Baumeister Grape Soda

I opened this with lunch today:

Brand: Baumeister Grape Soda.  

Origin: Green Bay, WI.

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

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: This is a very sugary and very rich grape soda. It's like "kids grape candy" sweet. And I mean this is a good way. The flavor is good and pretty deep. The more I drank it, the "richer" the flavor became. It's a solid grape soda if you like sweetness!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

 

Coca Cola Bottles Over Time

Northern Soda Company's Pontoon Punch

I had to swing into Kowalski's last week, so I checked out their soda stash. I grabbed one of these - a brand that Remix Popcorn and Delights carries, but they haven't been open to browse for a while (just taking online orders): 

Brand: Northern Soda Company's Pontoon Punch.

Origin: Arden Hills, MN.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: It smelled much like a slightly cherry Fresca, and it was slightly pinkish-red. And I don't think I was projecting this, but I tasted a bit like that too: nicely fruity and sweet with just an undertone of sourness to it. Quite tasty!

Score: 8 out of 10.

Goya Coconut Water

While technically not a soda, I opened this with my boys a few days back: 

 I took a photo of it, and later realized it was the Spanish side...

... so I had to turn the can and take one of the English side.

Brand: Goya Coconut Water.

Origin: Jersey City, NJ.

Purchase Place: Aldi, Minneapolis, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This smelled nicely like lightly sweetened coconut. But it was odd tasting. (Even after shaking it well like it said to.) The biggest thing that put me off was how thick it was. It had the thickness of syrup, but it wasn't nearly that sweet. So it was odd to wrap my head around. Sure, I'm not a huge fan of coconut-flavored things, but this I couldn't do. And neither could my boys - they both gave up on it after a sip. No thanks. I have to rate this pretty poorly.

Score: 2 out of 10.

Drug Test at Pepsi Co.

Rocket Fizz Rocket Fuel

I opened this yesterday afternoon: 

Brand: Rocket Fizz Rocket Fuel.

Origin: Incline Village, NV.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: I didn't know what flavor this was going to be, because it just said "caffeinated rocket fuel." It smelled it, and it was very subtle - maybe a bit like a cream soda? And the taste was familiar, but I couldn't place it right away. So I Googled the soda, and found out that it's also considered an energy drink, and that makes the flavor make more sense - it's maybe a bit "Red Bull-ish." I went through a full page of Google results (clicking on every link), and only found "mild fruity flavor" as a description of the flavor. It's sweet (maybe a bit TOO sweet), but I don't know that I'd say "fruity." But I don't fully know WHAT I'd say other than "energy drink-like mixed with cotton candy." Ehh, it's OK.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

Trying International Sodas (and Guessing Where They Are From)

One of my favorite pairs of funny guys on the internet tried to guess where these sodas were from:

CLICK HERE to see it on Facebook if the video above doesn't work.

If the Facebook video above doesn't work, here's the YouTube version. (But I prefer the much more "edited down" 5 min Facebook video vs the 15 min YouTube video.)


Direct link: CLICK HERE

Baumeister Root Beer

I opened this during some class prep this afternoon: 

Brand: Baumeister Root Beer.

Origin: Green Bay, WI.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: At first sniff, this was heavy (not overpowering) on the wintergreen. The first sip confirmed it. It's a decent, "classic" root beer that's relatively creamy that has a bit of a strong wintergreen kick. Nothing fancy, but quite nice. I enjoyed this.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Blue Sun Soda at the MN State Fair

Blue Sun Soda just posted this on Facebook:

I'm not going this year, so someone have some soda for me! Have some Rocket Bomb Pop, or some root beer from a "root beer barrel," or some Spring Grove soda at their stand by the DNA building!