t quite match up to others.  Let’s open this up.

  Well some good news is the fact that it smells like a grape jolly rancher.  I really do hope that means the flavor is strong as well.  I always enjoy it when the cool refreshing cloud escapes from the neck of the bottle… if only it were the color of the beverage it was fleeing.   Time to drink.

  How sad, it’s watery.  While there is a decent amount of grape flavoring, it has no real bite.  It’s a smooth soda, but I’m not sure I like that for a grape flavored beverage.  I want to be able to feel this punch me in the back of the throat.  While I like that they use real cane sugar, this tastes to me like watered down grape soda that’s trying to hide behind its sugar.  What I mean by that is since there is no bite for the sweetness to compete with; it makes the drink seem too sweet.  It’s not a gross flavor by any means, but I can’t recommend you buy this when there is better tasting, cheaper, grape sodas out there.  Could this be a watery batch… sure, but until I taste a better one.

~A

Twist hid my camera, so I had to take a weird angle shot with my phone

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Zuberfizz)

OKF Sparkling Fresh Grape

   Have you ever seen a clear can?  Well I hadn’t either until I picked up OKF Sparkling Fresh Grape.  Technically the can in question isn’t aluminum, but plastic… much like the lower half of a 20 oz bottle.  It’s really more of a can/bottle hybrid, but the important thing is that it’s in front of me.  If you listen to our Popcast you already know how we feel about this drink, and that I won’t have any problem reviewing it again in text form.  Here’s a fun fact that OKF Sparkling Fresh Grape taught us… the word Raisin is French for Grape.  Who knew?  The French I guess.  Whelp, it's time to open the canotle… botan… cattle… can/bottle.  (You really can’t combine the words that well)

   The drink has a fresh smelling grape juice aroma, which makes sense since it’s one of the six listed ingredients (even though it is only 1% of the total beverage).  It even smells a little sweet, so we’re off to a good start here.  Let’s drink.

   Just as we described on the Popcast, that while this drink is lightly flavored, it’s just the right amount for what it is.  I really think the cane sugar helps bring out the grape juice flavoring, and that’s honestly what puts it over the top for me flavor wise.  The carbonation is also light, making this just fizzy enough to separate itself from flavored water, but light enough to still be refreshing.  Fortunately the taste matches the light grape juice smell, with just a touch more sweetness added to it.  Now, I could easily drink more than the 8.3 oz that come in this bottle, but having such a small portion really makes it seem like a reward instead of a drink.  All in all, OKF Sparkling Grape is a pleasant beverage by all aspects; it’s healthy, all natural, light, sweet, and comes in a cool container.  With all that said…

~A

Twist finally made it over to Mike's house... and proceeded to eat all of his Zelda collectibles

Gamer Soda Cherry

   Remember Crystal Pepsi?  As a child I was amazed that Pepsi could be clear, and still have the same flavor as its original counterpart.  My mind literally exploded out of my ears when I learned that there could be a clear, non citrus flavored beverage.  How far science had taken us in the 10 short years I’d been alive.  I wax poetically on Crystal Pepsi because in front of me sits a clear cherry flavored beverage called Gamer Soda.  This cherry flavored Gamer Soda was sent to us by the fine folks at Gamer Soda, and to back up our end of the bargain we’re gonna review it.  By all accounts this beverage is right up our alley.  We both enjoy video games, and obviously we both enjoy soda.  The bottle art has a red hue to it so that it might represent the cherry flavoring, and the nutritional information is listed clearly at the top of the bottle… almost like a status bar in a video game.  The logo for Gamer Soda is somewhat witty as they use what looks to be a generic console controller as the “M” in the word Gamer.  All in all the appearance is nice, not over the top, but still original enough to maybe catch your eye.

   I open the bottle expecting a very light cherry odor to come out of the top of the bottle.  To my surprise the cherry scent comes rolling out at a much higher abundance than I imagined.  It’s not at a Cherry Crush level of scent, but it’s still stronger than you’d think.  Let’s drink this.

   Light is the first word that comes to my mind.  That’s not the flavor description, but the actual mouth feel of the soda is light.  This isn’t as heavy of a drink like something you might experience in an IBC Black Cherry, which I am also a fan of.  While I do normally associate a heavier taste with cherry flavored beverages, the fact that this one isn’t quite at powerful actually works for it.  I consume heavier beverages with less frequency than those that sit more lightly in my stomach, and I think the lack of coloring is helping that cause.  What I’m trying, and failing to say is this, it seems that the fine folks at Gamer Soda have reached a very good place when it comes to the amount of flavor, and how rich the beverage is.  Coupled with the fact that they use both Vitamin B, and cane sugar in their product and you get a good soda that you’ll be going back to.  After trying cherry I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to reviewing the Grape flavored Gamer Soda.  We said it best during the Popcast when it came down to giving it a score, so if you want the full explanation you’ll have to listen.  For now you’ll just get this…

