Pure Sodaworks Root Beer #4

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A few weeks ago the fine folks at Pure Sodaworks sent me a six pack sampler of soda.  Thankfully, one of the most difficult decisions I make is which soda to drink first when I’ve never reviewed one from a particular brand.  The way I usually tackle this issue is to try their root beer or cola first.  It’s with those two flavors that the attention to detail can really be appreciated.  For instance, Pure Sodaworks has a Strawberry Jalapeno flavor that I’m dying to try.  That wacky flavor combination is already hyping up the brand for me, but I want to see what they can do with a flavor that everyone makes… root beer.  To be specific this is Root Beer #4, I have no idea why it’s Root Beer #4 it just is.

Looking at the coloration of the beverage it’s lighter than I’d think a root beer would be, but I do see some sediment at the bottom of the bottle so I’m excited about that.  Looking at the ingredients list I see that this contains Sparkling Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Molasses, Herbs and Spices, and Citric Acid.  That my friends is a 100% Natural Root Beer.  No sodium benzoate or artificial flavors to be found here.  Lighter color be darned, I’m ready to find out what made #4 so much better than numbers one through three.

I upend the bottle to swirl around the spices.  The scent that gently wafts from the mouth is one of the most unique root beer scents I’ve experienced to date.  It’s a root beer that smells like Christmas.  The aroma is something I would like to duplicate in a potpourri, but at the same time it’s pushing me to consume it as a rapid pace.  Since I don’t have the time for arts and crafts today, I guess I’ll just have to drink it.

I just typed two curse words and deleted them.  This is amazing root beer.  This is possibly the best first sip I’ve ever taken and I’m ready to go back for more.   Molasses seeps into each sip keeping me grounded in the fact that this is indeed a root beer and not just a hodge podge of spice and flavor.  What I can only assume is ginger swirls about and creates the lightest of burns with each sip taken.  It’s just enough to keep my mouth alive and aware of what’s happening.  The more I drink it though the harder the molasses has to work as the initial root beer flavoring is vanishing as all the other flavors present begin to build on one another.  This tastes less and less like a root beer and more like sweet spiced tea.  How is this metamorphosis even possible?  I guess if a caterpillar can become a butterfly then root beer to tea isn’t that much of a stretch.

Twist is baffled... at least I think he is.

We’ve reached an odd point in the review.  I’ve never had a root beer transform into tea about halfway through the bottle.  Within my last few sips I couldn’t even recognize that it was a root beer at all. Even the aftertaste is that of spiced tea… so very bizarre. 

While it was playing the role of Root Beer #4 the flavors were both unique and familiar.  The carbonation was at just the right level of fun and the whole thing seemed like it was destined for our highest rating.  Then the breakdown occurred.   A blurry line stood between root beer and spiced tea, with the latter taking out the former with the skill of an assassin.  I don’t know how that happened, but the drink was good.  Confusing, but still very good.  With that said I definitely recommend this to all.  You’ll taste a beverage unlike any other and you’ll be a better person for it.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Pure Sodaworks

JOIA Blackberry Pomegranate & Ginger

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For the time being (and it will be a short time) I’ve run out of my own stuff to review.  Thankfully the folks at ThirstMonger have kept me well stocked with other beverages, namely Joia.  We’ve reviewed a Joia flavor before and at the time I was rather impressed with their flavor selection.  Today’s offering deserves the same praise as the flavor listed is Blackberry, Pomegranate and Ginger.  In case you’ve forgotten, Joia is an all-natural soda sweetened with pure cane sugar and erythritol which is a natural sweetener.  Blackberry, pomegranate, ginger, and elderflower are all listed as ingredients as well, so I’m feeling pretty good about what I’m about to consume.  The healthy cranberry red color is also quite pleasing to the eye.  Enough chittering, time to crack this bottle open.

The aroma that comes off the top is not unlike a rose.  There is a sweet, flowery smell, that if huffed a bit stronger deconstructs (There, I wrote it.  I wrote one of the “fanciest” review words there is.  I’ve been trying to avoid that word, but it just came out this time.  Dang it.  I’ve sold out to the English language) into the listed fruit flavors on the bottle.  Let’s see if this superb scent translates into a terrific taste.  Double alliteration.  You like that?

That is an incredibly pleasant experience.  Immediately I’m shown that the level of carbonation has been though out.  It’s just the right amount of tickle when compared to the viscosity of the beverage.  It ultimately stays out of the way, but occasionally cracks a joke form the corner just to let you know he’s there. 

Even Twist can't break this c-c-combo

All three listed flavors have shown up for roll call and aren’t hiding toward the back of the group.  When I first take a sip the triple threat is at its strongest.  The blackberry and pomegranate stand tall upon my taste buds with a very noticeable ginger right behind them.  Pretend you’re playing “Red Rover” with fruit.  Blackberry and Pomegranate are on a team and they call out, “Red rover, red rover, let Ginger come over.”  Ginger releases whatever losers he was tied to and crashes into the arms of B.B. and Pommy.  That’s how Joia introduced this ginger flavor to my mouth.  You see him running up from the distance, gaining speed, like you’re about to be hit in the face with the burning sensation of ginger. 

Then right as he’s within spitting distance the arms of Blackberry and Pomegranate slow him down enough that they avert disaster.  Ginger may pull their arms back trying to break free, but B.B. and Pommy hold strong.  Take a mental picture of that.  Three “kids” playing this game and at this exact point having a great time either holding their friend back or trying to muster enough strength to power through.  All of them at this point in time are succeeding, the outcome is unknown, but the time had is excellent.  That’s what Joia Blackberry Pomegranate & Ginger soda is.  It’s a fantastic combination of fun, flavor, ingredients, and style.  This is a truly wonderful beverage.

