tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5798078294568723742024-03-17T19:52:31.708-05:00Steve's Root Beer JournalSteve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.comBlogger969125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-53599777493502160432024-03-17T19:52:00.000-05:002024-03-17T19:52:00.134-05:00Big Red SodaI didn't know what kind of soda this was... "big red" isn't much of a flavor description. But based the the tiny circle that says "so sweet - so smooth" on the label, I figured it might be cream soda-like.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3Z_TovDJ33__8UkdYHsxn_OPS7gSSUVJaakjtyv_CSiLm6NVOScCiZBITqJ59PZ1Jp6NCejs0Z3Nb3ivXoirjPW0O8TCwnioOdepsIgD3pmnCgLH52_SGbA9cAvs8Swipqc1AdAMZLFoLZslWTJeT3OAuHuyKcIN1NWkP2wlBomf010xLKBl-8uzsD8/s1088/IMG_0948_big_red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Big Red Soda" border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3Z_TovDJ33__8UkdYHsxn_OPS7gSSUVJaakjtyv_CSiLm6NVOScCiZBITqJ59PZ1Jp6NCejs0Z3Nb3ivXoirjPW0O8TCwnioOdepsIgD3pmnCgLH52_SGbA9cAvs8Swipqc1AdAMZLFoLZslWTJeT3OAuHuyKcIN1NWkP2wlBomf010xLKBl-8uzsD8/w412-h640/IMG_0948_big_red.jpg" title="Ehh... too much. Just TOO MUCH." width="412" /></a></div><br />
<br /><b>Brand:</b> Big Red Soda.<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Plano, TX.<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> Marshall Stop, St. Paul, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> High Fructose Corn Syrup.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> My hunch was right - it was like a red cream soda (and "red cream soda" is a thing). It was pretty sickly sweet. I LIKE sweet sodas, but this was a lot even for me. I think my wife would have recoiled at this. Honestly, I couldn't finish it. It was just TOO sweet. A bit chemically, and just too much - too sweet, too weird, no thanks.<br /><br /><b>Score: 3.5 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-10495148529585807642024-03-12T18:17:00.000-05:002024-03-12T18:17:00.265-05:00Root Beer Baby Back RibsIf you click on my <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/search/label/Cooking%20with%20Soda" target="_blank">"Cooking with Soda" tag</a>, you'll see I've often done pork roasts and/or beef roasts with Sprite or cola or root beer. But over the last year or 2, I've been using root beer to help finish off my pork rib recipe. I start by <a href="https://www.wellplated.com/instant-pot-ribs/" target="_blank">following this recipe</a> all the way through the dry rub and instant pot cooking (I'm not an instant pot freak, but I use it when it can be helpful). But then when it says to finish under the broiler, I jump outside to my grill instead. <div><br /></div><div>I add some BBQ sauce and a little honey, and I get just a little char forming on both sides (I like just a little char). <b>And then I douse it all in a little root beer.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Here was the scene last night when I did some ribs for supper:<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNgRwp9JLuzPWGMywPncE3c1M_jIpLraTjWaizcHzbOAlbR32mfY4TvSmSFZaexPNUIn3cmVmMNuOWIblZs5FEBKxkg4QOnss6OD9LT-obRfvE-kslajzCDlYrU432RNyACzhqOHScSHOKruCuvfFDW2ngvibL7gP9z2eanSixZy0zGDYzKRsNzJSrso/s814/IMG_0937_root_beer_ribs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Root Beer Baby Back Ribs" border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNgRwp9JLuzPWGMywPncE3c1M_jIpLraTjWaizcHzbOAlbR32mfY4TvSmSFZaexPNUIn3cmVmMNuOWIblZs5FEBKxkg4QOnss6OD9LT-obRfvE-kslajzCDlYrU432RNyACzhqOHScSHOKruCuvfFDW2ngvibL7gP9z2eanSixZy0zGDYzKRsNzJSrso/w550-h640/IMG_0937_root_beer_ribs.jpg" title="Root Beer Baby Back Ribs" width="550" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Root beer ready to help finish these ribs.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpJkLQKnMxorKHmtPI3D3JBG5BREDhryln114vKeslfJfSBvnk0ZU1Piuf6p8U9789RQGDoDFCqtlzSnhntKhp4GPMu7aGTrXHuosBRszdVPvnq25ID7GCyc3tUtSwTkNx8fpjduApfNMNCxLpXWhez-IlQeVrws1LUZYQjcy8e50ZMZg3erSI6M1azo/s700/IMG_0938_root_beer_ribs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="700" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpJkLQKnMxorKHmtPI3D3JBG5BREDhryln114vKeslfJfSBvnk0ZU1Piuf6p8U9789RQGDoDFCqtlzSnhntKhp4GPMu7aGTrXHuosBRszdVPvnq25ID7GCyc3tUtSwTkNx8fpjduApfNMNCxLpXWhez-IlQeVrws1LUZYQjcy8e50ZMZg3erSI6M1azo/w640-h588/IMG_0938_root_beer_ribs.jpg" title="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pouring on a little extra sweetness.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWvxCu4j6zC4cZBP5Y8eAiQIpOR4yN4WsSLwuVduo4oCRj02WmfgsDWbQm-XNXlyMDkfdn4VtRkYQLzpsDRUFnLR1YLwnTb3Bjy947DQBIgvZYC1e1rWKZg-hmWXoulRheubglBxbdaTgGVw_289VnuHQ0r8hUee24xXAoe7P4a0BYFBSJAf_33xCqSU/s700/IMG_0939_root_beer_ribs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="700" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWvxCu4j6zC4cZBP5Y8eAiQIpOR4yN4WsSLwuVduo4oCRj02WmfgsDWbQm-XNXlyMDkfdn4VtRkYQLzpsDRUFnLR1YLwnTb3Bjy947DQBIgvZYC1e1rWKZg-hmWXoulRheubglBxbdaTgGVw_289VnuHQ0r8hUee24xXAoe7P4a0BYFBSJAf_33xCqSU/w640-h624/IMG_0939_root_beer_ribs.jpg" title="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Root beer pooling on the "bone" side of the ribs. It stayed nicely, and I closed the lid for a few minutes.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjezklzI4ilIlog5tymq8enAHe3SOL2d2ioUEUIPResbKkwYtgkH_Tp7fOF58-gVLGoHLCVLDMQqij5ELlAFZ4NNxr5XYnXUGEDAH-nqZuTudFcdWL73gYrh6bPFpnh3gumgUHpnYwlq2x84b2dMCwtecSpxZQWBeKWpP8hOy7J-uBmUcBG9jt1ihnBY/s872/IMG_0940_root_beer_ribs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjezklzI4ilIlog5tymq8enAHe3SOL2d2ioUEUIPResbKkwYtgkH_Tp7fOF58-gVLGoHLCVLDMQqij5ELlAFZ4NNxr5XYnXUGEDAH-nqZuTudFcdWL73gYrh6bPFpnh3gumgUHpnYwlq2x84b2dMCwtecSpxZQWBeKWpP8hOy7J-uBmUcBG9jt1ihnBY/w514-h640/IMG_0940_root_beer_ribs.jpg" title="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" width="514" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After grilling both sides, I wrapped it tight with foil and poured some extra root beer in there as well.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8KuQAufBD-bmn2EEuqJew1LJtGDx0PGWtycqRp_bD03vgW2DDj6hSs4WDuV9nu6oXgpKwVXnnlOZfzei-Ub2CFTapECfTw7L6ndBrQFNWIPNgtUXb-qrMCz_d0Pam5cZs23zP_w3Fr_T5XiVlsGGlpG6kTYhcBsNCjnY9tXrf0kz99AIZpmaH5NFe98/s843/IMG_0941_root_beer_ribs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8KuQAufBD-bmn2EEuqJew1LJtGDx0PGWtycqRp_bD03vgW2DDj6hSs4WDuV9nu6oXgpKwVXnnlOZfzei-Ub2CFTapECfTw7L6ndBrQFNWIPNgtUXb-qrMCz_d0Pam5cZs23zP_w3Fr_T5XiVlsGGlpG6kTYhcBsNCjnY9tXrf0kz99AIZpmaH5NFe98/w532-h640/IMG_0941_root_beer_ribs.jpg" title="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" width="532" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in the house, I opened it after 45 mins after it absorbed some juices/BBQ/root beer.<br />The dry rub is tasty, and the root beer adds to it! Ready to fall off the bone.