Dog Drool

Dog Drool soda is one of the flavors available from Avery's Beverages line up of "gross sodas". This collection was inspired by the flavor mixings of children taking part in their "Make Your Own Soda" program. Relax, though. They are gross by name. Dog Drool soda is not actually made with dog drool, nor is Kitty Piddle made with cat pee.

The bottle offers a pleasant lemony scent. It tastes quite a bit like eating a lemon and orange pez candy at once and isn't overly sugary. However, I think it could use more carbonation as it is rather flat. So here's something I never thought I'd say... "I can't wait to see how Kitty Piddle tastes."

Waialua Mango

Started in 2003, you can find a little more about Waialua Soda Works here. 

This drink has the light pink color of rose wine and a very enticing aroma. The scent is full of melon and strawberry fresh scent. The flavor is a tad bitter with a mango finish, though it's also light and a flavorless on parts of the tongue. You also might find, depending on your taste buds, that is has a tiny hint of vegetable-like greenness supporting the mango flavor. Bottom line is, you probably won't like this soda unless you are big on melon and fruit.

Dream Lode Golden Ginger Ale

Here's a conundrum... The label of this ginger ale lists Cripple Creek Brewing, which seems to have no discernible web site. The cap lists Filbert's Beverages out of Illinois. So it's hard to say where this came from.

It does have a nice carbonation ratio and a beautiful label. It carries a nice ginger ale flavor but almost seems as if it's been mixed with apple juice even though no juice is listed as an ingredient. It's a fruity ginger ale taste. You'll also find it leans slightly more towards the ginger beer end of the ginger ale spectrum, in so much as it has a bit of a bite towards the finish. 

Peńafiel Strawberry

Peńafiel is a lineup of fruit flavored sodas from Mexico. It has generous carbonation. The flavoring feels cheap though. The packaging is alright but it's just an imitation product.

Frostie Diet Root Beer

Frostie has existed since 1939 when George Rackensperger founded Frostie Beverage Co. in an abandoned Catonsville, Maryland jailhouse. Frostie was sold to Monarch Beverage in 1979 and sold again in 2000, and finally sold to Intrastate Distributors in 2009. Intrastate currently bottles Frostie and Kist brand sodas out of Detroit. The "old man winter" character has been the icon of Frostie for generations.

Frostie is chock full of carbonation and has an appetizing scent. It is, however, what you might expect from a diet soda... that is to say it has a slight chemical tasting bent to it. When it comes to diet sodas more often than not I say stick to the full carb, full calorie version and this one is no exception. 

Nichol Kola

I was thrilled to find a bottle of Nichol Kola in Oklahoma one day. Although my collection of vintage soda signs is admittedly pretty small, it started with a Nichol Kola sign I picked up at an antique store while hunting for vintage soda bottle caps. If you're interested in collecting vintage signage Nichol Kola is a good place to start because for some odd reason there is a spate of Nichol signs in the antique store and flea market circuits. I'm not sure why there are so many in circulation but it means they are often a little more affordable. Aside from that I enjoy the design of their signs, which is why I have three now, one in NOS condition which waits in my garage to be cleaned of the paper packing adhered to it. Due to having these signs I often wondered what it tasted like but was well aware the company went under. 

Enter Orca Beverages, mentioned before in this blog, who have been taking up the cause to license and bottle many old vintage brands of soda again.

While it has the aroma of RC cola, it's hard not to taste the coriander and cinnamon. These flavorings hang in your mouth long after drinking it. Its certainly a change up from the straight cola flavor I was expecting. It's familiar and different at the same time and so I'm happy to recommend trying it. 

Cherry China Cola

The China Cola brand is an interesting blended soda, in that they blend traditional herbs into their drinks. This is their Cherry Cola offering, my previous entry on regular China Cola can be seen here. 

The herbal ingredients give it a spicy scent. Strangely, it almost seems as if the herbal qualities of their cherry cola are stronger than that of their regular cola. I like to think I have a pretty sensitive palate but I cannot seem to find any hint of cherry within this drink. That isn't to say this is a bad soda, but expect a herbal tone with a spiciness like that of nutmeg and cinnamon. That aura makes it a pretty good choice for fall because of the use of nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger in many autumnal baked goods. Give it a try if you see it. 

Sangaria Gettin' Cool Melon Soda

Another of the somewhat generic aluminum bottled sodas from Sangaria, see the post on strawberry here.

I'm not really a melon eater so I'm not sure if I'll care much for this drink. It's aroma is very much like Red Bull. It's an interesting flavor. It does lend itself to Red Bull's flavor family which surprises me as I would have not previously ever thought of Red Bull as a melon-like flavor. It's also quite sugary and well carbonated. Not much to say beyond that for this one... I'm just not feeling this drink. 

Hawaiian Blue Ramune

Here's another bottle of ramune I located at an asian supermarket. This must be some generic brand as I cannot locate any branding and I'm unsure what Hawaiian Blue is supposed to taste like.

I think this particular drink tastes like cheap bubblegum... like bazooka or even the stuff that comes with baseball cards. Not a great find by any means.

