# Soft Drink Review Thread



## Dromond (Oct 14, 2008)

At another site I'm a member of, I've been doing soft drink reviews for some time. In this thread I am copying the reviews I've done for the other site, and when I'm finished I will start writing new reviews. This thread is not just for me, anyone can join in with reviews of their own.

Most of the reviews are of various kinds of root beer. I'm a root beer fanatic, and imagine myself to be something of a root beer connoisseur. Even so, I've reviewed other soft drinks as well.

I have a rating system, and I ripped off the following images to fit my system. One through five stars.

Witness:




= Undrinkable!



= A poor quality drink, but not a total loss.



= Not a bad drink. Enjoyable.



= A superior drink in nearly every respect.



= Among the best!

Without further ado, on with the first review!


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## Dromond (Oct 14, 2008)

Goose Island is a Chicago brewery more famous for beer than root beer. However, they do root beer and other sodas also.

Looking at the ingredient list I see a mixed bag of news. Cane sugar is good. Artificial flavor is not. Chemical preservatives are also present, another not good.

I will take a moment to comment on the label, which is aesthetically pleasing. Simple and bold. A somewhat retro look without being cheezy.

Off comes the cap, and the sniff test. A scent both rooty and sweet. An inviting smell. No undertones of other flavors that might be present.

And to drink: A strong sarsaparilla bite, moderated by the presence of real sugar. Hints of wintergreen flavor. The merest trace of a sweet aftertaste that lingers. The carbonation isn't strong, and the texture of the drink is smooth without being creamy. A repeated drink reveals a slight artificial tang to the aftertaste, which I now identify as the wintergreen flavor. If there are other flavors present, I don't notice them.

Conclusion:



A good quality drink despite the presence of artificial flavoring. I enjoy the bite of the flavor, and the aftertaste is weak enough to not ruin the experience. It's hard to imagine a good root beer that isn't creamy, but this one pulls it off. I recommend it.


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## BigBeautifulMe (Oct 14, 2008)

Subscribing! I love root beer.


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## Dromond (Oct 14, 2008)

_Since I'm copying, I will go ahead and post another one just for you!_

The label declares "Made by chef Gale Gand." A good pedigree. The label also says it is flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. Here we go...

Off comes the cap, and here comes the sniff test. The smell reminds me of cinnamon candy. An inviting smell, but I have to wonder at the strength of the cinnamon scent.

The scent is somewhat deceiving. The cinnamon taste is present, though mild. There is only a hint of vanilla in the flavor, allowing the rooty taste to come through. The carbonation is strong, and the mouthfeel is not smooth. Despite that, it's quite enjoyable. The only oddity is a transitory aftertaste that reminds me of perfume. The aftertaste doesn't last long enough to be unpleasant, however.

It has a good head when poured and it made me belch quite loudly, so that's a plus. :happy:

In conclusion, this is a mildly spicy root beer that makes for a very pleasant change of taste. I give Gale's Root Beer


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## Dromond (Oct 17, 2008)

I have before me a can of IRN BRU, complete with UK compliant packaging. This is obviously an import and not produced locally. The label does not say "high fructose corn syrup" on the ingredient list, but not knowing UK labeling standards I don't know if it would need to. Otherwise it looks fairly typical of a cola.

Okay... this is no cola. I don't know what that smell is, but it's definitely not cola. It smells kinda orangey or kinda peachy. *shrug* I can't place it.

Pouring the drink reveals a peach-like color, no head to speak of, and more of that odd scent. With some trepidation, I take a drink.

It has harsh carbonation, with a flavor that reminds me somewhat of beer. Despite the fruity nose, it doesn't really taste fruity. I have to concede I've never tasted a soft drink like this. The phosphoric aftertaste lingers a long time.

It's strange to my palate. I suppose you'd have to grow up with the drink to truly appreciate it, as it seems like an acquired taste. I wouldn't push it away if someone offered it to me, but I won't be buying any more for myself.




for IRN BRU.


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## BeaBea (Oct 17, 2008)

Dromond said:


> IRN BRU, ....Okay... this is no cola.



Lolololol - its very much an acquired taste, and more a Scottish one than an English one. You need RubyRipples to comment as she was probably bought up on the stuff!

I hate Root Beer but I like the way you write and this is so much a labour of love I cant wait to read more!
Tracey xx


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## Dromond (Oct 17, 2008)

Thank you, BeaBea! It very much is a labor of love. I really enjoy trying new soft drinks. My style in writing a review is to do it in real time. I write down my impressions of the drink at each step as it happens.


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## Dromond (Oct 18, 2008)

As always, the first thing I do is look at the label. The ingredient list is very promising indeed. Carbonated water, glucose-fructose syrup, malto-dextrin, raw Wisconsin honey, vanillin, vanilla extract, phosphoric acid, sodium benzoate.

The presence of honey and vanilla make me really want to taste this.

The sniff test reveals a mellow and sweet scent. Almost soothing. Vanilla is strongly represented, and the sweet scent must be the honey.

Time for a drink: It's hard to get a handle on this flavor. I've taken several drinks and still am struggling to find a way to describe it. The vanilla dominates every flavor vector, from the initial hit to the aftertaste. It's all vanilla, all the time. The honey is there as an undertone, and I can taste wintergreen too. There is no carbonic burn at all. The phosphate harshness is absent except for a tickle at the back of my throat. The drink is amazingly smooth, much more so than I would believe from a brew with phosphate in it.