~A

Faux Fact:  Twist can turn invisible

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Gamer Soda)

Safeway Select - French Berry Lemonade

   I hold in my hand 11oz of Safeway Select – French Berry Lemonade.  The term Safeway Select seems kind of like an oxymoron to me.  Seriously, how could anything be a “Select” brand when it comes from Safeway?  Dan the Fan brought this to me, and I was immediately intrigued by the aspect of drinking carbonated lemonade.  I’ve recently, in the past 3 years or so, started appreciating lemonade much more than I did in my youth.  This lemonade, lucky me, has strawberry infused with it.  As I look at the ingredient label on this oddly shaped bottle, I’m pleased with what I read.  This soda contains carbonated water, sugar, natural lemon flavor, natural strawberry flavor, citric acid, and grape skin extract for color.  That’s a top notch ingredient list, especially when you notice the lack of sodium benzoate.  The label has a French stylization to it, which makes me think I’m about to drink something fancy… that is until I look up and see the word Safeway.  Enough rambling, time to open this up.

   I wish this had a normal bottle cap on it, not one of those bottle caps with the longer sides.  This has a very sweet smell that seems to lean toward the strawberry side.  Let’s take a walk on the strawberry side, shall we?

   Impressive amount of fizz here in this first sip… hopefully that holds up.  It starts off with the same tongue tingling sensation that a flavored sparkling water does, but fortunately this actually has the flavor to back it up.  The flavor itself isn’t over powering, but I’m definitely enjoying it.  The lemon flavor gives way to the strawberry, much as its odor did.  Even though the strawberry flavoring is the more prevalent of the two, the lemon is still tasted in the later stages of the drinking process.  I found the aftertaste to be pleasant as well; in fact it’s a little sweet.  I’m very impressed with this Safeway Select – French Berry Lemonade.  It has a very light mouth feel, an enjoyable flavor, and top notch ingredients.

~A

Faux Fact:  All iguanas are of French origin

Dad's Root Beer

   Today’s installment from the Popcast is Dad’s Root Beer… which I know Mike hates.  How do I know this, well he seems to tear off bits of my soul with his stare when I mention it.  I know it’s not going to be that bad, so here goes the review.   The label is pretty boring, but it’s an older drink so I guess we can let that slide.  Moxie on the other hand is one of the oldest drinks, but has a fantastic label… so I take back my previous “slide” for Dad’s.

   Upon opening Dad’s it smells rather odd for a root beer.  It almost has a minty smell, with some cinnamon undertones.  It’s like you tried to make your first pie, and just added all the smell good spices in hopes that something positive will come out of doing that.  Well we all know that cinnamon/basil pie wouldn’t be that great, so let’s see what the drink equivalent tastes like.

   While this certainly does not taste like a root beer, Mike’s supreme hatred for this is unwarranted in my book.  Sometimes a drink just tastes badly to someone for no reason other than the fact that their taste buds are wired a bit differently.  My example of oddly wired taste buds is the fact that I don’t like watermelon.  People think I’m crazy for hating its taste, I’m not, but my taste buds missed out on watermelon day when being created.  Moving on.  This to me honestly tastes like Pepto Bismol Root Beer.  Which is another reason why Mike probably hates this, and I don’t mind it.  I like the flavor of Pepto Bismol.  Would I ever mix Pepto and Root Beer?  No, I can assure you I wouldn’t, but now that I’ve tried it I can’t say that it’s horrible.  To summarize… Dad’s Root Beer doesn’t taste like root beer.  It tastes like Pepto Bismol flavored root beer.  Don’t you wish you’d just skipped to the end now?

~A

Twist was feeling nauseous, so he missed picture day

Sunkist Float

   One of our first reviews was for A&W Float in a bottle.  Mike hated that drink, and when I asked why he told me it tasted of rancid milk.  I scoffed at him as I took my first few sips, then realized he was right.  The taste of overdue milk had invaded my mouth, it was ruining everything about my day.  Now over two years later I have its sister in front of me… Sunkist Float in a bottle.  This was given to us by a fan named Abel A, so I thank you Abel A.  Now I’m a fan of Sunkist Orange Soda, it’s one of the better generic brands out there if you ask me.  If this ruins my taste for Sunkist, so help me there will be blood.  Time to crack it open, and take a whiff.

   Sigh… it smells of rancid milk, and oranges.  In a tone only Eeyore could replicate “Let’s drink.”