Switch Black Cherry

Switch began in 2001. It's founder, Mike Gilbert, enjoyed fruit juices but frequently mixed in sparkling water. So he started a company that bottles carbonated fruit drinks made from 100% juice. Because there is no sugar added and is gluten free with no preservatives it has picked up many schools as customers as a healthy alternative to sugary sodas. 

You'll often find these sodas in your market's health food/natural food sections and I really enjoy them. The carbonation isn't very heavy and they retain the flavor of real fruit juice. This black cherry reminds me very much of the Juicy Juice brand of beverages. The black cherry is tart and rich like you want in a black cherry drink. It's nice that there are these options out there in the marketplace. Black cherry is good, but I'm looking forward to tasting their orange-tangerine and lemon-lime as well.

Abbondio Rossa

Abbondio was founded in 1889 in Tortona, Italy, which is about halfway between Milan and Genoa. They have been producing unique recipes since their beginning. Abbondio is known for high-quality. Their packaging has undergone some reinvention which is not reflected in the image posted here of this particular bottle. Much of their current branding is centered on 40's era American Pin-ups. 

Rossa, which translates as "red" is said to include over 10 essences and often used as a mixer. I'm a tad apprehensive about my first taste so give it a good whiff. It smells like a combination of ginger beer and nutmeg. It's got quite the bitter kick to it. I definitely see this more as a mixer than anything else... and even then I'm not sure it's a mixer I'd be interested in. Because I feel like I'm sipping on bitters, I'm going to pass on finishing this bottle. It looks nice though.

Sunkist Citrus Fusion

While not in a glass bottle, I picked up a bottle of Sunkist's Citrus Fusion from the grocery store. See my review on Sunkist Orange here.

This particular soda has a unique combination of flavors. The base flavor is lime but there's also a melon mixture in there. It's not unpleasant, but I find it to be a bit strange. I also think it could benefit from more carbonation. Unfortunately, plastic bottles are permeable to gasses so some ma have escaped while on the shelf. 

Lolli's Cherry Pop

I picked up this bottle on a hunt for new sodas a few months ago. Billed as a soda/energy drink, Lolli's is no longer in business. It appears to have been a shortly lived venture though you can find some bottles out there still for sale from online soda vendors. 

It smells sweet and fruity but is just a smidgeon under carbonated in my opinion. Rose wine colored, it carries only a slight hint at cherry flavor. It seems champagne-like but carried by a cherry/raspberry finish. It contains ginseng and guarana, along with caffeine and niacin. As they are no longer bottling this beverage you're not likely to find it but there you are... I tasted it. 

Nesbitt's Strawberry

See the earlier post here, for more on the history of Nesbitt's sodas.

Ohh... I'm pleasantly surprised at the flavor of this soda. Being an American made soda I was expecting the overly sugar-filled sweetness that accompanies most domestic strawberry, orange and grape sodas. However, while still sweet, there's a tartness that this offering has that brings it closer to the taste of an actual berry. It's almost as authentic in flavor as the strawberry ramune from Japan I reviewed in the past. As both an authentic flavor and a domestic product I strongly endorse giving this a try if you find a bottle. 

Red Rock Golden Ginger Ale

Red Rock was started in 1885 in Atlanta, Georgia by Lee Hagan and G.T. Dodd. Ginger ale was their first soda. Their cola flavor was not sold until 1938, and was the only product Babe Ruth endorsed personally. Red Rock depended on a strong distribution network which grew to have bottlers in 47 states in 1958, when there were still only 48 states in the union. 

Produced with cane sugar, it has a sharp ginger aroma. I'm not sure they should call this ginger ale as my first sip proved it just as potent as ginger beer. In fact, it has that throaty burn that you can expect from ginger beer, even more so than some of the ginger beers I have had. It's too bad, I was expecting something light and refreshing. I think hard liquor drinkers will enjoy this better than I. 

Americana Honey Cream

Here's the second flavor from Americana to appear on this blog. You can see the first one here. 

This one has a very strong creamy vanilla scent. I don't smell honey, but I don't think that has much of a scent anyway. On first sip, it's got good carbonation and starts off creamy but that honey flavoring quickly gives it a yellow cough syrup vibe. I enjoy well made cream sodas but I'm not a fan of this bottle. 

Cock 'n Bull Ginger Beer

The story goes that John Martin sought a business opportunity by buying a vodka distillery in the 1940's. At the time, vodka was not a popular imbibement. Despite having the Smirnov family recipe, his distillery went under. He eventually ended up in Hollywood, where he stopped to eat at a tavern called the Cock 'n Bull on Sunset Avenue and met the owner, Jack Morgan. In addition to the little bar, Morgan brewed ginger beer, which was not selling well. The two eventually teamed up to combine vodka, ginger beer and a little lime to create the Moscow Mule. It was traditionally sold in copper mugs because a female friend of Morgan's had a back-stock of the cups from a recently inherited copper factory. Eventually Morgan was able to sell the ginger beer as a soda/mixer. 

