Second Opinion Soda

This was a weird bottle:

Brand: Second Opinion Soda.

Origin: Gardena, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The tagline on the front of the bottle is "we do it right the second time." And there's a big speech bubble coming out of the duck that says "It is hereby recommended that for effective quenching of your thirst along with opportunity for refreshment and an invigorating experience that you consume this beverage immediately if not sooner; you may experience a prehistoric euphoria reminiscent of a time when delicious beverages in glass bottles were not yet extinct." It seems to be a bit snobbish as if glass bottle sodas don't exist and it wasn't in a soda shop surrounded by thousands of other glass bottles. It turned me off right away. 

But how did it taste? Well, after a sip, I determined it to be some sort of cola (because that wasn't listed anywhere on the bottle). It's flavor seemed a bit watered down, but it had a nice fruity kick to it - the way many decent colas taste. It's nothing special, but a decent (oddly bottled) cola.

Score: 7 out of 10.

 

O-So Key Lime Soda

My wife was at the Mall of America recently, and she got me this:

She was at Legacy Toys at MOA.

She sent me 2 photos asking if I'd had all of these...

... and the only ones I hadn't had were O-So Peach (not interested) and O-So Key Lime.

Brand: O-So Key Lime Soda.  

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Legacy Toy Store, Mall of America, Bloomington, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This REALLY tasted like Key Lime! My wife took a sip, and I thought she'd hate it (as it's pretty sweet, and she doesn't like overly-sweet things), but she said "wow... that's like liquid pie!" And she meant that in a good way. Very spot on key lime flavor, and quite sweet. Not bad!

Score: 7 out of 10.

Stopping at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store

It had been nearly 3 years since we stepped foot in this place! We got down there last week right as they opened at 8 a.m. And if you are still leery about crowds, THAT'S the time to stop!

This was the view that greeted me as I walked in.

Spongebob, Bruce the Shark (from "Finding Nemo"), and Ariel back there.

Standing in the sodas, looking past the jellys and baked goods
into the candy with NO ONE visible! It was quiet at 8 a.m.!

All root beer! There were a few I hadn't tried.

Other sodas sorted by flavor.

One of a few banks of cold sodas. Notice the price: $1.99/bottle or $1.49/bottle if you get 24.
I wasn't PLANNING on getting a case, but it was the fiscally responsible thing to do.

Looking through the homemade section towards the candy with no one in sight.

The last room at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store.

My boys have loved this huge Hulk in the past.

Ant-Man (and Ant-ony) are easy to miss, as they are "life-size."

As they sell thousands of puzzles, the bathrooms have puzzle artworks on the walls.

Thanos is new since our last time there!

My oldest (who loves reading fantasy) loved the little Harry Potter section!

My youngest still loves the Hulkbuster!

 

So I still have 2-3 bottles to finish up from my last Blue Sun Soda stop, but then I have a case of assorted sodas from Minnesota's Largest Candy Store to work my way through for the summer! After that, I'm DANGEROUSLY close to having had every root beer that Minnesota stores have to offer!

McCormick Taco Pale Ale

Twig's Diet Black Cherry Soda

I just stopped at "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store" to refresh my soda stash (I might post about that soon), and I only have a few "old" sodas to finish before I get to crack into my "new" ones. Here was was on the old ones that was hiding in the corner of a case: 

Brand: Twig's Diet Black Cherry Soda

Origin: Shawano, WI.

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

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This has a decent black cherry flavor at first, but each sip ends a little weakly (as you'd expect with a diet soda). So it tastes diet, but it's not bad. The black cherry is a bit sharp, but it's good. If this wasn't diet, I'd rate it around average, but I'm giving it an extra point for having decent flavor and still being diet.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Lime North Star Craft Soda

I opened this a few hours ago: 

Brand: Lime North Star Craft Soda.

Origin: Spring Lake Park, MN

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This was a VERY smooth lime soda. Good flavor and it went down easy. I left a sip in the bottle on the counter, and my wife tried it when she got home. She liked it and remarked that it tasted like a melted lime freezee (in a good way). This was very drinkable on a hot day!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Coke Bottle from 1906

A Thank You Card

This came home from school with my oldest son this past week:

If you missed it, here's the post from about 10 days ago that shows the process of making a BIG batch of homemade root beer for my sons' school's "Pioneer Day."

Kiddie Cocktails Shirley Temple Soda

I opened this on this hot evening:

Brand: Kiddie Cocktails Shirley Temple Soda.

Origin: Spring Lake Park, MN.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: It tastes "red" with just a bit of a "bite" to it, otherwise it's pretty sweet. The flavor is something between cherry and strawberry. Nothing fancy, but pretty refreshing and tasty.

Score: 6 out of 10.