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGDhvrrnPmLAeWKobQ4EtiGV0LoqrNRlaY2SgwEEJ8TZuzpAqEzeAFz6fT98qNmtdYXqzstj5B4N6piAGo_EpB_IL3wHkfJVic8hEwHZbn8tPvherH3LM8r_1H6y3FzoQOhKoRVqJs50o7fcMValvv43g3cyKUDMGsOKgf7MMQrlKB26WqWMNY6YOMkA/s845/IMG_0942_root_beer_ribs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGDhvrrnPmLAeWKobQ4EtiGV0LoqrNRlaY2SgwEEJ8TZuzpAqEzeAFz6fT98qNmtdYXqzstj5B4N6piAGo_EpB_IL3wHkfJVic8hEwHZbn8tPvherH3LM8r_1H6y3FzoQOhKoRVqJs50o7fcMValvv43g3cyKUDMGsOKgf7MMQrlKB26WqWMNY6YOMkA/w530-h640/IMG_0942_root_beer_ribs.jpg" title="Pork Ribs with Root Beer" width="530" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A meal of root beer ribs, cheesy garlic bread, jalapeƱo poppers, and apples. NICE!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>My boys like this a lot too! We had 2.5 lbs of ribs, and we had 0 left overs.<br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-76878050165607783492024-03-02T13:15:00.001-06:002024-03-02T13:15:00.248-06:00Dr. Wells SodaThis had no "flavor" listed, so I assumed it was Dr. Pepper rip-off:<div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurtG_DRLGz0uL0VXGP3BdPTXGlBXJ44l3FMPK7U9zmo-z8mNe466k1bf8Nc4GTeG5dp_GSxigmYsGH-tNDMRY5kCmuZYttx_Y9uqZzRnlmuoFw7_OfnQfFb4GIYQ8JJF3eY3SFF0wA30vjXMMBAsagV6NH9lP2j9nsjTyG1ZmPRkoEdmOqZ3k_GOPd9U/s966/IMG_0655_dr_wells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dr. Wells Soda" border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurtG_DRLGz0uL0VXGP3BdPTXGlBXJ44l3FMPK7U9zmo-z8mNe466k1bf8Nc4GTeG5dp_GSxigmYsGH-tNDMRY5kCmuZYttx_Y9uqZzRnlmuoFw7_OfnQfFb4GIYQ8JJF3eY3SFF0wA30vjXMMBAsagV6NH9lP2j9nsjTyG1ZmPRkoEdmOqZ3k_GOPd9U/w464-h640/IMG_0655_dr_wells.jpg" title="Ehh... a worse version of Dr. Pepper." width="464" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Brand:</b> Dr. Wells Soda.<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Jasper, IN.<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> I was right. This is a lot like Dr. Pepper, just a bit worse. It really tastes similar, but just has an extra "artificial" flavor at the end that makes it not as great. It was OK... I'll rank this right in the middle.<br /><br /><b>Score: 5 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-36869697089591809112024-02-26T19:41:00.001-06:002024-02-26T19:41:00.160-06:00Bacon Soda to the ExtremeRhett and Link made an entire meal out of bacon. At about the 2:07 mark, they pulled out the bacon soda (which is gross by itself - <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2013/01/lesters-fixins-bacon-soda-yes-bacon-soda.html">see this post to read</a> my review), but then they made is SO MUCH WORSE...<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="476" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMythical%2Fvideos%2F2274818052810887%2F&show_text=0&width=476" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="476"></iframe><br /></div><p><br />
If the embedded video doesn't work, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Mythical/videos/2274818052810887">click here to watch it on Facebook</a>. </p><p><br /> </p>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-85129113922658133522024-02-22T15:22:00.000-06:002024-02-22T15:22:00.143-06:00Northern Soda Company's Vanilla Bean Root BeerI opened this during class today:<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtPkuZSu7XBpfeS63tV977trqsMjUrUIriSNbUM5ij0e9kt3mBy9hxvc5X5lS-WYF1MdIlXITMFG1JeZ6JWZEikohstwNb9EBC5LZ1Tfc_gg9arCB3ZM51vFp5DgC8chxglXu01x89-9Mb8Mg6O4kYPfcTR6psZKIcRSfFSW6DnePFI_9PZQned_oWIs/s1016/IMG_0544_northern_soda_vanilla_bean_root_beer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Northern Soda Company's Vanilla Bean Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtPkuZSu7XBpfeS63tV977trqsMjUrUIriSNbUM5ij0e9kt3mBy9hxvc5X5lS-WYF1MdIlXITMFG1JeZ6JWZEikohstwNb9EBC5LZ1Tfc_gg9arCB3ZM51vFp5DgC8chxglXu01x89-9Mb8Mg6O4kYPfcTR6psZKIcRSfFSW6DnePFI_9PZQned_oWIs/w440-h640/IMG_0544_northern_soda_vanilla_bean_root_beer.jpg" title="Very unique! Pretty tasty!" width="440" /></a></div><br />
<br /><br /><b>Brand:</b> Northern Soda Company's Vanilla Bean Root Beer.<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Arden Hills, MN.<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> Remix, St. Paul, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> This was interesting from the first sip. Something about "vanilla bean" made me think it would be a bit smooth and creamy, but it wasn't - there's a slight sharpness to it. It made me pause, but it's not bad! There's also a slight fruitiness to it as well. This was very unique!</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, the "vanilla bean" flavor DOES come through, but not before a fruity flavor as well. At VERY first sip, I thought I wasn't going to like this, but even by the end of that first sip, I was on board. This is unique, both smooth and sharp, and has a great flavor.<br /><br /><b>Score: 8 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-76805968179079401872024-02-13T10:46:00.000-06:002024-02-13T10:46:00.139-06:00Cokes Ranked<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't necessarily agree with this listing (bottle beats can for me), but I agree there's a ranking!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDM0_B7Zm9hKpQhfQeusEmVHhRwHgqnwyV_Jj5GIO1hGXEQK-8BVE0tFaniV4yMemuDH-e9_H9r13-ygEY1gzjn2PK5YaXXhm-lADw4mg6KGatoCnoHesK7SycWROy3VeQrkMrZklxDQ0Kvs7SetMzBGLUUqHLtIctGuRgF-zm2cddVh3tXANxbfWVDgM/s1001/overflow-15-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coca Cola Ranking" border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1001" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDM0_B7Zm9hKpQhfQeusEmVHhRwHgqnwyV_Jj5GIO1hGXEQK-8BVE0tFaniV4yMemuDH-e9_H9r13-ygEY1gzjn2PK5YaXXhm-lADw4mg6KGatoCnoHesK7SycWROy3VeQrkMrZklxDQ0Kvs7SetMzBGLUUqHLtIctGuRgF-zm2cddVh3tXANxbfWVDgM/w640-h640/overflow-15-1.jpg" title="Coca Cola Ranking" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-33301444264154753492024-02-08T15:23:00.001-06:002024-02-08T15:23:00.249-06:00Dublin Texas Founder's Recipe ColaI brought this to work with me this morning:<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMM9WF-pJIv-5Ltyk0aXA1qUbJ7TGk5tkOAkTChpumEmi2hYtj2kGGpWnGuZf8dQikbOje0kID0NgRFpjsIj1pfik-ccCbpR2jjPq75z5j9IXcqc7za0bgByQ_NK_UGXsLjXLGsJJAWiTJBAOxgrR1u8-R3a4YSyfOoFeUakDGSP6PP-EW3VGCAh0OTg/s1223/IMG_9716_dublin_cola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dublin Texas Founder's Recipe Cola" border="0" data-original-height="1223" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMM9WF-pJIv-5Ltyk0aXA1qUbJ7TGk5tkOAkTChpumEmi2hYtj2kGGpWnGuZf8dQikbOje0kID0NgRFpjsIj1pfik-ccCbpR2jjPq75z5j9IXcqc7za0bgByQ_NK_UGXsLjXLGsJJAWiTJBAOxgrR1u8-R3a4YSyfOoFeUakDGSP6PP-EW3VGCAh0OTg/w366-h640/IMG_9716_dublin_cola.jpg" title="Deep, rich flavor!" width="366" /></a></div><br /> <br /><b>Brand:</b> Dublin Texas Founder's Recipe Cola
<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Dublin, Texas.
