Fitz's Grape Pop

I opened this last night:

Brand: Fitz's Grape Pop.

Origin: St. Louis, MO.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was quite good! I've mentioned before how I'm OK with "syrupy" sodas (and I figured this could be syrupy), but this wasn't too overly sweet. The grape flavor was strong and tasty. It was rich and full, but stopped before getting too sweet. A pretty good grape soda!

Score: 9 out of 10.

Hollywood's Original Shirley Temple Soda Pop

I cracked in to this earlier today:

Brand: Hollywood's Original Shirley Temple Soda Pop.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This wasn't good. It was incredibly "sharp" and harsh. It had a very strong/strange strawberry flavor that was just too much along with the carbonation. I had a few sips over an hour, but I didn't come close to finishing this. Gross.

Score: 2 out of 10.

Zevia Cola

I stopped at Whole Foods today and tried this:

Brand: Zevia Cola.

Origin: Los Angeles, CA.

Purchase Place: Whole Foods, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Stevia Leaf Extract.

Review: This wasn't great. It wasn't horrible, but I didn't care for it. The cola flavor was weak, and it was really "thin" like many diet sodas. It had a strange sharpness (that I think I get a lot from Stevia), but then a decent slightly fruity kick. Not great overall.

Score: 4.5 out of 10.

Fitz's Cream Soda

Yesterday, I opened this in my classroom:

Brand: Fitz's Cream Soda.

Origin: St. Louis, MO.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: "All natural pure can sugar."

Review: This was OK. There was nothing too special about this. It was quite creamy, with a strong sweetness too it (nearly too much for this sugar-loving boy). I obviously didn't care for the (slight) over sweetness, but there was a slightly fruity flavor that helped this recover. Nothing stood out - it was OK but not amazing. This gets a middle-of-the-road score from me.

Score: 5 out of 10.

Stubborn Classic Root Beer

I'm sipping on this right now after class:

Brand: Stubborn Classic Root Beer.

Origin: Riviera Beach, FL.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This is very unique. I wasn't sure I liked it at first. It almost has a butterscotch flavor - maybe a slight burnt butterscotch flavor. But it's not bad. I sure wouldn't call this "classic" root beer as they do, but it was an interesting twist on the classic root beer flavor. Smooth and creamy. Not bad.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Review of 4 Hard Sodas: Not Your Mom's, Henry's, Strongbow, and Coney Island

Here's my second an final "mini review" of some hard sodas / flavored beers that I picked up at Total Wine:

All the bottles from a few months ago, but this review is just for 4 of the 9.

Here's my review of the final 4 (in the order that I drank them):

Not Your Mom's Apple Pie: This was a beer flavored with vanilla and apple juice, which sounded good to me. It's rare that my wife and I have the same reaction to a drink, but this one was the exception. My wife's quote after taking a sip: "Mmmmm, oh that's goooo... wait, OH NO!" Yep, I had the same thought. It's a very sweet apple pie flavor initially, but then there's a HARD hit of over-the-top cinnamon. I see what they're going for (it's like a super rich pie crust flavor), but it's quite literally 10x what it needs to be. It was nearly undrinkable.  Score: 2.5 out of 10.

Henry's Hard Cherry Cola: I liked this. It was just a little malty and not too "beer-y." And it had just a good cherry cola flavor. This went down easy. Score: 7 out of 10.

Strongbow "Cherry Blossom" Hard Cider: I'll be honest - I don't remember drinking this one. It must have been OK, but not great. Or horrible. Oops. Sorry. Score: 5 out of 10.

Coney Island Hard Root Beer: Possibly my favorite hard root beer! It had a strong vanilla flavor, and not a huge bite of booze. Still, I couldn't help but thinking if did NOT have alcohol in it, it would have been a great root beer. Score: 8 out of 10.


So I need to try more Coney Island hard sodas, because (as seen in the link below) I've liked them quite a bit - they hold 2 out of my top 3 scores for these 9 beverages.

