Reed's Root Beer Hard Candy

These caught my eye at Ace Hardware last month:

Individually wrapped like the packaging says. Seems old fashioned (and a touch wasteful).

The candy inside.

I don't often "review" CANDY, but being this is root beer flavored, I feel like I need to...  

Brand: Reed's Root Beer Hard Candy

Origin: Great Neck, NY.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar and Glucose Syrup.

Review: Obviously, my main point of reference is a "root beer barrel," but I expected this to be better (or maybe "more refined") than a root beer barrel. And I was right. It was a bit more caramel flavored, but just a touch. The flavor was actually more subtle than a root beer barrel - it didn't have that same harshness. And it was very long lasting. So it's a slightly more refined, slightly more gentle, and slightly more caramely version of a classic root beer barrel. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's pretty good and quite enjoyable!

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Premium Frostop Black Cherry Soda

I grabbed this at the hardware store as I was picking up something to help make Mother's Day presents last week:

 
Brand: Premium Frostop Black Cherry Soda.

Origin: Columbus, OH.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Sweetener and Cane Sugar.

Review: This is not a black cherry "cola" but just a black cherry "soda." It was VERY sweet and almost a little syrupy. My wife doesn't like things that sweet/syrupy, so I thought she'd make a face when she tried this... but she said it was pretty good. It's a heavy soda: heavy on the sweetness and heavy on the black cherry flavor. But the flavor was good! If you don't mind them a little extra sweet, give this a try.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Bedford's Creme Beer

It was hot today, so I cracked into this tonight:

The labels weren't facing the same direction. Awkward.

Brand: Bedford's Creme Beer.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was VERY smooth and creamy. I couldn't put my finger on the specific flavor: it wasn't vanilla, but it had a hint of something floral. It was just a real decent cream soda. I'll rate this a little above average. Give it a try!

Score: 7 out of 10.

 

Boylan Cane Cola

I was grabbing some mulch at Ace (on Grand near Snelling Ave) last week, and I also grabbed this:

I liked the design of the bottle cap.

Brand: Boylan Cane Cola.

Origin: New York, New York.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was OK. It had that flowery sweetness that many "good" colas have, but it was pretty subtle. There wasn't anything special or unique about this. Pretty average, so I'm giving it an average "5."

Score: 5 out of 10.

Sipping Spider Venom Cherry Cola

Last Friday, I stopped by Frattallone's Ace Hardware on Grand Ave in St. Paul (the "west" one by Macalaster College), and I took a quick look over their soda section:

I grabbed something near the top left of that image, and I opened it earlier today:

Brand: Sipping Spider Venom Cherry Cola.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was good. It had a real deep cherry flavor - very strong and sweet. It was almost a "black cherry" flavor. It has "extract of dark sweet cherry" on the ingredients list, and I don't know if it's that ingredient that makes this so tasty. It was strong flavored classic cherry cola with a bit more "pop." I really enjoyed it!

Score: 9 out of 10.

Dad's Red Cream Soda

Earlier this week, I stopped by Frattallone's Ace on Grand Ave (the one near Macalester College, not near Ramsey Hill), and I looked through their soda selection:

I walked out with a Dad's soda I'd never tried before:

Brand: Dad's Red Cream Soda.

Origin: Jasper, IN.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was OK. As with my only other "red cream soda" that I've tried, I don't know what flavor "red" is. Cherry-like? This one was a little better than that one. It was pretty smooth, but a little "artificial" tasting at the end. Not bad, but not great.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

Nesbitt's Strawberry Soda

I had to stop by the hardware store the other day, and I looked over their stash:

The soda section at Frattallone's Ace Hardware on Grand Ave in St. Paul (down near Snelling Ave).

I picked this up while I was there:

Brand: Nesbitt's Strawberry Soda.

Origin: Waco, TX.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I don't know what I was expecting, but I was a little disappointed that this tasted like strawberry candy and not like true strawberry. It was fine. Nothing special. A little bit "artificial" tasting, so I'll give it a just below average score.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Fitz's Orange Pop

I opened this up with supper tonight:

Brand: Fitz's Orange Pop.

Origin: St. Louis, MO.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: Ehhh, this was OK. Nothing special. It had a bit more of a "bite" than I expected from an orange soda, and that was about it. Otherwise, it was "orangey."

Score: 5 out of 10.

Americana Honey Lime Ginger Ale

I enjoyed this with lunch yesterday:

Brand: Americana Honey Lime Ginger Ale

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I'm not the BIGGEST fan of the hardcore BITE produced by a good ginger ale. But the honey and lime cut through that powerful bite in this soda. It was one of the most interesting ginger ales I've ever had, and the flavor combination was fantastic. There's still just too much bite in the back of my throat from the ginger, but it was one of the best ginger ales I've had.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Strawberry Kiwi Breese

I cracked into this after a long holiday weekend of yard work:

The label has an adorable illustration of a kiwi and strawberry in a breeze.  Adorable.

Brand: Strawberry Kiwi Breese.

