New Spring Grove Soda Announcement

Spring Grove recently announced something I'm excited to try:

Spring Grove Soda Pop on TV at the MN State Fair

My boys and I stopped by the MN State Fair on opening day. We HAD to get a cup of Spring Grove Soda Pop:

We shared a cup of Black Cherry.

Just a few days ago, Spring Grove Soda Pop was interviewed on a local TV program. Check out their interview below:

(In case the embedded video above doesn't work, here's a link to the KSTP video on their website.)

Spring Grove at the MN State Fair

Spring Grove Soda just posted this on Facebook: 

My boys and I were right next to the Spring Grove Soda stand (we got a soft pretzel right next door), but we didn't have any Spring Grove Soda this year. Stop by their stand near the SE corner of the DNR Building!

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!

Single Soda Bottles for the "Stay At Home" Order

Starting tomorrow, Minnesotans are asked by Governor Walz to "stay at home" for 2 weeks. (Which is a slightly more lenient version of "shelter at home" that some states are doing.) I was out yesterday to get some groceries at Cub Foods (not our normal place, but they had a few deals), and I noticed their bottled soda selection at the back:

What I was happiest to see was the handful of local Spring Grove Sodas on the 2nd-from-the-top shelf! Including root beer! So head to Cub and stock up for your "stay at home" (although grocery trips are OK over these next 2 weeks).

MN State Fair Sodas

Last Friday, my boys and I went to the MN State Fair. One of our first stops was a root beer barrel for a root beer:

My 8-year-old did the ordering.

A small is $2, and the "Blue Ribbon Bargain Book" had a $1 off coupon. So this $1 IBC root beer might have been our deal of the day.

We also had to stop at the Spring Grove Soda stand by the DNR building. I let the boys pick the flavor, and they picked orange. We had a $1 off coupon for this too, so it was only $2 after the coupon:

My 5-year-old hogging the orange soda.

This was just after a burp, so he looks quite drunk off soda.  ;)

Check out the State Fair before it closes on Monday!

And in related posts, click the "Minnesota State Fair" tag at the bottom of this post to go back year-after-year. Or click directly on my 2 favorite State Fair posts: rating lots of fair food 3 years ago, and having treats and Spring Grove Soda 5 years ago.

Spring Grove Soda Recipes

Spring Grove Soda posted this on their Facebook page earlier today:

Some of these I want to try! I'm not real big on alcohol, but my Mom likes RumChata, so that last one could sound good to the both of us! And "cinnamon roll" sounds good to me as well. As does "cream puff."

Photos from the First "Minnesota Soda Festival"

Yesterday morning, my boys and I stopped by the Minnesota Soda Festival at Blue Sun Soda. It was raining when we got there as it started at 10 a.m., so it was pretty quiet at that time:

Soda sampling on 3 sides of the back of the building.

The Whistler Soda bottling machine inside.

Bottles and flavoring (to the right).

My boys playing some pinball inside.

Again, very quiet at 10 a.m. when it was raining.
There's Charlie in the orange, and Henry in the green playing Skee Ball.

The rain had stopped out back, so we headed out again! (They had food trucks there too.)

Of COURSE the boys wanted to try the "gross" sounding sodas (that are actually quite tasty).

For the soda tastings, you purchase tickets for 25 cents each, and then get a tiny shot of each kid of soda that you request. (I believe there were better prices if you wanted to try/drink a LOT.) Here's my boys getting their first sips of "Zombie Brain Juice:"

I tried the purple "Unicorn Yack" which showed a barfing unicorn. Tasty!

Charlie asking for more at the Whistler stand.

More people and families showing up.

I bought $3 worth of tickets (so 12 sips). I really only had 1 all to myself (the Unicorn Yack), and the boys had the rest as I tried tiny sips of theirs. We had 2 kinds of Dad's, a few kinds of Spring Grove, some Frostie root beer, the "gross" flavors above, Whistler above, and we ended by sharing some Virgil's.

