Sprecher Lo-Cal Root Beer

It was time for a big bottle of low-cal root beer:

Brand: Sprecher Lo-Cal Root Beer.

Origin: Glendale, WI.

Purchase Place: Menards, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Glucose Syrup and Honey.

Review: This wasn't great. It would have been a decent "lo-cal" root beer if it weren't for the addition of honey as a sweetener - the honey was too sharp to this smooth diet soda. I thought it was OK overall, but my wife really didn't like it. I mentioned in my review of Sprecher Grape Soda that the honey taste doesn't go with everything (although I mentioned really liking the honey in Sprechers "regular" Root Beer).

Score: 4 out of 10.

Thomas Kemper Black Cherry

I was in the mood for some Black Cherry last night:

This was my 2nd time trying a Thomas Kemper soda. The first ended really, really poorly - I shared some Thomas Kemper soda with some students of mine, and they sent me some funny (and appropriate) mini-reviews over twitter.  Check out that horrible review and their tweets here.

This Black Cherry wasn't fantastic, but it sure ranked better than their first review of mine from 2013.


Brand: Thomas Kemper Black Cherry.

Origin: Portland, OR.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar and Honey.

Review: Not bad. Not great, but not bad. I could really taste the honey, which didn't quite fit in a black cherry soda. The black cherry flavor and a boldness and slight sharpness to the end of it, but overall it was relatively smooth. If you're a big honey fan, maybe try this. Otherwise, I think you'll just say "Ehh… unique but just OK."

Score: 6 out of 10.

A&W Root Beer Jelly Beans

Santa came to our house already, and I got some A&W Jelly Beans in my stocking.

They weren't too bad. At first bite, they're REALLY "root beery" (if I can use that as an adjective). After a second, there's a sharpness to them that is a bit artificial that reminds me of old-fashioned root beer barrel candies. But they were a decent, fun little treat from Santa. Consider stuffing some in the stockings of your root beer lover. Merry Christmas!

Cheap Wine Reviewed By An Irish Brewmaster

OK, so this isn't "soda-related," but it's drink-related and it's pretty funny. And it features our local St. Paul brew.

Direct link: http://youtu.be/840waOfQ50o

"MAYBEALITTLEBITA KIWI."  Awesome.

Big Ben's Fast Draw Sarsaparilla

I grabbed a Sarsaparilla the other night:

Brand: Big Ben's Fast Draw Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Catawissa, PA.

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

Sweetener: Sugar and/or High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: There was a problem right away - there was no "hiss" and no release of carbonation when I opened this. Something happened and it wasn't sealed anymore. I drank it, I didn't die - it just had no carbonation. The flavor was good, and it had a subtle vanilla bite. I can not give this a score just yet because it wasn't carbonated, but I'd love to try it again.

Swamp Pop Noble Cane Cola

I grabbed this because I loved the label:

Close-up of the label.  Nice.

Brand: Swamp Pop Noble Cane Cola.

Origin: Lafayette, Louisiana.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was unique and GOOD from the start. It has a "deeper" flavor than colas like Coke or Pepsi (as most small-label colas tend to), but this was extra rich. It had an earthiness that wasn't too sharp - it was still very smooth, which is unusual for a strongly flavored cola. I can't put my finger on the exact flavor... maybe a BIT of a root beer flavor to it, but that's not really it. There's a fruity hint to it as well. It's interesting, and in a good way. Check it out.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Anchor Ginger Root Beer

I didn't know what I'd think about a "ginger root beer," but this was pretty good.

Brand: Anchor Ginger Root Beer.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I was afraid there would be too "sharp" of a ginger bite to this, but the ginger flavor was subtle. It almost tasted like a birch beer. The root beer was pretty smooth, but the ginger added a gentle bite. For something that could have been horrible, this was quite good. It's worth a try if you're a "ginger" and a "root beer" fan.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Frostie Concord Grape Soda

The other 3 Frostie sodas I've had earned scores of 6, 6, and 6.5. I was hoping this would be decent as well:

Brand: Frostie Concord Grape Soda.

Origin: Detroit, MI.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: This smelled strongly of grape once I twisted off the top. And the first sip didn't disappoint. This was a deeply flavored grape soda. Classic. The long-lasting aftertaste was fantastic, but the only weird flavor was a little bit of an odd sharpness immediately after taking a sip. But that went away right away. It's probably not in my top-5 grape sodas of all time, but it's close.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Jersey Creme

This sounded interesting. It said it contained no milk or cream or dairy products, so I was wondering how "milky" this would taste. I cracked it open in my car to drink during a long drive with the boys over Thanksgiving recently:

I was not driving as I took this, so don't be pissed.