In summary, it's a fine drink.



for Sprecher Brewery Root Beer Soda.


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## Ruby Ripples (Oct 18, 2008)

Dromond said:


> I have before me a can of IRN BRU, complete with UK compliant packaging. This is obviously an import and not produced locally. The label does not say "high fructose corn syrup" on the ingredient list, but not knowing UK labeling standards I don't know if it would need to. Otherwise it looks fairly typical of a cola.
> 
> Okay... this is no cola. I don't know what that smell is, but it's definitely not cola. It smells kinda orangey or kinda peachy. *shrug* I can't place it.
> 
> ...



This is Scotland's other national drink! It was originally called iron brew but they had to change the spelling long long ago as there is no iron in it. It is famous in Scotland as a hangover cure, and no self respecting taxi driver would be without a bottle by his side all day long. It's more than a drink here, it's an institution! Watch the "If" advert here and you might see how important it is.  ps. Our irn bru has sugar, no corn syrup nonsense. Ingredients - Carbonated water, sugar (carbohydrate), citric acid, flavourings (including caffeine and quinine), preservative (E211), colours (E110, E124), ammonium ferric citrate (0.002%). Quinine! It'll be good even for cramp! 

Real connoiseurs of the drink insist that it only tastes good if drunk cold from the orginal glass bottle version. The other advantage of this is that you get 20p back (40c) if you return the empty bottle to the shop you bought it from, to be reused! 



http://www.irn-bru.co.uk/if








BeaBea said:


> Lolololol - its very much an acquired taste, and more a Scottish one than an English one. You need RubyRipples to comment as she was probably bought up on the stuff!
> 
> I hate Root Beer but I like the way you write and this is so much a labour of love I cant wait to read more!
> Tracey xx



I might have been, if my mum were not too mean to buy us fizzy drinks! We had Treetops orange diluted about one part in twenty, or milk!  

View attachment ib_bottle.jpg


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## sunnie1653 (Oct 18, 2008)

Dromond said:


> As always, the first thing I do is look at the label. The ingredient list is very promising indeed. Carbonated water, glucose-fructose syrup, malto-dextrin, raw Wisconsin honey, vanillin, vanilla extract, phosphoric acid, sodium benzoate.
> 
> The presence of honey and vanilla make me really want to taste this.
> 
> ...




Ahhhh yummy. Sprecher's is the BEST. I always bring home a crapton when I go home to visit my Mom.


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## Dromond (Oct 30, 2008)

Sorry I've not updated this in a while. Here is one for you SoCal people!

Monterey Bay Soda, Root Beer by the Beach.

The label is pretty straightforward. I assume it is an image of Monterey Bay. The ingredient list is okay. It contains cane sugar, honey, vanilla, as well as natural and artificial flavors.

Off comes the top. The scent has a strong presence of cinnamon among the vanilla. I'm thinking there is peppermint here too? Seems like an odd thing to be in root beer.

Now for the taste test. The first drink went down smooth. It is a creamy drink, with subdued carbonation. There is definitely cinnamon here. What I thought was peppermint isn't. I'm thinking it is artificial wintergreen flavoring. That adds a somewhat unpleasant tang to the flavor, which is thankfully mitigated to a great degree by the honey sweetness. The vanilla is not strong at all, being more of a subtle undertone. The cane sugar also adds sweetness without being syrupy.

In conclusion, a mellow root beer with a complex flavor that is very good. It would be great if they would use all natural flavors.



for Monterey Bay Root Beer by the Beach. The artificial wintergreen keeps it from a perfect score.


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## AnotherJessica (Oct 30, 2008)

I have been on a root beer kick lately and the best I have ever had is from a restaurant called Tom Wahls if anybody has been there or heard of it. They make their own. It's so yummy! :eat2:


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## Dromond (Oct 30, 2008)

Homemade root beer is absolutely the best!


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## katorade (Oct 30, 2008)

As a huge root beer fan myself, I find it pretty baffling that my favorite throughout the years is still Barq's. It's chock full of junk and not small batch draft root beer, but I don't know...it's delicious.


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## Fuzzy (Oct 31, 2008)

katorade said:


> As a huge root beer fan myself, I find it pretty baffling that my favorite throughout the years is still Barq's. It's chock full of junk and not small batch draft root beer, but I don't know...it's delicious.



Barq's is really different that all the other rootbeers. Its that bite, that I think is licorice. I had my first Barq's rootbeer while visiting Florida in 1980. I'm not sure if it was just the flavor, or the additional umph from the caffiene that most rootbeers don't have. Drank it like water.


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## katorade (Oct 31, 2008)

I thought Barq's was caffeine free.

To me, I think it's just the lack of that earthiness a lot of other root beers tend to have that sort of muddy up the taste. The wintergreen-type root beer flavor really comes across crisply. 

One I was rather disappointed in was Virgil's. It's won so many awards and I was psyched to try it. I think the spices may have been a little overwhelming. I dunno, it's hard for me to remember the taste exactly, but "dirty" comes to mind. I was pissed, too, that stuff's like 6 bucks for a 4-pack!


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## Dromond (Oct 31, 2008)

Barq's is a different breed of mass market root beer. Of the mass market category, it is one of my favorites. It's not licorice which gives Barq's it's signature bite, but rather anise. Barq's also has a very good head, which is important for a root beer. It makes a high quality root beer float.