I'm quickly discovering that ginger beers all seem to come with that pungent ginger root odor. It's got a high level of carbonation but quickly reminds me of my first run in with ginger beer as it stings the back of the throat. While not as strong as the first ginger beer I ever had, this has that familiar heat that grows after taking a sip. Once again, not for me.

And though this is a soda blog, I do have some vodka and lime juice handy and decide to mix myself up  a quick Moscow Mule. It certainly has a bit of a kick. 

Route 66 Route Beer

Begun in 1996, Route 66 bottles a small line up of soda flavors in Lebanon, Missouri. Route Beer was their first offering and who doesn't love a good pun?

While this drink has sufficient carbonation and an old style aroma I think it has an odd finish. There is an interesting ingredient listed on the bottle I have not seen before, Quillaia. A quick google search shows this is sometimes used as a foaming agent in sodas, which must be why a head exists on this drink even when still in the bottle. It's an OK root beer, but due to the slightly strange finish might be better as a float so the vanilla can mask it. 

Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer

W.J. Barritt moved to Bermuda from England in 1839. In 1874, after being denied a pay increase he opened a store in Hamilton. There he bottled mineral water and the family later bottled soda. The Barritt family has been producing it's ginger beer soda in Bermuda since 1874. 

The first time I heard of any ginger beer I had picked up a bottle at a grocery store. Because I had never heard of it I assumed it was some sort of ginger ale. I was in for a bit of shock because it was very spicy and only seemed to get hotter the more time passed after each swig. This will be the first ginger beer I've had since then.

There's a firm scent of ginger root from the bottle that reminds me of ginger sauce. This particular ginger beer is well carbonated an doesn't have the spicy burn I remember but tastes like chinese restaurant ginger sauce. You might even say it has a hint of pine needle taste. It's odd that I can enjoy ginger ale so much but have never found a ginger beer that I can even finish a bottle of. I suppose it's just one of those flavors you love or hate. 

Caruso's Legacy Robusto Root Beer

A look into the history of this soda, which I had previously never heard of, reveals very little. It is bottled by the Wit Beverage Company and states that Caruso's has been handed down for three generations, yet I can find nothing about these Caruso's. I could be wrong but based on this, I wonder if the Caruso's were invented for marketing purposes. If I can discover differently perhaps I can emend this post later and will welcome any contact from readers. 

The aroma is bold and creamy. The drink has very little carbonation for a root beer, however the flavor is appealing and has that old world distinction you want from a good root beer. If you like A&W, you'll also enjoy this as the flavors are similar, but there is the tiniest hint of anise at the finish of this particular brand. This will pair nicely with any red meat based meal. 

Jolt Red Eye

Jolt began in 1985, when C.J. Rapp invented the highly caffeinated Jolt Cola. This occurred during a period of soft drink development focused on fewer calories or less sugar. In college he noted that many students created their own blends of drinks trying to stay awake to study. He created Jolt with 72mg of caffeine per serving, which was the most allowed by the FDA. Jolt was the first beverage to feature functional marketing, the idea that certain ingredients were included for a purpose. They also utilized beer distributors, when other soft drinks were distributing through other means. These innovations lead the way for the revolution seen in the beverage industry today. However, with stiff competition from other energy drinks they filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Today, Jolt has been remade into an energy drink rather than being marketed as a soda. It currently falls under the umbrella of Boylan Bottling Works.

I only recently found this bottle at a gas station, it was clearly created before the marketing revamp as the ingredients do not list taurine, guarana or other typical ingredients from energy drinks. In addition, the label still reads Wet Beverages. It has been many years since I had a Jolt Cola and I have never tasted Jolt Red Eye. It has the aroma of a red cream soda but I also notice tiny bits floating in it. The drink carries only a light level of carbonation and the flavor is similar to a red cream soda but smoother. It does not have an acidic bite nor much of an after taste. Perhaps its decline was due to those seeking a bolder flavor or should I say, more "extreme." I find it pretty pleasant but it will take several more minutes to judge it's caffeine feed to my blood stream. Drink if you are a code monkey, cramming for exams, or in need of more pep and don't like the sometimes odd flavors of other energy drinks. 

Kola Inglesa

This is a soda that hails from Peru with a name that translates as "English Cola." Kola Inglesa is popular in South America and dates back to 1912. Although begun independently, that brand was purchased by Coca-Cola.

Although the label translates as Cola, the bright red color is the first clue this won't be cola flavored. Upon uncapping it I sense a cherry-cream-like smell. My first sip has me taken aback by a very strange sort of taste. I'm having trouble placing it. It has traces of cherry but it reminds me a bit of Irn-Bru in that it has something of a metallic background to it and something chemically almost like ammonia. It's not undrinkable, but it's just... strange. I can't imagine pairing this with anything other than junk food. If you find a bottle, try it and let me know what you think about this distinctive flavor. 

Almdudler

Officially the 100th post! For this milestone I wanted to introduce Almdudler, an Austrian soda created in 1957 by Erwin Klein. Almdudler was originally made with apple and grape juice with a variety of herbs. It is often referred to as the Austria's national drink because of it's popularity. In addition to regular Almdudler there are other variants which include: sugar free, non-carbonated and a "Radler" version, which  means it is mixed with beer, known as Alradler. The name Almdudler is derived from the saying, "auf der Alm dudeln," meaning "singing in the Alpine meadows." 

