Dachshunds Old Fashioned Root Beer

This was my 5th and final soda that I took on our family vacation last week. And, apparently, I saved a good one for last:

On the dock on Lake Mary with our cabin in the background.

Brand: Dachshunds Old Fashioned Root Beer.

Origin: Oak Creek, WI

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was smooth and had a head that stuck around for a while. Just a little bite with lots of creaminess.  Just a hint of vanilla and anise. Nice. Smooth.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Always Ask for Avery's Dog Drool

After a decent "gross" soda yesterday, it was time to try another:

With fruit pizza and my sister in the background at the cabin.

Brand: Always Ask for Avery's Dog Drool.

Origin: New Britain, Connecticut.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was better than the "Kitty Piddle" that I just had. It tasted like a nice crisp carbonated lemonade. The "orange" part of the "orange lemon" flavor was subtle. Perfect for a summer night.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Always Ask for Avery's Kitty Piddle

Still on vacation! I brought these 2 "fun" sodas to share with my 5 and 7-year-old niece and nephew:

In our cabin on Lake Mary.

The first one we tried was the "Kitty Piddle," so this review will be about that.

At the supper table with my Dad in the background.

Brand: Always Ask for Avery's Kitty Piddle.

Origin: New Britain, Connecticut.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was pretty refreshing. It tastes like the flavor on the label: pineapple orange. It was pretty sweet and had a nice amount of carbonation. It's nothing fancy, but it was refreshing (with grilled brats for supper at the cabin). I'll give it a middle-of-the-road average score.

Score: 5 out of 10.

MacFuddy Pepper Elixir

This label was great. "Infused with luck. 12 oz for 24 hours of favorable outcomes." And "Cures timidness and satisfies the daring." Nice. I had to try it.

Brand: MacFuddy Pepper Elixir.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: I was intrigued to see "extracts of black cherry" and "vanilla" on the ingredients list. And sure enough, it tasted about how I thought it would: like a black cherry / vanilla Dr. Pepper. There's a little more of a "spice" kick at the end that almost got to be a little too much, but it was good. It's nice and syrupy too. (But I'm taking a point off for the too strong kick at the end.)

Score: 8 out of 10.

Gray's Brewing Company Gourmet Root Beer

It was the first full day of our family vacation, so I cracked into this on the deck:

Brand: Gray's Brewing Company Gourmet Root Beer.

Origin: Janesville, WI.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: My first thought was that it almost tasted diet because it seemed a little watery or thin. But then the flavor hit, and it was good. There was a lot of vanilla flavor, and it was very smooth. (My wife tried a sip and complained because she wanted more bite.) I enjoyed this - give it a try!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Hank's Premium Highland Berry Soda

It's been hot. I grabbed this to cool down today:

Brand: Hank's Premium Highland Berry Soda.

Origin: Philadelphia, PA.

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

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: This could practically be called a "creme" soda. It's very smooth and sugary. It's also practically a "black cherry" flavor, so if this were labeled "black cherry creme soda" instead of "highland berry," I'd have believed it. (What's a "highland berry" anyway?) It's good. It's rich and sweet. Worth a try.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Seal Ya Later Soda

If I had been paying attention, I would have had this on July 4th. But alas, here I am drinking it on July 8th.

Merica.

Brand: Seal Ya Later Soda.

Origin: Thousand Oaks, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I'm not sure what "dead Bin Laden soda" was supposed to taste like, so I just popped the top and went in guns-a-blazin. (Not intended to reference dead Bin Laden.) Turns out, it's tastes like cola. It wasn't bad, but didn't stand out from many other decent colas. It was sugary, tasty, and had a slight fruity aftertaste (but not so much that it was any sort of "fruity" drink). Just a good old fashioned cola in an interesting, patriotic, potentially offensive bottle. Not bad.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Yacht Club Sarsaparilla

I thought I'd celebrate the 4th of July with a cold soda:

Brand: Yacht Club Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Centredale, RI.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had an odd sharpness that wasn't great. The flavor was a bit earthy and OK, but the sharpness just overpowered. Not very good.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.

Root Beer Twists

I spotted these this past weekend at Emma Krumbees in Belle Plaine, MN:

I didn't actually buy them. So sorry, no review. But they looked good.