Jones Special Release Icee Cherry Soda

I opened this last night: 

Brand: Jones Special Release Icee Cherry Soda.

Origin: Seattle, WA.

Purchase Place: Cub Foods, Minneapolis, MN.

Sweetener: Inverted Cane Sugar.

Review: It SMELLS like a cherry Icee at first sniff! And the taste is right on when it first hit my tongue. But then it has a harsh, almost bitter flavor. As I think about it, it's about right on when sipping a melted Icee, but that's just not desirable to me. 

My wife tried it and said "Yum, it tastes like sipping a melted Icee!" But that was the exact reason I did NOT like it. So this soda is going to have varying reviews! If you've ever loved sipping a melted Icee (I haven't), this this soda is made for you.

It seemed to get better as I sipped (and that could partially be due to me just getting used to it), but I was hoping this would just be sweet and delicious... and it wasn't. I figured I'd love this, but it didn't live up to my expectations. Dang.

Score: 2.5 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.

Blue Sky Cola

I enjoyed this as I was prepping for class this evening:

With the messy instructor station behind the can.  #ReadyToTeach

Brand: Blue Sky Cola.

Origin: Tustin, CA.

Purchase Place: Mississippi Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Invert Cane Sugar.

Review: This is the last of the Blue Sky Sodas that my wife got for me 6 weeks ago. And I'm sad to see them go. And they ended on a high note! This was a really unique cola - it was very creamy and had more than a hint of vanilla. You could have told me this was a "vanilla cream soda" and I would have believed you 100%. It's unlike any cola I've had. It still has the slight "fruitiness" that many decent colas have, but there's more going on. A fun take on cola! Worth a try!

Score: 8 out of 10.

Blue Sky Root Beer Soda

I cracked into this earlier today: 

Brand: Blue Sky Root Beer Soda

Origin: Tustin, CA.

Purchase Place: Mississippi Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Invert Cane Sugar.

Review: This is still from my collection that my wife picked up for my last month. You may remember that their cream soda went over pretty well, and their black cherry was decent. Unfortunately, this one was the worst of the 3 so far. First of all, it was very weak, and I had to check that it wasn't diet. Second, it was oddly sharp/harsh. The root beer flavor was just OK. This wasn't a good root beer. I drank it all, but didn't love any moment of it.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.

Blue Sky Black Cherry Soda

My boys and I brought another one of the Blue Sky Sodas that my wife bought me on a recent trip up to Itasca State Park: 

On the porch table outside of our "four seasons" cabin at Lake Itasca.

Brand: Blue Sky Black Cherry Soda.

Origin: Tustin, CA.

Purchase Place: Mississippi Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Invert Cane Sugar.

Review: I've made this mistake before: when I took a sip, I was surprised that it was a CLEAR and NON-COLA "black cherry." That's my own issue - I just see "black cherry" and assume cola for some reason. Once I was past that, it had a pretty decent flavor. It seemed a LITTLE weak, but I think I was just visualizing that it was clear, and it was affecting me. It was good, but nothing special. I'll rank it just over average.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Blue Sky Cream Soda

My wife was out getting some groceries yesterday, and she grabbed a few Blue Sky sodas. The cashier was ADAMANT that Blue Sky's Cream Soda was one of his favorite sodas of all time. So she went back and grabbed that for me to try. And then she wanted me to try that one first: 

Brand: Blue Sky Soda.

Origin: Tustin, CA.

Purchase Place: Mississippi Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Invert Cane Sugar.

Review: OK, I'm not the BIGGEST fan of cream sodas... but this WAS pretty good. It was really sweet and SUPER smooth. It wasn't as life-changing for me as it was for the cashier. But my family and I all enjoyed it. If you are someone who likes cream sodas, make sure to give this a shot to see if the cashier was on to something...

Score: 7 out of 10.

Iron Horse Root Beer

I opened this earlier today as I was doing some grading: 

Brand: Iron Horse Root Beer.

Origin: Edina, MN.

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

Sweetener: Invert Sugar.