My first encounter with Almdudler occurred on a trip to Vienna in 2009 when I purchased a bottle from one of the street vendors near Opernring. I often drink ginger ale sodas and based on the appearance I thought it was a ginger ale, but was a bit surprised by it's taste. To be fair... it's not far from ginger ale and is often compared to ginger ales or elderflower based drinks. The taste was just a little bit odd at first but I quickly took to it. Almdudler has a light ginger-ale like basal quality but is tinged wit a flowery essence. Because I was unsure of the nature of the drink I translated the words at the bottom of the label reading "aus natürlichen Alpenkräutern" which translates to "from natural alpine herbs." It's descriptive yet cryptic enough to protect their secrets. 

I was able to purchase some glass bottles of Almdudler online once I returned home. They have uniquely shaped bottles but what impresses me most, like similar bottles, is a nice thick heavy glass which I find seems to add something of a tactile quality to a beverage. The scent is ethereal but a tad herbal. You'll find the flavor a tad sharper, or bitter, than a ginger ale but just like ginger ale it's carbonation and herbs are good for digestion and settling the stomach. If you enjoy ginger ale, you'll certainly want to try this. If you aren't able to travel to Austria to drink a bottle in the crisp autumn air, then find some to mail order online. While you could enjoy this soda with practically any food, it's probably best as a palate cleanser and digestive aid with an authentic Austrian meal, perhaps a schnitzel or gulasch, or a number of their wild game based dishes.

Bawls G33K B33R Root Beer

Bawls began in 1996 as a high-caffiene soft drink with guarana flavoring. They market a line up which now includes Bawls Cherry as well as Bawls Root Beer, as well as provide several recipes for use as a mixer. 

I could be wrong, but it appears as if Bawls G33K B33R was renamed to Bawls Root Beer because the name may have been to cryptic, nor does not appear in the list on their website. It pleasantly tastes like root beer rather than some sort of odd energy drink flavor with a tinge of root beer. It's unique, studded bottle lends some curb appeal as well. While not a particularly memorable root beer flavor, it's not creamy either... it still stands up as a tasty bottle. I'd recommend this to root beer aficionados, late night code monkeys or someone who wants an extra wired edge to their root beer float.

Sprecher Orange Dream

Sprecher Brewery was opened by Randal Sprecher in 1985. Sprecher was a California native with a degree in oceanography, he left the field due to seasickness. He obtained a second degree in brewing and went to work for Pabst in Milwaukee, WI. In 1985, Randal opened Sprecher Brewery, offering a lineup of micro-brewed beers and sodas. Interestingly, they also sell a few barbecue sauces and mustards. 

Orange Dream is described as a blend of natural orange flavors, honey and vanilla. It's got a nice feel in a vintage style 16oz. bottle with a sweet orange cream scent. It feels just a tad thin. With a fat bottle and honey as an ingredient I had an assumption of a higher viscosity. The clear hero of this beverage is the cream flavoring. A bottle of Orange Dream would make a decent dessert soda. 

Dry Blood Orange Soda

This is the second flavor from Dry that I've gotten my hands on. For more about Dry, see my previous post here regarding Dry Juniper.

Since my last review, the Dry lineup appears to have undergone a design makeover with a slightly less minimalist, Bauhaus feel. Normally I find the blood orange variety of orange sodas to be very delicious. However, this particular offering is sour and also finishes with a less than friendly tinge of quinine. Without knowing the exact intent of those who mixed this flavor, I know that Dry has a niche target for mixers and cooking uses. Which is what I'm chalking this flavor up to. Sodas are often used as mixers for other beverages and so there is a gray area which they sometimes cross. Because I have an interest in sodas I have to be willing to come across the occasional bottle which may not be intended to be sipped directly but nonetheless is a carbonated non-alcoholic beverage. It's a delight to see the carbonated bubbles in this crystal clear drink in it's clear glass though.

Butter Beer

Butter Beer comes to us from Cooper's Cave Ale Company in Glens Falls, NY. A family affair, they began brewing beer in 1995 and opened their pub/brewhouse in 1999. As many know, beer brewing and brewing for sodas are closely tied and many micro-brewers also produce sodas. 

The very name on this bottle is what tempted me to give it a go. As always, I like to take some deep inhalations over a bottle of soda I've never tasted before. This bottle is smells sweet and creamy like a good old fashioned cream soda should. Upon tasting, I find the initial sense to be evocative of a butterscotch pudding. The cream flavoring follows a little too quickly and rids the butterscotch from your tongue. It would be nice if it were possible to lengthen the time the butterscotch stays with you. It is unfortunate however, that I'm finding the finish to be a tad "chemical" in taste. I couldn't say if that finish was due to the flavor extracts or a preservative. For this collection of tastes as a whole I'd say this particular flavor isn't my cup of tea. If you are apt to try a bottle, perhaps pair it with a greasy burger to coat your taste buds with.