~A

Jack Black's Dead Red Root Beer

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For the third time available in 420 years, it’s Jack Black’s Dead Red Root Beer by Real Soda.  While I may not always enjoy Real Soda’s selection of beverages, I can’t say they don’t take great pride in their labeling.  According to the bottle, “once you’ve had jack black you’ll never go back!”  That is unless of course we’re speaking of the actor and you’ve just watched Gulliver’s Travels.  Dead Red Root Beer is one of the few caffeinated root beers I’ve seen to date.  It’s also sweetened with cane sugar, has a touch of Brazilian Guarana and good ol’ fashioned sodium benzoate!  Thankfully the color of this root beer is as advertised, red.  How embarrassing would it have been if the drink inside wasn’t what the label claimed?  Yarr well, I guess it’s time for a review. 

There is a pleasant rooty aroma that escapes the bottle upon opening.  Beneath the bottle cap it teaches how to properly toast a bottle of Jack Black.  I say “skull” and you’ll respond with “crossbones”.  Ready!

Twist is the third incarnation of the Dread Pirate Roberts

I’ll assume you said “crossbones” prior to this sentence as I did indeed say “skull”.  I didn’t type it because the bottle cap clearly states that I say it.  The root beer itself is quite nice.  There’s a bit of a peppery kick at the end of each sip I take that shook my tongue awake.  More creamy than sharp, Jack Black’s Dead Red Root Beer starts off as an above average beverage and only improves as you drink it due to the use of “natural and artificial flavors”.  I really wish I knew what they were, but whatever they are it’s working.  This has the sort of spice sensation that you’d find in eggnog and since we’re smack dab in the middle of the holiday season I appreciate it even more.

Carbonation levels are good as they don’t intrude on the consumption experience at all.  Yes they are noticeable, but they create a fun mouth feel that will have you looking forward to the next sip.  While I am praising Jack Black’s Dead Red Root Beer there’s nothing about it that makes me want to buy this in droves.  The ingredient list is indeed above average and that creates an above average taste… nothing more.  So I tip my hat to you Pirate Black and recommend the Carbo-Nation do the same.

~A(ye) Aye

 

 

Rocket Fizz Shirley Temple

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I didn’t even know what a Shirley Temple was before meeting my wife.  In case you’re in the same boat as 24 year old Aaron, a Shirley Temple is what you get when you combine grenadine with Sprite.  It’s like a cherry limeade, but with a lighter flavoring.  They’re quite tasty and I recommend trying one if you haven’t before.  Rocket Fizz apparently agrees with my recommendation and created a bottled version they so cleverly called Rocket Fizz Shirley Temple.  Like other Rocket Fizz products this one is sweetened with pure cane sugar.  I’m so happy they went with the “pure” cane sugar and didn’t scrape the bottom of the barrel for the “tainted” cane sugar that we so often see soda companies’ use.  *Sigh* It’s just cane sugar folks.

Twist's expression is bewilderment 

Well, we’re not starting off on the best foot.  The aroma that wafts from the bottle reminds me quite a bit of nail polish remover.  Having never tried nail polish remover I can’t honestly tell you if it tastes like a Shirley Temple, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess it doesn’t. (don’t drink nail polish remover, kids)  With that aroma now bouncing around my nostrils I suppose it’s time for me to give this bottle of Rocket Fizz Shirley Temple the ooooooooooold taste test.

This is not good, nor does it taste like a Shirley Temple.  Rocket Fizz Shirley Temple is a syrupy mess.  If children’s cold medicine had a cotton candy flavor it would taste like this.  The sweet, over the top flavor grabs onto my teeth and refuses to let go.  If there is a cherry sensation to be had it has mutated into some sort of quasi-cherry chemical mixture that my palate does not find to be very pleasant.  The carbonation level is light and fizzy, so at least that has been done well.  I was really expecting a completely different beverage here, but what I’m tasting makes it seem like this particular flavor was just thrown together in the hopes that it would taste good.  I’m honestly confused as to what happened because Rocket Fizz is usually pretty good about getting close to the flavor listed on the bottle.  Perhaps I’ll revisit this at another time to make sure I didn’t get a bad batch, but for now I can’t recommend trying this.

~A

 

Something Natural Black Cherry

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I wanted to do a review today, but didn’t feel like drinking a sugary soda.  Thankfully a while back the guys at ThirstMonger sent me two flavors of Something Natural and I had only completed the review of one of them.  You may remember the last time I reviewed a beverage from Something Natural.  The flavor was strawberry peach and I was genuinely impressed with both their simplistic ingredient list and the way they used both sugar and stevia to sweeten.  Well today I have Something Natural Black Cherry and I truly believe this is going to hit the spot.

Twist ate a bird once...once.

A stronger than expected black cherry scent is easily detected exiting this beautiful bottle.  Something Natural really does do an excellent job in the presentation department.  Everything is simple yet elegant, making just looking at the bottle a treat.  I am a little nervous about black cherry sparkling water though.  Black cherry is known for being a very robust flavor and so many flavors made into sparkling waters get muted or left behind in the process.  Hopefully Something Natural knows what they’re doing in this regard.