They had a few different bouncy things there, and even though they were wet, lots of kids were in them.

More and more people showing up around 11:30.

It was a fun time, and luckily the weather turned around quickly enough to not ruin the whole day for the event. And Charlie had a great time with their famous Soda Jerk Billy who was ALL personality - he got his finger "stuck" trying to clean out an empty soda bottle, and Henry (my older son) yanked and yanked and couldn't pull it off for him. But Charlie zipped it off with one easy try, and felt like a stud. Then Billy did it again. It was cute.

Thanks Blue Sun Soda!

Spring Grove Soda at Holiday!

Spring Grove just made this announcement on Facebook:

 Make sure to follow Spring Grove Soda on Facebook.

12 "Must-Eat" Dishes at the MN State Fair: Root Beer Included!

I just posted about Minnesota-made Spring Grove Soda at the Minnesota State Fair, and then I came across this article in the Star Tribune (which is fitting, because today is the last day of the State Fair). It's called "A critic's 12 must-eat dishes at the Minnesota State Fair: The new fair foods get all the attention, but these tried-and-true standbys are a treat every year." Here's the part that mentions Spring Grove Soda:

Minnesota-made root beer
One of the happiest food-and-drink trends is the way the fairgrounds have become an epicenter for Minnesota-brewed craft beers. But it’s also the place to indulge in some serious Gopher State small-batch root beer love. I encountered four, and surely there are more, all darkly rich, shimmering with vanilla and lusciously foamy. The goodness from Stillwater’s Lift Bridge Brewing Co. ($4, $6) is on tap at the Snack House (Warner Coliseum). The Spring Grove Soda Pop (Nelson Street/Carnes Avenue) stand — a refreshing taste of tiny Spring Grove, Minn., in the far southeast corner of the state — cracks open its tall-neck bottles for three bucks, or two for $5. The good folks from New Ulm’s 1919 Root Beer (Dan Patch Avenue/Underwood Street) have a busy stand all to their own, where straight-up root beer from the tap runs $2 to $7 — and floats range from $5 to $8. And the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild (Agriculture Horticulture) showcases the dreamy, creamy stuff ($5) from St. Paul’s Vine Park Brewery. 

Congrats on the press Spring Grove! And I'll have to check out the 1919 root beer next year.

Spring Grove Soda at the MN State Fair

Earlier this week, my boys and I went to the Minnesota State Fair. (The 5th year in a row for my 6-year-old.) We just HAD to stop by the Spring Grove Soda booth for some root beer:

Spring Grove trailer. They lowered their prices this year: $3/glass, or 2 for $5, or 3 for $6.

My 3-year-old chugging my root beer.

The Spring Grove booth has always been near the DNR building (the crowds behind are all at the massive fish pond).

Riding the Sky Ride with my boys after having some root beer.

I asked about touring the Spring Grove plant near Rochester, MN, and they told me they still do that, but it's best to call ahead of time to make sure someone is around (it's a small operation). They gave me their card: call 507-498-3424 (business) or 507-459-5197 (cell) in advance.

Here's a quick post from the State Fair in 2013, here are some photos from Henry's and my visit to the State Fair in 2014, a few photos from 2015, and ranking lots of food we ate in 2016.  (And here's more photos from our trip this year on my other blog.) In 2013, it was my 100th post; in 2014, it was my 199th; in 2015, it was my 299th; in 2016, it was my 409th post, and now my "Minnesota State Fair" post is my 501st! Have a good start to fall!

Spring Grove Limited Edition Rhu-berry

It was Spring Grove soda that made me want to start this blog. Now, they have a "new limited edition" flavor, and even though it sounded strange, I had to try it.

In my beautiful basement classroom where I teach.

Brand: Spring Grove Limited Edition Rhu-berry.

Origin: Spring Grove, MN

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar and Corn Syrup.