<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review: </b>This had a deep, rich flavor from the first sip! There was a unique sweetness to this, and then I realized it was the "cinnamon flavoring" in the ingredients list - it had a very smooth and rich cinnamon flavor (not like a sharp "red hot" flavor, but like deep baking cinnamon taste). A bit unique, and quite good. I enjoyed this!<br /><br /><b>Score: 8 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-61318224363231381812024-01-30T15:28:00.000-06:002024-01-30T15:28:00.145-06:00Whirly Pop Juicy Grape SodaI opened this between classes today:
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWWQ6AKWQFl82LS9-bL7pJRqF4dDE4F_VNNUXSKJ45YbK-hepdpL9-X21MJiytO0QGiClm2-K2sdTJzoP_Eun9wcAUUNu5adwB65wxlz8khpa2hXIuoCWZ1wQtajT4YxfPXwwWyQ6al7Tvgw1JBscdtH2_zyPpMRZMfkU3BevSTdIs5C3ewdwCMPlrig/s1123/IMG_9408_whirly_pop_grape.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Whirly Pop Juicy Grape Soda" border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWWQ6AKWQFl82LS9-bL7pJRqF4dDE4F_VNNUXSKJ45YbK-hepdpL9-X21MJiytO0QGiClm2-K2sdTJzoP_Eun9wcAUUNu5adwB65wxlz8khpa2hXIuoCWZ1wQtajT4YxfPXwwWyQ6al7Tvgw1JBscdtH2_zyPpMRZMfkU3BevSTdIs5C3ewdwCMPlrig/w399-h640/IMG_9408_whirly_pop_grape.jpg" title="OK, but the flavor's a little weak." width="399" /></a></div>
<br /><br /><b>Brand:</b> Whirly Pop Juicy Grape Soda.
<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> San Bernardino, CA.
<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Pure Cane Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> This was both pompus and child-like at the same time. The first ingredient was "carbonated artesian spring water" (which I've seen before, but not in a drink that seems really marketed towards kids), but there's a big kid-friendly lollipop on the front of the label. So it seems it's somewhere between being marketed to adults who want fancy ingredients (at least "fancy sounding") and kids with it's fun label.<br /><br />
Anyway, on to the flavor. It's not GREAT. It's not the strongest or the sweetest grape flavor - which I think means that even though there's a big lolli on the front, it seems to be marketed to adults. The flavor is a little fake and off. Not great, especially for a grape soda (which I think is a hard soda to screw up).<br /><br /><b>Score: 4 out of 10.</b><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-72218518711053478292024-01-23T21:54:00.006-06:002024-02-22T15:26:56.069-06:00Bigga Orange SodaMy family recently <a href="https://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2024/02/family-trip-to-jamaica.html" target="_blank">got back from Jamaica</a>, and this was in the fridge of our hotel room:<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9jqW_UIIZFjQ6MS448iNOIoNtK-touQROutXsb3ZNKsb2SPmI4Ij-DuoaPiEf5hiO9kG7xvmv4HH9DUYSPYlnrcXTW1FGS30B3jNfGgkLef2CM2yH7kl1-e3EWdqbCqtYgDAo1GAlokQXnTai4LsKH5qNe_d2b6Qk2ZRCn2PIs2yia-yI91-VvgQ0rw/s1042/IMG_9101_bigga_orange.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bigga Orange Soda" border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9jqW_UIIZFjQ6MS448iNOIoNtK-touQROutXsb3ZNKsb2SPmI4Ij-DuoaPiEf5hiO9kG7xvmv4HH9DUYSPYlnrcXTW1FGS30B3jNfGgkLef2CM2yH7kl1-e3EWdqbCqtYgDAo1GAlokQXnTai4LsKH5qNe_d2b6Qk2ZRCn2PIs2yia-yI91-VvgQ0rw/w430-h640/IMG_9101_bigga_orange.jpg" title="Normal tasty orange soda!" width="430" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our hotel balcony with the waterpark in the background.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<br /><br /><b>Brand: </b>Bigga Orange Soda.<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Spanish Town, Jamaica.<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> Unknown (came in our hotel fridge in Riu Ocho Rios).</div><div><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar and Sucralose.
<br /><br /><b>Review: </b>This was very sweet! And not in an overpowering way. It had a bit of a crispness/sharpness to it that was classic and tasty. Nothing wrong with this! Just a decent orange soda!<br /><br /><b>Score: 7.5 out of 10.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>(See more <a href="https://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2024/02/family-trip-to-jamaica.html" target="_blank">pics from our trip here</a>.)</div><div><br /></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-47075649027109960192024-01-17T16:17:00.001-06:002024-01-17T16:17:00.138-06:00Guilty...<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKZUhnTYbTiW2l8jrgYO-KHV-tS2zugoyHv-SiNzbAVH4auBVossuHFynVV0T7XSAj2J9BAM_yBrcQtUdFdhV3POmhRnpajR1CQ7pVmAgo4OmLOvr7lfo93zvoPRmfttZR2CuDDgon-Yt0SCMIWFlF0KL-aU9_HQrh7t5AJoaEeaLFsDdmOkUWFSmwyo/s752/drink_in_freezer.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKZUhnTYbTiW2l8jrgYO-KHV-tS2zugoyHv-SiNzbAVH4auBVossuHFynVV0T7XSAj2J9BAM_yBrcQtUdFdhV3POmhRnpajR1CQ7pVmAgo4OmLOvr7lfo93zvoPRmfttZR2CuDDgon-Yt0SCMIWFlF0KL-aU9_HQrh7t5AJoaEeaLFsDdmOkUWFSmwyo/s600/drink_in_freezer.jpg"/></a></div><br>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-19565398856744129382024-01-11T18:22:00.001-06:002024-01-11T18:22:00.146-06:00Baumeister Vanilla Cream SodaI've enjoyed Baumeister sodas over the years, so I had high hopes for this:<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP_p-hkbryLAZXQEOODuifewxKIa-t6s9kvZofC_RkkYhYMEpdZZbv-fbY0v4Jb9nb4ubT-oahXAE6kOY05qdhiVmu3Wi7saupn-2Apvb1Oriwhyphenhyphenivdz47jPPKXwlhMSFqp_nvQr2DQYFsnDxsbbbTAr-NBaJrdKTN7yr7nFEGwqTB0YCZ8a2BoyfhBQ/s1163/IMG_8361_baumeisters_cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Baumeister Vanilla Cream Soda" border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP_p-hkbryLAZXQEOODuifewxKIa-t6s9kvZofC_RkkYhYMEpdZZbv-fbY0v4Jb9nb4ubT-oahXAE6kOY05qdhiVmu3Wi7saupn-2Apvb1Oriwhyphenhyphenivdz47jPPKXwlhMSFqp_nvQr2DQYFsnDxsbbbTAr-NBaJrdKTN7yr7nFEGwqTB0YCZ8a2BoyfhBQ/w386-h640/IMG_8361_baumeisters_cream.jpg" title="Strong vanilla AND cream flavors!" width="386" /></a></div><br /> <br /><b>Brand:</b> Baumeister Vanilla Cream Soda.
<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Green Bay, WI.
<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Jordan, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> This soda was very sweet and tasty like some other Baumeister sodas that I've had. Both the VANILLA and the CREAM were intense - I don't know that I've had a strong vanilla flavor in a soda before. And it wasn't too much - it was really nice. It was creamy and smooth and went down easy. It was quite sweet and I'd feel overly sugared-out if I were to have more than 1 bottle of this, but the flavor was nice and JUST ON THE VERGE of being too much.