Barq's does have caffeine, which is an exception to the rule. Root beer does not normally have caffeine.


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## Dromond (Oct 31, 2008)

katorade said:


> I thought Barq's was caffeine free.
> 
> To me, I think it's just the lack of that earthiness a lot of other root beers tend to have that sort of muddy up the taste. The wintergreen-type root beer flavor really comes across crisply.
> 
> One I was rather disappointed in was Virgil's. It's won so many awards and I was psyched to try it. I think the spices may have been a little overwhelming. I dunno, it's hard for me to remember the taste exactly, but "dirty" comes to mind. I was pissed, too, that stuff's like 6 bucks for a 4-pack!



I hear you. Virgil's root beer was a huge disappointment for me. They make a great cream soda, though.


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## katorade (Oct 31, 2008)

Dromond said:


> I hear you. Virgil's root beer was a huge disappointment for me. They make a great cream soda, though.



I'm also a huuuge cream soda fan, but I do have trouble sometimes finding one that has a lot of vanilla flavor without being cloyingly sweet. I wish more soda makers would use a little bit of salt. I really dislike the ones that have that weird chemical tutti-frutti taste, blech.

In your honor, I'm going to go buy some wacky soda at work today to try out.


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## Dromond (Oct 31, 2008)

katorade said:


> I'm also a huuuge cream soda fan, but I do have trouble sometimes finding one that has a lot of vanilla flavor without being cloyingly sweet. I wish more soda makers would use a little bit of salt. I really dislike the ones that have that weird chemical tutti-frutti taste, blech.
> 
> In your honor, I'm going to go buy some wacky soda at work today to try out.



I am honored. :blush:


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## Dromond (Oct 31, 2008)

Up for consideration today is Jackson Hole Soda Co. Buckin' Root Beer.

The label is cute. Very old west in feel, with two marshals stars on the label, and a central graphic of a cowboy being thrown from a bull. The ingredient list: Carbonated Filtered Water, Real Sugar, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Caramel Color, and Sodium Benzoate. Promising, except for the dreaded "artificial flavors."

Holy moses, that's a real bottle top. No mere twist off imitation, this sucker needs a bottle opener. Fortunately I have one handy.

I smelled the scent even before putting my nose to the bottle. The smell is STRONG, and medicinal. That's a cinnamon scent. A powerful cinnamon scent. Yikes.

With some trepidation, I take forge ahead and take a drink.

This root beer assaults the senses. It's the root beer equivalent of a drive-by shooting. The flavor is harsh, bitter, and definitely medicinal. Not smooth, not creamy, not sweet. The aftertaste is equally sadistic, with a lingering bitterness that almost brings tears to the eyes. The carbonic acid is strong, despite the lack of actual carbonation. But for the absence of it on the label, I would swear there was phosphoric acid in this root beer. It does not taste at all like root beer, and it does not feel like root beer in the mouth.

This gastronomic outrage is not even worth a rating.


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## katorade (Nov 1, 2008)

Okay, so my venture was way more fulfilling than yours, I'm sure! 

Today's venture was a canned soda, actually revisiting an old fave of mine that I haven't had in quite some time. Canfield's diet (gasp!) chocolate fudge soda. Rarely do you find the words diet, fudge, and soda in the same title.

Initial impression of the smell: Chocolate cake or something like a hard chocolate candy. It doesn't have that milky smell that accompanies a chocolate bar, definitely much sweeter and syrupy with a slight note of coffee about it. You would imagine it would taste a lot like Hershey's syrup.

The color is gorgeous, first off. It's not a typical brown like cola or root beer. It's thick like a good root beer, but has almost a reddish tint to it, like cocoa powder (imagine that!). It also isn't heavily carbonated, which I find to be a problem with most diet sodas. They can be caustic on the tongue where as this seems to have a very gentle bubble about it and even has a creamy head like root beer.

As far as taste is concerned, this is the best diet soda I've ever had. Hands down. I would actually pick this over a lot of regular sodas, and I HATE artificial sweetener. I think the trick is that they don't try to fight to hide the aspartame, rather they work around it and balance it with other flavors. Cocoa seems to be a great deep balance to aspartame's insanely sweet punch. The aspartame bitterness even seems to taste GOOD in this soda.
It TASTES like old fashioned chocolate soda, but more specifically, like a tootsie roll. It has a rounded out flavor that lingers, but leaves a rather pleasant aftertaste. I imagine this would make an incredible soda float, completely destroying its diet potential. It's still as good as I remember.

All in all, I give it a 4.5/5, if only because I would really like to try a non-diet version.


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## Surlysomething (Nov 1, 2008)

A&W Diet Root beer


I have the diabetes and find this the most delicious diet pop ever.


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## Shosh (Nov 1, 2008)

I love root beer! I have not had any in many moons, but I simply adore it.

Meanwhile do you guys like cordial? I know it is a drink from childhood, but I like it and drink it often as it is not carbonated. I dilute it a fair bit.
I am drinking some orange punch cordial right now actually. You can get all kinds of flavors.


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## Dromond (Nov 1, 2008)

The best diet root beer I've ever run across is diet Stewart's. Normally the flavor of aspartame or sucralose absolutely ruins root beer. But in the case of Stewart's, it seems to work.


