Sprecher Vanilla Root Beer

My wife brought this home from Menards (LOVE HER) for me today: 

Brand: Sprecher Vanilla Root Beer.

Origin: Glendale, WI.

Purchase Place: Menards, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a very vanilla scent, and a very vanilla flavor. I didn't love it, but couldn't put my finger on "why" right away. Then I realized what was bothering me: I equate "vanilla" with "smooth," but this had a fair amount of bite after that initial vanilla flavor. It was just an odd combo.  

Score: 6 out of 10.

Mexicana Cola

I opened a soda from my recent trip to the Bloomington Blue Sun Soda Shop:

Brand: Mexicana Cola

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Bloomington, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar and Mexican Agave Syrup.

Review: This initially had a DEEP cola flavor, but it also had a bit of an unusual bitterness. I don't know for sure, but I'm assuming it might be from the agave as a sweetener. It's flavor was OK, but I was turned off a bit my the slight bitterness. In the end, it was worth trying, but not high on my list of colas.

Score: 6 out of 10.

It's Hard Out There on the Playground...

Baumeister Orange Old-Fashioned Soda

I opened this last night: 

Brand: Baumeister Orange Old-Fashioned Soda.

Origin: Green Bay, WI.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: Once I cracked the top, it smelled like a very smooth "creme"-like orange. I was intrigued. And the taste didn't disappoint! It was smooth, creamy, and very drinkable. It felt "classic" and yet "modern" at the same time. Orange soda is never near the top of my list, but this was quite good! I'm giving this a solid score...

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

W.T. Heck Dill Pickle Soda

We had one final Christmas party this past weekend. I brought down a "fun" soda to share.

On my mother-in-laws stove next to some tasty snacks.

 

My sister-in-law tried some before I did. This was her trying to swallow it.

Brand: W.T. Heck Dill Pickle Soda.

Origin: Spring Lake Park, MN.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: Before my sister-in-law tried it (pictured above), I give my father-in-law a sip and he didn't think it was too bad. But my father-in-law kind of eats/drinks anything, so that didn't mean much. My sister-in-law didn't like it. But when I tried it, I THOUGHT IT WASN'T TOO BAD! 

It smells HORRIBLE (like a jar of pickles that's not quite right) and super salty. And the first part of each sip tastes like salty pickle juice, but then all it tastes like is sweet sugary soda! That "combo" is what my sister-in-law couldn't handle, but I thought it made it quite drinkable! I mean, it's still not "good," but it was way less "bad" than I thought it'd be! This would be a fun gift for the pickle lover in your life.

Score: 4 out of 10 (which feels surprisingly higher than it could be!).

A Visit to the Bloomington Location of Blue Sun Soda

Yesterday, I stopped by the Bloomington location of Blue Sun Soda Shop. It was my first time at that location - I'd only been to the "original" store in Spring Lake Park, and I still need to visit their Richfield location as well at some point. I pulled in to their Bloomington location and was the only one in the lot:

A handful of short soda aisles.

The line of root beers!!!

Root beers more straight on.

I thought this was raisin soda at first... until I realized it was just the French translation.

The candy section of the store (past all the sodas).

I *nearly* walked away with a "vanilla bean" container of cotton candy as that sounded interesting!

Root beer barrels - these would have been good stocking stuffers!

 

I also refreshed my stash as I was there - I walked out with an assorted case of 12 sodas, including a few root beers that I've never had (and a novelty soda to take to a family gathering shortly).

Concrete / Coca Cola

This fall, I was stopped behind a truck that presumably hauled broken-up concrete, and their homemade sign was made to spoof Coca Cola:

Rocket Fizz Boosted Root Beer

I opened this earlier this afternoon, and I was a little scared: 

Brand: Rocket Fizz Boosted Root Beer.

Origin: Incline Village, NV.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: I didn't know what to think before opening it because it was packed with vitamins (150% of your DV of Niacin, B6, B12, and Pantothenic Acid) as well as 160 mg of caffeine. Yikes. I was ready for it to have a bit of an "off" or "chemically" taste with all those vitamins and that caffeine packed in there, but it wasn't too bad. It was pretty smooth, and went down fast (even though I tried to just sip it slow because of that caffeine). It still had a slightly "off" taste, but it wasn't bad! My son tried a few sips and really liked it. Give this a shot if you need a big shot of caffeine in the morning.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Bruce Cost Pomegranate with Hibiscus Ginger Ale

I opened this just now: 

Brand: Bruce Cost Pomegranate with Hibiscus Ginger Ale.

Origin: Brooklyn, NY.

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

Sweetener: Organic Cane Sugar.

Review: I was kinda not looking forward to this as I don't always enjoy that back-of-the-throat bite that ginger ale has. (My wife grabbed this for me while getting groceries this past weekend.) But there's something about the hibiscus flavor in this that sweetens this up and takes away that horrible bite! This wasn't bad! It still had the slight bite of ginger ale, but it wasn't too much. It was a real interesting and very drinkable ginger soda... and this coming from someone who isn't usually a fan of ginger! (Side note: I also enjoyed a little warning on the small label on the neck: "Separation is natural. Shake gingerly." #DadJoke)

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Soda Socks from Wish.com

 

I would wear these so much!