Unknown Dred Formula No. 53 Road Rage Red

This is an interesting one... Unknown Dred, as he's called, is the man with his face on the label that also happens to resemble George Clinton a little. He's worked as a driver for Real Soda, a California beverage distributor and licensed bottler of many sodas. Ol' Dred wanted a soda with kick, but also wanted a punch flavor. The gang at Real Soda wanted to give him a soda namesake as a 53rd birthday gift. Although I'd love to have my own soda... the official website looks like something a kid did and could use some work.

Once opened there is a terrifically vibrant fruity smell. However the cap leaves a new mystery. On the underside a quote reads, "We aren't going to sell out our reputation for $74.75!" I have no idea what this alludes to... an inside joke a Real Soda maybe? Billed as a carbonated energy drink, the ingredient list names guarana, maca, maté, kola nut, schizandra, ginseng, green tea, and caffeine among other things. 

While the smell is enticing, the flavor is a bit strange, which is typical from the ingredients used in energy drinks. It's still fruity but has that herbal quality that can't really be described due to such a unique blend of these extracts. It's not unpleasant, but I wouldn't choose to pair this with anything. I could certainly see using it as a mixer with a fruitiness that Red Bull doesn't have. 

Jackson Hole Soda Snake River Sarsaparilla

Brewed in Jackson, Wyoming, Jackson Hole Soda has been around for a few years but unfortunately I've been unable to find any information about their history. They've got a few different flavors and aim for an old fashioned feel. 

It certainly has that smokey sense of "old-fashioned" flavoring. It's got a rich root taste but isn't heavy. It's smooth with a touch of creaminess. A good level of carbonation exists due to natural brewing techniques. Definitely a soda I'd recommend, though I'm not sure it's that memorable. 

Freaky Dog Soda Barkin' Birch Beer

Freaky Dog Soda is the creation of brothers, Tom and Jim Magli, after working in various roles in the beverage industry for several years. The brand name is an homage to Jim Magli's dog, Eddie, who stole and hoarded all manner of items from their neighbors. As such, the flavors have been given canine-themed names like Grrrrape, Howling Black Cherry and Rooffbeer.

It has the odd aroma of cream and pepto. I imagine this particular flavor from Freaky Dog is an acquired taste because it's a bit strange. It's creamy but indeed tastes like pepto-bismol, not something I'm very fond of drinking for enjoyment. Alas, sometimes novelty beverages cannot live up. Perhaps their other flavors will improve my opinion of the brand, but this is not a flavor I'd recommend. Although they've done well with the concept and packaging design. 

The Sopranos Chianti Soda

There's nothing to explain about the history of this soda because there really isn't any. A few years ago the folks at Imbibe Inc, a company who focuses on beverage flavoring and manufacturing for private label drinks of all sorts licensed the name "The Sopranos" from HBO to make a line of Italian themed sodas. There are currently three flavors available: Chianti, Amaretto and Limoncello. 

I actually stumbled upon this bottle on a recent jaunt, hunting for new sodas. While I was never a view of the HBO series the flavors had me intrigued so I grabbed a bottle. Those who regularly read this blog know I'm not a big alcoholic beverage drinker and have found the few wines and ports I've tried a bit pungent for me, so I really won't be able to compare this to the taste of actual chianti. 

The aroma is not heavy but actually smells a bit like an alcoholic beverage with a hint of grape. I find it to be very wine-like in flavor. It has a bite like a dry wine but the background sweetness of a soda. This is not a soda I would ever drink for enjoyment of flavor but it's interesting nonetheless. I'd be interested in comparing it side by side with the real deal or getting the opinion of an actual Italian on the taste. I'm hoping to grab a bottle of the Limoncello in the future.

Squamscot Black Cherry

Squamscot is another brand that has a very long history and I rather like that this one is still family owned and run. The Conner family bottling works was established in 1863 on the family farm in Newfields, New Hampshire. In the early days, the soda, called "tonic" at the time was named "Connermade". When his son Alfred Conner, Sr. took over he had the foresight to drill an artesian well on sight rather than using public water supplies. Some contribute it's quality to this water supply. Most beer brewmasters will tell you that water quality is of supreme importance, so perhaps this is the case. The small production sextupled during the prohibition years to meet demand. Alfred Conner, Sr. bought their first modern bottling machine in 1938 and was nicknamed "Dixie". Today, Dixie sits in the same spot it was placed in the day it was delivered. Alfred Conner, Jr. led in the years after WWII and today his sons, Tom and Dan, continue the family business.  Drinkers will note that the bottle caps still sport the initials CBW. 

This drink has a rich flavor befitting of the term "old fashioned." Black Cherry sodas are usually delicious but this one has that dark cherry flavor that reminds me of the old-fashioned hard candy sticks found in road-side shops on family vacations. It's a flavor that starts on the tip of the tongue with a tiny bit of acidity, then ends at the rear of the mouth with cherry and finally, after the gulp you get a smokey cherry finish. In my mind, this soda may be hard to pair with any specific food but makes a good dessert drink on its own. I'm certainly looking forward to more flavors from Squamscot in the future. 