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## Dromond (Nov 1, 2008)

katorade said:


> Okay, so my venture was way more fulfilling than yours, I'm sure!
> 
> Today's venture was a canned soda, actually revisiting an old fave of mine that I haven't had in quite some time. Canfield's diet (gasp!) chocolate fudge soda. Rarely do you find the words diet, fudge, and soda in the same title.
> 
> ...



I remember this drink! But I haven't seen Canfield's sodas in my local stores for years. This is a blast from the past!


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## Shosh (Nov 1, 2008)

Dromond said:


> The best diet root beer I've ever run across is diet Stewart's. Normally the flavor of aspartame or sucralose absolutely ruins root beer. But in the case of Stewart's, it seems to work.



I was told not to drink fizzy drink after having my lap band inserted. I miss root beer. I do not miss other carbonated drinks though, never think of them.


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## Dromond (Nov 1, 2008)

I was not able to drink carbonated drinks until six months after my surgery. Now I can drink carbonated beverages in small amounts, say two or three ounces. A shot glass is about the right size.

It is a myth, by the way, that carbonated drinks will stretch your stomach out. The stomach has two openings, so there is no way for the carbonation to build up enough pressure to actually stretch it.


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## katorade (Nov 1, 2008)

Dromond said:


> I remember this drink! But I haven't seen Canfield's sodas in my local stores for years. This is a blast from the past!



Do you have a Fresh Market out there?


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## Dromond (Nov 1, 2008)

No we don't have. This is something I will have to look up on the 'net.


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## MissToodles (Nov 1, 2008)

Love this thread! Boylan's is one of my favorite sodas, have you done a review yet? 

Okay, something which is hard to find outside of nyc and found really in certain neighborhoods (traditionally Italian strongholds)tri-state area is Manhattan Special, still bottled in Brooklyn since 1895. It's an carbonated expresso beverage, made with cane sugar. It's much better than any bottled Starbucks drink, with a much purer coffee flavor. It certainly gives you a boost.

And how can anyone resist the label below, it fascinated me as a child.


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## Dromond (Nov 1, 2008)

MissToodles said:


> Love this thread! Boylan's is one of my favorite sodas, have you done a review yet?



Yes I have! Here it is:

Up for consideration is Boylan Bottleworks root beer.

The label is quite plain, but the bottle itself is rather stylish. No mere glass bottle, it has an embossed design on the reverse side, and the label itself (along with the ingredient list) is painted onto the glass. I'm impressed with it and I haven't even opened the bottle yet.

I open the bottle and take a sniff. The aroma is STRONG. This does not bode well, but we shall see.

The flavor is equally strong. A very rooty taste, with strong carbonation. This is not a root beer for the faint of heart. But even with the kick it has, the flavor is not offensive. I worried from the aroma that it would have a bad aftertaste or even taste like medicine. Neither is the case here. Now here is something strange, yucca extract is listed on the ingredient list. That might explain the strong flavor.

Conclusion: Not smooth, not creamy, not sweet. But even with all that going against it, it's not bad. Someone looking for a potent root beer should be quite pleased with it.



for Boylan Bottleworks root beer.


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## ThatFatGirl (Nov 1, 2008)

Dromond, have you had a chance to try/review Fitz's from your neighboring state of MO? I'm not a huge rootbeer fan, but I like their offering just fine. I definitely enjoy the food there.

Also, in a previous post you mentioned something had anise flavoring rather than licorice.. isn't anise the spice that gives licorice its flavor? I love sucking on anise candies because they taste like black licorice to me.


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## Dromond (Nov 1, 2008)

Fitz's root beer is quite good, I do enjoy it. 

Anise and licorice are two different spices, though anise oil is sometimes added to licorice candy for flavor. Interesting fact: people with liver disease should not eat licorice because licorice oil contains a chemical that is hepatotoxic, though a healthy liver can deal with the chemical in reasonable amounts. Anise is not toxic in any way.


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## Fuzzy (Nov 8, 2008)

My favorite, dry, not too sweet, really refreshing cream soda.. was discontinued back in the 90s. I've been impatiently waiting for its return:


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## Dromond (Nov 11, 2008)

I never had Barq's cream soda. In fact, I didn't know Barq's had ever made a cream soda. You've just taught me something.


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## Dromond (Nov 11, 2008)

_I dug out my old review of Fitz's root beer!_

A new root beer to try!

This time it's Fitz's Premium root beer. Without further ado...

Time to remove the cap and give it the sniff test. Very pleasant aroma. Reminiscent of vanilla and some sort of fruit that I'm not able to identify. This is a smell that invites drinking.

The first drink: A smooth yet complex taste, including vanilla, wintergreen, and that unidentifiable fruit flavor again. A bit sweet, but the sweetness is welcome as it comes from cane sugar rather than corn syrup. There is no aftertaste to speak off, and the carbonation is rather light.

Conclusion: A good root beer experience. It does not stand out as one of the best root beers, but it definitely has a place in my refrigerator.




for Fitz's Premium.


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## Tooz (Nov 12, 2008)

Surlysomething said:


> A&W Diet Root beer
> 
> 
> I have the diabetes and find this the most delicious diet pop ever.



I DON'T have the diabetes and find this the most delicious soda ever! :batting:


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## altered states (Nov 12, 2008)

Dromond said:


> Up for consideration is Boylan Bottleworks root beer.
> 
> ...
> 
> ...