<br /><br /><b>Score: 8 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-89744807862916919952024-01-05T13:10:00.000-06:002024-01-05T13:10:00.136-06:00Freeze-Dried Candy: Coming Soon to Remix?<div>I stopped into Remix on Marshall Ave in St. Paul just before Christmas to get some popcorn goodies for my parents. The owner saw me and gave me a few new treats to try:</div><div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzWMqdCWJSkdscVIfiDnIAHghv7Mnjfk9qATCBwxNk87GZtxEG5JLyx9HpJnNObLv-hlDGvzE3-6yV2FjSpHkg6Dj2DALGlDiV0L2KrG2yM0MPjPxX655lEJVSEevDBvBCrXERVbW6pc6OiPtO6nTIq5OConOcbplD6OxUGyPeZwn_tb7TGARBDw4UlM/s700/415028219_10159980290520878_653469771621826260_n_freeze_dried.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Freeze Dried Candy from Remix" border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="700" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzWMqdCWJSkdscVIfiDnIAHghv7Mnjfk9qATCBwxNk87GZtxEG5JLyx9HpJnNObLv-hlDGvzE3-6yV2FjSpHkg6Dj2DALGlDiV0L2KrG2yM0MPjPxX655lEJVSEevDBvBCrXERVbW6pc6OiPtO6nTIq5OConOcbplD6OxUGyPeZwn_tb7TGARBDw4UlM/w640-h462/415028219_10159980290520878_653469771621826260_n_freeze_dried.jpg" title="Freeze Dried Candy from Remix" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>These are all freeze-dried candy! They are NOT for sale yet as the owner is still "perfecting" her strategy on making these. She gave them to me so my boys could try them!</div><div><br /></div><div>The 2 on the left are both Skittles (one plain and one sour). The middle tub is Jolly Ranchers - they are big and airy and puffy and dissolve QUICKLY in your mouth, but taste JUST like Jolly Ranchers! And I think the ones on the right are Sprees. </div><div><br /></div><div>They are all very good and very unique! I took them home to try with my extended family over Christmas, and they were all enjoyable!</div><div><br /></div><div>So look for these new menu items coming soon to Remix: 2042 Marshall Ave, St Paul, MN 55104. Open Wed-Sun, 12-5 pm, and until 6 pm on Saturday. Check out <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2023/06/root-beer-float-shave-ice-at-remix.html" target="_blank">their shave ice</a> if you haven't yet.</div><br />Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-75002752682531637512024-01-02T13:36:00.000-06:002024-01-02T13:36:03.880-06:00Gold Mine Root BeerMy boys and I spent 2 nights in a camper cabin at Afton State Park recently, and I brought a big bottle of root beer to share on our first evening there:<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52l5hjDBJdcnyScXXOei_WKQ-cfhoCOKE5CMto6Mam0W2SRgLOyYl0F-jKySYfYffAa3VB4z1mrl9hxlyZAo2OHkrEIr4RL-cGVpEV4fEw8vadOyWLAjAmU0YjO0Kb4C7I_4guna5J8cl8yRdXO3SeG4pxavvz2JN4cPh_FnlCjnPJems5p-8LDBPHvo/s700/IMG_7533_gold_mine_rootbeer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="700" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52l5hjDBJdcnyScXXOei_WKQ-cfhoCOKE5CMto6Mam0W2SRgLOyYl0F-jKySYfYffAa3VB4z1mrl9hxlyZAo2OHkrEIr4RL-cGVpEV4fEw8vadOyWLAjAmU0YjO0Kb4C7I_4guna5J8cl8yRdXO3SeG4pxavvz2JN4cPh_FnlCjnPJems5p-8LDBPHvo/w640-h492/IMG_7533_gold_mine_rootbeer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for some root beer while playing Catan.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMCBTba3AtMuNvWlcQTZKdGO9qzAPKkmi9A567FpInqvCuQHDWcL8zs3jeB_MR2vlXfmObtz6z6FZBOyUGadkcg3q-jz4PwJgiBPE2NAQPxLz4t9ecQ1SSgEASvOWsWxBcLt0b-EPwvig45ikUoK_j9pPAVpHrRnhNTu-11Z_vc6zVgbr4Xdxwi_QM_s/s886/IMG_7535_gold_mine_rootbeer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Gold Mine Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMCBTba3AtMuNvWlcQTZKdGO9qzAPKkmi9A567FpInqvCuQHDWcL8zs3jeB_MR2vlXfmObtz6z6FZBOyUGadkcg3q-jz4PwJgiBPE2NAQPxLz4t9ecQ1SSgEASvOWsWxBcLt0b-EPwvig45ikUoK_j9pPAVpHrRnhNTu-11Z_vc6zVgbr4Xdxwi_QM_s/w506-h640/IMG_7535_gold_mine_rootbeer.jpg" title="A nice little bite!" width="506" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large 22 oz wax-sealed bottle.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TkIBtHoyaSzVNvb32h3bkoR3cG-avn5_yAPBfuxaPda0gZc8FF2-4q76LBz86GLb2f12mIrbVdqimmj2Cn2Q_VFSV3xHq8Xdi2x7B24E2Mbu4Ccxf4WIRItpspjUTHWaEm4A8gSqclk3_zGmlWdInwy-zrKq9hgd_pqExEocgUljC4mbtKSVCvcjIw8/s700/IMG_7536_gold_mine_rootbeer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Gold Mine Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="700" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TkIBtHoyaSzVNvb32h3bkoR3cG-avn5_yAPBfuxaPda0gZc8FF2-4q76LBz86GLb2f12mIrbVdqimmj2Cn2Q_VFSV3xHq8Xdi2x7B24E2Mbu4Ccxf4WIRItpspjUTHWaEm4A8gSqclk3_zGmlWdInwy-zrKq9hgd_pqExEocgUljC4mbtKSVCvcjIw8/w640-h538/IMG_7536_gold_mine_rootbeer.jpg" title="Gold Mine Root Beer" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice detail on the side label: 5 of these will get you 1 free root beer.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvVS3lz3FbI9fNFinPLhuC0Dh4h10pvwRDAfeUuZtJBrHK3g_AFwhOpwKZV-yUc-1lp_Rg_6eQT0z7QZRKLPDpiNDXuyBGFUXrdW_9ICLpaC82E-U8-1bRqDCpqA7p6ID5ohL6Tb0CHsSqVuh5ZcvxQrPwCEpUFnb8SQfk_WfCSgqevmwY_2FmNqaalc/s3426/IMG_7538_gold_mine_rootbeer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Gold Mine Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="3426" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvVS3lz3FbI9fNFinPLhuC0Dh4h10pvwRDAfeUuZtJBrHK3g_AFwhOpwKZV-yUc-1lp_Rg_6eQT0z7QZRKLPDpiNDXuyBGFUXrdW_9ICLpaC82E-U8-1bRqDCpqA7p6ID5ohL6Tb0CHsSqVuh5ZcvxQrPwCEpUFnb8SQfk_WfCSgqevmwY_2FmNqaalc/w564-h640/IMG_7538_gold_mine_rootbeer.jpg" title="Cut off wax seal." width="564" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cut off the "bottom" of the wax seal before taking a few stabs at taking off the cap with my son's multi-tool.</td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><br /><b>Brand:</b> Gold Mine Root Beer.<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Camarillo, CA.
<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> We didn't know if this would be "fancy" as I remember it being a bit more expensive (and not just like twice as expensive because it's about twice the volume of a normal bottle). It didn't taste fancy, but it was pretty solid! It wasn't very smooth and creamy, but instead it was a root beer with a decent amount of "bite" to it. It wasn't exceptional, but it was a decent and tasty root beer, so I'll rank it just above average.<br /><br /><b>Score: 7 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-35413973010077296022023-12-21T15:53:00.000-06:002023-12-21T15:53:00.143-06:00If Soda Commercials Were Honest<br><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pMXwFlp9IoI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><br>Direct link: <a href="https://youtu.be/pMXwFlp9IoI" target="_blank">youtu.be/pMXwFlp9IoI</a><br><br></center>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-62138031895118460472023-12-16T12:23:00.001-06:002023-12-16T12:23:00.143-06:00Blumers Root BeerI brought another soda to class with me this past week:<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1haYo4inlDtsYdaLvTDl7pHyru9hXnZnliNUcJj0UNDbpgwt3ZI3UzmsdiCoMvsAfQJ2QdACXLnN70kxAYWPu9qJEHEHNXt3E2czvRrZljK5TN6DYDgekjN2hRqnAdcIwll2dD-rFs5cZjVRZAfD8dq8hg3E1CPqb_lcwiayD2lyoXvEEjhCi7OlalM/s1135/IMG_7343_blumers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Blumers Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1haYo4inlDtsYdaLvTDl7pHyru9hXnZnliNUcJj0UNDbpgwt3ZI3UzmsdiCoMvsAfQJ2QdACXLnN70kxAYWPu9qJEHEHNXt3E2czvRrZljK5TN6DYDgekjN2hRqnAdcIwll2dD-rFs5cZjVRZAfD8dq8hg3E1CPqb_lcwiayD2lyoXvEEjhCi7OlalM/w394-h640/IMG_7343_blumers.jpg" title="Smooth and creamy!!" width="394" /></a></div><br /> <br /><b>Brand:</b> Blumers Root Beer.