If you missed it, here's the review of the first 5 of these hard sodas/ciders.

Whistler Carmel Cream

I had another soda from my Whistler stash the other day:

Brand: Whistler Carmel Cream.

Origin: Spring Lake Park, MN.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This was flat (as was another Whistler soda I had this past summer), so this local bottler needs to get something figured out or people will be annoyed. (I'm annoyed.) However, the flavor was OK. It tasted about like I figured a "carmel cream" would taste. Flavor was quite good, but it was flat, which turned me off quite a bit. If this had a proper seal and proper carbonation, I'd rank this maybe 2 points higher.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

Filbert's Old Time Quality Green Apple Soda

I enjoyed drank this in my classroom today:

Brand: Filbert's Old Time Quality Green Apple Soda.

Origin: Chicago, IL.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: Ehh. This was OK. The green apple taste was decent. Unlike my first green apple soda, this one was NOT overly sweet, so that was better. But LIKE my first green apple soda, this one also had a wet cardboard aspect to it - in the other green apple soda, it was just a smell, but this one tasted like green apples mashed with wet cardboard. Not great. It was drinkable, but fantastic. I'll rank this the same as the only other green apple soda I've had: just below average.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Mom's Root Beer

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my Grandma's house yesterday, and I brought along this root beer to enjoy:

On my Grandma's sweet, orange, 1960s kitchen counter.

Brand: Mom's Root Beer.

Origin: Minneapolis, MN.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was pretty good (and went down easily after a good Thanksgiving dinner). It was very smooth and creamy, and it had a pretty rich taste. It wasn't amazing or super unique, but it was very enjoyable.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Colombiana La Nuestra

Today my students were working on their final project proposals, so I took it easy and drank this:

A student in the background. Not my student. Just a student.

Brand: Colombiana La Nuestra.

Origin: Milton, NY.  (I was hoping for something more exotic. Something,... more south...)

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: I cracked this open not knowing what to expect, or even what flavor it was. It only said "Kola Flavored Soda" on the bottle, which I've always thought of as a sweeter, fuller, "fruitier" cola flavor.

Well, it wasn't really cola flavored. It was VERY smooth, and nearly a "cream soda." I saw something online saying this is apple flavored, but I don't taste that. It's like a sweet cream soda with a BIT of a Dr. Pepper flavor. Interesting. Unique. Not bad.

Score: 6 out of 10.
 

Hosmer Mountain White Birch Beer

As we were doing a lot of cooking last night, I opened this:

Brand: Hosmer Mountain White Birch Beer.

Origin: Willimantic, CT.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was good! If I wasn't told it was a "white birch beer," I would have called it a clear root beer. It tasted like a rich root beer that was heavy on the anise (but not TOO heavy). My boys tried sips of this too, and they loved it. I really don't have any complaints! I'm ranking this quite high!

Score: 9.5 out of 10!
 

Kiss Army Root Beer

I've had this in the fridge for a few days, and I finally opened it today:

Brand: Kiss Army Root Beer.

Origin: Camarillo, CA.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: Of course, this semi-novelty soda was made by Rocket Fizz. I've had a lot of bad luck with their sodas, but some good luck too, so I didn't know what to expect from this root beer. Turns out, it was pretty good. It was pretty flavorful and strong, with a pretty noticeable anise flavor (JUST shy of being too much). It had a bit more bite than I'd like, but was very enjoyable overall. I've been on a good run and having a few good sodas lately...

Score: 8 out of 10.
 

Spring Grove Soda at Holiday!

Spring Grove just made this announcement on Facebook:

 Make sure to follow Spring Grove Soda on Facebook.

Fitz's Black Cherry

I didn't mean to review 2 black cherry sodas back-to-back, but this is the soda I grabbed on the way out the door to my class today:

At the "instructor station" in my classroom before class started.

Brand: Fitz's Black Cherry

Origin: St. Louis, MO.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: "All natural pure cane sugar" (whew, that's a mouthful).

Review: Actually, it's a lot like Twig's Black Cherry that I just had a few days ago. It was equally sugary and syrupy. This maybe had a SLIGHTLY better aftertaste, so I'll give this one a half point more. Otherwise, they were QUITE similar.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Twig's Black Cherry

I opened this last night:

Brand: Twig's Black Cherry.

Origin: Shawano, WI.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This was pretty good. It reminded me a bit of a syrupy cough syrup from when I was a kid (in a good way). Real deep flavor and quality black cherry taste. This wasn't AMAZING, but it was good.

Score: 8 out of 10.
 

Lift Bridge Root Beer

I'm currently drinking this as my students are working on their projects in the background:

Made in Stillwater, MN, which has a lift bridge. Note the lift bridge
depiction at the top of the can, and around the far right in the middle.

Brand: Lift Bridge Root Beer.

Origin: Stillwater, MN.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar and Honey.

Review: It was very creamy and rich, and had a pretty classic flavor. It was very smooth and had a good head. There's a LITTLE bit of a honey flavor, but not too much (and too much honey in a root beer has been something I complained about in the past). They are 2 minor things that I don't like about this root beer: first, there's a slight "wet cardboard" taste at the start of each sip (very subtle), and second, this is a 16 oz can which is just too big for me. Those are just minor issues, so this is getting a decent score!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Blenheim Ginger Ale

I opened this earlier today:

It's a bit hard to make out, but the white stuff that's settled on the bottom is real ginger bits.

Brand: Blenheim Ginger Ale

Origin: Hamer, South Carolina.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sucrose.

Review: Sometimes, Ginger Ale has too much of a kick in the back of my throat. I think you know what I'm talking about. This had that kick, but it wasn't as intense, and it was a bit smoother than other Ginger Ales that I've had. I'm still not a major fan of Ginger sodas, but this wasn't bad. I'll rank this just above average.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Root Beer Cotton Candy (yes, you read that correctly)

When we stopped at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store last month, I saw a stack FULL of different / random flavors of cotton candy. I just HAD to try this one:

Brand: Chocolate Storybook Root Beer Cotton Candy

Origin: Des Moines, Iowa.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This was better than I thought it would be. It was a pretty solid root beer flavor, and it wasn't strange or artificial tasting at all. It was a good, fluffy cotton candy with a fun root beer flavor. I shared it with my family, and they all enjoyed it too (photo above taken in my sister's garage where we stood about and ate this).

Check out all the random flavors of Chocolate Storybrook cotton candy on their website. (They also have 3-packs of "themed" cotton candy like their "Rise and Shine Trio:" bacon, coffee, and pancakes with maple syrup cotton candy!)

Score: 9 out of 10.
 

Stubborn Agave Vanilla Cream Soda

I brought this with me to class last week (my first soda from last month's stop at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store), but we ended up having a very full/busy day, and I wasn't able to drink it. So I finally enjoyed it yesterday at home:

In my office at work, although I wasn't able to drink it there.

Brand: Stubborn Agave Vanilla Cream Soda

Origin: Riviera Beach, Florida.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar and Stevia.

Review: Nothing really stood out here. It's a decent vanilla cream soda. It's weird that it's "agave" vanilla cream, but there's no agave in the ingredients (maybe that's part of the "natural flavors"). This was fine, but nothing fancy.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.
 

Crystal Pepsi

I was at the convenience store yesterday to get some soda for my boys who were getting over throwing up. In the cooler, I spotted this, and couldn't resist trying it:

Brand: Crystal Pepsi

Origin: Purchase, NY.