Origin: Breese, IL.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was pretty good. It wasn't an even mix of strawberry and kiwi - more like 80% strawberry and 20% kiwi. It was pretty smooth and sweet, and it went down easy.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Diet Dublin Texas Root Beer

I'd had regular Dublin Texas Root Beer, and it was good. Now on a canoeing trip with the fellas, I tried the diet version:

With the Kickapoo River in the background.

Brand: Diet Dublin Texas Root Beer.

Origin: Dublin, Texas.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This wasn't anything special. It was OK, but nothing fancy. Weak, smooth-ish, and OK. Forgettable.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Excel Black Cherry

I grabbed this last night:

Brand: Excel Black Cherry Soda.

Origin: Breese, IL.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This didn't stand out from many other black cherry sodas. It was sugary and almost a bit too syrupy, but the flavor was good. There was a bit of a "sharpness" at the end of each sip, but not bad. Overall, a decent, normal soda.

Score: 5 out of 10.

Jelly Belly Green Apple Soda

The label said "GOURMET soda," but I didn't have much faith in this:

Brand: Jelly Belly Green Apple Soda.

Origin: Fairfield, CA.

Purchase Place: "Frattallone's Ace Hardware," St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: When I popped the top, it smelled like wet cardboard. My first sip was interesting: it had a very "CANDY green apple" flavor (not like a tart ACTUAL green apple), and then it had a strange aftertaste. The flavor wasn't bad, it was just more sugary than I expected (and I expected it to be a bit sugary). Overall, I'll call it just barely below average - it was drinkable, but not great.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Joe's Root Beer

This ended up being my first soda from Nevada:

Sweet bottle cap.

Brand: Joe's Root Beer.

Origin: Henderson, NV.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane sugar and honey.

Review: So I liked that this was trying something unique, but it just wasn't that good. Honey and vanilla are the last two ingredients in this root beer, and there's just way too much honey. I've said it before: I don't care for honey in root beer even though I may love it in other flavors of soda. I can taste the vanilla, and that's a nice little addition. But the honey is just too much and a little too strange. (Honey isn't the only sweetener - it's just an added sweetener near the end of the ingredients list.)

Score: 3 out of 10.

Dang! That's Good Italian Cherry Soda

I enjoyed this on a hot afternoon yesterday:

(With flowers in the background that my son brought home from his Great-Grandpa's funeral.)

Brand: Dang! That's Good Italian Cherry Soda.

Origin: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: The first thing I would describe this as is "crisp." It has a sharp carbonated kick to it that is a little like having a freshly-made soda at an old-fashioned soda fountain. The cherry flavor was initially good, but then leaves a little bit of a funky aftertaste. Overall, it's nothing special, but it was better than I thought it would be.

Score: 6 out of 10.

North Star Craft Soda Orange Cola

This was my last (of 3) sodas from the cabin (see the first one here and the second one here):

On the railing at the cabin with the lake in the background.

Brand: North Star Craft Soda Orange Cola.

Origin: Forest Lake, MN.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: The "orange" was subtle, which was good. A super ORANGE "orange cola" sounds disgusting. The cola part of this was good - a bit fruity and sweet, with just a bit of a bite. It wasn't as odd as it sounded, and it went down well.

Score: 6 out of 10.
 

Lost Trail Diet Root Beer

Another soda on vacation:

On the counter in the cabin at the lake.

Brand: Lost Trail Diet Root Beer.

Origin: Louisburg, KS.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Aspartame (Nutrasweet brand).

Review: This has the typical weak flavor of a root beer. It's sort of right in the middle of the "smooth vs bite" scale, and I kind of wish it would pick one side or the other. It's relatively creamy, but just a bit weak because it's diet. Overall, this was just OK.

Score: 5 out of 10.
 

Yacht Club Black Cherry

I took this on a family vacation recently, and drank it while watching my boys play at the beach:

At the beach as my boys play in the lake.

Brand:  Yacht Club Black Cherry.

Origin: Centredale, Rhode Island.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This smelled good and had a good black cherry flavor. But then it went downhill - there was no cola flavor at all. The black cherry felt a bit heavy and syrupy (which I sometimes don't mind), and it got to be too much. There was a bit of a strange bite at the end of each sip. If it had more cola flavor mixed in, it would have been a lot better.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.
 

Hippo Size Burley Birch Beer

It's been hot. I grabbed this to cool down:

Brand: Hippo Size Burley Birch Beer.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This tasted like an herby root beer. It wasn't bad, but it didn't stand out as anything super amazing either. Decent overall.

Score: 5 out of 10.

Bedford's Ginger Beer

I was in the mood for something "spicy," so I cracked into this:

Brand: Bedford's Ginger Beer.

Origin: Port Angeles, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The first thing I like to do with a ginger soda is to check the ingredients list: this had "brewed ginger root" on the list, so I was ready for a BITE. And for a guy who doesn't care for ginger beers that much, I thought this was pretty good. It had a smooth (almost creamy) initial flavor, and then each sip ended with a BIG KICK of ginger that almost stings the back of your throat. That big kick is usually why I stay away from ginger sodas, but this was alright.

Score: 6 out of 10.