Northern Soda Company Black Berry

I stopped by Remix quickly this past week to grab another can of Northern Soda:

Brand: Northern Soda Company Black Cherry. 

Origin: Arden Hills, MN.

Purchase Place: Remix, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: First of all, it took me a few glances to realize this said "Black BERRY" and not "Black CHERRY." I didn't know if it was "blackberry" flavored (which is ONE word according to the dictionary), or if it was like a deep "berry" version of "black cherry" (which would be a good reason for making it TWO words like it appears on the label).

 

Well, I can't tell you if it's "blackberry" or black berry" after tasting it, but it doesn't matter. Because it was TASTY. It had a rich, deep flavor, but it wasn't heavy and/or syrupy. It was light and fresh, but far from weak! My wife usually doesn't share my soda taste (I'm OK with syrupy, and she's not), but she loved this one as well. This was my favorite Northern Soda by far!

(See more cans of Northern Soda at Remix in this post from July.)

Score: 9 out of 10.

 

Grape Soda Doesn't Taste Like Grapes

I stumbled across this recently, and it's very, very true:

Henry Weinhard's Vanilla Cream

I really enjoyed my first Henry Weinhard's soda (which was their root beer), so I was hoping this would live up to that:

 

Brand: Henry Weinhard's Vanilla Cream

Origin: Fort Worth, TX.

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

Sweetener: Sucrose and Honey.

Review: This was just OK. The vanilla was OK, but there was a slight syrupiness that was slightly off-putting. There was a nice floral hint to it. Overall, it was just "fine" - nothing great.

In my review of Henry Weinhard's Root Beer, I noted that it had a touch of honey that was surprisingly nice and subtle, and it worked well with the root beer. Well, there's another little touch of honey in this soda, but it doesn't work with the vanilla as well. It's just a bit odd. Sorry.

Score: 5 out of 10.

 

Northern Soda at Target

I spotted this end cap near the front of the Roseville Target recently:

Our local candy and popcorn store (Remix Delights) carries cans of Northern Soda, but this is the only other place I've seen them so far. They have 8 kinds here, so check it out!

Iron Horse Root Beer

I opened this earlier today as I was doing some grading: 

Brand: Iron Horse Root Beer.

Origin: Edina, MN.

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

Sweetener: Invert Sugar.

Review: In my mind, there as 2 "classic" root beer tastes: one that super creamy and smooth, and one that's got a bit of an anise bite. This is the latter. This has a full flavor and still has some creamy notes, but then it ends with a nice anise bite. It's a little much for me (I'm not huge on very anisey flavors), but still decent. For a second I was ready to say that this was a good hybrid of "smooth and bite," but there's WAY more anise flavor compared to the smoothness. I thought it was OK, but it'd be great for someone who prefers a bit more anise.

Score: 6 out of 10.

 

Minnesota (Mini soda?)

Northern Soda Company 1950's Lime

I swung by Remix today for 2 small bags of popcorn, and I also grabbed this soda: 

Brand: Northern Soda Company 1950's Lime.

Origin: Arden Hills, MN.

Purchase Place: Remix, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was NEON green - I didn't realize that until I poured a little into a glass for my boys to share. And it was pretty good. It had a strong, sweet lime flavor that was enjoyable. My only complaint is that it was a little medicinal after a bit. Not bad overall, so I'll rank it as average.

Score: 5 out of 10.