Rambin' Root Beer

I figured something called "Ramblin' Root Beer" would be good to take on a road trip…

Enjoyed on the road during a 2-hour ride with my boys.

Brand: Rambin' Root Beer.

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This had an extra kick like a cola. Maybe it's from the "Quillaia Extract" on the ingredients list. It's got a unique bite that I'm not quite sure what to think of. Decent and original.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Jic Jac Grape

We went camping last weekend, and I brought this soda along to enjoy:

Brand: Jic Jac Grape.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar

Review: Classic grape flavor. Went down smooth. I shared some of it with my wife's Godchild, and she thought it was tasty too. It wasn't anything amazing, but it as good!

Score: 7 out of 10.

p.s. Here's a lot of photos from our camping trip on my triathlon blog.

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.

Lots of Doctors

Manhattan Special Sarsaparilla

I enjoyed this on a hot afternoon:

Brand: Manhattan Special Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Brooklyn, NY.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a good, deep sarsaparilla flavor with just a subtle bite to it. Nothing to fancy or unique, but pretty good. It got a BIT syrupy/sugary by the end, but overall I quite enjoyed it.

Score: 7 out of 10.

O-So Butterscotch Root Beer

I was curious, so I tried this recently:

Brand: O-So Butterscotch Root Beer.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was HEAVY on the butterscotch. It had the smoothness and creaminess of a root beer, but the flavor was about 90% butterscotch. Ideally (for me), a butterscotch root beer would taste about 20% butterscotch and 80% root beer. If you REALLY like butterscotch, then try this because you'll love it. If you just think butterscotch is OK (like me), then this could be too much for you.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.

Americana Huckleberry

I was in the mood for something berry-like the other day:

Brand: Americana Huckleberry.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I didn't know what huckleberry tasted like, but this was pretty good. It smelled a bit "sharp," but the taste (thankfully) wasn't as harsh. It seemed to be a bit of a mix of blueberry and strawberry. If you're a berry lover, you'll like this. Unique and pretty tasty.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Q Lemon Spectacular Sparkling Lemon

I grabbed this when I stopped at the grocery store with my boys recently:

Brand: Q Lemon Spectacular Sparkling Lemon.

Origin: Brooklyn, NY.

Purchase Place: Lunds Grocery Store, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Organic Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a unique flavor. It reminded me of unsweetened LaCroix lemon water with just a bit of a sweetness to it. There was another element to this as well. It was alright. Not to sweet (as the bottom of the can said).

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Who has a "Soda Fridge?"

I recently saw this headline on The Onion that made me smile:

Who can relate?  :)

Point Premium Diet Root Beer

I tried Point Premium Root Beer last month, and I didn't really care for it. So what would I think of their Diet Root Beer?

Brand: Point Premium Diet Root Beer.

Origin: Stevens Point, WI.

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

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was pretty good (for a diet). It was creamy, but not TOO creamy like their regular root beer. It didn't have a great depth of flavor, which made it still seem like a diet soda, but the flavor was nice and smooth with a good amount of vanilla. Not bad.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Howdy Lemon Lime

I had this because it looked refreshing on a recent hot day:

Brand: Howdy Lemon Lime.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I feel like I'm showing my background as an art and design professor when I say this, but here it goes anyway: it's not the greatest, but I like that it tried something different. (I've said that to students during critique before.) This isn't like 7-Up or Sierra Mist. This is a bit more tart, and a bit heavy on the lime. In fact, one of the ingredients is "lime juice with added lime oil." A bit TOO tart for me, but like I initially said, I'm glad they tried something different and didn't make another generic lemon lime soda. (Which is a common complaint of mine for colas.)

Score: 5 out of 10.