Tyler the Kid Sarsaparilla

I opened this with my boys last night: 

Brand: Tyler the Kid Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Camarillo, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was pretty good! If you had told me this was a root beer, I wouldn't have balked. It's just a little more herbaceous than root beer. There was a nice vanilla flavor, and then a bit of a wintergreen kick at the end. Pretty decent overall!   

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Manhattan Special Sarsaparilla

I opened this earlier today as I was cleaning the basement: 

Brand: Manhattan Special Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Brooklyn, NY.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This was the first bottle from my new collection of sodas from Minnesota's Largest Candy Store last month.  I didn't hunt this one out - I just reached into the case and pulled out the first thing I touched. 

As for how I liked this one, it was very creamy and very tasty. It formed a good head, and just tasted "natural" - there wasn't anything fake or chemically about this. It was an easy-to-drink soda on this warm day.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Schooners Sarsaparilla

I opened this tonight: 

Brand: Schooners Sarsaparilla

Origin: Mystic, CT.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a pretty root-beer-like flavor, and was heavy on the anise. It's a BIT too much anise for me, but it was decent. The flavor was deep, but just not totally for me. I can't really verbalize what I didn't care about it, but it wasn't bad! I'm glad they were TRYING something and not just being generic.

Score: 6 out of 10.

 

Whistler Sarsaparilla

I cracked into this on Sunday:

I suppose it's a bad sign they can't spell "sarsaparilla," right?

Brand: Whistler Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Made in Spring Lake Park, MN.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: My experience with Whistler has been up and down. And after this (misspelled) soda, it's back up. This was pretty good. The flavor wasn't too deep, and it was a bit subtle. But it was good. Earthy and tasty. It felt "pure" (whatever that means to you). This was very enjoyable.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Wild Spur Sarsaparilla

I visited my folks this weekend, and I brought this to enjoy with pork chops for lunch:

Brand: Wild Spur Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Chicago, IL.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was a good one. It had a hint of vanilla, and was pretty smooth/creamy. There's really nothing fancy about this, but it was very tasty.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Kutztown Sarsaparilla

I was looking for a root beer in my stash yesterday, but I first grabbed this and thought I'd give it a try:

Brand: Kutztown Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Kutztown, PA.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This smelled great as soon as I popped the top. It tasted good too: it had average depth, and a nice bite at the end of each sip. It was a bit herby without being too much. It almost had a bit of a fruity taste, but again, that wasn't too much. Quite a decent soda!

Score: 8 out of 10.


p.s. I didn't realize until after I had written this all up that I had tried this last month, only it had a different label. I thought this one was better (last month's was rated a "5"), but it could be that this is a newer bottle and the other one was getting a bit old. Note to self: finish up the few sodas left from MN Largest Candy Store from last year before continuing on to my Blue Sun Soda stash.

Kutztown Sarsaparilla

Last night, my wife took both boys to a movie. I cracked into this:

Brand: Kutztown Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Kutztown, PA.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a slightly berry/fruity hint to it which was nice. But other than that, it was just OK. It had a slightly bite that was OK, but nothing else stood out. Not bad. Not good. Giving it an average score.

Score: 5 out of 10.

Boots Sarsaparilla Root Beer

I enjoyed this on the shore of Lake Superior as my son played in the water:

Brand: Boots Sarsaparilla Root Beer.

Origin: Bryan, Texas

Purchase Place: Fizzy Waters, Duluth, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: I'm still not sure if this is sarsaparilla or root beer. This had a very anise flavor that I didn't care for. It had a good smooth head, and yet it had a sharpness to it that was just a bit too much. It was a unique flavor, but it just wasn't something that I enjoyed.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.
 

Manhattan Special Sarsaparilla

I enjoyed this on a hot afternoon:

Brand: Manhattan Special Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Brooklyn, NY.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a good, deep sarsaparilla flavor with just a subtle bite to it. Nothing to fancy or unique, but pretty good. It got a BIT syrupy/sugary by the end, but overall I quite enjoyed it.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Harmony Springs Sarsaparilla

Had another soda in class today:

Don't judge my messy desktop.

The flavor isn't listed anywhere on the bottle. The bottle says "flavor on crown,"
and that's the only place to see what variety you're drinking.

Brand: Harmony Springs Sarsaparilla

Origin: Ludlow, MA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was just OK. It had a strong, earthy, herby flavor that was just a BIT too much for me. If you're into that sort of thing (and I know many people are), then give this a try. But it wasn't quite what I'm into, so I'll give it a slightly lower-than-average score.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Death Valley Sarsaparilla

We had a work day in class today, so I had this up at the "instructor station" while some students worked:

Brand: Death Valley Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Inyokern, CA.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This had a little herby, slightly "woodsy" bite to it. It was herby-er than root beer, but otherwise it could have been called root beer without much thought. It was OK - nothing great - but decent. I'll rate it just above average.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Earp's Original Sarsaparilla

I cracked into this while cooking yesterday:

Sorry for the mess - busy cooking.

