Fireman's Brew Cream Soda

I have this in class with me right now:

Brand: Fireman's Brew Cream Soda

Origin: Inyokern, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was just OK. The cream had a bit of a bite that I didn't care for. Not bad, but nothing fancy.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Dead World Royal Rotter Soda

I'm grading projects right now, and I just cracked into this:

Brand: Dead World Royal Rotter (Black Cherry) Soda

Origin: Detroit, MI.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was pretty good from the start. Surprisingly good. The black cherry flavor was deep and smooth. This went down fast. No big complaints about this - it was good!

Score: 9 out of 10.

Soda Jerk Joke

Blue Sun Soda recently posted this on Instagram:

If you're younger than me, you might not get the joke.  :)

Fitz's Strawberry Pop

I've had pretty good reactions to Fitz's Pop, and it was time to try another one in my classroom yesterday:

Brand: Fitz's Strawberry Pop.

Origin: St. Louis, MO.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The smell was unmistakeable when I popped the top, and the taste backed it up: it tasted like like my mother-in-law's strawberry pie. So that means it was very sweet, and almost tasted like rich strawberry Jell-O (which is used as the "binder" in her pie). It was sugary and pretty good. I MIGHT have actually been TOO sugary (which I RARELY say), but it was quite enjoyable. This final score might artificially be 1 point high because it reminds me of that great pie...

Score: 7 out of 10.

Oak Creek Blonde Barrel Aged Root Beer

I've been excited to try this, but it's been sitting in my fridge for 2 weeks. I finally opened it today:

Brand: Oak Creek Blonde Barrel Aged Root Beer.

Origin: Redding, California.

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

Sweetener: "25% brown sugar, 75% real sugar."

Review: This starts out tasting like a "blonde" root beer: it's a little weak at first. Almost like a cream soda (and I'm not just saying that based on the color). But it ends a bit more like a root beer with a fuller, more molasses flavor. It's very creamy, smooth, and totally unique. Has a bit of a funny taste when going down, but still a decent soda.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Weird Soda Can Art

I'd say "these people need a hobby," but it appears they already have one...

It make me nervous having a conductive outlet cover...

Coasters.

Twig's Lime Soda

Jeez, it's been nearly 3 weeks since I've posted! Sorry! I've had this in my fridge about that long, and maybe I've been scared to try it because of it's almost radioactive color:

Brand: Twig's Lime Soda.

Origin: Shawano, WI.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This was pretty "thick" (not in a bad way) and smooth. One of the ingredients is the controversial "brominated vegetable oil," and that maybe that lent itself to the "thick" feeling. It was good and went down easy. If things can be TOO sweet for you, this might be a little too much. But I thought its sweetness was good.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Fireman's Brew Cream Soda

I took this to class with me last week:

Brand: Firemans Brew Cream Soda.

Origin: Inyokern, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was decent, but a really nice vanilla flavor made this better. It was a solid smooth and creamy cream soda, but it had a nice extra kick of vanilla. Nothing too fancy, but a bit better than average.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Postobon Kola Flavored Soda

This is Colombian, so I didn't know what to expect:

Brand: Postobon Kola Flavored Soda.

Origin: Colombia, South America.

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

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: It was very berry-like, but I couldn't name the exact flavor. It had the strangest chocolate aftertaste! Really. It was odd and nearly completely destroyed the soda for me. Otherwise, it was pretty smooth and shippable. (Just get rid of that chocolate flavor!)

Score: 4 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.