Brand: Jersey Creme.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was flat-out awful. It had a weird, almost "minty" bite to it, but it was a bit creamy like milk. That's not a good flavor combination. It needed to be more of a smooth cream, but it was harsh. Here's what their website says about it:

"Jersey Creme was originally available as flavored concenetrate used to make cream flavored products in the early 1900's. A concentrate so good, it was turned into a creme flavored beverage with the slogan 'The Perfect Drink.' The sweet creme vanilla flavor is thick, rich, and with a smooth finish. A true indulgence, it is perhaps the finest creme flavored soda ever created."

Not a "true indulgence." Not even close "the finest creme flavored soda ever created." Not "the perfect drink." Barely even drinkable. In fact, while driving for 2 hours, I didn't even finish 1/3 of this bottle (and usually I'm a sipper and could drink a LOT when stuck in a car).

Score: 2 out of 10.

Foxon Park Draft Style Root Beer

As I was doing a lot of cooking the other day, I pulled out a root beer from the basement fridge:

Cutting up a butternut squash in the background.

Brand: Foxon Park Draft Style Root Beer.

Origin: East Haven, Connecticut.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This had that pretty classic "draft" taste (it BETTER have that - it was in the title). It had a lot of flavor - there was a strong taste of anise and wintergreen. It was good. If you like a "strongly" flavored root beer, then check this out.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Goya Cola Champagne

I took a gamble here... what flavor is "Cola Champagne?"

Brand: Goya Cola Champagne.

Origin: Secaucus, New Jersey.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: So it turns out that "Cola Champagne" is much like a cream soda, but maybe a little heavier. There was no real "cola" flavor. It was pretty tasty - very sweet and pretty smooth. I was pleasantly surprised.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Crater Lake Root Beer

I took another Root Beer to class to enjoy before teaching:

Brand: Crater Lake Root Beer.

Origin: Portland, OR.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: A pretty "classic" root beer. This didn't have much bite, but it also wasn't super smooth, so I'd say it was pretty "middle of the road" in terms of root beers. It had a nice subtle wintergreen flavor, but it wasn't overpowering. Not the best ever, but sure not bad!

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Dang! That's Good Red Cream Soda

What flavor is "red?"

Brand: Dang! That's Good Red Cream Soda.

Origin: Milwaukee, WI.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: The first sip (and the first smell) of this was pretty great. It tasted "red" and it was VERY creamy. The "red" flavor seemed to be mainly cherry, but there was a bit more (maybe strawberry too?) But then a very chemically tastes comes through that sort of ruins it all. I can't describe it very well, but it's pretty "sharp" and not good. It totally takes away from the initial part of the sip that tastes so good. It's good for the first 0.3 seconds, and bad for the rest of the drink. Dang.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Margo's Bark Root Beer

This root beer was for a good cause (to help shelter dogs), and I haven't had good luck with soda like that - usually they've let me down.

I enjoyed this one before starting my class.
I had to assure my students it was root beer in this brown bottle!

Brand: Margo's Bark Root Beer.

Origin: Los Angeles, CA.

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

Sweetener: Evaporated Cane Juice.

Review: This was a pretty subdued root beer. It wasn't very frothy or "heady" at all, and it didn't have too much flavor. The flavor that was there was decent (a bit earthy with just a hit of wintergreen), but there wasn't much of it. It was a little too dry as well. But it had a nice subtle bite. Different, not bad, but not great.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

What Soda is Your State Known For?

Thrillist put together a map of "THE ICONIC SOFT DRINK OF EVERY STATE IN AMERICA."

Click to enlarge.

Locally, Minnesota is known for Sun Drop, although I've NEVER TRIED THAT! I guess I need to ASAP. The article says "This citrus soda may've been introduced in Missouri, but it's got a strong foothold in Minnesota and the upper Midwest."

Our next door neighbor Wisconsin has a good one. They are best know for Sprecher Root Beer. The article states "Sprecher is a pretty standard brewery in that it makes beer, but it's a little more well known for its sodas -- particularly its root beer, which has Wisconsinites foaming at the mouth in more ways than one."

Both North Dakota and South Dakota to our west are just labeled with good ole' Coca Cola. The only reason they were given Coke is that they couldn't find anything else for the Dakotas. Dang. Must be a dull place. (News flash: I've been out there. It IS dull.)