Review: It had "natural rhubarb flavor" listed as an ingredient, and I wasn't sure what that would taste like. (You know how cherry soda is a very different cherry flavor than ACTUAL cherries, but we're all cool with that?) Turns out, it's kind of disgusting. It has a berry sweetness, followed by a strong, sharp rhubarb kick that is very unpleasant. I could only tolerate a few sips. Good thing this is a "limited edition" - hopefully it goes away ASAP.

Score: 1 out of 10.

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.

Spring Grove Soda at a St. Paul Coffee Shop

I just stopped down the road at "Coffee Bené" here in St. Paul:

Behind Davannis Pizza near Grand and Cleveland in St. Paul.

I didn't have my phone on me to take a pic, but they had 4 or 5 different kinds of MN-made Spring Grove Soda in the front display case next to their bakery items. Just wanted to let you all know. Stop in to Coffee Benè and grab a soda!

(Click here for any post tagged with Spring Grove Soda.)

Spring Grove Soda on the News!

I've been a fan of Spring Grove Soda for about 5 years now. In fact, this blog started with a case of Spring Grove Soda. This video was on WCCO just a few days ago:





Here's the article:

SPRING GROVE, Minnesota (WCCO) — There was a time when nearly every town in the state had a bottling company — and many sold their own soda pop.

As Coke and Pepsi grew, most bottling companies fizzed out, but one of the oldest bottling companies in the state is still going strong.

Spring Grove may be a quiet town. But that changes when it’s bottling day at Spring Grove Soda.

The process began 120 years ago, when the town’s pharmacist added a soda fountain and later started bottling his own pop.

“Once they bottled it, it’s not like it went all over the country. People could come in and buy a six pack of pop and take it home with them,” owner Bob Hansen said.

It was the “soda of the city,” and then word got out.

In the 1960s, then-owner Arnold Morken started distributing Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, and began taking Spring Grove Soda along for the ride.

“He didn’t realize it at the time, but he basically saved the company,” Hansen said.

Hansen and his wife Dawn are the owners now. The company has changed hands over the years, but never formulas. They have 9 flavors, including their own concoction, Rhuberry, along with top sellers Strawberry and Lemon Sour.

“The blend that we started with, we never changed it. I think if we did there would be a mutiny in town,” Hansen said.

One hundred percent pure cane sugar is the life blood here. They have never used and never will use high fructose corn syrup or other additives. Fifty pound bags are sent up to the mixing room and into tanks.

One mixing tank can produce 320 cases of pop.

After flavoring is added, the soda is sent down to the filler area where the bottles are cleaned, then filled, then capped, then cleaned again. Business is bubbling over, as Spring Grove Soda can now be found in 48 states. But for local customers like Sue Morken, it’s home will always be here.

“We used to go to my grandma’s house and we’d but it by the case. We just thought it was the biggest treat in the world,” Morken said.

She’s not the only one who thinks so. Red’s grocery store up the street sells their fair share of six-packs.

“Twice a week. They have to come in and stock it twice a week,” Pat Longmire, owner of Red’s IGA, said.

They also keep their State Fair booth well-stocked. And Hansen has even taken special requests from across the country.

“You’ll get a phone call from somebody. They’ll say grandma or grandpa is on their last leg, they’re going to be passing away and we really need you to get us some soda out here as quick as you can,” Hansen said.

And they do. Because they know being home grown has everything to do with their pop’s popularity.

“I don’t think when Dawn or I bought the place we realized how much that meant to different people that it’s still going. The people of the area really treasure Spring Grove Soda,” Hansen said.

Spring Grove Soda bottles 40,000 cases a year.

We visited them at the State Fair in 2014 and had a root beer. And last year we snapped a photo as we walked by their stand, but didn't stop. Nice story, Spring Grove!

Minnesota State Fair Goodies

I was at the Minnesota State Fair the other day, and one of my first stops is always the Horticulture Building and the 25 cent "honey sticks:"

Lots of flavors.

ROOT BEER HONEY!

Last year, I stopped at the Spring Grove Soda stand (a tasty line of sodas from southern MN).  This year, I was saving my calories for other food, but I still walked by to snap a photo:

A Minnesota fav.

Here's lots of photos from my state fair trip last year (including photos of my cute son).  And in that post, I noted it was my 199th post.  The year before, my state fair post was my 100th post.  And now this year, it's my 299th post.  Keeping the rhythm nicely, I guess.  :)

Spring Grove Soda at the MN State Fair

My 3-year-old and I spent yesterday morning at the Minnesota State Fair.  We had some fun:

Deep Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  SOOOO good!

With my big guy at the MN State Fair.

One stop I KNEW we had to make was at the Spring Grove Soda stand. They're a local soda from southern Minnesota that sort of got me hooked on small soda companies a few years ago.

Their little stand near the DNR Building.

I just HAD to get a Spring Grove Root Beer.

At $4 a glass, it's not the best deal at the fair, but still worth it!
(The best deal and something I always get is $0.25 flavored "honey straws" in the Horticulture Building.)

They let me step in and get a photo of their big stash.  You can see my reflection smiling in the upper left.

My son "helped" me finish my root beer.  Thanks buddy.

Their root beer isn't my favorite of all time, but it's really good and has a unique flavor. It almost has a fruitiness to it with a bit of earthiness too. (Their Cream Soda is one of their great ones too - I could have used a cup of that at the fair as well.)

Nice chatting with you, Spring Grove folks!

p.s. My 100th post was last year, and it was about having a Root Beer at the State Fair.  Now, this is my 199th post.  We'll see if I get back to the State Fair for more sweet treats next year around my 300th post!

Spring Grove Soda Pop Lemon Sour

I had one more Spring Grove Soda bottle in the back of the fridge from a long time ago. Time to clean that up:

Brand: Spring Grove Soda Pop Lemon Sour.

Origin: Spring Grove, Minnesota.

Purchase Place: www.springgrovesoda.com.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This is my least favorite Spring Grove Soda that I've had. It has a very tart and crisp lemon flavor that is quite good, but it's a bit sour. (Duh… "Lemon SOUR" flavor.) It's not very drinkable, but it IS very sippable. This would be great mixed with booze. Being I tried this mid-day (not quite time for booze), I mixed in a little of Rose's Grenadine, and that sweetened it right up. Doing that made me down the rest of the bottle pretty quick.

Score: 5 out of 10.

Spring Grove Soda Pop Black Cherry

I've had this kind a few times in the past, but this is my first time having it since starting this blog. I've really liked most Spring Grove sodas. I was ready for this after a recent hot summer day.

Brand: Spring Grove Black Cherry.

Origin: Spring Grove, MN.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This has a more "adult" flavored Black Cherry flavor. It's "deeper" and not as sugary as some some, and it emphasizes the BLACK in the Black Cherry a bit more - if that makes any sense. It's different, but pretty good. It's worth a try. (All Spring Grove sodas are!)

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Spring Grove Grape Soda

Take a moment and check out the first post ever on this blog. I wrote about Spring Grove Soda first turning me on to wanting to keep a "root beer journal." I drank most of my Spring Grove Soda stash before starting this blog, so I haven't written about many of their sodas.

Recently, my Mom surprised me with a case of assorted sodas for my birthday.  In it were a few more Spring Grove Sodas. One was grape:

Brand: Spring Grove Grape Soda

Origin: Spring Grove, MN.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I like grape soda, and I don't hide the fact that my wife and I love Diet Grape Faygo. But Spring Grove Grape is better. It's really soft and smooth compared to Grape Faygo. My wife said that it tasted like a Grape Jolly Rancher (but I wouldn't know about that). I'm giving it a full point higher than my Faygo review.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.