Bedford's Creme Beer

It was hot today, so I cracked into this tonight:

The labels weren't facing the same direction. Awkward.

Brand: Bedford's Creme Beer.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was VERY smooth and creamy. I couldn't put my finger on the specific flavor: it wasn't vanilla, but it had a hint of something floral. It was just a real decent cream soda. I'll rate this a little above average. Give it a try!

Score: 7 out of 10.

 

Root Beer Tasting at Blue Sun Soda

On Saturday morning, my boys had a cross country race at Como Park. After that, we headed north to Blue Sun Soda for their free root beer tasting party.

The 10 sodas (and tiny sipping cups on either end) ready for sampling.

I had previously had all but "Fiz Roc City" root beer. Left to right in that photo above was Red Arrow, Dorothy's, Always Ask for Avery's, Bedford's, Death Valley, Squamscot, Fiz, Zuberfizz, Dang!, and Cool Mountain.

My 1st grader got in on the action. We tried all of them and kept track of what one we liked best.

You were supposed to grab a bottle cap and vote for your favorite by putting it in the corresponding bucket.

Henry liked Dang! the best.

Dorothy won for me. Dang! and Zuberfizz weren't far behind.

Dorothy was my 2nd ever review on this blog nearly 6 years ago. I gave it an 8. Dang! actually got a 9 from me when I reviewed it, so I guess my tastes were a little different this past weekend. Blue Sun Soda noted on Facebook that Zuberfizz was the overall winner.

Their selection of their made-in-house Whistler soda.

My pre-schooler played some pinball.

Playing an old bowling game.

"Springtime Sodas."

The boys on a noisy elephant with games and the root beer tasting in the background.

Enjoying some small sugary treats on the way home.

 I left with 10 bottles of new soda. I had just a few more from my old stash to drink first, but then I'll start in on these new sodas. I bought 2 Whistler sodas that I'll need to have soon because as I've noted recently, their caps don't seem to hold their seal for very long.

UPDATE: Blue Sun Soda added on Facebook the ranking of the top 4 of the taste test: "#1 Zuberfizz, #2 Dang, #3 Red Arrow, #4 Dorothy's." So Henry's and my picks were #2 and #4 out of 10. They also noted that they go through about a case of each soda at these "tasting" events, so they went through about 240 bottles total!

Bedford's Ginger Beer

I was in the mood for something "spicy," so I cracked into this:

Brand: Bedford's Ginger Beer.

Origin: Port Angeles, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The first thing I like to do with a ginger soda is to check the ingredients list: this had "brewed ginger root" on the list, so I was ready for a BITE. And for a guy who doesn't care for ginger beers that much, I thought this was pretty good. It had a smooth (almost creamy) initial flavor, and then each sip ended with a BIG KICK of ginger that almost stings the back of your throat. That big kick is usually why I stay away from ginger sodas, but this was alright.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Bedford's Vanilla Creme Beer

Time for something creamy:

Brand: Bedford's Vanilla Creme Beer.

Origin: Port Angeles, WA.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This has a fair amount of vanilla, and a lot of creme. It's smooth and goes down easy. It's very sweet/sugary, so if you're OK with that, you'll like this a lot. There's a little bit of a strange aftertaste, but it's not a major issue - it just kept this from being rated another point higher.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Bedford's Root Beer

I like this bottle, so I grabbed this to drink late last week:

Brand: Bedford's Root Beer.

Origin: Port Angeles, Washington.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The first sniff was strong with vanilla. When I tried it, it was pretty "heavy." It's one of the "deepest" flavored root beers I've had. Pretty normal, but pretty heavy and tasty.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.