I've tried Boylans Root Beer and Cola and I really, really disliked them. I'm not a soda fan, but I felt they were both too sweet, and totally without the bite I expect from either flavor. Worse, both sodas had an overwhelming sticky "bubblegum" taste that got in the way of what they were supposed to taste like. Rather than feeling refreshed, it felt like my mouth was coated after each sip. IBC has it all over Boylans, in my opinion.


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## altered states (Nov 12, 2008)

MissToodles said:


> Okay, something which is hard to find outside of nyc and found really in certain neighborhoods (traditionally Italian strongholds)tri-state area is Manhattan Special, still bottled in Brooklyn since 1895. It's an carbonated expresso beverage, made with cane sugar. It's much better than any bottled Starbucks drink, with a much purer coffee flavor. It certainly gives you a boost.
> [/IMG]



I used to live down the street from the factory (It's on Manhattan Avenue, in the ginzo section of Greenpoint). My grandmother always had a bottle in the fridge, as did many Jews of a certain age I grew up around. I hadn't had it in years and saw it in a bodega recently and decided to take a trip down memory lane. I was shocked at how unbelievably sweet it is - now I understand why they sell it in 6 oz. bottles. I don't like super-sweet stuff in general, so maybe I'm not the best guide, but I reckon you can take one of the mini-bottles and cut it by 2/3 with seltzer and have a really, really good drink that won't make your ears pop off. Also I could see doing something alcoholic with this, maybe with vodka. For people who dig soda, it's something unique and worth ordering if you're outside the pale of NYCivilization.


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## Tooz (Nov 12, 2008)

tres huevos said:


> [...]if you're outside the pale of NYCivilization.



Sigh.

...............


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## altered states (Nov 12, 2008)

I was weaning myself off Coca Cola a few years after college and came up with the idea of cutting the Coke with seltzer a bit at a time, until I was basically drinking tan seltzer with a little cola essence. Yummy. I still like straight-up Coke with pizza or chinese food or anything spicy, though, but HFSC is evil (despite what the corn lobby is telling you on TV). So I was psyched to discover GUS - "Grown Up Sodas." They're made with sugar, not HFSC, and very few other ingredients, all of which are natural. The "grown up" part is that they're about half as sweet as most sodas. To give you an idea, they're about 95 calories per 12 oz bottle, as opposed to 180-220 for standard stuff (just to give you an idea of the sweetness level). I've tried the pink grapefruit, meyer lemon, pomegranate (yeah, I know), and dry cola, which is now my favorite. The stuff is expensive though, and tends to be sold at gourmet stores when I can find it.


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## altered states (Nov 12, 2008)

Tooz said:


> Sigh.
> 
> ...............



I thought that was kind of clever.


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## vardon_grip (Nov 12, 2008)

Dromond said:


> _I dug out my old review of Fitz's root beer!_
> 
> A new root beer to try!
> 
> ...



I heard of Fitz's through Chowhounds and had the opportunity to go to the restaurant while driving through St. Louis. I liked the root beer on tap better than the bottle which was good, but a little two dimensional. (Their orange cream soda was excellent) The Black and Bleu burger that I had with the root beer was pretty good also.

Thomas Kemper root beer is my hands down fave.


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## Dromond (Nov 12, 2008)

vardon_grip said:


> Thomas Kemper root beer is my hands down fave.



Thomas Kemper is a good brand of root beer for sure. My all time favorite is a toss up between Sprecher's and Gray's.


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## Tooz (Nov 13, 2008)

tres huevos said:


> I thought that was kind of clever.



Well, it's such a common mindset I find from people I have known from NYC. "If you're not in NYC, then you're nowhere!" kind of thing. Yeah.


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## AppreSheAte (Nov 13, 2008)

I used to think A&W root beer was the best, and I think it definitely ranks up there still.

Sprecher's is my favorite bottled root beer and their cream soda is one of my favorites too.

A newcomer to the root beer field that might be able to claim the prize as my favorite isn't available, to the best of my knowledge, in bottles. It's only sold at Culver's. Try it, you'll like it!

Creamy, rich, sweet, and even some tanginess. Excellent! I don't believe it's available in diet form, and I believe I heard it uses sugar cane as its sweetner, rather than corn syrup - that's a plus in my book. 

If you're there for a meal, try the dinners, even though they're known for their burgers, and of course don't forget dessert! Their creamy smooth rich frozen custard is special, and I love their turtle sundae with hot fudge, caramel and pecans. Make sure to ask for whipped cream, they don't put it on unless you ask usually. 

Dieting is so much fun! NOT. Especially with this kind of temptation so near by.:eat2:


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## altered states (Nov 13, 2008)

Tooz said:


> Well, it's such a common mindset I find from people I have known from NYC. "If you're not in NYC, then you're nowhere!" kind of thing. Yeah.



Oops, yeah, I see what you mean, but it wasn't what I meant. My point was strictly that Manhattan Special is an NYC metro thing. You can find the stuff in delis in NYC suburbs and satellites that would make Wasilla seem like Paris in terms of cultural sophistication, trust me. No one in, say, Patchogue is looking down their noses at anyone.

(...wait for dude from Patchogue to lose it...)


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## Imp (Nov 13, 2008)

Caffeine free diet Pepsi.