   Right off the bat I get the taste, and texture, of melted orange sherbet, and nothing else.  There is no real carbonation to be found here, although I know it’s there by looking on the label.  Looking at the label I also see that this is Sugar sweetened, well I learned something new.  Now, this isn’t anything you’re going to want to drink for refreshment; this is strictly a standalone beverage in my opinion.  I am happy to say that so far there is no sign of a spoiled milk flavor creeping up on me.  As you might suspect, Sunkist Float is a very sweet drink, but not overly so.  In trying to create a Float in a Bottle, I give them a C+.  I think if they carbonated it a bit more, and removed a bit of the thick texture it’d be a good beverage.  Overall Sunkist Float isn’t a bad drink, nor is it a great drink.  This is something you’ll see one day in a convenience store, and maybe you’ll buy it if you’re feeling wacky.  I’ll tell you right now that I’ll never buy this again.  That’s not meant to scare you off, I’m just guessing the experience won’t pull you back for more.

~A

Faux Fact: Iguanas eat over 4,500 lbs of oranges a day.

Deerfield Sweet Strawberry Cream

   I haven’t had many Strawberry Cream Sodas, in fact I’ve only had one… and it was delicious.  What I have in front of me is given to us by Dan the Fan, and it as you may have guessed is a strawberry cream soda.  It’s a Deerfield Trading Co. Strawberry Cream soda to be exact, a brand we’ve tasted/loved before, and it's time to review it.

   Upon opening this almost smells like strawberry soda with a bit of fruit punch mixed in.  There really is nothing amazing about the scent, so let’s upend and move on.

   The flavor is good, but it seems watery.  I really wanted to have my taste buds blown away by what should be a naturally powerful strawberry flavor.  To me this tastes like they took generic strawberry punch and... Wait a second, how about we do this in story form? 

   You’re at your High School Dance, and you’re feeling a bit thirsty.  Dressed to the nines you walk over to the concession booth, hand Ms. Grundy a nickel, and get yourself a delicious strawberry punch.  Just after you started on your strawberry punch Veronica/Reggie comes over and asks you to dance.  Being a gentlemen/lady you oblige them and wander out on the dance floor forgetting your strawberry punch, and instead dream you’re dancing with Nancy/Chuck.  If Veronica/Reggie could climb inside your head they would be heartbroken… HEARTBROKEN!  You consider yourself a horrible person, but then think “if Moose can find happiness with Midge, don’t I deserve to be happy too?”  As the song comes to a close you make eyes with Veronica/Reggie hoping they don’t see the dreams behind them.  Wandering back to your table, nursing a now bruised foot, you sit down to enjoy your strawberry punch.  Sadly though, all the ice has melted, and it’s once vibrant red is now a shade lighter.  You take a sip, and you are awash with disappointment as what was once delicious is now average at best.

~A

Twist always rooted for Big Ethel

Nu-Grape

   This week’s review, which you already know if you listen to the Popcast, is Nu-Grape.  If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m the resident Grape Soda reviewer.  Since my title is as such, I must now review Nu-Grape.  Let us begin.

   This is the some of the worst bottle art I’ve seen in a long time, and I realize I bring up bad bottle art more often than not.  It’s like they didn’t even try.  I’m all for simplistic art, in many cases it works better than highly detailed art.  Sadly though a yellow background and three simple stars will never catch my eye, or convince me to purchase something.  Time to open this up.

   The initial smell is that of a standard grape soda, even the chemical scent wafting out of the mouth of the bottle doesn’t scare me away.  While I usually try to stay away from chemicals in my soda, grape soda is the exception.  I’m sure I’ve explained that somewhere on the site before, but let’s just leave it at that for now.  Bottom’s up!

   This tastes like a standard grape soda, with a little more sugar in it than I’m used to.   You can definitely taste the chemicals, but something doesn’t quick sit right with me.  Maybe it’s the nail polish taste I occasionally get from it, maybe it’s the fact that I’d enjoy this flavor more as a Popsicle, or maybe it’s the fact that the label is now all over my hands.  My hands are covered in label ink now; someone must have taken the cheap route when making this label.  I will say that the design is way more interesting with a few smears here and there though.  This can’t really be blamed on Nu-Grape; it probably is the fault of the bottler.  I won’t list their name here incase I’m incorrect.  The long of the short of it is this… this is a basic grape soda.  It’s not overly special, it’s not overly gross.  The perfect situation for drinking it is this.  You’re out in the middle of New Mexico on some lonesome road.  You notice you’re running out of gas and stop at what seems to be an oasis of a gas station.  It looks like it hasn’t been touched by human hands in over 50 years, but that’s ok, all you need is gas.  After filling up you shamble inside out of the heat for just a bit to get something cool to drink.  The wooden floor echoes beneath your boot, as you wander over to the drink section.  This isn’t an ordinary drink section though, it’s just a big wooden box filled to the brim with ice.  In this ice sits one bottle.  Through the smearing label you can see that it reads “Nu-Grape.” So being thirst you buy a bottle.

~A

Twist doesn't like being at Mike's... hence his absence