Finally, our enemy neighbor to the south Iowa is best know for Sioux City Sarsaparilla, noting that it's named after Sioux City Iowa. They say that it's "widely regarded as one of the best sarsaparillas out there and was even mentioned in 'The Big Lebowski.' Damn, dude."


Here's my review of Sprecher Root Beer from this past spring, and my review of Sioux City Sarsaparilla from my Vegas trip nearly 2 years ago. And now I need to go find a bottle of Sun Drop so I can still be considered a true Minnesotan…

Sioux City Prickly Pear

Earlier today, I was in the mood for something a bit fruity.

Brand: Sioux City Prickly Pear.

Origin: Whitestone, NY.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: It pretty much nailed the "prickly pear" flavor, but it just wasn't for me. It was very sweet, but it was a SHARP sweetness that did not go down well. I think this is just part of the prickly pear flavor, but I wanted it to be a little drier or a little smoother. It wasn't bad, just not for me.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.

Goody Yellow Pop

I was excited to try this. Too bad it sucked.

Love the tagline "Thirst come, thirst served."

Brand: Goody Yellow Pop.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was not good. It had the slightest bit of grapefruit and pineapple flavor (maybe), but otherwise it just tasted like wet, carbonated cardboard. I was not impressed, and I didn't even bother to drink half of it. No thanks.

Score: 2.5 out of 10.

Jackson Hole Soda Buckin' Root Beer

This label caught my eye with it's bucking steer:

Brand: Jackson Hole Soda Buckin' Root Beer.

Origin: Jackson, WY.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was pretty great from the first sip. (I didn't know what I'd think of a soda call "Buckin' Root Beer.) This wasn't too smooth, and it was heavy on the wintergreen flavor. It had a relatively classic taste, but with about 10x the wintergreen. It was just a bit creamy, but not too much. If you're a fan of root beers that are strong on the wintergreen, check this out! It was one of the better root beers I've had lately.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Route 66 Cream Soda

Time for a creamy cream soda:

Brand: Route 66 Cream Soda.

Origin: Lebanon, MO.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I expect cream sodas to be smooth. This was not. It had a strange sharpness to it. It wasn't that good. The aftertaste was like cream soda, but the first part of each sip was harsh and not tasty. This was BY FAR my least favorite Route 66 soda to date. No thanks.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.

Diet Sioux City Sarsaparilla

Time for some Sarsaparilla:

Brand: Diet Sioux City Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Whitestone, NY.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose (Splenda).

Review: Right away, I thought this was pretty good (for a diet). It was a little weak and watery like most diets, but it still had a nice smoothness and creaminess to it. There was a bit of an odd aftertaste, but it was good.

The weird thing is that it doesn't have that earthiness or extra bite of a sarsaparilla. It tastes pretty much just like a diet root beer. I would have never called this sarsaparilla. Maybe the "bite" of sarsaparilla can't be translated to a diet. I dunno. But still, overall, not bad.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Lemmy Sparkling Lemonade

After a good weekend race with my son in the stroller, I wanted something refreshing. I grabbed this from my stash:

Brand: Lemmy Sparkling Lemonade.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: You could have told me this was a "lemon sour" and I would have believed you. It was good. It wasn't too tart, and the carbonation wasn't too strong. It was a nice balance of "sweet" and "tart." I've never been a HUGE fan of lemon sours, so my personal taste keeps me from ranking this super high, but it was tasty.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

So Duh! Rockin' Root Beer

This was my first soda from my recent 48-bottle purchase at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store. I didn't pick this one out on purpose - I just reached into the case, and this is the one I got.

Brand: So Duh! Rockin' Root Beer.

Origin: San Jose, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar and Alfalfa Honey.

Review: I respect this root beer for trying something different, but it just didn't taste good to me. The honey is very prevalent, and that's a strange smoothness for root beer to have - I prefer the slightly sharper flavor of wintergreen. (I DO like a smooth root beer, but it has to be "creamy smooth" and not the strange smoothness of this root beer.) Not very good.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.

Stocking up on Soda at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store

It seems like it's becoming an autumn tradition to stop at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store in Jordan, MN. Yesterday, my boys and I kept that tradition alive:

My son (in the red) getting ready to run in.

Playing with candy.  LOTS of candy.

The "bacon" section.

Those are all puzzles lining the ceiling!  (And my nephew picking out candy on the lower-right.)

I always have to get a Whoopie Pie.  This time, we tried the Oatmeal  Creme, and it was the BEST EVER.

They have a major stock of soda.  As we were pulling in, their sign said they had 155 kinds of root beer:

Awesome.