Less filling, tastes great! Hands down the best thing ev!


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## GWARrior (Nov 13, 2008)

Dromond said:


> I have before me a can of IRN BRU, complete with UK compliant packaging. This is obviously an import and not produced locally. The label does not say "high fructose corn syrup" on the ingredient list, but not knowing UK labeling standards I don't know if it would need to. Otherwise it looks fairly typical of a cola.
> 
> Okay... this is no cola. I don't know what that smell is, but it's definitely not cola. It smells kinda orangey or kinda peachy. *shrug* I can't place it.
> 
> ...



I adore Irn Bru!! Whenever I go to scottish festivals, I buy some. I agree tho, it does have a weird taste.


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## katorade (Nov 14, 2008)

So I can't seem to remember whether or not it was posted earlier, but I'm gonna put my 2 cents in anyway.

Berghoff's "famous draft style" rootbeer. 

Founded in 1898 as a restaurant, although the root beer has only been around 50 years or so. Apparently the restaurant is no longer, but the root beer lives on. That's a good sign! The ingredients are as follows:
-Carbonated Water
-Pure Cane Sugar (yay!)
-Caramel Color
-Sodium Benzoate
-Natural Flavor (yay again, but boo for not listing them!)
-Citric Acid

Definitely a nice short list with a very refreshing lack of artificial ingredients. 

The smell: The initial hint is very wintergreen and vanilla, with a good dose of anise. Breathe deeper and you may even pick up...sassafras? Something a little tart smelling, I can't place it. Maybe it's birch? Whatever it is, it's a lovely complement and balances out the numbing sweetness of the first 3 that can kill a root beer for me.

First taste: Very vanilla. It's almost like a hybrid of root beer and cream soda. You definitely pick of the creamy sweetness of cane sugar (think of getting to the last few sips of sweet tea). At first I was thinking this was going to be another sad weak draft root beer with no bite. Boo. Then I had another sip. What the...that first punch of vanilla is now gone! Now I'm really picking up that peppery birch and wintergreen. :smitten: 

This is a highly drinkable root beer. The carbonation is very light, so the flavors shine through without being obnoxious to the nose. The anise leaves a realistic numbness on the tongue. You can definitely pick out the cane sugar. If it wasn't for that, you could probably use this root beer as mouthwash, haha. The aftertaste is wonderful. It's very clean and not sour at all and my mouth actually feels fresh. Dare I say that this is the draft root beer Barq's aspires to be?
I even let it flatten out a bit towards the end to see if it stood up to the carbonation test. The last few sips were definitely sweeter and you taste more cane sugar and vanilla like a cream soda, but it's still very yummy for being flat soda. It's been about 15 minutes since I finished it off and still there's no hint of sourness or a cloying sensation in my mouth, just lovely anise and maybe nutmeg.

I'm pretty picky when it comes to root beer, and I'm going to have to give this one a 5 out of 5.:wubu:


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## Dromond (Nov 14, 2008)

Great review! *applauds loudly*

I've got a brand spanking NEW review!

Up for consideration is Boylan Bottleworks diet root beer.

I've had Boylan root beer and and birch beer, both of which are good. My general inclination is to avoid diet root beer, as I've never found one that truly appeals to my palate. Previous good experiences with Boylan products led me to give this one a try.

The ingredient list is somewhat obscure. Carbonated water, natural and artificial flavors (but which flavors?), caramel color, natural yucca extract, citric acid is listed twice... must be a typo... sodium benzoate, sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

Off comes the top. It has a subtle nose, with wintergreen and sarsaparilla being prominent. The scent has a slightly bitter undertone that I tentatively attribute to the yucca extract. I'm worried that the lack of true sugar will allow the bitterness I can smell to come through too strongly.

Pouring reveals a satisfying head, but it is short lived. Within a few seconds the head disperses. The scent noted before is the same when poured, no additional characteristics showing themselves.

Now to drink. Hmmm. The mouth feel is watery, and is trying to evoke a memory. Why does this feel familiar? The carbonation isn't offensive, but it does give a transitory burn on the tongue. This drink is not sweet, and the flavor is very mild. The aftertaste presents the bitterness I noticed in the scent. It too is mild, so the bitterness is not very distracting.

That memory finally came to the surface. The mouth feel is very similar to mouthwash. LOL Root beer flavored mouthwash, what a concept!

In conclusion: Despite the mouthwash feel of it, the flavor isn't that bad. I've definitely tasted far worse diet root beers. So,



for Boylans Diet Root Beer. It's quite decent for a diet drink.


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## katorade (Nov 16, 2008)

Hey Dromond, what would you think about doing a joint review one day? Go grab a bottle of something delicious and see what we both think about it? I'd love to see how different they are!


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## Dromond (Nov 16, 2008)

Hey, I like that idea. That could be a lot of fun!


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## traveldude1961 (Nov 23, 2008)

I know most of us who are large still enjoy diet Soda, Here in the Northeast has "waist watcher" Soda made by Adirondack beverages, The Root Beer and Cream Soda are 1st rate, and the cola is acceptable if nothing else is on sale.


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## JMNYC (Nov 23, 2008)

Latest, where free refills are available, like some Chipotles:

Diet coke, with a squirt of root beer at the top.

Shot o'sugar and personality. 