Purchase Place: Marshall Stop, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: I tried to ignore the fact that it was clear because I didn't want that to affect what I thought of it. (I feel like I'll "taste" something differently based on it's color.) At first sip, it tasted like a "lighter" Pepsi. It was initially similar to Pepsi, but then there was an extra sweetness. I rarely say this, but it was a bit too sweet for me. It was like an overly sweet cola (which really doesn't sound all that bad to me, but it was just slightly too much). A bit different, not great, but not horrible.

Score: 5 out of 10.

First 5 Hard Ciders / Hard Sodas from Total Wine

Here's my first of 2 "mini reviews" of the hard ciders and hard sodas that I recently picked up at Total Wine:

All the bottles from last month, but this review is just for 5 of the 9.

Here's my review of my first 5 (in the order that I drank them):

Strongbow "Honey" Hard Apple Cider: This was very sweet and crisp. It was almost just apple cider with a bit of a boozy taste. I thought it was great, but my wife (who has a more refined wine drinkers palette) said it was too sweet. Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Coney Island Hard Lemon Lime Twist: This was stronger on the lemon, and weaker on the lime. So it was quite unique and didn't taste like 7-Up or Sprite. Also making it unique was the smooth finish - it sounds like it could be weird, but the vanilla aftertaste was quite nice. My wife really like this, and I thought it was pretty good. Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Henry's Grape Hard Soda: This was a bit like a grape beer. I don't care for beer, and this had just a little too much of a "hoppy" taste to it. The grape was nice though. If you like beer and grape soda, then try this. Being I'm not a huge beer fan, this was just OK. Score: 6 out of 10.

Not Your Father's Vanilla Cream Ale: There was a MAJOR vanilla smell when I cracked this open (it's made with Madagascar vanilla). The first sip was deliciously heavy on vanilla, but then the beer taste took over and totally ruined it. Again, like I said in the grape soda above, if you like vanilla and beer, then try this. But this was way too "beery" for me. Score: 4 out of 10.

Henry's Hard Sparkling Lemon Lime: This was stronger on the lime than the lemon (so reversed from Coney Island Hard Lemon Lime Twist above), but it was good. It wasn't as interesting as the Coney Island, but still decent. I'll rank this just a bit above average. Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Saranac Diet Root Beer

I opened this yesterday (a HOT afternoon):

With veggies from our garden in the background.

Brand: Saranac Diet Root Beer.

Origin: Utica, NY.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: The initial flavor that hit my lips was strong on the vanilla and very tasty. But then it turned into a steaming pile of crap. I think this was the first "diet" soda that I've had that still uses high fructose corn syrup: this had 35 calories, and one would assume that that means it's just using a lot less HFCS. And it tastes like that. It's not sweet at all. It's thin, weak, and chemically. I was severely disappointed.

Score: 2 out of 10.
 

Quick Stop at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store

This past weekend, we were headed to Mankato, so we stopped just south of Jordan at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store:

The round dome is the new addition. We got there right when it opened, so it was quiet!

A pack of root beers.

All root beer and sarsaparilla!

This part looked a lot different the last time I was here.

"Pie Sodas" - I've had a few of these and many at the bottom.

Looking down the rows. This is the "fancier" stuff like cookies and pasta.
There's more candy farther down. And puzzles ALL throughout the ceiling.

The new addition. The ceiling isn't quite finished, and it slowly rotates! I have the feeling things will be hanging from it.

Inside the new addition - my boys with an 8' Hulk!

Picking out candy in the new addition. There's lots of fun stuff in here including a Tardis in the middle.

I think this speaks for itself.

Here's posts from the last few years when we've stopped at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store:

- 2015
- 2014
- 2013 (Oct)
- 2013 (Sept)

I grabbed 6 bottles of soda and some root beer cotton candy. Back with reviews on those shortly!

Strawberry Wisco Pop

My wife picked this up for me at Kowalski's when she was there this past weekend. She was wondering if it'd be as "weird" as their Cherry Soda she got me while visiting her sister.

Brand: Strawberry Wisco Pop.

Origin: Viroqua, WI

Purchase Place: Kowalski's Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Organic Sugar.

