J. Gasco's Elderflower Fizzy Italian Soda

Last night, I tried this TINY 6.75 oz bottle of Italian Soda:

I didn't get a photo in comparison to something else - this is TINY!

Brand: J. Gasco's Elderflower Fizzy Italian Soda.

Origin: Torino, Italy.

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

Sweetener: Sugar and "Burnt Sugar."

Review: This had a nice "adult" flavor - it was sweet, but it was a dry sweetness that wasn't too over-the-top. My wife and I enjoyed it. It would be great in a mixed drink, but it was just fine on it's own as well. I had to google "burnt sugar" to see what that was, as it's listed as the last ingredient on the list. This was unique and tasty! Worth a try!

Score: 8 out of 10.

Kickin' Cow Cola

The boys and I cracked into this earlier today:

I had no idea what the flavor was, but my boys were excited to try it anyway:

Charlie trying his first sip...

... and his reaction.

My older son said it tasted like "soap mixed with mouthwash" and he didn't finish his sip. My younger son (pictured) loved it.


Brand: Kickin' Cow Cola.

Origin: Poultney, VT.

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

Sweetener: Evaporated Cane Juice.

Review: I had to go online to see what the flavor actually was. All I found was "like natural Pepsi," which I thought was way off. This was hardly "cola-like" at all. I'd describe it as a "gentle" ginger ale. It was nearly clear, with just a slight tan color. It wasn't bad (SURELY not as bad as "soap mixed with mouthwash), but it wasn't totally amazing either. I'll rank it just above average.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Jackson Hole South Fork Strawberry Rhubarb Soda

I opened this last night:

Brand: Jackson Hole South Fork Strawberry Rhubarb Soda.

Origin: Jackson, WY.

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

Sweetener: Cane sugar.

Review: This tasted like a pretty honest-to-goodness "strawberry rhubarb." The problem with that is I've never been a huge fan of strawberry rhubarb flavored anything. So the short version is the flavor is right on, but I didn't care for the flavor a ton. It has the sweetness of strawberry with a little bitter bite of rhubarb. It's not "bad," but it's just not a taste I prefer.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Soda Pun

Blue Sun Soda Shop recently posted this "dad joke" on Instagram:

Coca Cola California Raspberry

I stopped at Cub Foods in Midway (St. Paul) this past week to get a few things with my boys. We walked past the sodas, and I found this single bottle (they sell a lot of 4- or 6-packs, so it's nice to find some individual bottles for sale):

Brand: Coca Cola California Raspberry.

Origin: Anywhere?

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had that oh-so-recognizable Coca Cola flavor, but then there was a berry "tartness" to it as well. I can't call that tartness good or bad - it was just tart. I don't know that I could have labeled it as "raspberry" had I not know what I was drinking, but it was pretty good. So I guess I'm saying the "raspberry" flavor isn't 100% right, but the raspberry "tartness" was about right. Overall, it was a nice version of Coke!

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Gross Gus's Dinosaur Dung Chocolate Soda

I was feeling adventurous and opened this soda this afternoon:

Brand: Gross Gus's Dinosaur Dung Chocolate Soda.

Origin: Inyokern, CA.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: It smelled like chocolate. And it TASTED like chocolate. This was much better than the first chocolate soda I had a few years ago, although some of the same things can be said about it: it tasted a bit like a liquid Tootsie Rolls, and it's mainly "sip-able" (not really "drinkable"). But the flavor was much better in this one. It still wasn't GREAT, but I'll give this an average score. If you like chocolate and are intrigued, check this one out.

Score: 5 out of 10.

Fun St. Patrick's Addition to "Mom & Pops"

Mom & Pops in Mankato announced a fun treat for St. Patrick's Day:

Bawls Guarana Cherry

We stopped at "Fresh Thyme" grocery store over the weekend, and my wife asked "hey, have you had all of these?" as we walked through the soda section. I found a Bawls Cherry that I hadn't tried before:

Hard to photograph - had to hold it in the right spot to make out the label.

Brand: Bawls Guarana Cherry.

Origin: Twinsburg, OH.

Purchase Place: Fresh Thyme Grocery Store, Minneapolis, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: My first Bawls soda / energy drink was a bit of a let down. They made sodas with a super high caffeine content - one of the ingredients is guarana extract which is about twice as potent as coffee beans. This bottle had 64 mg of caffeine. But I still wanted to try this. It wasn't great. The cherry flavor was OK the moment it touched my tongue, but then it immediately became very "chemically" tasting. And it was weak/thin tasting. Both of those things I ended up saying about my first Bawls soda as well. Not a fan of Bawls.

Score: 3 out of 10.

Freaky Dog Soda Rooffbeer

I did some cooking this afternoon, and I opened this to enjoy while cutting up veggies:

Brand: Freaky Dog Soda Rooffbeer.

Origin: Ipswich, MA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was pretty heavy on the wintergreen, and also pretty smooth. It went down easily, but make sure you like wintergreen, or you'll think this is a bit too much. I'll give it a better-than-average score.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Soda Pun