My fear was met somewhere in the middle.  The flavor of black cherry is easily identified, but at the cost of tasting somewhat diet.  It’s my opinion that the black cherry flavor should never be confused with a diet taste.  I don’t care if you’re soda is Diet Black Cherry, removing the cherries natural rich flavor is a crime against the fruit. 

Something Natural Black Cherry doesn’t taste poorly at all, but I really think their flavor selection could be better.  In the previous review of strawberry peach they had two flavors in their arsenal that translated well into the light fizzy world of sparkling water.  Everything else about this beverage is located on an elevated notch.  It’s not quite the top notch, but it’s getting there.  The carbonation is fun and inviting.  As I’ve stated before, the bottle is pleasant.  The ingredient list is to be envied… it’s just that the most important aspect doesn’t work for me.  I wonder how Something Natural Watermelon would taste.  I’ve looked over their flavors and the second heaviest one seems to be Raspberry Keylime.  While I can’t speak for the taste of it, I wouldn’t have the initial doubts about that flavor that I did toward Black Cherry.  It’s just too strong of a fruit, flavor, or idea to hinder.

 All in all though it’s not a terrible drink; I could easily finish the bottle and my rating will reflect that.  If I were you I’d just grab another of their flavors prior to this one.

~A

Filbert's Strawberry

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As many of you know I’m not the biggest fan of strawberry soda.  Far too often it’s just a conglomeration of sugar, chemicals, and bubbles.  So when I pulled Filbert’s Strawberry soda out of my fridge I probably voiced an audible sigh.  While the rich red coloring and the barrel full of soda on the label are nice, I’m just not in the mood for another sugar filled strawberry soda.  I was hoping that the inclusion of pure sugar in the ingredients would make me a little happier about reviewing this, but Filbert’s is made with “sugar and/or corn sweetner”.  That’s “sweetner” without the “e”.  Other such ingredients in this self-proclaimed “Old Time Quality” soda are as follows:  Carbonated water, citric acid, artificial flavor & color, and of course sodium benzoate.  No matter how good this soda is, they’ve already hit one of my nerves.  Don’t say your beverage has an “Old Time Quality” when your ingredient list is that sad.  At least the bottle cap is nice.

A strawberry scent so sweet it could be cotton candy oozes carefully out of the mouth of the bottle.  I am happy that the scent wasn’t so powerful I could smell it from a distance.  Hopefully this means it’s not quite as sugary as I perceived it to be.

Twist's middle name is Filbert.  No relation.

That is a rather odd strawberry soda.  Let me start off by saying that this isn’t a sugary mess.  Yes it’s sweet, but thankfully someone showed some restraint and pulled back what could have been Candyland.  Each sip doesn’t start off tasting like strawberry; in fact the first half of my sip doesn’t taste like much at all.  As soon as I agitate the liquid, either by swishing or swallowing, I’m welcomed with a smattering of strawberry that seems to identify a little bit with a strawberry-cream.  Even though there is a touch of cream flavoring in each gulp the end of my sips trail off into a chemical heap.  This artificial ending begins to even taste a little like a diet strawberry soda before turning into an unfortunate memory.

The fruit flavor of Filbert’s Strawberry is unmistakably recognized, but it’s not nearly as powerful as I thought it would be.  If they were to boost the flavor just a bit I think they could improve their product.  As it stands now, Filbert’s Strawberry is pleasantly different, but nothing I’d force people to drink. 

~A

Martian Poop Soda

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Little ditty, ‘bout Alice and Diane.  Two nice women, buying sodas for this man.  I wish I could convert more lyrics of Mr. Cougar Mellencamp, but sadly that talent eludes me.  The two ladies in the single line that I did convert bought me the soda I’m about to consume, so thanks to them… I think. 

I’m about to drink Martian Poop.  Yup, that’s all there is to it.  I’m going to consume Martian Poop soda made by Rocket Fizz.  I’m almost happy to be drinking Martian Poop soda so that I’ll never have to write this article again.  This article in which I’ll have to type the words Martian Poop over and over again.  According to the label, Martians excrete a green substance that looks much like what would come out of a cartoon dog.  Thankfully the label also informs me (in tiny print) that this is a marionberry flavored soda.  Sadly, I have no idea what a marionberry is.  I know what a Marion Barry is, but not a marionberry.  TO THE INTERNET!  Ok, so the Marion is a type of blackberry, a blackberry with a very complex flavor at that.  So things may be looking up for this bottle of Martian Poop Soda, but I’m not holding my breath.

ALL THE EASTER CANDY

As fragrant as you might think a bottle of Martian Poop Soda may be, the fruit aroma that should be there is very mild and my nose struggles at pulling a scent through the opening of the bottle.  Perhaps Martian Poop (I really should have a counter going at this point) really shines in the way it tastes.

Well that’s kind of fun, then way too sweet, then fun again, then overly sweet.  Martian Poop Soda has a burst of foamy fizz that really lights up my mouth.  Then I got a quick peak at a somewhat vague blackberry fruit flavor.  Almost immediately after that blackberry flavor appears it vanishes and Martian Poop gives off the flavor of ALL THE EASTER CANDY (excluding chocolate).  It’s not obnoxiously sweet, but it’s the equivalent of some kid “not touching you, I’m not touching you, I’m not touching you” obnoxious.  You’re just waiting for him to touch you so he can face your rage.  After ALL THE EASTER CANDY flavor subsides, you’re left with the last breath of the carbonation as it tries to convince you of the fun you had on this short journey.  Hard as it might try, the carbonation’s last wish is unfulfilled.  Martian Poop Soda is just too loaded with sugar and nonsense to really be a good soda.  Is it fun?  Yes, to a point.  Are some kids going to love the fact that they’re drinking something called Martian Poop?  Yes, of course they are.  Am I done writing the words “Martian Poop” for a very long time?  Yes, yes I am.

