Tree Fort Classic Cola

My wife was at Cub Foods in St. Paul over the weekend, and she sent me this picture and asked what I wanted:

I had her grab a Tree Fort Cola and a Cheerwine. I started with the Tree Fort Cola:

Brand: Tree Fort Classic Cola.

Origin: Minneapolis, MN.

Purchase Place: Cub Foods, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I wasn't sure what to think after the first sip. This had a very deep almost "brown sugar"-like sweetness. After a few more sips, I realized it was a sweetness that was a bit like very almond-flavored frosting. It was a VERY unique cola, and I ended up liking it in the end. But it was so different, that it took me a bit to warm up to it. I'll rate is just above average.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Fentimans Rose Lemonade

My son and I were in Lunds the other day when I stopped by the cold soda section:

I popped it open on the ride home.

I've had a lot of Fentimans "interesting" sodas in the past, but this one was just not good.


Brand: Fentimans Rose Lemonade.

Origin: Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Purchase Place: Lunds, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar and Glucose Syrup.

Review: It smelled like a sweet Lemonade. But it tasted like Lemon Pledge furniture polish. Really. Read that again: it tasted like Lemon Pledge. Nothing about that is a good thing. It was slightly drinkable in small, small sips, but any "normal" sip was horrible. I didn't finish the bottle.

Score: 1.5 out of 10.

Fentimans Ginger Beer

I've enjoyed a number of Fentimans Sodas over the past few months, and the other day I tried their Ginger Beer:

In the snow that we just got here in MN.

Brand: Fentimans Ginger Beer.

Origin: Burnaby, BC, Canada.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar and Glucose Syrup.

Review: This had a good smell and a nice cola / ginger flavor with the first sip. I was pleasantly surprised. But then came the really harsh and sharp ginger bite to the back of my throat. That sharp sharp sharp bite was too much for me, and I could only sip this. The initial flavor is REALLY good, so I'm giving this higher marks than I normally would. But that bite at the end is too much for me. If you like cola and a BIG ginger bite, then try this soda.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Fentimans Curiosity Cola

"Curiosity Cola" - that intrigued me.

I saw one of the ingredients was "fermented ginger root," and I wasn't sure what I would think of this. I like a little ginger bite, but not TOO much.


Brand: Fentimans Curiosity Cola.

Origin: Burnaby, BC, Canada.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was a bit better than I thought it would be. The ginger is pretty subtle, but it adds a nice different bite to it over traditional cola. The cola flavor itself is a little subdued and not very overpowering at all - in fact, the cola flavor could be stronger. There's a another sharp, crisp, almost citrus-like flavor that I think comes from the juniper. If you like colas that have a little something different to offer, check out Fentimans Curiosity Cola.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Fentimans Full Bodied Shandy

I didn't know what a "Shandy" was until I looked it up. Was it a man named Randy who underwent sexual reassignment surgery to become Sandy but got stuck somewhere in the middle?

No, I found out it was not.

According to Wikipedia, a Shandy is "beer mixed with a soft drink, carbonated lemonade, ginger beer, ginger ale, or apple juice. The proportions of the two ingredients are adjusted to taste, usually half-and-half."

Fentimans Shandy is 70% de-alcoholized beer mixed with lemon juice. Sounds weird. How would it taste?

Brand: Fentimans Full Bodied Shandy.

Origin: Burnaby, BC, Canada.

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

Sweetener: Granulated Sugar.

Review: I'm not a huge fan of beer, but this was refreshing and pretty tasty. If you like beer, I'm not sure if you'll LIKE this soda (because it tastes a bit like beer) or if you'll NOT LIKE this (because it tastes just a little like beer, but it's not beer). It tastes like a thin summer beer. It's definitely a different flavor for a soda, but it wasn't bad.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Fentimans Cherrytree Cola

I bought this because I liked the label:

This earned an extra half point for being in a 9 oz bottle - I don't always need 12 or 16 ozs, and the 9 oz bottle was nice.

Brand: Fentimans Cherrytree Cola.

Origin: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The cherry was very "deep" and dark. I'd nearly consider it a black cherry flavor. There's not a ton of carbonation, and there's a nice bite. I was trying to think of how to describe the bite before I looked at the ingredients list. It turns out the 2nd ingredient (after carbonated water) is fermented ginger root extracts. I'm not a huge fan of a big ginger bite in my sodas, but this was relatively subtle. I'd try this again.

Score: 8 out of 10.