<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Monroe, WI.
<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> This was smooooth! It had a pretty classic root beer flavor with a hint of wintergreen, but it didn't have too much of anything. It really fell on the "smooth" side of root beer (on the "smooth" to "bite" scale). It was frothy and pretty tasty. It wasn't anything unique or amazing, but it was a solid root beer!
<br /><br /><b>Score: 8 out of 10.</b> </div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-62023677941675547242023-12-12T14:48:00.000-06:002023-12-12T14:48:00.135-06:00Twig's Diet Forget Me Not GrapeI opened this during darkroom time in class earlier today:<div><br /></div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju230-9ILvd2-99J5bd4IXWjz4vfeo6avBsZDbQH0ZPXxoVDn9eoGhRiFV5qMulpiieqxOUdRH158gkPhtbs4zEb7XKle-1GxlwrRU4tE5Ve2KryihNHkBGk6nk-KxRUfZEOEKzuG6vAaYT_HBo88CN6V73Tj-_az_E8BSNMp2qZHVRJ3Iva0q-wRZ_3o/s1119/IMG_7239_twigs_diet_grape.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Twig's Diet Forget Me Not Grape" border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju230-9ILvd2-99J5bd4IXWjz4vfeo6avBsZDbQH0ZPXxoVDn9eoGhRiFV5qMulpiieqxOUdRH158gkPhtbs4zEb7XKle-1GxlwrRU4tE5Ve2KryihNHkBGk6nk-KxRUfZEOEKzuG6vAaYT_HBo88CN6V73Tj-_az_E8BSNMp2qZHVRJ3Iva0q-wRZ_3o/w400-h640/IMG_7239_twigs_diet_grape.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Brand:</b> Twig's Diet Forget Me Not Grape. <br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Shawano, WI.<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Sucralose.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> This was my first soda from <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2023/11/closing-soon-for-2023-year-minnesotas.html" target="_blank">my renewed stash from my run to MN's Largest Candy Store</a> last month before they closed for the season. I've always had decent luck with Twig sodas, and this one didn't disappoint. It does NOT taste diet - it has a full, rich, sugary flavor. There might be the SLIGHTEST "chemically" taste in the aftertaste, but I have to concentrate to really notice if it's there. This was good! (Oh, and a portion of sales goes to the "Forget Me Not Fund" in support of Alzheimer's awareness and education - hence the name and purple ribbons on the bottle.)<br /><br /><b>Score: 8 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-26868298989797124962023-12-07T14:50:00.002-06:002023-12-07T14:50:00.129-06:00Rocky Mountain Soda Company Root Beer<div>I opened this up with my boys last night:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ7QClBdSS8yLFO87twVIBMWP8j6uyWGgROuR2H2jWJa3C_n0Y2AiyD4JhHmHRmHtPhhjwtTKd-pGKuKIF63atWudVwNDm1KYuFyD_e7nuS1ek1-aMDn4O-fRvtkPSOpRs7c03UWrqx9c-zjAHJVyU0Kx7j5FgB216EkEaWyO6aTAOoCkGhq2Sb4aE80/s1082/IMG_7080_rocky_mountain_root_beer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rocky Mountain Soda Company Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ7QClBdSS8yLFO87twVIBMWP8j6uyWGgROuR2H2jWJa3C_n0Y2AiyD4JhHmHRmHtPhhjwtTKd-pGKuKIF63atWudVwNDm1KYuFyD_e7nuS1ek1-aMDn4O-fRvtkPSOpRs7c03UWrqx9c-zjAHJVyU0Kx7j5FgB216EkEaWyO6aTAOoCkGhq2Sb4aE80/w414-h640/IMG_7080_rocky_mountain_root_beer.jpg" title="Heavier on the wintergreen, but good!" width="414" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>
<br /><b>Brand:</b> Rocky Mountain Soda Company Root Beer
<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Denver, CO.<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar. <br /><br /><b>Review:</b> I SWEAR I've had this before. But it turns out that all of the other <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2013/08/goodies-in-mail.html">Rocky Mountain Soda Company sodas that I had TEN YEARS AGO</a> did NOT include a root beer. (And something has happened in the last 10 years because those older sodas were sweetened with sugar beets and were made in Commerce City, and this was sweetened with cane sugar and was made in Denver.) So I bought this to try last night after cooking supper with my boys. <div><br /></div><div>I first noticed the label was a little... maybe... "pretentious" as it noted in its ingredients list that it contained "vegan cane sugar" - I guess I wasn't aware there was a non-vegan cane sugar option, but apparently animal products can be used in the processing of sugar unless it's "organic." (So they also could have said "organic" sugar as <a href="https://www.peta.org/living/food/is-sugar-vegan/" target="_blank">that's always "vegan" as well</a>.) It also noted "non-GMO citric acid" which made a little more sense at first.<div><br /></div><div>But beyond that, the root beer was decent! It was a bit heavy on the wintergreen, but otherwise a pretty middle-of-road root beer: it didn't have much BITE but it also wasn't super SMOOTH. Normal, decent, tasty root beer. I'll rank this just a bit above average.<br /><br /><b>Score: 6 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-19284937537988672772023-12-03T15:29:00.001-06:002023-12-03T15:29:45.040-06:00Chilling Your Soda Real Quick...Can anyone else relate?...