Triple XXX Root Beer

Triple XXX began in 1895 Galveston, Texas when a group of investors teamed with Anheuser-Busch Brewing to establish The Galveston Brewing Company. Their brewery, capable of 100,000 barrels a year, produced beer in oak barrels marked "XXX". Five years later, in 1900, a hurricane struck Galveston, killing 8,000 people. The company was lucky, in that the brewery was one of the few businesses to survive and was able to presume production. It was about this time that they also began selling a line up of soda syrups, which coincidentally were sold bearing the brand "XXX". The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records continuous use of the "XXX" brand since at least 1908. 

In 1916, the state of Texas, perhaps sensing the momentum of the dry movement, preceded the Prohibition Act of 1918 by banning alcohol production. Galveston Brewing was better suited to face the prohibition than many brewing companies of the time due to already being in the business of soda syrup sales. Other breweries of the time either shuttered completely or started soda sales once forced to. The company changed it's name to Southern Beverage Company and converted the brewing equipment to soda manufacturing. In 1918, they registered the trademark "Triple XXX". 

By 1923, Southern Beverage Company had 150 distributors in several states as well as around 100 drive-ins called "thirst stations". In 1928, they finally added a cola flavor to their line up due to growing popularity of the cola beverage market. In 1932, the company reverted to it's original name and in 1924 when prohibition was repealed merged with Magnolia Brewing, of Houston and changed it's name again to Galveston-Houston Breweries. With prohibition repealed they reverted to brewing beer, though the plant in Galveston continued to make soda flavor extracts. In 1953, the company was sold to the Stenzel Corporation. A few years after this, most of the beer brewing production was sold off and root beer took center stage again. During this time however, fast food chain growth throughout the nation took it's toll on the number of operating "thirst stations".

In 1960, the FDA had banned the use of sassafras oil because it suspected safrole as being a carcinogen. Triple XXX's reverted to flavor analysts to use artificial means to keep its flavor close to the original thing. In 1969, Dr Pepper Bottling in Orange, Texas bought control of Triple XXX Corp. 

Because I'm Indiana born and raised I'd like to touch on the Triple XXX drive-in in West Lafayette, which is one of only two Triple XXX restaurants still operating today. It was the first drive-in of the state in 1929 and is the oldest drive-in restaurant in Indiana. I'm happy to report that this bottle states that it was bottled under the authority of Triple XXX Root Beer Co. of West Lafayette!

Enough with the history lesson... on to the drink. The first thing I'm noting is the color of the glass bottle. While I'm familiar with using brown and green bottles to limit the amount of light affecting the drink inside... this bottle isn't brown, it's a light amber color. It's quaff is very rich and creamy. It's quite delicious as well. If you've ever indulged in a root beer float you know that creamy vanilla taste the root beer has once you've eaten all the ice cream... and that's just how this root beer tastes. It's not very carbonated for a root beer, but that creamy root beer flavor makes it a great dessert soda.

Ting

Eugene Peter Desnoes and Thomas Hargreaves Geddes merged their companies to form Desnoes and Geddes Ltd (D&G) and began brewing beverages together in Jamaica in 1918. Their best known product is Red Stripe beer. In 1976 D&G introduced Ting, a grapefruit soda made from locally grown grapefruit trees. D&G was bought by Guinness in 1993, but Ting was sold to Pepsi Co in 1999. 

There a tart aroma from this bottle and I like the taste. There's a good level of carbonation. Like many things from Jamaica however it's a bit more potent. This soda is bitter. It's sweetened with sugar, but my tongue can't tell much of a difference from biting right into a ripe grapefruit. All that said, it's not off-putting to me but it's good it's a smaller than normal bottle. I can also understand the popularity of mixing this soda with vodka as it will make a good mixer for sure.

Kazouza 1941 : Lime Pomegranate

There's little to be found about the history of this drink produced by Cedars Premium, despite being the oldest beverage maker in Lebanon. They inserted 1941 into the name of this line of carbonated fruit juices as an homage to their history, the year the family owned business began. Because this line up is really a sparkling fruit juice, there are rather different options than a standard soda maker, including watermelon, pink grapefruit, tamarind, strawberry melon and lemon ice among others. They are also made with very natural ingredients such as cane sugar and real fruit juices. For those geographically inclined, Lebanon is a small Mediterranean country abutting the northern border of Israel. Due to the events of WWII, Lebanon was occupied by French and British troops in June of 1941, with independence declared in November. 

It has ample carbonation contained within its uniquely shaped, curvy bottle and a sugary sweet quaff. Pleasantly, the sugary smell does not translate to overly sweet taste. The flavor has the right amount of tartness you expect from real fruit. It's quite refreshing, with a strong pomegranate lead but finishes with a slight lime taste. It's clear, however, that the more I drink the stronger the sugary flavor comes out. I think this would be an excellent morning beverage paired with about any breakfast food I can think of well. 

