Ale-8-One
/The Hippo figured out it was a ginger ale before me.
Ever meet someone that shared an interest you had? It’s a really good feeling. You may have nothing else in common, but if you both share a passion the world seems a little better.
I frequent a gas station that has always had a nice amount of sodas. Not just mainstream stuff either, lots of thing I’ve only seen at that location. Eventually I drank and reviewed every one they had. I ran in there today to buy a banana and saw they had a bottle of Ale-8-One in their soda section.
I’ve never reviewed Ale-8-One or seen it in my area for that matter. I’ve looked for it for a while now too. So when I approached the familiar soda cooler I was greeted with numerous new sodas I’d yet to try. The owner (I think he was the owner) came up and asked me if I needed any help picking one out. I explained what I was doing and handed him a business card. Yes, I have a Soda Jerks business card for such rare occasions.
We spoke briefly, but the pride he had in the number of sodas he sold was easily visible. He didn’t have to sell random sodas that most people hadn’t heard of, but he did. It seemed to be something he enjoyed. That said, I have a pretty good group of sodas I can buy from there to review now. The rain is falling and the well is filling back up.
Speaking of sodas… the bottle I have today is labeled Ale-8-One (A Late One, GET IT?!). I’m not sure what it tastes like, but the green bottle and retro label make me happy without even trying it. That’s not why we’re here though, so let’s get to it.
Ale-8-One smells kind of citrusy if I had to put a word to it. Not completely lemon lime, but enough of those aromas exist to make me think this will be at least a little like 7up.
Well put some in the right column and put some in the wrong. While there is a citrusy taste, that does include lemon and lime, I wouldn't compare this to 7up at all. I’ve got it! You know what this tastes like? I would suppose that answer is “no” as you’re reading a review of it. Anyway, this tastes like a ginger ale with a citrus burst.
Why didn’t I think a soda with the word “ale” in it wouldn’t be a ginger ale? I’m not sure what my brain was doing there.
Anyway, it’s a pretty good soda in all. It’s not overly sweet, which is nice, and the fizz level is right around where you want it to be. As far as an experience this is the “found a new snack food cravings” of sodas. The beginning is quite nice and I feel like I could drink several bottles. Meanwhile on the back end the journey falls a little flat for me. It’s a little watery, but not to the point where it’s bad… just not what I want a soda to finish like.
So if you see Ale-8-One in your local soda shoppe (with two p’s only if you please) pick one up and give it a go. Heck, even if you hate it you’ll end up with a good lookin’ bottle.
~A