Review: In my mind, there as 2 "classic" root beer tastes: one that super creamy and smooth, and one that's got a bit of an anise bite. This is the latter. This has a full flavor and still has some creamy notes, but then it ends with a nice anise bite. It's a little much for me (I'm not huge on very anisey flavors), but still decent. For a second I was ready to say that this was a good hybrid of "smooth and bite," but there's WAY more anise flavor compared to the smoothness. I thought it was OK, but it'd be great for someone who prefers a bit more anise.

Score: 6 out of 10.

 

Cherry Vanilla Blue Sky Soda

I stopped by Mississippi Market on West 7th in St. Paul because we were driving by and I needed 1 thing for tacos later that day (a can of black beans), and this caught my eye:

Brand: Cherry Vanilla Blue Sky Soda.

Origin: Tustin, CA.

Purchase Place: Mississippi Market, St. Paul, MN. (The one on West 7th.)

Sweetener: Invert Cane Sugar.

Review: I'm always in for a surprise when I try a "hippie" soda - I never know what to expect. This one was quite good though! The vanilla was nice and sweet and smooth, and the cherry was good too. It didn't have the depth of a "cola" (and wasn't labeled as such), but it didn't skimp on flavor and went down well. Quite good!

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Jones Grape Soda

The grocery store in Alexandria (Elden's) had a sale on Jones soda on an end-cap:

So I grabbed two. The first one I opened was grape at the cabin:

Brand: Jones Grape Soda

Origin: Made in Canada.

Purchase Place: Elden's Grocery Store, Alexandria, MN.

Sweetener: Inverted Cane Sugar. 

Review: This was OK. It was a little “sharper” than I’d prefer, when I hoped it was smoother. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have the best flavor. Overall, just a bit lower than average.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Jones Birthday Cake Soda

I'm sipping on this during class right now:

Brand: Jones Birthday Cake Soda

Origin: Made in Canada.

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

Sweetener: Inverted Cane Sugar.

Review: Oh my God. It tastes like a sugary fun-fetti birthday cake. For real. I *like* sweet sodas, but this is too sweet to drink. It's a sipping soda for sure. If you like sweet cake/frosting like at a kids birthday party, you'll be happy with this. If you sometimes think some sodas are too sweet, this might be one of them. Good flavor, but a bit too sweet.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Jones Root Beer

After a race yesterday, I cracked into this:

Brand: Jones Root Beer.

Origin: Seattle, WA.

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

Sweetener: Inverted Cane Sugar.

Review: The first thing that hit me was the caramel flavor - it was a very "caramel-y" root beer. It wasn't too bad. It was pretty smooth with just a little bit of a foamy head. I thought it was OK. If you really like a bit of caramel flavor, then try this for sure. But I'll give it a slightly-above-average score of 6.5.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Jones Strawberry Lime Soda

I enjoyed this (with some pizza) the other night:

Brand: Jones Strawberry Lime Soda.

Origin: Seattle, WA.

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

Sweetener: Inverted Cane Sugar.

Review: Let it be known that "strawberry lime" would never be my first choice for a soda flavor. But this one was done well. Each sip started with the sweetness and smoothness of strawberry, and then ended with a little tart "kick" of lime. It was a nice balance.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Double Cola

I needed some caffeine yesterday, so I grabbed this:

Brand: Double Cola.

Origin: Chattanooga, TN.

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

Sweetener: Invert Sugar.

Review: This was generically OK. It's a decent soda with a slight fruity/berry taste. It has a nice bite. It's a good take on cola, but nothing amazing. I'll give it a score just above average.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Jones Cream Soda

I was working on building some raised veggie beds yesterday, so I grabbed a soda to enjoy while working:

Sitting on the corner of one of the raised beds being built.

Brand: Jones Cream Soda.

Origin: Seattle, Washington.

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

Sweetener: Inverted Cane Sugar.

Review: This smelled good, but just tasted off. It had a slight bite that tasted artificial. "Bite" has no place in a cream soda, and an "artificial" taste is never good. I didn't even quite finish this. Not good.

Score: 3 out of 10.