Pearson Bros. 1986 Root Beer

Last week, my family and I took a 6 day road trip through Yellowstone National Park! (I posted just a little about it on my other blog, but will be sharing more photos shortly.) We stopped at a Cracker Barrel right off I-90 in Billings Montana on our 2nd morning heading out there. And I found a big selection of sodas in their "country store:"

There or 4 sodas in this small collection that I haven't had!..

... including this root beer! (Being enjoyed outside of the Old Faithful Snow Lodge in Yellowstone.)

Brand: Pearson Bros. 1986 Root Beer

Origin: Newport, VT.

Purchase Place: Cracker Barrel, Billings, MT.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: So I grabbed that root beer (and another soda to try shortly) and we threw it in our fridge at our next hotel. It was cute at just 11 oz (that extra oz was noticeable!). Then my family and I cracked into it the following evening in Yellowstone, just about 1000 feet from Old Faithful!

My wife liked it, my boys thought it was OK, but I just thought it was decent. It was a bit too "sharp" and caramel-heavy for me. It wasn't my favorite. The root beer flavor was OK, but overall just not a great drinking experience. I have to rank this just a bit below average.

Score: 4.5 out of 10.

p.s.  Here's my first post about our trip on my other blog.

Root Beer Shave Ice at Remix

Just a reminder that Remix in St. Paul (2042 Marshall Ave) still has a fun little soda selection...

As well as some TASTY shave ice! I recently had to get some root beer and vanilla:

You can order popcorn and other treats online, but stop in Wednesday through Sunday to get some shave ice! And here are some pictures from last summer of more shave ice at Remix.

Making Root Beer Ribbon Candies

Logan's Candies shared a video of how they make their root beer ribbon candy:


Direct link: https://youtu.be/K3AUb6D6oN4?si=T_qYuuBemJ-G8zvt

The Potions Cauldron "Witches Brew" Blue Grape Soda

This was $5.99 for a single bottle, but I HAD to try it:

When you tap and then spin the bottle, this happens:

Brand: The Potions Cauldron "Witches Brew" Blue Grape Soda.

Origin: York, England.

Purchase Place: Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was an experience. My boys and I all thought it had good grape flavor and a lot of sweetness - this was a "kids" soda and not an "adult" soda. The flavor was pleasant and it wasn't TOO sweet. The experience of the swirling soda was fun, but I don't know if it was $6 worth of fun. The flavor was good though, and it went down real easy for all of us!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Galvanina Organic Cola

On a camping / mountain biking trip recently, I found this fun bottle of cola - I loved the "embossed" glass:

Yes, that's my boys eating ice cream in the background!

A good head!

Brand: Galvanina Organic Cola.

Origin: Remini, Italy.

Purchase Place: Victual, Crosby, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was a deeply flavored cola. The first part of the sip tasted like any regular cola, but the end of each sip had a deeper and herby flavor. It was very unique, and all of my family who tried it thought it was good (both my boys, along with my sister and my nephew). But we also all agreed that we wouldn't regularly spend $5.50 on this soda like we did at Victual in the cute mountain biking town of Crosby, MN. Fun, unique, and a quality cola.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Northern Soda Company Mrs. Sippy: 1950's Style Spiced Cherry Cream Soda

I grabbed this from Remix recently:

An afternoon treat for me!!

Brand: Northern Soda Company Mrs. Sippy: 1950's Style Spiced Cherry Cream Soda.

Origin: Arden Hills, MN.

Purchase Place: Remix Popcorn, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: First of all, nice play on "Mississippi" (as "Mrs. Sippy") with a paddleboat on the front of the label. Clever. Secondly, the flavor: it was good! It's the best version of what I thought "spiced cherry cream soda" could be. (It's a BIT like a extra fruity Dr. Pepper, but just a little.) The "spiced" bit hits first - it's like an herby note to start each sip. And then it ends with an almost subtle super smooth cherry flavor - something I would definitely call "cherry creme" and not just "cherry." I was afraid this flavor could be too over-powering, but it's not. It's very smooth and goes down easy. It's sweet without being overly sweet. Very unique flavor that DOES taste old fashioned. I love a good unique soda!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

How to Find "Lift Bridge Brewing" at the MN State Fair

 Lift Bridge brewing came out with a comprehensive list of where you can find their drinks (both alcoholic and soda-based) at the upcoming MN State Fair. They posted this on their Facebook page:

You can find more info and a complete list on their website - and I love the designs of these "posters!"

Northwoods "The Squeeze:" Lime Mint Soda Water

I think when I grabbed this, I thought it was soda, but it was unsweetened flavored water:

Brand: Northwoods "The Squeeze:" Lime Mint Soda Water.

Origin: Williamsburg, MI.

Purchase Place: Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, Spring Lake Park,  MN.

Sweetener: None.

Review: I *think* I thought this was a NorthSTAR and not a NorthWOODS soda when I grabbed it. (And I thought it WAS a soda and not a water.) Oh well. The label was cool and pulled me in. The first sip reminded me of La Croix Lime (or lemon?) that I got from my uncle as a kid. So that was decent. And then each sip ended with that hint of mint flavor, and that was a nice combo with the lime. Not nearly as sweet as a soda (obviously), but still a fun drink.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Barq's Frozen Root Beer and Vanilla Ice Cream Float

We saw these at Aldi the other week, and had to grab a box:

These are creamy and delicious! They don't really taste like a root beer float, but it's a tasty root beer-flavored ice cream treat. I first had these 4 years ago, and they're just as great today!

Northern Sodas at Target

The Target in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul has a nice assortment of Northern Sodas: