A Visit to the Bloomington Location of Blue Sun Soda

Yesterday, I stopped by the Bloomington location of Blue Sun Soda Shop. It was my first time at that location - I'd only been to the "original" store in Spring Lake Park, and I still need to visit their Richfield location as well at some point. I pulled in to their Bloomington location and was the only one in the lot:

A handful of short soda aisles.

The line of root beers!!!

Root beers more straight on.

I thought this was raisin soda at first... until I realized it was just the French translation.

The candy section of the store (past all the sodas).

I *nearly* walked away with a "vanilla bean" container of cotton candy as that sounded interesting!

Root beer barrels - these would have been good stocking stuffers!

 

I also refreshed my stash as I was there - I walked out with an assorted case of 12 sodas, including a few root beers that I've never had (and a novelty soda to take to a family gathering shortly).

Concrete / Coca Cola

This fall, I was stopped behind a truck that presumably hauled broken-up concrete, and their homemade sign was made to spoof Coca Cola:

Rocket Fizz Boosted Root Beer

I opened this earlier this afternoon, and I was a little scared: 

Brand: Rocket Fizz Boosted Root Beer.

Origin: Incline Village, NV.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: I didn't know what to think before opening it because it was packed with vitamins (150% of your DV of Niacin, B6, B12, and Pantothenic Acid) as well as 160 mg of caffeine. Yikes. I was ready for it to have a bit of an "off" or "chemically" taste with all those vitamins and that caffeine packed in there, but it wasn't too bad. It was pretty smooth, and went down fast (even though I tried to just sip it slow because of that caffeine). It still had a slightly "off" taste, but it wasn't bad! My son tried a few sips and really liked it. Give this a shot if you need a big shot of caffeine in the morning.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Bruce Cost Pomegranate with Hibiscus Ginger Ale

I opened this just now: 

Brand: Bruce Cost Pomegranate with Hibiscus Ginger Ale.

Origin: Brooklyn, NY.

Purchase Place: Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market, Minneapolis, MN.

Sweetener: Organic Cane Sugar.

Review: I was kinda not looking forward to this as I don't always enjoy that back-of-the-throat bite that ginger ale has. (My wife grabbed this for me while getting groceries this past weekend.) But there's something about the hibiscus flavor in this that sweetens this up and takes away that horrible bite! This wasn't bad! It still had the slight bite of ginger ale, but it wasn't too much. It was a real interesting and very drinkable ginger soda... and this coming from someone who isn't usually a fan of ginger! (Side note: I also enjoyed a little warning on the small label on the neck: "Separation is natural. Shake gingerly." #DadJoke)

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Soda Socks from Wish.com

 

I would wear these so much!

Mystery Soda

I opened this while the Vikings were playing losing yesterday afternoon: 

No, it's not an unknown "mystery soda" - it's actually CALLED "Mystery Soda." And after a glance at the ingredients list, I knew it was going to be wild:

Brand: Mystery Soda.

Origin: Spring Grove, MN.

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

Sweetener: Honey.

Review: When I took my first sip, I truly forgot about the ingredients list, and took a big sip as I would with a soda. AND I HAD A WHOLE BODY SHIVER. (And not in a good way.) I hate kombucha, and all that apple cider vinegar in that soda sure had that kombucha "burn" that I dislike. All I can taste is "burn." There's no mystery here, just the taste of death. Sharp bitter mouth death.

Score: 1 out of 10.

 

Briar's Lemonade Swirl

I opened this last night, not knowing with flavor "lemonade swirl" really was:

Brand: Briar's Lemonade Swirl.

Origin: South Brunswick, NJ.

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

Sweetener: Invert Sugar.

Review: I picked up 2 bottles of Briar's, and I didn't really enjoy the last one, so this was a big test for the brand. 

I'm happy to report that this one is better! It's a very unique flavor that's a mix of something like a "lemonade cream" (being very smooth for a lemon soda) and a classic "lemon sour" that you'd consider putting in a mixed drink. 

In fact, I got out some of my favorite "Elderflower Liqueur" (Cote Jolie brand) and mixed it 1 parts elderflower to 2 parts lemonade swirl and it was DELICIOUS. 

So if the idea of a smooth and almost creamy lemonade appeals to you (or if you think that sounds good in a mixed drink), then give this "lemonade swirl" a try!

Score: 8 out of 10.

Briar's Root Beer

I opened this while doing some classwork tonight: 

Brand: Briar's Root Beer.

Origin: South Brunswick, NJ.

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

Sweetener: Invert Sugar.

Review: After a big day, I was hoping for something tasty, but this wasn't fantastic. It was decently smooth, but had a slightly off aftertaste. It didn't have a ton of flavor which might have actually worked in its favor - the slightly off flavor wasn't too powerful which made it sippable. Nothing great, but it was OK. I'll rank this just below average.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Dad's Old Fashioned Red Cream Soda

I opened this earlier today before teaching my class at the U: 

In an empty classroom.

Brand: Dad's Old Fashioned Red Cream Soda.

Origin: Jasper, IN.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: Is it a CREAM soda? Is it the flavor of the color RED? I still really don't know. The initial sip is smooth and creamy and pretty tasty with a hit of fruitiness (and I'm not just imagining that because it's red). But then it quickly turns "artificial" and kind of "wet cardboard" tasting. If it could capture and hold on to the initial flavor, it'd be more like an "8" for me. But all things considered (meaning the way the taste gets crappier at the end of each sip), it's being marked a bit lower.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Apple Rush Sparkling Apple

I opened this today, as it feels very fall-like around here suddenly:

Brand: Apple Rush Sparkling Apple.

Origin: Somewhere in Florida.

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

Sweetener: None.

Review: It's what you'd expect: it's sparkling apple cider. The carbonation is a fun (but not too crazy) addition to cider. Solid drink for this time of year.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Does No One Like Bottle Caps Candy?!?

Earlier this week, there were random piles of candy left at different study stations in the library of one of the universities where I teach. Today, I noticed that those (diminishing) piles were consolidated into one more public area, and ALL that was left were Bottle Caps:

I really like these, but does no one else?!? I grabbed 3 of these little packs, and I got a big percentage of the "cola" and "root beer" flavored ones, so I'm feeling good right now! 

Manhattan Special Black Cherry

I opened this tonight after a big day: 

 

Brand: Manhattan Special Black Cherry.  

Origin: Brooklyn, NY.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a unique flavor. I sipped it before I looked at the ingredients, and then I noticed it has "vegetable juice for color" as the 3rd ingredient, and I swear I can taste that. It has a "natural/earthiness" to it. The black cherry flavor is somewhere between "black cherry" (but not quite) and some sort of "cherry cream" (but also not quite). It's a unique flavor that I have to give them credit for (they weren't just doing "another black cherry" soda), but not quite my thing. It was just OK.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

The Best Way to Keep a Can of Soda from Exploding When Opened

My favorite YouTube duo is back again. Here they experiment with different ways to keep your soda from exploding all over you when you open it.


Direct link on Facebook (if the video above doesn't play): fb.watch/8Vbp9xwGT6/

That Facebook video is under 6 minutes and is just the good stuff. Here's the "full" video on YouTube which is a (TOO) long 18 minutes if you're interested:


Direct link: youtube.com/watch?v=944cu1HNWn8

Say what you will about Facebook, but I'm just happy that to best monitize videos for Facebook, they need to be severly edited down. And I generally prefer those major edits over long YouTube videos that take 3x as long getting to the same point...

Virgil's Handcrafted Black Cherry Soda

I opened this while in a little motel in Grand Marais recently (after picking it up at the local coop): 

On the stove of our little motel room on the North Shore.

Brand: Virgil's Handcrafted Black Cherry Soda.

Origin: Norwalk, CT.

Purchase Place: Cook County Whole Foods Co-Op, Grand Marais, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was quite rich. "Cough-syrup-like" as my wife said. It was sweet and tasty. It was NEARLY a "black cherry CREAM soda" as it was so creamy. That was the one thing I actually didn't care for that much. Other than that, it was pretty good! (If you like a sugary soda...)

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

A Weasel Walks Into a Bar...

This is BARELY soda-related:

Harmony Springs Cream Soda

I opened this to share with my boys as we had pizza last night: 

Brand: Harmony Springs Cream Soda

Origin: Ludlow, MA.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was very heavy on the vanilla, but that wasn't a bad thing. The cream wasn't all that smooth, which could have made it better. But the vanilla helped redeem it. I'd totally call it a vanilla cream, and not just a "cream" soda. If you like heavy vanilla, give this a try.

Score: 6 out of 10.

A Metal Detector Found an Old 7-Up Can

Dublin Texas Bottling Works 1891 Grapefruit Soda

I opened this to sip on tonight: 

Brand: Dublin Texas Bottling Works 1891 Grapefruit Soda

Origin: Dublin, TX.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: Do you like Squirt? Because it's basically Squirt. If I did a side-by-side, I don't know that I'd taste much of a difference. I think Squirt is decent, so I liked this. Easy.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Thunder Beast American Root Beer

I opened this with supper last night: 

Brand: Thunder Beast American Root Beer.

Origin: Washington, DC.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar and Honey.

Review: I loved the label and the sass that this bottle of root beer had. I loved that across the bottom of the label it said "the best thing to come out of Washington D.C. since freedom." But I did not love the taste. It had a heavy caramel sweetness to it, and then I noticed that it had honey in it. I LOVE honey, but it seems like 90% of the time, honey ruins root beer for me. It's not a flavor combo that works for me.