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCI4NrIEaz03ZuPi88WwoR0XGTC2sjbVvPIW4-m85V05HfgcKuXXh6AyQ0Vl-NB_wMP46KkDnfE-j5P7l0W6lyLW4VCwwi-nm5tEdG0_sXmcShHC6D7vJK2jMmS1O9w0JounweY-mxJVN7iXiIwrRJzRaFQOxs9t7JBObasx0SIZCUC04sDA-45nZ/s1033/Getting_Cold_Faster.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1001" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCI4NrIEaz03ZuPi88WwoR0XGTC2sjbVvPIW4-m85V05HfgcKuXXh6AyQ0Vl-NB_wMP46KkDnfE-j5P7l0W6lyLW4VCwwi-nm5tEdG0_sXmcShHC6D7vJK2jMmS1O9w0JounweY-mxJVN7iXiIwrRJzRaFQOxs9t7JBObasx0SIZCUC04sDA-45nZ/s600/Getting_Cold_Faster.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /><div><br /></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-59063314523035568672023-11-24T09:37:00.000-06:002023-11-24T09:37:00.249-06:00Closing Soon for the 2023 Year: Minnesota's Largest Candy StoreMy boys and I made a quick stop to Minnesota's Largest Candy Store on Wednesday. I needed to refresh my soda stash, and they are closing for the season on Sunday evening, Nov 26th, 2023! Here are a few photos from our stop:<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehDJk_RDRTcx_KVpr4C66E-bnH6-UPY9WWqMHZI283XHHu8oW-JpaPX9ZUayfmRkCiInen0JgOvtlszrTjmmf3r9F90s2WIPwTxnHG4QvBbNJ_Ae0SWdmQy59UioHYWnUIFRU1wi6s9FO5a3xbEOPlZFNVOvDU7IRtRIhbVriq8PRV1xILepBele4rw8/s700/IMG_6659_mn_candy_store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehDJk_RDRTcx_KVpr4C66E-bnH6-UPY9WWqMHZI283XHHu8oW-JpaPX9ZUayfmRkCiInen0JgOvtlszrTjmmf3r9F90s2WIPwTxnHG4QvBbNJ_Ae0SWdmQy59UioHYWnUIFRU1wi6s9FO5a3xbEOPlZFNVOvDU7IRtRIhbVriq8PRV1xILepBele4rw8/w640-h480/IMG_6659_mn_candy_store.jpg" title="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A HUGE (sun-faded) puzzle out front.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk57xZt42px6xIpWmxPw912NGE_SRhxLIvBfUqWBM0EvjVYErOTjkuFg9bRe_W6wD1eSIzX67gX_TqqKdnK1cY65YXiz8GA5q2f_nnNxSVq5bvuaJFRnavb_QKkXdvRmvbqJaZXp_Dv3UGnTnJFdIyHkpOWUVaaP2kTQEY27Wer-sbCPI9qdG9eTWKsE/s700/IMG_6660_mn_candy_store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="700" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk57xZt42px6xIpWmxPw912NGE_SRhxLIvBfUqWBM0EvjVYErOTjkuFg9bRe_W6wD1eSIzX67gX_TqqKdnK1cY65YXiz8GA5q2f_nnNxSVq5bvuaJFRnavb_QKkXdvRmvbqJaZXp_Dv3UGnTnJFdIyHkpOWUVaaP2kTQEY27Wer-sbCPI9qdG9eTWKsE/w640-h618/IMG_6660_mn_candy_store.jpg" title="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whoa.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoKlmjPxs_KfYWsd6eA8UAZkFlliXvhYCoAysAVZlaGnF_b7LEGwgoo8Z28u43jDnC0X7opo6ivulkvFc5H03pnuBlrIfsooYXEefkElEHoLT1_maNCcRFnfn8rGl_mDvc9TZmBTj0m7GXgecxd12lYz36qvsFa9XrchqNIP7nUjj4OmIX-zRJEAqt2Q/s700/IMG_6662_mn_candy_store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoKlmjPxs_KfYWsd6eA8UAZkFlliXvhYCoAysAVZlaGnF_b7LEGwgoo8Z28u43jDnC0X7opo6ivulkvFc5H03pnuBlrIfsooYXEefkElEHoLT1_maNCcRFnfn8rGl_mDvc9TZmBTj0m7GXgecxd12lYz36qvsFa9XrchqNIP7nUjj4OmIX-zRJEAqt2Q/w640-h480/IMG_6662_mn_candy_store.jpg" title="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the "superhero room" at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInbYW4wkZLzczY5a6QHUfRI5lVv_nezsI70O9vxdguSExsEsQnUO92rKHhcfQx2OjzP6sOxUpVu34YfpBC1N7t6eR7tbPyIF0YgQPWtQcO3oEMsB-2tv6kdYBgUcRXnKL_xwcxSKxEQzbP9MaKhyphenhyphenhui90gaoxTrQCGF5X_nWLMWeWSs6oh7UF3XlvSi8/s933/IMG_6663_mn_candy_store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInbYW4wkZLzczY5a6QHUfRI5lVv_nezsI70O9vxdguSExsEsQnUO92rKHhcfQx2OjzP6sOxUpVu34YfpBC1N7t6eR7tbPyIF0YgQPWtQcO3oEMsB-2tv6kdYBgUcRXnKL_xwcxSKxEQzbP9MaKhyphenhyphenhui90gaoxTrQCGF5X_nWLMWeWSs6oh7UF3XlvSi8/w480-h640/IMG_6663_mn_candy_store.jpg" title="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking across the big candy area. Notice all the puzzles in the ceiling!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWP2T-6lC6KQb_oZ_fUgkXbQafP9jRgOiB-WC8E-wmis1mxyu3AgCdmOgSKA6zSbt7OqubqjVdW-I35PR_gAXpmfapPTBAbDwsoqjp9y0UFsptNizXoJNw8zzyb9nOGR4zQpjp-O-LWtl_BxOIF2GRyy5Hfzd9KFpOf26syD187qIZWL9L1zg6GSBYzs/s700/IMG_6664_mn_candy_store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWP2T-6lC6KQb_oZ_fUgkXbQafP9jRgOiB-WC8E-wmis1mxyu3AgCdmOgSKA6zSbt7OqubqjVdW-I35PR_gAXpmfapPTBAbDwsoqjp9y0UFsptNizXoJNw8zzyb9nOGR4zQpjp-O-LWtl_BxOIF2GRyy5Hfzd9KFpOf26syD187qIZWL9L1zg6GSBYzs/w640-h480/IMG_6664_mn_candy_store.jpg" title="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "final" room full of space-related things. And a large Thanos!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFTjDeGA6i4X54dnOjYBiELvkSi5fcj8BOK-Ma6aJJ3BmNtMjqx-1YhYJMyQ8voWJZUSkv1SgZlMis6BmPrSlqFLhFx1Iqc_IqFt-EiThjqx-brdCbm3nFE3_t86_QrjkulJ-8gN2xQXrXnFyQBB3O8_nEEsUJLG4rsRKkszRLl6p3na405E0KhlliS0/s877/IMG_6665_mn_candy_store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFTjDeGA6i4X54dnOjYBiELvkSi5fcj8BOK-Ma6aJJ3BmNtMjqx-1YhYJMyQ8voWJZUSkv1SgZlMis6BmPrSlqFLhFx1Iqc_IqFt-EiThjqx-brdCbm3nFE3_t86_QrjkulJ-8gN2xQXrXnFyQBB3O8_nEEsUJLG4rsRKkszRLl6p3na405E0KhlliS0/w510-h640/IMG_6665_mn_candy_store.jpg" title="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Harry Potter hallway" near the end of the store.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvoGPg2vJ69tmmnJhxj25SKbb2sisAxNmWrYAvse71FBqY0U6mpUBffG97z_WQPQtBu2ONPYA30tJM1b2o1bGAtHWZNRMAHOSSE5R997fgTxx_Q7oHeCwxNF6PYsYH93vCQMq__LccJwwCDIu4MKbMVZpiw8B_yrCbAyfWvDIcFDXKTWjt6c2xCtLsHs/s933/IMG_6666_mn_candy_store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvoGPg2vJ69tmmnJhxj25SKbb2sisAxNmWrYAvse71FBqY0U6mpUBffG97z_WQPQtBu2ONPYA30tJM1b2o1bGAtHWZNRMAHOSSE5R997fgTxx_Q7oHeCwxNF6PYsYH93vCQMq__LccJwwCDIu4MKbMVZpiw8B_yrCbAyfWvDIcFDXKTWjt6c2xCtLsHs/w480-h640/IMG_6666_mn_candy_store.jpg" title="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batman in the foreground, Harley Quinn in the background, and lots of treats in between.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJdpLrrLr5Hurh4-SjLsISHZy1c8-ArVpDDLP0Sh17S1ayLziGV-n3Ur5_kt7a7Qpd1uU6OWVD1l7NGygyKM3j7kpsbNkY27q_Iyo4UdRDRNIKWu_-b3zFy-IXxPBuW_AtQCxqop4XZxVq6N6hNKQyKKPCIK6PGCwqeZWeknDCSC7yl8NjI79PtGmPwE/s896/IMG_6670_mn_candy_store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJdpLrrLr5Hurh4-SjLsISHZy1c8-ArVpDDLP0Sh17S1ayLziGV-n3Ur5_kt7a7Qpd1uU6OWVD1l7NGygyKM3j7kpsbNkY27q_Iyo4UdRDRNIKWu_-b3zFy-IXxPBuW_AtQCxqop4XZxVq6N6hNKQyKKPCIK6PGCwqeZWeknDCSC7yl8NjI79PtGmPwE/w500-h640/IMG_6670_mn_candy_store.jpg" title="Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Nov 2023" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See you next May!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>I picked up 25 sodas (a case +1), so look for reviews on those shortly! I actually didn't take any photos of the soda section, but <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2021/06/stopping-at-minnesotas-largest-candy.html" target="_blank">check out this post from 2.5 years ago for lots of photos</a> of the soda sections.