~A

Avery's Monster Mucus

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There aren’t many words that gross me out when I hear/read them.  I’d put the over-under at about 10 total that I’ve come across.  Sadly one of those words is in the title of today’s beverage.  Avery’s Monster Mucus… ugggh.. is in front of me and my throat will convulse every time I type the word mucus.  A couple of nice ladies, Alice & Diane, are the reason this repulsive bottle of liquid is in front of me; I must thank them both.  There’s a Simpson-esque slime man on the bottle that I’m supposing we’re to believe is the creator of this beverage.  I mean he is a monster and I can only assume he’s secreting mucus, so I’m thinking the story goes that I’m about to drink him.  Thankfully there’s also a proper flavor listing of Strawberry/Blue Raspberry on the label as well.  Oh, and the label uses one of my favorite made up words “SODAsgusting”.  That’s fantastic and I really have nothing else to say about it.

Twist is vomiting

The blue raspberry is clearly the boss around here as I can’t even tell that strawberry is in the mix due to the pungent aroma of the former.  With a second whiff I think I’m getting a touch of the tartness found in your friendly neighborhood strawberry.  Perhaps I should drink it to make further observations.

The first sip is a little underwhelming as both tastes seems to cancel each other out and create almost a non-taste.  Maybe my mouth just needs a few more sips to acclimate to this new environment.  As I work my way further down the bottle a noticeable blue raspberry taste shows up, but does not really impress me.  True to its weak scent the strawberry thought better than to appear today, letting the blue raspberry take the brunt of the criticism.  Each sip also brings the taste of grape to my lips as well.  This grape/raspberry flavoring coupled with the sharp carbonation creates a fairly average fruit flavored soda.  Yes it’s sweetened with cane sugar, but you always run the risk of having a very vague soda flavor when you start combining fruit.  It seems that’s what’s happened here with Avery’s Monster Mucus.  With such an “out-there” flavor name I was hoping for something that would be memorable.  Instead I got a flavor combination that while somewhat tasty will be forgotten in a matter of days.

~A

Hank's Root Beer

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I’ve had a few of the Hank’s line of sodas before, but there’s just something about the phrase “Hank’s Root Beer” that works out really well.  Hank sounds like a root beer making fool.  Someone who probably started tinkering with it in his kitchen until friends requested it by name.  “Hey, have you tried any of Hank’s root beer?”  “I’m making a stop in Greenville on the way to Springtown.  Yeah, of course I’m stopping by Hank’s place.  His root beer is great.”  See?  All of that seems really natural.  I really wish that this was just called Hank’s Root Beer, but the full name is sadly “Genuine Hank’s Gourmet Philadelphia Recipe Root Beer”.  That’s far too complicated.  Thankfully though, the overly long name doesn’t change the fact that this is a root beer made with cane sugar.  Not “pure cane sugar” or “100% natural cane sugar”, just cane sugar.  At least they kept that simple.

Twist was the 2nd mayor of Philly.

The scent that comes off of the bottle upon opening shares the aroma qualities you’d find in a creamy root beer while simultaneously smelling like a root beer with some bite.  I’ve learned when these two properties share a home that the one that bites is usually the winner in the taste contest on your tongue.  Let’s find out if that’s the case.

Hank’s Root Beer does have a bit of a punch to it as I thought it would, but I was incorrect in thinking the aggressive side of the root beer would overshadow the creaminess.  There is a vanilla backdrop that hangs there during the entire act as both “Creamy” and “Bitey” act out their parts on stage.  Since “Bitey’s” mom dressed him in the same color as the backdrop, it’s “Creamy” that ultimately steals the show.  Which is the worse name for an actual child, Creamy or Bitey?  Anywho, the smooth sensation of vanilla coupled with the ultimately creamy mouth feel of this root beer really make it a beverage to try.  The sweetness level tastes like it’s on the higher end of the spectrum, but it’s nothing that makes your teeth feel like they’re going to rot out of your mouth if you drink a bottle or two.  I’m quite pleased with this bottle of Hank’s Root Beer.  It doesn’t do anything particularly amazing, but what it does do it does very well.

~A

 

 

Lean - Yella

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Today’s offering from ThirstMonger is a relaxation beverage.  Currently I don’t need a relaxation beverage because my wife is listening to one of the dullest power point presentations I’ve ever half listened to.  Ah, education.  Thankfully, I can focus all my attention on this can of Lean (flavor “Yella”) in front of me.  ThirstMonger sent me three flavors of Lean: Purp, Easta Pink, and of course Yella.  Having reviewed other relaxation beverages I had grown tired of the whole “purple drank” variation and was pleased to see that Lean offered other non “Purp” flavors for those that craved more variety from their chillaxation beverages.  Lean is labeled as the “slow motion…potion”.  Even their tagline has an ellipsis in it, this must be good.  I wasn’t all that shocked to see melatonin in the ingredient list, but I was surprised to see sugar.  I would have thought they’d have gone the HFCS route, but I’m happily wrong about that.  The band around the top of the can gives us the flavor title of “Yella”, but also includes tiny pictures of pineapples.  I’m not sure what I would have assumed the flavor of “Yella” was without this picture cue, so I’m pleased it exists.