View attachment Diet crack.jpg


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## JMNYC (Nov 23, 2008)

accidental double post


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## katorade (Nov 23, 2008)

Oooh, double threat today! I'm reviewing two today, the one sitting in front of me, and one I had with my sushi last night (that is a whole other thread. I thought I hated sushi, then I had crispy shrimp rolls, but I digress...).

First up, San Pellegrino's Limonata:





Totally not my photo, but it's an adorable shot. Thank you whoever took it.

Initial impression: I love the bottle. It's the cutest thing ever. It reminds me of a classy version of an Orangina bottle. It's particularly small at only 6 oz., but if you're a slow sipper and just want a little something, it's the perfect size. I rarely finish a drink before it gets warm or flat, so its diminutive size didn't bother me one bit. I was a little disappointed that the cap wasn't twist off, but I know how to do that handy edge-of-the-counter trick. May not be as easy if you want one on the go. It is available in cans, though.
Mine was in clear green glass, although I've seen it in a darker green. There is a visible layer of pulp/sediment at the bottom of the bottle, which makes my mouth water. Hooray for actual lemon juice (12% by content)! I love real lemons, hate lemon flavor or things that just use lemon oil. It has that lovely white milky tint to it that comes with real lemon juice rather than that scary hyper yellow color. I am going to risk sounding like a huge dork, but it's so pretty. I want to line a row of them up on a window sill, that's how pretty they are.

Glancing at the ingredients list is also pleasing. [FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Water, lemon juice from concentrate, sugar, carbon dioxide, natural flavors, l-ascorbic acid. That's it. I have seen some in the past that listed HFCS as an ingredient, so I'm ecstatic they've done away with that.[/FONT]

The smell is luscious. It smells like a nice sweet Meyer lemon. It doesn't have the acidic hit to it that some bitter lemon sodas have that are usually packed with lemon oil. It's juicy and almost floral. If they made a perfume, I'd so wear it. 

First taste: After gently turning over the bottle to mix the sediment, mmmm. It's JUST sweet enough. It is literally like drinking fresh squeezed lemonade with some club soda added. The soda keeps it from being too thick and pungent, and the lemon juice and sugar are just enough to cut the dryness of the soda. The balance of the ratio of soda to juice is perfect. There isn't what I would really want to call a sourness or tartness, more of a mouth-watering zing. The kind that makes you smack your lips afterwards. I'm beginning to rethink my happiness about this tiny bottle. If this comes in a wine bottle size, I'm set. I'm gunning to try Limonata's orange sister, Aranciata.

Overall, I'm really pleased. I have been disappointed with San Pellegrino before. I think their mineral water tastes too heavily of clay and Chinotto was positively undrinkable (but if you like Moxie or bitter marmalade, you'll probably enjoy it). Their unsweetened club sodas are just not my thing. This has restored my faith. It would pair fantastically with a vinegary salad or light cold pasta, a white wine seafood dish, or a nice little fruit and cheese platter. It went swimmingly (har har) with my sushi. My only issues were that after a bottle, the flavor became a bit numbing and...I don't know, singular. It would also be fabulous as a mixer, which may help round out the flavor.

I give it 4 tasties. :eat2::eat2::eat2::eat2:

ACT TWO: 

AJ Stephan's Boston pure can sugar Root Beer. "New England's Best Tonic".

Apparently it's been around since 1926. The website is a little obscure for their flavors outside of their ginger beer, which is apparently their biggest seller. The ingredients are Pure carbonated water, cane sugar, flavor, caramel color, and sodium benzoate. I love that it's "pure" carbonated water. The cane sugar is a plus, but I'm unsure about the "flavor". Just flavor? Natural? Artificial? Gimme some specifics, people! At least there are no freaky additives. The bottle is pretty boring. 




It looks sort of like it was printed on a home label maker. It's kind of charming when you think of it that way, but yeah...snore. Hopefully that just means that they don't have to rely on catchy graphics to sell it. So yeah, now that I'm thoroughly unexcited about trying it, let's give it a shot!

Smell: Smells like...root beer. Descriptive, I know. It's very sweet smelling, like you just opened a bag of root beer flavored candy. Another good, deep whiff reveals a blossoming ginger smell, and a hint of fruitiness. I'm not surprised about the ginger, since that seems to be their thing. I don't smell much that would typically stand out in a draft style root beer, like birch or wintergreen. It almost smells like cotton candy. It's a rather pleasing smell, but a bit unexpected.

It has a nice dark caramel color, but not much of a head. The carbonation is rather sparkling, which leads me to believe it's not very syrupy.

Initial taste: Sweet. Very sweet. Sweet tea sweet. It does have some peppery notes at the finish that keep it from being cloying, but the aftertaste is almost like it's been in an aluminum can. It's also a bit watery. I'm pretty sure the "flavors" come from a root beer extract and this is almost assuredly not draft root beer. The residual flavor it leaves in your mouth is slightly sour and a bit papery. Wood pulpy, and not in that good birch way. It's almost chalky or dusty tasting. It's extremely effervescent as well. When it hits your tongue, it does feel like it's building a little bit of that creaminess, which is good. But then it keeps building and turns into foaminess, which is...well...who likes foaming at the mouth.