The Pop Shoppe Pineapple

The Pop Shoppe brand began back in 1969 in London, Ontario. They eschewed the retail business and sold their sodas directly from their own stores. By 1975, they had crossed the border to the US with locations in 11 states. Two years later they were selling one million bottles of soda per day! But by 1983 competing business caused sales to drag and the company ceased production. In 2002, Brian Alger, a childhood fan of the drink, buys the brand name and attempts to relaunch the soda going to far as to try to recreate the original flavors. Two years later, in 2004, the soda is on shelves again, now in retail stores and sold as a premium brand. By 2009, the revival has seen many more flavors return and they are again sold in the original "stubby" bottles.

The cap on this bottle releases with a crisp sound of carbonation release and bright aroma of pineapple. While a little more sugary than some pineapple sodas, and regular reader of this blog knows it's hard for me to say anything bad about a pineapple drink. This bottle is delicious even if a tad too sweet. While the "stubby" bottle is no longer returned and refilled as in the original days, they at least promote recycling on the bottle. These short bottles feel like the returnable sort even if they aren't. It's a good solid soda and I'll look to get my hands on some of their other varieties in the future. 

100 Flavor Fountain Machine

I just returned from lunch and was excited to finally use one of these machines. I had heard about this a few years ago but had not encountered one in person until today at one of the franchise locations of the regional deli chain Mr. Goodcents.

These machines operate similar to a printer in that they store several cartridges, which are filled with flavored syrups rather than printer dyes. A computer lets you choose from a multitude of flavor varieties, some of which are not found anywhere else, like Grape Sprite. They can do this because the computer mixes the flavor syrups only as needed instead of in mass batches like the familiar soda fountain "bag-in-a-box" concept which is a large bladder of one flavored syrup a standard soda fountain just mixes with soda water at the time it's pressed.

I of course opted to chose a variety of flavor I had not had before, Raspberry Coke. It was a nice change up. The raspberry flavor remained true to the fruit taste, however I felt it the mixture was too heavy on the raspberry. Because I could almost not taste the Coke, it could have easily been just a raspberry soda. I'll have to try the orange cola next time. This machine will probably keep me coming back to that location for some time simply for the novelty of some new flavors.

Jarritos Mandarin

Jarritos was founded by Don Francisco Hill in 1950 in Mexico City. It was not sold in the US until 1989 and of course is popular with US Latino customers. 

This mandarin soda is quite clean, and refreshing with a natural mandarin flavoring. It's well carbonated but not bubbly when sitting still. Although it's made with actual sugar instead of corn-syrup, I think they could stand to include some caffeine. All in all, it's an enjoyable drink but not memorable. 

SodaVie Mojito

SodaVie is the result of the combined efforts of Sean Henry and Benjamin Topel of Get Real Food and was released to the local Kansas City market in 2010. Benjamin was looking to brew some classic sodas and found a few formulas which were refined with Sean's input. Made in the kitchen of Big City Dogs, these sodas are brewed in small, hand-crafted batches. Just like traditional sodas, the carbonation is a byproduct of fermentation and so is very similar to producing beer. 

In my opinion, one of the great draws of this brand is the old-style bottling, with beautiful indigo glass. Aside from an old stand-by flavor of ginger beer, the offerings from these two sound more like cooking ingredients than sodas. Other flavors I have yet to try are citrus chili, thai basil clove, strawberry lavender, pineapple cilantro, and strawberry mint, blueberry tarragon, as well as seasonal flavors honey apple and spiced apple.

Now, truth be told I have had this bottle stashed in the back of my fridge for a year because I had hoped to try an honest to goodness mojito first for a comparison. Alas, I'm not much of a drinker, hence why I have never tasted one, and so still have not tried one but felt the need to move on and get this thing out of there. So the fact that it is now a year past the "drink by" date on the bottle and the fact that the carbonation is a natural byproduct of it's fermentation would explain why it burst out with a force greater than any champagne bottle I've ever seen. But what a show it was! It also released a lovely aroma in the kitchen. The smell was like lime and mixed with a hint of yeast. A peek inside the dark blue glass bottle also showed a couple of whole mint leaves floating about. It actually tastes as though it was a hand-mixed drink from a bartender. It has robust weight to it, but the flavor is mild and finishes cleanly. I can honestly say I've never had anything like it. It would pair wonderfully with a nice fat pork or chicken burrito, which is fitting since the mojito is originally a latin american beverage. Cheers for now and if you are in the Kansas City area look for one of the very few niche locations to pick one of these bottles up.

Jones Soda Fufu Berry

This is the third Jones soda tasted for this blog, so see my earlier post here, for more about the history of Jones Soda. 

Right off the top it's got a higher than average amount of carbonation and the pleasant aroma of strawberry jello. It also taste like jello. It reminds me of a mix of strawberry and raspberry jello. I've had Jones soda's prior to beginning this blog and never really found any of their drinks enjoyable. Thanks to Fufu Berry I can say that stretch is over because I like this bottle and might even try it with vodka someday. 

Thomas Kemper Orange Cream

Thomas Kemper Brewing began in 1985 as a microbrew company in Washington. In 1990, the company created a hand-crafted root beer for their annual Oktoberfest. In 1992, the beer business was sold off, but Thomas Kemper Sodas is later also bought by the same company, Pyramid Breweries. In 2007, Thomas Kemper Sodas is made independent again when it is purchased away from Pyramid. 