Twist is always leaning.  Always.

An unusual pineapple cream aroma races out of the can, almost desperate for me to smell it.  There’s an unexpected amount of sweetness in this scent so I’m a bit more curious as to what Lean – Yella will taste like. 

Yella tastes as it smells.  There is a sweet, smooth, pineapple taste that washes over all aspects of my mouth.  The carbonation is small, but shows up in powerful bursts throughout the drinking process.  Even though there are tiny pineapples on this can, I’m quite pleased with the fact that “Pineapple” is not listed as the flavor.  While it is the primary taste I’m experiencing it has been mutated into something much more interesting than your standard apple of pine.  The sweetness, that I’ve now mentioned several times, is quite similar to what you might find in a cream soda.  There’s also a bit of vanilla within this pineapple soda.  This addition keeps each swig somewhat fresh and allows for repeated returns to the beverage.  On the negative side, Lean – Yella is somewhat syrupy and some might find it overly sugary.  There are only 28 grams of sugar in a serving which may sound like a lot, but Mountain Dew is made with a number that travels well over 40g.  This sweetness does build upon itself making it difficult to finish off this 16oz can, but all in all it’s a fairly tasty beverage.  The rating I give it may seem a little low, but just know it’s on the high end.

~A

 

Faygo Orange

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Orange soda is one of the staple sodas out there when you’re talking about the fruit flavored variety.  Personally I prefer grape to orange, but there aren’t many times I’d turn down an orange soda.  This cane sugar sweetened Faygo Orange in front of me has been dressed up in a simply stylish glass bottle and begs for review.  A quick peak at the back tells me that the ingredients aren’t really worth mentioning and I should be on my way with this review.

As seen here, Twist sleeps with his eyes open

Your standard orange aroma escapes the bottle top and does nothing to impress me.  That said, the flavor inside will hopefully hold a few tricks up its sleeve, less I grow bored with it as well.

A quick punch of carbonation and the rest is a sweet burst of orange that identifies more with candy than fruit.  This sweet, somewhat syrupy beverage has already taken a somewhat permanent residence in my mouth.  The velvet curtain, which is usually reserved for beverages sweetened with HFCS, has fallen and it’s all I can do not to taste this rather ordinary orange soda.  Faygo Orange isn’t something many would describe as “poor tasting”, but it’s somewhat yawn worthy.  I’d much rather purchase the store brand orange soda and take my chance with the HFCS if it meant getting a more vibrant flavor. 

~A

 

 

Almdudler

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Moxie is the official state soft drink of Maine; it’s rather important up there.  I think it’s pretty darn nifty that a state has an official soft drink.  Heck, I wish all states had one, that way I could make it a point to “drink around the USA” and try them all.  While official states sodas are cool and all, they don’t hold a candle to what I’m about to consume.  Today’s selection is the NATIONAL Soft Drink of Austria and it’s called Almdudler - 50 Jahre.  Since Austrian and German are similar languages I can tell you that 50 Jahre means 50 Years and is probably not a part of the name.  Heck English is Germanic so you probably figured that one out without failing German in college.  I have no earthly idea what Almdudler is, if it is indeed anything other than a brand.  TO GOOGLE! 

Ok, so Almdudler is just a brand, but the name apparently comes from an old phrase “auf der Alm dudeln” which means singing in the alpine meadows.  There’s your history lesson for the day and a few words that will surely end up carrying some unsuspecting Austrians to our site.  Howdy, Austrians! 

The romantic bottle scene is somewhat ruined by the giant green iguana staring at them.

Looking at the affixed English label I see that Almdudler is made with carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid and natural flavors.  The ingredients go on to say that Almdudler contains NO preservatives or artificial ingredients.   That’s a little bit of a white lie as citric acid is a natural preservative, but since it’s the national soft drink of Austria we’ll let it slide.

Why did I think this cap would twist off?  No discernible smell comes from the bottle, but after a hefty huff I get the smallest ideas that it might be apple flavored.  The ingredients, as you might recall, just list “natural flavors” so I’m really just guessing here.  This is no time for guessing though, it’s time for drinking.

Well, it looks like I’ll be guessing for a while.  Wait… delayed apple taste, oddly enjoyable.  Almdudler doesn’t have a very strong flavor at all.  It avoids the crashing chandelier at the beginning of the play and just shoves a small boy out to quietly sing.  The initial taste has me stumped as it’s sort of fruity, but the flavor isn’t exaggerated enough for me to identify it.  Gradually I get a bit of citrus taste until I’m led to the subtle apple at the end. 

Ok, so I tried to cheat and look up the flavor of Almdudler by going to their website.  I was met with the yell of “ALMDUDLER!” and then given a… well how shall I describe it.  Did any of you ever play Monty Python’s Complete Waste of Time for PC?  No?  That doesn’t surprise me, but if you had you’d realize that this website is designed like that game from 1995.  It’s the perfect comparison, so I really don’t care if you get it or not.  Ok, so the website is very click friendly and has little surprises when you hover your mouse over it.  Here, go to the website already.  Just promise you’ll come back.