You can definitely tell that this root beer was an afterthought and not the focus of the company's line. The body would match a ginger ale very well, since the effervescence complements the sweetness and enhances the spiciness, but it does absolutely nothing for the depth of flavor you expect from a good, creamy root beer. I occasionally picked up a hint of cinnamon and a bit of a licorice-like numbing, but not really their true flavors. The flavor is light, but not horrendous, I just can't get over the papery aftertaste. It actually reminds me of Pepsi holiday spice, which I wasn't terribly fond of, either. I'll probably finish the bottle, but won't be buying it again.

2 wishy washy tasties.:eat2::eat2:


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## PamelaLois (Nov 23, 2008)

I also have the diabetes and only drink diet soda. I am addicted to Diet Rite Red Raspberry soda, I sometimes go through 2 or 3 two liter bottles in a day. I can't get enough of it. Sweet and full of berry flavor, it's just so tasty. Diet Rite Tangerine is also very good when I crave orange flavored something. I am not keen on the Grape, Black Cherry or Kiwi/Strawberry flavors, but they aren't bad. The Diet Rite Cola absolutely sucks, can't stand it, literally makes me gag when I taste it. I am currently enjoying the Sierra Mist Free Cranberry soda for the holidays. Not quite as sweet as the D-R Red R-berry, but so tasty with a good deal of cranberry flavor.


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## Dromond (Nov 25, 2008)

For your reviewing pleasure, we have Virgil's Special Edition Bavarian Nutmeg.

First, as always, the bottle. The bottle itself is attractively designed, with a ceramic stopper held down by a wire clamp assembly. The label was poorly applied, however, being wrinkled and coming off the bottle. The ingredient list is quite complete, listing EVERYTHING in the brew. Ingredients: anise, honey, licorice, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg (of course), clove, wintergreen, casia oil, sweet birch, molasses, carbonated water, unbleached cane sugar, and natural caramel color. The label claims the water is from the Bohemian Forest region of Bavaria. "One of the purest sources in the world for water." Ahoy hoy.

Unclamping the cap was rewarded with a delightful champagne-like pop of the ceramic stopper. Removing the stopper revealed a complex scent of many spices, the licorice and anise being most pronounced. I had some trepidation as strong licorice flavor tends to ruin my root beer experience.

Pouring the brew into a frosted mug revealed almost no head to speak of.

The first drink noted a creamy mouthfeel, which was nice, but the licorice note to the main body of the flavor was overpowering. The nutmeg immortalized on the label was nowhere to be tasted. As I suspected from the almost total lack of head to the root beer, the carbonation was anemic. The aftertaste was dominated again by the licorice, but a slight burn in the throat lingering long after the aftertaste suggested anise to my mind.

In conclusion, this was a disappointing $4 bottle of root beer. The lack of carbonation, and the harshness of the flavor and discomfort of the aftertaste leads me to give this a big ZERO. Not even one star.

At least the bottle is nice...


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## BigBeautifulMe (Nov 27, 2008)

katorade said:


> Okay, so my venture was way more fulfilling than yours, I'm sure!
> 
> Today's venture was a canned soda, actually revisiting an old fave of mine that I haven't had in quite some time. Canfield's diet (gasp!) chocolate fudge soda. Rarely do you find the words diet, fudge, and soda in the same title.
> 
> ...



I saw this in our local Kroger yesterday, and remembered you reviewing it. I decided to pick it up. I just tried it - it's delicious! I'm not usually a fan of cherry - but there's enough chocolate fudge in here to balance it out. :eat2: I don't know if this will be a regular staple in my fridge, but as an every once in a while kind of deal, it's very tasty. I actually think it's a little undercarbonated for my tastes, and there is a bit of a chemically aspartame taste - but overall, I like it.


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## Yakatori (May 21, 2011)

I'm surprised no-one mentioned Snapple. Maybe because they don't make root-beer or other sodas anymore, least not far as I can tell; probably something about competing against their new parent company's brands. But I can tell you that it was a fantastic soft-drink, as was a few of their other sodas. It certainly didn't look the part of most root-beers, being clear like a plain seltzer. But the taste was, I dunno; to my young palate, it seemed quite refined. It would not surprise me to see it come back at some point, either in the form of some sort of limited supply, through internet-sales or whatnot.

It was truly a great soda.


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## Dromond (Jun 18, 2022)

It's time (long past) for a soft drink review!

Today, I have an assortment of Kutztown sodas to examine. The first one is the root beer, so let's get busy!

The ingredient list is as follows: Triple filtered carbonated water, pure cane sugar, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, yucca extratives and acacia. Yucca and acacia are foaming agents. Just beware the amount of sugar. If you drink the whole 24 oz bottle, and why wouldn't you, you'll get 78 grams of sugar. It's not for people with diabetes!

On to the opening. There is a light hiss popping the cap, which suggests weak carbonation. The nose is plain jane root beer. Good, to be sure, but nothing imaginative.

There is no head at all when pouring, which belies the presence of foaming agents in the ingredient list. The nose doesn't change after pouring. It smells like standard root beer. Now on to the drinking!

It's a classic standard root beer flavor, with a hint of floral in the back note. It's also almost flat. A faint carbonation is present. The lack of carbonation gives it a smooth mouthfeel, though rather dull.

In conclusion, it's really a good root beer, though there is nothing special about it. A respectable B+ for Kutztown Root Beer.


I think if it had a carbonation kick, I would grade it a bit higher. Regardless, I'd be happy to drink it again.


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