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.