Long story somewhat shorter, I never found out the actual flavor of Almdudler, but I’m going to stick by my citrus to apple flavor assessment and recommend that you try it.  There is a bitterness that takes residence within my mouth as I take sip after sip.  It’s not going away, even if I wait a few minutes between consumption.  This bitterness, even though I’m not a fan, does keep the beverage from being too sweet.  I’ll take slightly bitter over nauseatingly sweet any day.  Such an odd experience.  The flavors are so familiar, but just different enough that it seems fresh.  If I had to classify it as a soda though, I’d probably say bitter apple.  Doesn’t that sound delicious?  Bitter Apple soda?  Yes, yes it does sound delicious.  There I answered for you.  Almdudler on the other hand is bitter apple soda plus, and the plus is really a minus in my opinion because something just isn’t working for me.

~A

 

Fentimans Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger

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If I had a list of my top ten favorite bottle caps, Fentimans would be near the top.  Perhaps it’s my love of dogs, but the image of this great wolf like canine on the cap brings a smile to my face every time I see it.  What this hound is guarding is a bottle of Fentimans Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger.  Now most of us are somewhat familiar with the taste of a mandarin orange.  If you’ve ever had a clementine or tangerine, those are both examples of the mandarin family.  Now I actually had to look up what a Seville orange was.  The Seville orange, or bitter orange, is known for its tart taste and has its oil used in perfumes and the like.

Two oranges entered this bottle and they’ll both emerge, but hopefully I will be the victor.  Cane sugar also entered this bottle, along with fermented ginger root extracts and of course carbonated water.  I’m a little nervous on how “bitter” this might taste, but I suppose there’s only one way to find out.

After upending this bottle it dawned on me how much the liquid inside looks like egg yolk.  The aroma, on the other hand, is very much that of orange juice.  Ok, so two of your ingredients are oranges, it’d be terrifying if it didn’t smell like orange juice.  Let’s see if I’m about to have a midday breakfast beverage.

Twist has eaten all varieties of orange.

While the initial flavor is not completely of my liking, I can definitely see folks enjoying this.  Four or five air bubbles rush to the back of the bottle each time I put it to my lips, creating a sound that can only be described as “blorb”.  In simple terms, Fentimans Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger tastes like a somewhat fermented, somewhat bitter orange juice.  Even though I feel it can be hastily described as I have just done, each sip though is complex enough that I want take another and try to figure out all aspects of the drink.  There are hints of ginger throughout and the flavor doesn’t stay the same for any amount of time, it’s constantly changing from the first bitter bite to the eventual sweet orange sensation that sort of rests on my tongue.  Low carbonation allows for all of these changes to occur unhindered by potential raucous bubbles.  It’s such a great beverage, but I just don’t like the taste.

We’ve reached a point where I’m going to have to explain myself and the rating I’m about to give Fentimans Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger.  This is a wonderful beverage that I think everyone should try.  The folks at Fentimans have my respect for creating it and all of the amazing changes that occur when you consume it.  All natural ingredients, a wonderful bottle, and of course one of my favorite caps of all times should make for a great score, but it doesn’t.  This is one of the times that I honestly think my opinion of this beverage is too low, but I can’t change how it tastes in my mouth so the score will also be lower than I think it deserves.  With that said, give it a shot.  Perhaps your taste buds will appreciate what mine could not.

~A

 

Faygo Vanilla Creme

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It’s late at night and I want to get a review done before bed, but I don’t want to drink anything that’ll keep me up too late.  So I reach into the fridge and let my hand pick out a beverage for me.  My hand apparently wants to stay up late.  I’ll give you the proper amount of time to make any dirty joke you like.  Done being immature?  Let’s move on.  So my hand picked out the super sugary beverage known as cream soda.  To be more specific it picked out a Faygo Vanilla Crème, which is just Faygo Cream Soda.  Faygo is something that was introduced to me much later in life… meaning this year.  I’m finding out that the classic look of the bottle ramps up my expectations of the soda.  Then after trying said Faygo soda my expectations become grounded and much closer to reality.  Let’s see if Faygo Vanilla Crème can keep my head in the clouds.

A very pungent vanilla aroma lurches out of the crystal clear bottle.  Speaking of clear, this is the clearest cream soda I’ve seen to date.  It looks like a bottle of water which kind of excites me for my soda drinking experience.  Perhaps my memory of Crystal Pepsi is clouding my judgment, but anytime I see a clear beverage that’s not normally clear I freak out a little bit… in a good way.

Crystal Twist was on the market for a hot second, but a law suit was immediately filed.

Wow, that is quite nice.  The extra carbonation surprised me at first, but since it was chased with a very smooth, very vanilla cream soda afterwards the contradicting mouth feels worked well together.  Ooh, I really like this.  My statement about Faygo letting me down does not apply to Faygo Vanilla Crème.  There is a sweetness you’d expect with a cream soda here, but it really pushes the boundary of too sweet.  The only way I dock points for the sweetness of Faygo Vanilla Crème is if it builds on itself in such a way that I can’t stand to drink it anymore.  Honestly though I think the burst of carbonation I experience at the beginning of each sip keeps the sugar from taking my tongue hostage.  Vanilla flavor lingers in all the crevasses of my mouth, but it’s not a negative sensation at all.  It is a little syrupy, but vanilla cream is one of those flavors that’s hard to keep crisp.

I’m about halfway done with the bottle and the flavor hasn’t really built upon itself that much.  This allows me to experience each sip I take much like it was my first.  Sure some of the initial magic is gone, but each sip is a pleasant one.  Well done Faygo, I doff my cap to you.  You’ve made a great cream soda with a sugar sweetener.  Yes the sweetness builds a little, but I think we’ll live.  This will probably get lower than you think it should by reading the review, but all in all it’s just a great cream soda.   Cream sodas have a hard time standing out in front of other sodas because they all taste so very similar to one another.  Don’t get me wrong though, this is one of the better ones, it’s just not a mind blowingly awesome soda.