This is all root beer!  (With a freezer of meat in the foreground.)

Grape sodas.

Pineapple, berry, grape, fruit punch, cherry, and orange soda sections, all sorted by flavor.

More of the root beer section with lots of fridges in the distance.

More sodas as far as the eye can see (with some large bottles of soda on the left).

My 3-year-old enjoying a sweet snack in the parking lot, and my 5-month-old looking on.

In the end, I walked out with a couple of treats, and 2 cases of assorted soda. One case is all root beer or sarsaparilla, and the other case is totally random:

My new stash!

Some sweet treats that made it home. (One Cow Tail didn't make it, and neither did the Whoopie Pie.)

Of my 48 new sodas to try, 19 are root beer (1 of those is technically "root beer float" and 3 are diet), 7 are sarsaparilla, and then there's a random assortment of black cherry, lemon lime, etc. But 6 are rather "interesting..."

L to R: Martian Poop, Dog Drool, Kittle Piddle, Rowdy Roddy Piper's Bubble Gum Soda,
Seal ya Later (there's no indication what flavor that is), and Judge Wapner's Root Beer.

I've actually enjoyed the 2 Avery's sodas that I've had in the past, so the Dog Drool and Kittle Piddle might be decent. I couldn't pass up anything with Rowdy Roddy Piper on it, but I don't expect that to be good. And the Judge Wapner root beer says "I sentence you to drink my root beer" on the bottle. Nice.

I'll be back with reviews of these as I try them. I have a root beer in the fridge to try later today. Click HERE to see more photos of inside and outside of Minnesota's Largest Candy Store from our trip last year (and a cute 2-year-old Henry in the pumpkins).

Sprecher Grape Cola

I just put in a paving stone patio in my backyard, so I've been out our local Menards a lot. I recently saw they installed a fridge with individual bottles of 16 oz Sprecher for $1.28, which is a pretty good price for bottled soda.

So I grabbed a Grape Sprecher to enjoy as I was loading bags of paver sand into my car in the lumberyard at Menards:

Brand: Sprecher Grape Cola

Origin: Glendale, WI.

Purchase Place: Menards, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Glucose Syrup and Raw Honey.

Review: This smelled great right away, but the flavor was just a little off. It had a sharpness to it that tasted extra artificial. It almost tasted like a liquid version of grape Bottlecaps (the candy). It wasn't good at first, then it started to taste a little better the farther I got into the bottle, but by the end I was a little sick of it. It had a nice sugary flavor, but too much of an artificial bite to make it that good.

Also, I wonder if the honey in here was a bad choice. I like honey as a sweetener, but it didn't seem to go well with the grape flavor. Just a thought.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

Pig Iron Cola

This label just drew me in:

… and the fact that this was brewed by a BBQ joint.


Brand: Pig Iron Cola.

Origin: Seattle, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was a strongly flavored cola. (What would you expect from something that had a pig with a bull ring in it's nose on the label?) It had a slight earthy/fruitiness to it as well. It reminded me a BIT of Jarritos or Double Cola. Good flavor, and a nice cola.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Mom's Root Beer

This is made across the river in Minneapolis, and it donates a percentage to breast cancer research, so I was happy to try it.

Brand: Mom's Root Beer.

Origin: Minneapolis, MN.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was weak and tasted "off." It wasn't good. The first sip tasted like water, and then it slowly starts to have a little root beer flavor. But it tastes a little unnatural (not that root beer is totally "natural") and chemical-like. Not great. Sorry Mom.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.

Review of my final 5 ciders

I just finished my final 5 hard ciders from my Total Wine stash:

Sonoma Apple Cider: The Hatchet ($2.99): This was one of the 3 most expensive ciders I purchased (of the 10 I picked up, 3 were $2.99), but it was NOT one of the 3 best. It was OK. It had a slightly dry bite to it, like a white wine. I don't want wine - I want a sweet cider. I didn't taste apple at all; it was just like wine. No thanks. Score: 4 out of 10.

Angry Orchard Hard Cider: Crisp Apple ($1.79): This had a super fresh and super crisp flavor. It tasted like farm-fresh apple cider, and hardly tasted alcoholic at all. Pretty tasty, but just a bit too "sharp." Score: 7 out of 10.

Redd's Strawberry Apple Ale ($1.49): This one surprised me a bit. I wasn't sure I'd like this being it was an Ale, but it was just the slightest bit "beery" (malty). The strawberry was very tart and strong. Each sip lead with a strawberry flavor, and it tasted a bit beer-like at the end. Not bad. Score: 7 out of 10.