</div><div><br /></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-63333923379509521502023-11-20T19:09:00.001-06:002023-11-20T19:09:00.146-06:00Diet Pepsi and Cherry Coke Zero REDESIGNI just picked up some of my normal "go-to" diet sodas, and BOTH just had a big redesign. Here, I compare the old (on the left) with the new (on the right):<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhpWX9xCBEF9aKNT3KhWCnxGuBW8gZ4T-jbowL0Z1uxDkkWfI-K2ZgyFprStqrs-dY6zgLnAAYPHS60sBNQ8unL4Tjfs6BL51T_E7ev_29E9F8FRmlDh9IvwMY8uRuWRgOapFY6XWtxwNGzM0zBR8HfFqEG3ZZ3QqjyloBubpJKw8-nSd2qAHqzI9O94/s710/IMG_6625_diet_pepsi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Diet Pepsi Redesign" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhpWX9xCBEF9aKNT3KhWCnxGuBW8gZ4T-jbowL0Z1uxDkkWfI-K2ZgyFprStqrs-dY6zgLnAAYPHS60sBNQ8unL4Tjfs6BL51T_E7ev_29E9F8FRmlDh9IvwMY8uRuWRgOapFY6XWtxwNGzM0zBR8HfFqEG3ZZ3QqjyloBubpJKw8-nSd2qAHqzI9O94/w630-h640/IMG_6625_diet_pepsi.jpg" title="Diet Pepsi Redesign" width="630" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really basic redesign, but I like that it's a little retro (in the text) but with an overall more modern and cleaner look.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecb1_yt_W3v2ayx842iG-hYLR7xzrfM7q4e5rIsUcmo7aHeeI4uYQrtq2PDkF4gORP5kIN8B9vXdKXvT61Dw0QtcN6KtbXU4OtK1v4K5XT4OsT6oSrnTmCXSbjwCDM6swvLbt9TL3LOzDc-trJD4Jt_xy5rLhlHaB-g_GQHDD7aibT1ljiDRGkyIS0Dc/s700/IMG_6627_cherry_coke_zero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cherry Coke Zero Redesign" border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="700" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecb1_yt_W3v2ayx842iG-hYLR7xzrfM7q4e5rIsUcmo7aHeeI4uYQrtq2PDkF4gORP5kIN8B9vXdKXvT61Dw0QtcN6KtbXU4OtK1v4K5XT4OsT6oSrnTmCXSbjwCDM6swvLbt9TL3LOzDc-trJD4Jt_xy5rLhlHaB-g_GQHDD7aibT1ljiDRGkyIS0Dc/w640-h606/IMG_6627_cherry_coke_zero.jpg" title="Cherry Coke Zero Redesign" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry Coke Zero brought a bit of "classic Coke red" into the can...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Va3Db1J5mjGqYvf0q4_Tr8srbey5qEZzQhkvs30ucf4ZUjLAFYJ6AUW_RsmUKmjYyEjjSK3FxTK0K7hI85ydyMtkw2vrPpVrfumIKMtAoy_YBLBJ4xknfXMFfVz2TGmaPwJXzT0_J2NLqYb9IHbq2QlFzfNOxvYyaIXgsfSpJbw8qpYqWMIP6-xUs2Q/s865/IMG_6628_cherry_coke_zero_redesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cherry Coke Zero Redesign Close-up" border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Va3Db1J5mjGqYvf0q4_Tr8srbey5qEZzQhkvs30ucf4ZUjLAFYJ6AUW_RsmUKmjYyEjjSK3FxTK0K7hI85ydyMtkw2vrPpVrfumIKMtAoy_YBLBJ4xknfXMFfVz2TGmaPwJXzT0_J2NLqYb9IHbq2QlFzfNOxvYyaIXgsfSpJbw8qpYqWMIP6-xUs2Q/w518-h640/IMG_6628_cherry_coke_zero_redesign.jpg" title="Cherry Coke Zero Redesign Close-up" width="518" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and the top half is a very visible halftone pattern that fades to the older Cherry Coke Zero color.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-91751821356643075012023-11-16T13:20:00.003-06:002023-11-16T13:20:54.012-06:00Zia Sandia Cola: Watermelon, Mint, and LimeHere's another soda <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2023/09/new-sodas-to-try.html" target="_blank">that my friends sent me</a>:<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLG-LKfSusIwR-qGAlGd-mft9XUgiSMt3cTVlPa1VruKeaNxsikvftwlLfZz0I-WsUecCzsD8kla2p0ciHUY_K9Ey4_oUdQbqJKGC9xiKwFKEn19GwCztQJf_E5YppmWDLbtuecHu9h4_hztXqgPcUEB53enJ0TOxr5m9oVWzdvw6jh3YRR2S8YX0K4k/s1017/IMG_6559_zia_sandia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zia Sandia" border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLG-LKfSusIwR-qGAlGd-mft9XUgiSMt3cTVlPa1VruKeaNxsikvftwlLfZz0I-WsUecCzsD8kla2p0ciHUY_K9Ey4_oUdQbqJKGC9xiKwFKEn19GwCztQJf_E5YppmWDLbtuecHu9h4_hztXqgPcUEB53enJ0TOxr5m9oVWzdvw6jh3YRR2S8YX0K4k/w440-h640/IMG_6559_zia_sandia.jpg" title="Tart, zingy, odd..." width="440" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxAcv4mMnnhyWOOOLad7BJ-n1FTZ6t_Gf6xxAAlTDAELF5s2XmL5XLB3r-rkWsKk7bnYmWxM4MFptqdVOjtpOwksZ-a6K8hl_NvIX7Y7WeLjxLcfhgrixHMnVArITkvNdhDn3Rn-Pf3EfuAKjgUY0dtR00joPmoKOftpKt7rfToqynz0UtTIux8ba8Rw/s933/IMG_6560_zia_sandia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Zia Sandia" border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxAcv4mMnnhyWOOOLad7BJ-n1FTZ6t_Gf6xxAAlTDAELF5s2XmL5XLB3r-rkWsKk7bnYmWxM4MFptqdVOjtpOwksZ-a6K8hl_NvIX7Y7WeLjxLcfhgrixHMnVArITkvNdhDn3Rn-Pf3EfuAKjgUY0dtR00joPmoKOftpKt7rfToqynz0UtTIux8ba8Rw/w480-h640/IMG_6560_zia_sandia.jpg" title=""Separation or floating ingredients is normal."" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was looking for a line like "separation or floating ingredients is normal" after seeing stuff at the bottom!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<br /><br /><b>Brand:</b> Zia Sandia. <br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Taos, New Mexico.
<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> Smith's, Kaysville, UT.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> This was intriguing to me. I thought the flavor combo sounded like a possible hit! But it was a little to tart and "zingy" for me. This is definitely an "adult" soda as it's not very sweet but has a lot of flavor. There's a subtle watermelon flavor/sweetness that is then met with a punch of mint and lime later in each sip. It's the mint and lime combo that I'm not 100% sold on - it's unique and it tastes sort of how you'd expect, but it's not ALL that tasty. Not sure what to think about this one... but it DID grow on me a bit as I kept sipping on the bottle (and it's definitely a "sipping" soda - this is not something that you'd chug!), so it raised the score from a 4 earlier on to a 5 by the end.<br /><br /><b>Score: 5 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-31933052180968720012023-11-12T21:46:00.002-06:002023-11-12T21:46:32.540-06:00Ramune Original FlavorI was at HyVee earlier today, and I found this in the Asian Foods aisle:<div><br /></div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQymE2JWzbCbrTMoBwyamx7BQt3C-YstHZXY1fKK0QN-BVgT9WWekdU90PhRPls4DgmxpdZECgyMzlbhA3QIloJOhQfUkU8enyOm86lrRn1jpWKG9UEozp_7OAErwPFSXr2JcBXT192AhPXNcGU2cdPmfSHanpnZyhnM9XHAEG-xC6augPhdmKKzfWwg/s1242/IMG_6481_ramune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ramune Original Flavor" border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQymE2JWzbCbrTMoBwyamx7BQt3C-YstHZXY1fKK0QN-BVgT9WWekdU90PhRPls4DgmxpdZECgyMzlbhA3QIloJOhQfUkU8enyOm86lrRn1jpWKG9UEozp_7OAErwPFSXr2JcBXT192AhPXNcGU2cdPmfSHanpnZyhnM9XHAEG-xC6augPhdmKKzfWwg/w360-h640/IMG_6481_ramune.jpg" title="Bubble gun flavored and OK..." width="360" /></a></div><br />
<br /><br /><b>Brand:</b> Ramune Original Flavor.