Thomas Kemper Sodas introduced their orange cream flavor in 1997. The bottle carries a delicious push-up popsicle smell. It has a very pleasing flavor. It's rich and sweet, but is thick. Not thick in a syrupy sense but with a heaviness I would pair with something like a heavy omelet. 

Cherry Ski

Unfortunately I have never found Cherry Ski in a glass bottle like it's namesake Ski, which I have previously discussed here. 

It hasn't got much of a scent at all but is adequately carbonated. I like Ski and thankfully, they brought the Ski citrus blend to the table with this drink and added the cherry flavoring to top it off. It's sweet like cherries and tart like grapefruit all at once. A good drink I'll recommend tasting. 

HeySong Sarsaparilla

Today's HeySong Corp. began with a man by the name of Wen-Chi Chang. He and several of his cousins created the Jian Hsin Corporation in 1925 to buy an existing beverage manufacturer in Taiwan. At the time Taiwan was under Japanese control, and so they bought Japanese brand Nikoniko. For several years they made sodas under various names. They created the HeySong brand for HeySong Soda, released in 1931. HeySong Sarsaparilla did not come about until 1950. In 1959, they installed the first neon sign in Taiwan at the Chiayl Rail Station. The company would later change it's name to HeySong in 1970 recognizing the popular brand. In 1984, they suffered a major blow when a massive recall was made due to concerns around safrole, which is banned by the FDA. This is why all modern root beer/sarsaparilla use artificial flavorings. 

When cracking open a can it smells like minty candy; sweet, but with a minty overtone. It has a very odd flavor to it. The "rooty" flavor a westerner is accustomed to with, say, an A&W or Barq's is very faint. There is also a minty taste in it as if someone accidentally poured barbicide or a touch of Scope into it. I find it to be a very strange flavor, however popular it may be in asia. I had higher hopes for this when I discovered it but won't be indulging in it again anytime soon. I could not even think of a meal it might pair well with. My bottom line is that you should probably let it be unless you're simply too curious. 

World Market Orange Passion Mango

This is another in a string of sodas made and sold at World Market. You can read up on the Blood Orange review here.

A crisp orange and mango scent accompanies this bottle on opening. What I enjoy about these sodas from World Market is that they are all natural, made with real fruit and containing actual pulp. They are very refreshing and terrific for a breakfast or early morning snack. This particular flavor is a healthy combination of fruit flavors with one not over powering the other. It would even make a nice mimosa variation if one so desired. The carbonation is low enough to make you forget you're drinking a soda but just enough to tingle the mouth. 

Crush Lime

This is the second appearance of a Crush brand soda on this blog. You can see more about the history of Crush on my earlier entry here. 

I'm excited to try this bottle because not many lime flavored sodas are on the market. For some reason the bright green color is giving me a psychological impression that it will be thirst quenching, but we all know that's the role. It has a fair level of carbonation and a quaff similar to Green River. The flavor settles nicely on the tongue and comes close to that lime found in Green River, if only a tad shallower which really hits once it touches the back of my tongue. I find many fruit inspired sodas overly sugary but this is nice. I could drink this while hiking through a city or with a burger.

Mizuho Mango Flavor Ramune

Here's a bottle of mango ramune I found a local asian supermarket. This is sort of an off-brand variety or the popular Japanese beverages in the distinctive Codd bottles. Read more about the bottle on my earlier post, here.

It has a distinctive melon tang to it, again it appears the Japanese markets prefer a taste more natural to the real fruit than the American counter part market which seems to go for sickeningly sugary beverages. As someone who loves gadgets and machinery, I still get a joy from opening these bottles. As expected from an knock-off brand of drink however it has that lingering chemical tinge to it I do not enjoy. 

Big Peach

Big Peach was released to the market in 1994 by Big Red. 

Although they've tried to evoke the flavor of peach in the artificial coloring, it's got a pink/orange hue. In my opinion they would be closer to a natural coloring by giving it a yellowish coloring instead. The scent is  a closer approximation to the real thing. It's a strange flavor combination to me. I think it's too sugary and tastes most like the peach skin than the inner fruit. I could at least understand some people enjoying this drink, particularly in the south where peaches reside. In regards to my own opinion of this however, I'm giving it a thumbs down. 

Doctor Dublin

There is practically nothing out there about this imitation version of Dr Pepper. But it appears to be bottled by a Dublin, Texas bottler who wished provide a drink closer to the original formula of Dr Pepper than it's current incarnation. 

Once the cap has been removed it brings the scent of a cherry cola to mind. The flavoring is less sharp than standard Dr Pepper which today is primarily made with high-fructose corn syrup. This is something I have discovered time and time again, in that sodas made with cane sugar have a smoother sweetness and less acerbic bite to the tongue. It has a cherry overtone with a slight chocolatey finish at the back of the tongue. I'm not going to judge this against Dr Pepper, but on it's own accord. On it's own I find this to be a pleasurable soda and a perfectly acceptable alternative to other "spiced" sodas.