Brand: Earp's Original Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was good, but nothing memorable. Decent flavor - what I expected. Smooth with a little bite. Nothing fancy, but good.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Yacht Club Sarsaparilla

I thought I'd celebrate the 4th of July with a cold soda:

Brand: Yacht Club Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Centredale, RI.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had an odd sharpness that wasn't great. The flavor was a bit earthy and OK, but the sharpness just overpowered. Not very good.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.

Caamano Bros. High Noon Sarsaparilla

I reached into my "root beer" box last night and pulled out a sarsaparilla. (They're similar in flavor, and I'm OK with either when I'm in the mood for a root beer.) So I tried this:

Brand: Caamano Bros. High Noon Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Berkeley, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a strong flavor with a lot of wintergreen. It was pretty smooth, with a bite of wintergreen at the end. It was a little "stronger" than other sarsaparillas that I've had, but I enjoyed the full flavor.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Columbia Soda Works Sarsaparilla Soda

Something to wet my whistle as I was cleaning the house:

Brand: Columbia Soda Works Sarsaparilla Soda.

Origin: Colombia, California.

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

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: The first thing I thought was "cinnamon?!?" There's a strong taste of sweet cinnamon to this sarsaparilla. It's not "hot" cinnamon, but more like cinnamon and sugar. It was different, but it was pretty good. It was smooth overall, and a vert unique soda. Give it a try.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Jackson Hole Snake River Sarsaparilla

I grabbed this during a football game last weekend:

Brand: Jackson Hole Snake River Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Jackson, WY.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: It smelled deep and rich when I popped the top. And the first sip was ALL wintergreen. If you like a strong wintergreen soda, you'll love this. It was NEARLY too much for me, but it wasn't quite over the line. It's a good, earthy, rich, deep, wintergreen-y sarsaparilla. Try this one - it's different, but not in a bad way!

Score: 8 out of 10.

Big Ben's Fast Draw Sarsaparilla

I grabbed a Sarsaparilla the other night:

Brand: Big Ben's Fast Draw Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Catawissa, PA.

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

Sweetener: Sugar and/or High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: There was a problem right away - there was no "hiss" and no release of carbonation when I opened this. Something happened and it wasn't sealed anymore. I drank it, I didn't die - it just had no carbonation. The flavor was good, and it had a subtle vanilla bite. I can not give this a score just yet because it wasn't carbonated, but I'd love to try it again.

What Soda is Your State Known For?

Thrillist put together a map of "THE ICONIC SOFT DRINK OF EVERY STATE IN AMERICA."

Click to enlarge.

Locally, Minnesota is known for Sun Drop, although I've NEVER TRIED THAT! I guess I need to ASAP. The article says "This citrus soda may've been introduced in Missouri, but it's got a strong foothold in Minnesota and the upper Midwest."

Our next door neighbor Wisconsin has a good one. They are best know for Sprecher Root Beer. The article states "Sprecher is a pretty standard brewery in that it makes beer, but it's a little more well known for its sodas -- particularly its root beer, which has Wisconsinites foaming at the mouth in more ways than one."

Both North Dakota and South Dakota to our west are just labeled with good ole' Coca Cola. The only reason they were given Coke is that they couldn't find anything else for the Dakotas. Dang. Must be a dull place. (News flash: I've been out there. It IS dull.)

Finally, our enemy neighbor to the south Iowa is best know for Sioux City Sarsaparilla, noting that it's named after Sioux City Iowa. They say that it's "widely regarded as one of the best sarsaparillas out there and was even mentioned in 'The Big Lebowski.' Damn, dude."


Here's my review of Sprecher Root Beer from this past spring, and my review of Sioux City Sarsaparilla from my Vegas trip nearly 2 years ago. And now I need to go find a bottle of Sun Drop so I can still be considered a true Minnesotan…

Diet Sioux City Sarsaparilla

Time for some Sarsaparilla:

Brand: Diet Sioux City Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Whitestone, NY.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose (Splenda).

Review: Right away, I thought this was pretty good (for a diet). It was a little weak and watery like most diets, but it still had a nice smoothness and creaminess to it. There was a bit of an odd aftertaste, but it was good.

The weird thing is that it doesn't have that earthiness or extra bite of a sarsaparilla. It tastes pretty much just like a diet root beer. I would have never called this sarsaparilla. Maybe the "bite" of sarsaparilla can't be translated to a diet. I dunno. But still, overall, not bad.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Kansas City Sarsaparilla

I opened up this large bottle the other day:

Brand: Kansas City Sarsaparilla

Origin: Hopkins, MN. (Wait, NOT Kansas City?)

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, Minneapolis, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar and/or Corn Sweeteners.

Review: The flavor was pretty good, but it was weak - it tasted like flavored water (which, yes, I know, that's what it technically is). It was a little creamy and had a little hint of vanilla and a good amount of wintergreen. Decent flavor, just weak. I'll give this a slightly better than average score.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.