<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Japan.<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> HyVee, Eagan, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> High Fructose Corn Syrup and Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> "Original Flavor..." what's that? I don't always do well with "mystery" flavors. After the fun task of opening these special bottles, I took a sip. I first thought it was some sort of fruit flavor, but I quickly realized that it's very "bubble gum" favored. My boys both agreed as well. It was very sweet... really TOO sweet. It was good, but I happy it was only 6.7 oz because it was a lot of sugary goodness. It was OK, but just a bit too much sweetness. Between <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2020/12/japanese-ramune-grape-soda.html" target="_blank">the fun way to open the bottle</a> and the super sweet soda inside, this would be great for a kid... but not an adult.<br /><br /><b>Score: 4 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-67711940726136098962023-11-07T19:42:00.000-06:002023-11-07T19:42:00.223-06:00Northern Soda Company's Orange Cream Root BeerI still have 2 sodas left from <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-root-beer-variety-pack.html" target="_blank">my Father's Day variety pack</a>. So I left the "best sounding" one for later, and tried this orange cream root beer:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwScoYTxmYqySqU5Jxq6l2nr8B5Jwf0gOMfNHxmykPXKBgvCDCRi6cNnSVM45NZVf7OasIz4wz6KCQOWw4Tx64uE6RIi-hyL6c32njr_ndH-fTgTBYETHD2ROU1KLZjbk-YKdB6Z5SMDHUWuXCAEWGlWuewBfaauNhnN50kF8xRQ2LnqhvikGhWEOIkI/s933/IMG_6344_orange_cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Northern Soda Company's Orange Cream Root Beer" border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwScoYTxmYqySqU5Jxq6l2nr8B5Jwf0gOMfNHxmykPXKBgvCDCRi6cNnSVM45NZVf7OasIz4wz6KCQOWw4Tx64uE6RIi-hyL6c32njr_ndH-fTgTBYETHD2ROU1KLZjbk-YKdB6Z5SMDHUWuXCAEWGlWuewBfaauNhnN50kF8xRQ2LnqhvikGhWEOIkI/w480-h640/IMG_6344_orange_cream.jpg" title="Pretty good flavors!" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /><b>Brand:</b> Northern Soda Company's Orange Cream Root Beer.<br /><br /><b>Origin: </b>Arden Hills, MN.<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> Remix, St. Paul, MN.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> When I popped the top, I instantly smelled that smooth "orange cream" smell. And my first sip had a strong orange cream flavor. But then the rest of the sip was very much JUST "root beer." It was almost odd how separate the flavors were. But it wasn't BAD, it was just unusual how the different flavors hit. It's a tasty orange cream flavor followed by a very basic (but creamy and smooth) root beer flavor. Honestly, I liked it a whole lot more than I thought I would.<br /><br /><b>Score: 7 out of 10.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-67398946973503205992023-10-29T18:12:00.001-05:002023-11-07T18:03:45.526-06:00Brigham's Brew Cream SodaI opened this while cooking today:<div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UFnkLc7LgNDaPVWRwqSB_aEtSASolCaAXnhTeszRPRvBhrk8XlZxWOaCSnbuFIFJh6ukPY1Gg3X5_HdLWqorqGXu9v121KWeccS2r0ioVu-TUQIBBY9dg4wW6edCksOnF4j8BPVIAZQCf1r7LZ-cqRCNnG1nOisBjoq7ynXAl_3R59vsXoFYu3fL1E4/s1073/IMG_6129_brighams_brew_cream_soda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Brigham's Brew Cream Soda" border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UFnkLc7LgNDaPVWRwqSB_aEtSASolCaAXnhTeszRPRvBhrk8XlZxWOaCSnbuFIFJh6ukPY1Gg3X5_HdLWqorqGXu9v121KWeccS2r0ioVu-TUQIBBY9dg4wW6edCksOnF4j8BPVIAZQCf1r7LZ-cqRCNnG1nOisBjoq7ynXAl_3R59vsXoFYu3fL1E4/w418-h640/IMG_6129_brighams_brew_cream_soda.jpg" title="Very sweet... almost to a fault..." width="418" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> <br /><b>Brand:</b> Brigham's Brew Cream Soda.<br /><br /><b>Origin:</b> Salt Lake City, Utah.<br /><br /><b>Purchase Place:</b> Harmon's, Utah.
<br /><br /><b>Sweetener:</b> Cane Sugar.
<br /><br /><b>Review:</b> This was another soda <a href="https://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2023/09/new-sodas-to-try.html" target="_blank">sent to me from some friends</a> last month. It had been waiting in the fridge for a quiet weekend after <a href="https://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2023/10/three-days-in-chicago.html" target="_blank">some busy ones</a>. This smelled very creamy... if that's a possible smell. And it WAS creamy and sweet - almost TOO sweet (which means something coming from me). But it had that really deep, smooth, cream soda flavor that was quite good. If you like sweet sweet things and like a hard hit of classic cream soda, then you'll like this! But if you like more "adult" and subtly-flavored cream sodas, this might be too much for you. I'll give this a pretty average score.<br /><br /><b>Score: 5.5 out of 10.</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-579807829456872374.post-45846535391242056492023-10-23T19:51:00.007-05:002023-10-23T19:51:00.140-05:00IT'SUGAR on Navy Pier<div>My family and I got back yesterday morning from 3 days in Chicago (see <a href="https://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2023/10/three-days-in-chicago.html" target="_blank">lots of photos in this post on my other blog</a>), and we found a store called "IT'SUGAR" (not misspelled) on Navy Pier. It turns out there's one locally in Mall of America as well, so I might have to stop in sometime. It had... well... lots of sugar, including some fun sodas:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmXqBwecfIpbIqwzDnBymdbU2iozNL8L3_Ncx-7tWmuGeO__mjDsmxsTomCbRP_ZQbkaD3UgxxwF48LP_Z1erMhFiojsQvXKCWVHyZF0PK9eIJD5A4niG09_tE_HpHVvewEp7HgAzPzCT1VeHytnf3MUP7FXmjfIzFY8bflZZkvbrWFuoFfkHnvms1Uo/s700/IMG_5908_its_sugar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="IT'SUGAR" border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="700" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmXqBwecfIpbIqwzDnBymdbU2iozNL8L3_Ncx-7tWmuGeO__mjDsmxsTomCbRP_ZQbkaD3UgxxwF48LP_Z1erMhFiojsQvXKCWVHyZF0PK9eIJD5A4niG09_tE_HpHVvewEp7HgAzPzCT1VeHytnf3MUP7FXmjfIzFY8bflZZkvbrWFuoFfkHnvms1Uo/w640-h532/IMG_5908_its_sugar.jpg" title="Lots of sweet treats!" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiNkMl0d2lGEyEDqdtQ_0q6uTx7eMpKMNpwKTuAvweThDISYuBw62WsnT2NF-MVvszTQ98EuqARFJiDBKfYJkruXY8qhPyMPz4vK558-WNl4bS7i2DhwFLTJ_vBJUkJHpN9VakfDRqISA_8BVCoseVmIPpyT86tqRaFHAIgVoz_sGIfDWtsVztyTR594/s873/IMG_5910_its_sugar.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="IT'SUGAR" border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiNkMl0d2lGEyEDqdtQ_0q6uTx7eMpKMNpwKTuAvweThDISYuBw62WsnT2NF-MVvszTQ98EuqARFJiDBKfYJkruXY8qhPyMPz4vK558-WNl4bS7i2DhwFLTJ_vBJUkJHpN9VakfDRqISA_8BVCoseVmIPpyT86tqRaFHAIgVoz_sGIfDWtsVztyTR594/w514-h640/IMG_5910_its_sugar.jpg" title="Sodas and soda-related things." width="514" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some fun sodas in one section.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>
I only purchased one thing there, and it wasn't soda. They had "Cow Tales" that my family and I enjoy, but they had OREO Cow Tales which we'd never tried. They were good, but none of us could really tell any difference from REGULAR Cow Tales, so we didn't really understand the point. Still a quick tasty treat!<div><br /></div><div>Again, <a href="https://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2023/10/three-days-in-chicago.html" target="_blank">click here</a> for more photos from our long-weekend Chicago trip.<br /><div><br /></div></div>Steve Stenzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11419298404210612118noreply@blogger.com0