I poured some into 2 glasses for my boys, and even they didn't like it. They don't get soda (except for small sips here-and-there), but neither of them finished it. It just was not good. This will go down as one of my least favorite root beers ever.

Score: 1.5 out of 10.

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!

Million Dollar Strawberry Soda

I opened this for some sippin' last night: 

Brand: Million Dollar Strawberry Soda

Origin: Breese, IL.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This was just OK, and nothing really stood out. It was almost a bit creamy, but otherwise just quite average. The strawberry flavor was very candy-like, and I would consider this a good soda for kids, but it's nothing special.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

Crazy Candy Co. Cola Sour Belts

I grabbed these at Aldi about a week ago: 

 

I don’t feel like I can rank these on my 1-10 scale as there’s not much to compare them to. My scale is meant for soda, and I don’t really review candy. But I can still say what I thought of these, without an official ranking. 

The cola taste was pretty spot-on. It reminded me of a chewy version of a cola Bottlecap candy. I liked the flavor! And I’m not one for sour candy, but this wasn’t too bad – the sour was a nice “zing” without being a punch in the face. (However, I’d probably be eating them faster without the sour coating, so maybe it’s good that it’s there to slow me down a bit. Ha!) Overall, I’ve been enjoying grabbing 1 or 2 of these out of the cupboard throughout the last few days.

Bull's Head Root Beer

I opened this yesterday afternoon as I was painting my living room:

My living room is all plastic and paint fumes.

Brand: Bull's Head Root Beer.

Origin: Canada.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I wanted to like this so badly, but I just didn't. It wasn't good. But listen: it MIGHT be for you. It had a SUPER woodsy, earthy, and herby taste that was just too much for me. Some people might like it that strong, but it wasn't for me. It had such a unique bite because of that flavor but it was a "miss" for my palate. I'm giving it an extra point because it tried so hard. 

Score: 3 out of 10.

How NOT to Drink Soda

Please. Not like this.

Tommyknocker Brewery All Natural Almond Creme

I opened this earlier today: 

 

 

Fun bottle cap.

Brand: Tommyknocker Brewery All Natural Almond Creme

Origin: Idaho Springs, CO.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: At first sip, this really tasted like just a normal creme soda. But then there was a slightly almondy/vanilla kick at the end of the sip. The flavor wasn't super strong, but it was decent. I didn't really care for Tommyknocker Root Beer when I had that years ago, but this was pretty good. I'm not necessarily a fan of almonds, but I still enjoyed it.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Lost Trail Root Beer

I've been doing some home improvement projects, and I cracked into this when I needed something refreshing today:

Brand: Lost Trail Root Beer.

Origin: Louisburg, KS.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was delicious from the start! (And I don't think it's because I was hot after working hard on some plaster repair work in our stairwell.) It was smooth and full of flavor, but it had just the right amount of some sort of anise-like bite as well. It kept a slightly frothy head when I'd set it down. This was a very good root beer for a hot day! I'll have this again!

Score: 9.5 out of 10.

Coca Cola Tic Tacs

Has anyone tried these? I'm curious!!

Polly's Pop Donutology Glazed Donut

Being I was still hanging out with family earlier this week, we all sampled this treat:

On the counter on vacation.

Brand: Polly's Pop Donutology Glazed Donut.

Origin: Kansas City, MO.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: When I opened this, I passed it around for everyone to sniff. Because it TOTALLY smelled like those waxy Hostess mini chocolate donuts. I was excited to try it. But then it tasted a little "off." The aftertaste was a bit chemically and it just tasted like odd sweetness. It was just OK. I'm shocked to think that the beef jerky soda from earlier in the week was better than this!

Score: 3 out of 10.

Beefdrinker Teriyaki Beef Jerky Soda

On our summer vacation recently, I opened this to share with family: 

On the railing of our (rented) cabin.

First of all, I was ready for this to be gross.  I mean, obviously. I liked the tagline on the bottom of the label: "For that deep carnivore thirst." Nice. I poured out sips for everyone to try:

My son smiled saying it wasn't too bad.

My nephew wasn't sure what to think.

My brother-in-law didn't mind it.

My niece was the only one who didn't really care for it.

Brand: Beefdrinker Teriyaki Beef Jerky Soda.

Origin: Gardena, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: As far as novelty sodas go, this wasn't too bad! It wasn't overly smokey or salty, which were 2 of my worries. My nephew described the flavor PERFECTLY: he said it tasted like what Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper powder smells like. And that was spot on. My brother-in-law noted after his first sip that it reminded him of some kind of cream soda, and that wasn't a bad point either. As I sipped more and more, it started tasting more and more like beef. In the end, it wasn't really all that tasty, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, so I'm calling this "3.5 out of 10" soda a "win" in my book.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.