~A

 

RootJack

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The folks at RootJack told the folks at ThirstMonger to tell me to drink RootJack without ice at an extremely cold temperature…purple monkey dishwasher.  I’m pretty sure the part about the purple monkey dishwasher was something added along the line, but needless to say I was quite pleased to see a beverage company tell me to stay away from ice.  So for a week this bottle of RootJack, Orange Flavored Root Beer, sat at the back of my fridge chilling.  Everytime I’d open the door I’d want to reach in and drink it, but I couldn’t… I must wait.  How does one keep oneself from drinking such an ususual product?  Orange flavored Root Beer, I’d never heard of such a thing, but my mind tells me it should work.  Looking at the label I’m happy to see that RootJack is sweetened with sugar and also contains a bit of guarana seed extract for energy.  This fun hybrid of flavors also has 100% of the vitamin C I need in a day, to fight scurvy of course.  With that said, it’s time for me to crack open this bottle and set sail for nowheres in particulars.

The scent that rises from the depths of Davy Jones locker is root beer heavy with a hint of the orange promised on the front of the bottle.  Do you know what a pirate’s favorite letter is?  You probably think it’s RRRRRRR, but he truly lives for the C.  Moving on.

TWist is better known at the Dread Pirate Roberts.

That is super bizarre.  Wow.  The first few glugs were just straight root beer, but then the citrus took hold of my taste buds and punched them square in the jaw.  The hint of orange the aroma spoke about was just the tip of the krackens tentacle.  I thought that RootJack would be root beer with a hint of orange.  I thought wrong as each sip starts off like calm day at sea; just enjoying a root beer with my swabbies, then the orange whale throws itself on board looking for Ahab.  It’s really confusing for my mouth and brain.  Each is frantically trying to figure out if it’s ok with this mixture of worlds. 

The sweetness level of RootJack is just right as I would have no problem drinking this with a meal.  While the flavor is wild, I still feel like it could pair well with your standard fare of hamburgers and hotdogs without taking away anything from them.  I’m also seeing why they wanted me to drink this cold.  The orange flavor could come off as offending to some if this was room temperature.  Even the bottle tells you to “Serve Cold”.  When’s the last time you saw another soda tell you the obvious? 

As the soda bottle empties the orange flavor becomes a bit more bitter, but not enough to turn me away from finishing it off.  Now that I have a proper place to put my message written on parchment, I’ll give you my final thoughts.  RootJack is truly a unique beverage from start to finish.  The mixture of two common flavors may confuse the mind to the point of not knowing if what you’re ingesting is something you like or not, but once you get your mind right you’ll find you wish you had another.  I’ve gotta hand it  to RootJack for taking a chance and setting themselves apart from the rest of the sodas out there.  The flavor combo was a little too combative for my tastes, but I still want to recommend that you buy multiples if just for giving some to your friends.

~A

Something Natural - Strawberry Peach

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ThirstMonger has once again sent me a beverage for review and it comes in the prettiest little bottle I’ve ever seen.  Something Natural Strawberry Peach is a sparkling water that comes in a shapely blue bottle and includes a friendly looking bird.  If I had to guess, I’d say the bird is a sparrow, wren, or finch, but then again I’m no ornithologist.  With a quick glance at the ingredients I notice that Something Natural lives up to its name with completely natural ingredients.  The sweetener is a double act of cane sugar and stevia which is a show I’ve seen delivered with success.  Just looking at this bottle is brining my mind a bit of peace after a long day of work.  I may keep this one for the collection, but not before reviewing it of course.

I picked the strawberry peach flavor because it seemed that would translate better for sparkling water than the other flavor I had at my disposal, black cherry.  Once I cracked the bottle open I was surprised to get as strong of an aroma as I did.  Both the strawberry and peach scents went straight to my olfactory glands and made their presence known.  Perhaps this sparkling water will be more soda like than I first anticipated.

Twist apologizes for the fuzziness of this picture

Something Natural Strawberry Peach really is a calming beverage.  Holding the bottle and drinking from it almost feels vacationesque and the flavor you get is quite nice as well.  Without consulting my site I can tell you immediately that this is the one of the best sparkling waters I’ve ever had.  The strawberry peach flavor is true and unwavering with peach being the lead in the play.  The stevia’s known aftertaste is lost amongst the carbonation and cane sugar.  It’s not a sugary beverage by any means, but it’s sweeter than most other sparkling waters I’ve had.  My biggest criticism will come from the aftertaste and it’s hard to single out Something Natural in this instance.  All sparkling waters have a dry, somewhat bitter aftertaste to me that nudges me out of the experience.  Now I’m sure many look forward to this aftertaste, but I’m not one of those people.  Something Natural Strawberry Peach does indeed have this same dry, bitter aftertaste that I’d rather it not have, but it’s what I’m working with.

All in all though, Something Natural is a solid beverage with good flavor presentation and a great ingredient list.  If you’re into sparkling waters I bet you’d love it.  Now if sparkling water isn’t your thing, I’d still probably give this a try to make sure your opinion is validated.

~A

Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beer

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Twist consumed this and vanished.