Hornsby's Crisp Apple Cider ($1.49): This had a slightly berry aftertaste that was pretty good. There was another strange (slightly off) flavor in there as well, but it was subtle. Otherwise it was a sweet apple cider. Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Sonoma Pear Cider: The Pitchfork ($2.99): A little drier than I would have liked, but not too bad. It had a little strange aftertaste, but it had a decent pear flavor. Not my favorite, but I could see how some would like it. Score: 6 out of 10.

So I didn't have too many that were great in this 5. I liked my first 2 that I had back in August best. I'd like to head back shortly and get a few more ciders.  Click here of my review of the first 5 ciders.

Kickapoo Joy Juice

This bottle/label/name was just too amazing to pass up:

Brand: Kickapoo Joy Juice.

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was pretty weak. It was like watered-down, carbonated lemonade. It wouldn't be bad if it had more flavor, but it just didn't have enough of anything. OK lemony flavor, just too subtle.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Fanta Strawberry

Time for something sugary:

Brand: Fanta Strawberry.

Origin: Mexico.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This was sweet (Fanta seems to usually be sweet). I would never call the flavor "strawberry" - it was almost more cherry. Kinda just "red" flavored. It was sweet and OK. Nothing too great or memorable, but OK.

Score: 5 out of 10.

Avery's Gold Coin Root Beer

Time for a root beer:

Brand: Avery's Gold Coin Root Beer.

Origin: New Britain, Connecticut.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup and Sugar.

Review: This was a pretty classic-tasting Root Beer. It was pretty smooth with just a little bite. It was a bit creamy with a little vanilla flavor. Classic, tasty, nothing too strange or "out there."

Score: 8 out of 10.

Sprecher Cherry Cola

This one said it had cherry juice from Door County, WI, and raw Wisconsin honey in it. It was sounding a little pretentious from the start (especially for something from Wisconsin*).

Brand: Sprecher Cherry Cola

Origin: Glendale, WI.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Glucose Syrup and Raw Honey.

Review: This was a very creamy cherry cola - it could have been labeled "cherry creme." The cherry flavor was a little unique with a slight sharpness to it. It was tasty. My only complaint is that there's a slight chemically taste to this soda as well. But overall, it's unlike any cherry cola I've had. I really respect this cola for trying something new and not just being another cherry soda. Unique and alright.

Score: 7 out of 10.

* I have to say that and feel that way because I'm from Minnesota.  It's in my blood.

Goya Coconut Soda

I recently finished off my small stash of sodas from the Mexican Food section of Cub that I picked up a few months ago.

Brand: Goya Coconut Soda.

Origin: Secaucus, NJ.

Purchase Place: Cub Foods, Minneapolis, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: I'm not a fan of coconut flavored things - I'll admit that. So the best coconut soda might only be able to reach a mark of 7 out of 10 on my scale. Well, this one will do just that. When I opened this, it had no smell what-so-ever, and that worried me. But the first sip was decent. The problem with coconut flavored drinks is that sometimes it tastes like you're drinking sunscreen, but this one didn't taste like that. It was a good, smooth coconut flavor. It tasted very clean and pure. If you like coconut flavored things, give this a shot - it was as good as it could have been.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Diet Stewart's Root Beer

I haven't reviewed a diet soda for a while…

Brand: Diet Stewart's Root Beer.

Origin: Rye Brook, NY.

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

Sweetener: Aspartame.

Review: This was OK. And for a diet soda, it was pretty good. It was "thin" and weak like many diets, but it had a good vanilla flavor and was very smooth and tasty. It had a slightly chemically aftertaste. Not a super fantastic soda, but not too shabby either.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Ely Wild Blueberry Soda

This was the other soda that my friends dropped off for me the other week. They grabbed it as they passed through northern Minnesota on their way down to the Twin Cities.

With the 3 acorns my son just brought home.

Close up of one of the BEST label designs I've ever seen.  EVER.

There's no contact info on the bottle, and I could find NOTHING online. This has to be a very small operation.


Brand: Ely Wild Blueberry Soda.

Origin: Ely, MN maybe? That would make sense. But who knows?...

Purchase Place: Zup's Grocery Store, Ely, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: It smelled great! There was a strong blueberry scent that was a lot like blueberry pie! But then the flavor couldn't keep up to the smell. It didn't taste bad, it just tasted like 85% plain sugar with just a hit of blueberry flavor. Not the best. It was nice that it wasn't sharply carbonated (it just had a little fizz) because lots of carbonation would have made this even worse.

Score: 4 out of 10.