Review: This had a sharp smell, and I was worried it'd be "weird" like the last Wisco Pop I had. But I was totally wrong. This was REALLY good. It was a pretty smooth, soft strawberry flavor, and it reminded me of tasting jelly as we're making it. It may have been the first soda that I've had where the flavor ("organic strawberry") was listed before the sweetener ("organic sugar"). It was very good, and it went down easily. A very unique strawberry, but very tasty.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.
 

Squamscot Root Beer

I opened this last night:

Brand: Squamscot Root Beer.

Origin: Newfields, New Hampshire.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The first ingredient is "LIGHTLY carbonated water," and that made it seem a little flat. There was a nice vanilla flavor, but that was about it's only redeeming quality. It was OK, but far from great. I'll rate it just below average.

Score: 4.5 out of 10.
 

12 "Must-Eat" Dishes at the MN State Fair: Root Beer Included!

I just posted about Minnesota-made Spring Grove Soda at the Minnesota State Fair, and then I came across this article in the Star Tribune (which is fitting, because today is the last day of the State Fair). It's called "A critic's 12 must-eat dishes at the Minnesota State Fair: The new fair foods get all the attention, but these tried-and-true standbys are a treat every year." Here's the part that mentions Spring Grove Soda:

Minnesota-made root beer
One of the happiest food-and-drink trends is the way the fairgrounds have become an epicenter for Minnesota-brewed craft beers. But it’s also the place to indulge in some serious Gopher State small-batch root beer love. I encountered four, and surely there are more, all darkly rich, shimmering with vanilla and lusciously foamy. The goodness from Stillwater’s Lift Bridge Brewing Co. ($4, $6) is on tap at the Snack House (Warner Coliseum). The Spring Grove Soda Pop (Nelson Street/Carnes Avenue) stand — a refreshing taste of tiny Spring Grove, Minn., in the far southeast corner of the state — cracks open its tall-neck bottles for three bucks, or two for $5. The good folks from New Ulm’s 1919 Root Beer (Dan Patch Avenue/Underwood Street) have a busy stand all to their own, where straight-up root beer from the tap runs $2 to $7 — and floats range from $5 to $8. And the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild (Agriculture Horticulture) showcases the dreamy, creamy stuff ($5) from St. Paul’s Vine Park Brewery. 

Congrats on the press Spring Grove! And I'll have to check out the 1919 root beer next year.

Spring Grove Soda at the MN State Fair

Earlier this week, my boys and I went to the Minnesota State Fair. (The 5th year in a row for my 6-year-old.) We just HAD to stop by the Spring Grove Soda booth for some root beer:

Spring Grove trailer. They lowered their prices this year: $3/glass, or 2 for $5, or 3 for $6.

My 3-year-old chugging my root beer.

The Spring Grove booth has always been near the DNR building (the crowds behind are all at the massive fish pond).

Riding the Sky Ride with my boys after having some root beer.

I asked about touring the Spring Grove plant near Rochester, MN, and they told me they still do that, but it's best to call ahead of time to make sure someone is around (it's a small operation). They gave me their card: call 507-498-3424 (business) or 507-459-5197 (cell) in advance.

Here's a quick post from the State Fair in 2013, here are some photos from Henry's and my visit to the State Fair in 2014, a few photos from 2015, and ranking lots of food we ate in 2016.  (And here's more photos from our trip this year on my other blog.) In 2013, it was my 100th post; in 2014, it was my 199th; in 2015, it was my 299th; in 2016, it was my 409th post, and now my "Minnesota State Fair" post is my 501st! Have a good start to fall!

Windows 95 Soda

Is this any good?

Cherry Wisco Pop

My wife was in Wisconsin this past weekend, and she brought me a treat:

Brand: Cherry Wisco Pop.

Origin: Viroqua, WI.

Purchase Place: Viroqua Food+Coop, Viroqua, WI.