Ever feel ripped off when you look up a review of a soda?  You probably will now.  Cock n Bull Ginger Beer was reviewed on TheSodaJerks.net Popcast Episode 34.  I'll tell you the rating here, but if you want the delicious descriptions you'll have to listen. 

~A

TheSodaJerks.net Popcast Episode 34 - Cock n Bull Ginger Beer

 

Vacation in a Bottle - Pomegranate Berry

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Today’s offering from Thirst Monger comes in a very serene bottle emblazoned with a picture of the sun setting over a great body of water.  Vacation in a Bottle, or as the kids call it ViB (pronounced Vibe), is the name of the beverage and the flavor is Pomegranate Berry.  I already feel as if I’m going to enjoy it.  I’m not usually one for full bottle art, but the more I stare at this sunset the more I just want to kick back and relax.  Being the ad guru that I am, I already see something they could improve upon… their slogan.  Currently their slogan is “Drink. Chill. Be Happy!”  While this is all well and good why not switch up a few words and make it “Chill. Drink. Be Happy!”?  Chill would take on a double meaning at this point and ultimately it would just work better.  If they take my advice I expect a nice crisp Benji headed my way. 

Twist is on Step Two of the ViB three step program.

ViB is caffeine free and uses cane sugar as a sweetener.  There’s a whole host of other ingredients, so if you’re interested, look them up.  As you know I’m concerned with the taste and I’m tired of waiting.

This beverage is in an aluminum bottle which is something I wish drink manufacturers would migrate towards more often.  I’d much rather drink out of an aluminum bottle than a plastic one.  I’m sure cost comes into play here, but in my world it doesn’t, so get with the program other companies!

A somewhat easily identified pomegranate aroma flows from the large mouth of the bottle.  There is indeed another berry scent blended in, but it seems vague in nature.  I noticed my mouth started watering though as soon as I took a whiff.  At least I know the scent has created some positive ViBs for my mind.  You see what I did there?  I took the name of the soda and used it somewhat incorrectly in a sentence.

Vacation in a Bottle – Pomegranate Berry is a bit sweeter than I thought it would be.  The ingredients list 10 grams of sugar per 8 ounces so I thought it might be a little short in the sweet spot.  I was wrong.  The sweetness plays well with the pomegranate and berry flavors.  At this point I’m going to stop referring to the generic berry flavor since the pomegranate is clearly the lead actor in this play.  Carbonation is fast and light, but powerful.  It feels like a miniaturized version of the same carbonation you’d find in a Coke brand Coke.  Overall I’m quite pleased with ViB. 

The flavor is strong enough to keep me from forgetting that I’m drinking a soda, but the mouth feel is light enough that it doesn’t seem like I’m drinking straight syrup.  There is a point in each sip though where I get a quick taste of artificial.  I’m not saying that anything in this is artificial, but just be warned that the initial flavor doesn’t flow through 100%.  With that said, I’ve already finished the bottle and would drink another, so it obviously didn’t bother me too incredibly much.  All in all Vacation in a Bottle – Pomegranate Berry was a good experience.  It did many things right and few things wrong, if you see some I recommend giving it a shot.

~A

Barton Springs Soda Company - Zilker Park Cola

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The last time a bottle of Barton Springs Soda ended up in front of me I was left with a rather disappointing orange soda.  Today the BSSC finds and audience with me once again, this time in the form of Zilker Park Cola.  Since the company is based in Austin their soda titles involve areas of Austin.  Zilker Park is listed as “Austin’s most-loved park”.  It’s a 351 acre park that, judging by the picture, does look pretty nifty.  Now the park looking nifty doesn’t mean the soda will be.  Sure it’s sweetened with cane sugar, but the ingredients also include artificial flavors and sodium benzoate.  I haven’t brought up sodium benzoate in a while, but it seemed as good a time as any to do so.  On the plus side, there’s something about the name “Zilker Park Cola” that immediately makes my brain think this will be above average in taste.

An oddly sweet cola aroma wafts from the bottle.  I was honestly expecting a bit more punch to my nostrils, but sweet can work too if crafted correctly.  I guess one way to figure out if it’s crafted well is to drink it.  Twist my arm.

That is super bizarre.  BSSC-ZPC (Seriously people make shorter names for your soda and I won’t have to do that) has a very unique take on the cola flavor.  The traditional cola flavor is there, but there’s a root beer sensation, a cream soda sensation, and a host of other “touches of flavors”.  This seems like an all beverage.  Seriously, there’s something for everyone in each sip of Barton Springs Soda Company – Zilker Park Cola.  See what happens when you prove yourself?  You get me to type out your entire ridiculously long name. 

The carbonation also plays a keen role in the enjoyment factor.  Bubbles attack my tongue once their lives feel threatened by my throat muscles trying to begin the consuming process.  These very bubbles create a very fun atmosphere for my mouth and help push me to quickly take another sip.  In other news; after the taste builds upon itself a little while I do get a bit of cough syrup flavor staring to coat my tongue.  It’s not all that off putting, but just throwing it out there. 

Overall Zilker Park Cola has a flavor that is deservedly named after a park.  It’s fun, it’s tasty, it reminds me of something I’d primarily consume in the warmer months of Texas… which is 10 of them.  I’m quite pleased to see a Texas soda company make something with this quality of taste and remove any doubt created by their aggressively average orange soda.  The ingredients aren’t the greatest, but the flavor stands tall and recognizable.  Barton Springs Soda Company –Zilker Park Cola is one you should buy multiple bottles of.

~A

Barton Springs Zilker Park Cola580.JPG

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