Sweetener: Organic sugar.

Review: This didn't taste like cherry. I mean, "cherry soda" doesn't usually taste like ACTUAL cherries either, but this didn't taste like cherry soda. If I had to guess, I would have said rhubarb. Really. In the ingredients list, there's "organic cherry juice concentrate," but then there's also lemon juice, vanilla, and cinnamon, and I can sort of see how those last 3 can make the flavor I was tasting. It wasn't that great, so I'll rank it just below average. It's sure unique, though.

Score: 4 out of 10.
 

Hard Sodas and Hard Ciders

We stopped at Total Wine in Roseville with my family this past week, and I was able to cruise the "by the bottle" aisle. I walked out with some hard sodas and hard ciders:

I'll have some mini-reviews of these in the upcoming few weeks. Stay tuned!

Bundaberg Lemon, Lime & Bitters

Last night, I cracked into this. I didn't have high hopes because my last Bundaberg soda wasn't that great, and the flavor didn't sound all that interesting:

The Bundaberg tab on top.

Brand: Bundaberg Lemon, Lime & Bitters.

Origin: Queensland, Australia.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The first sip started like Lemon Lime soda, but then the "bitters" part kicks in and leaves quite a bitter aftertaste. This wasn't that enjoyable to drink, but I can imagine it mixed with booze and being quite good. As a stand-alone soda, it was too bitter.

Score: 3 out of 10.
 

Calvin's 1836 Barrel-Style Root Beer

Here was my second soda that I enjoyed during a camping trip (the first being this one):

On the ramp to our little cabin in Forestville State Park.

Brand: Calvin's 1836 Barrel-Style Root Beer.

Origin: Hermann, MO.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was OK. It was pretty smooth and went down easy, but had a bit too much wintergreen for me. Not bad, but not great. I'll rate it just above average.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Swamp Pop

I just got back from camping in Forestville State Park with my family. I took 2 sodas along to enjoy. Here was the first, and it was GOOD:

My wife looking at photos with my youngest son on the left, and
a pan from me cooking supper on the open fire to the right.

Brand: Swamp Pop.

Origin: Lafayette, Louisiana.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I had no idea what flavor to expect. But it ended up being a good, rich, deep, sweet, cola. There was a nice fruitiness to it. My wife took a sip and nailed it on the head when she said "it tastes like the 'cola' flavored Bottlecaps candy, but not at ALL artificial." It was REALLY good - one of the better sodas I've had lately, and probably in my top-3 colas. Check this one out!

Score: 9.5 out of 10.
 

Drinking 116 Year Old Soda (probably)

This is gross, and he vomits a little near the end, but everything leading up to the puke is a bit interesting: the staining on the bottle, the kind of bottle cap used, etc.

This guy bought a "K Heinrichs" bottle of soda from around 1900 (it may have been rebottled with beer or wine) and noted that "it smells like gasoline and perfume." Watch this if you're interested. Lots of foul language, and some puke at 4:05, 4:55, and 5:24.



Direct link: youtube.com/watch?v=mAqZu_mxEvI

Filbert's Diet Root Beer

We were recently at a lake in northern MN, and I cracked into this:

On the deck overlooking the lake.

Brand: Filbert's Diet Root Beer.

Origin: Chicago, IL.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sodium Saccharin

Review: This was OK. It was a bit "thin" like most diet sodas, but it also had an unfortunate aftertaste that was a bit chemically or artificial. I'd never had anything with "sodium saccharin" listed as the sweetener, so maybe it was that.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Frosty Root Beer at "The Drive In" in Taylors Falls

Last week, my boys and I were camping along the St. Croix River, and we stopped in for lunch at "The Drive In" in Taylors Falls, MN. You can find it by looking for the 15' spinning Frostop mug:

That's the FROSTIEST mug of root beer I've ever had. Just look at that massive root beer ice berg inside that glass! It was sooo good after a hot hike in Interstate State Park.