Pig Iron Cola
Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 11:31AM Today’s installment is Pig Iron Cola, another soda given to me by Dustin H. Had you listed to Episode 6 of the Popcast, you'd already know this. I really don’t know what to think about this beverage. I can tell you that it’s produced under the authority of Pig Iron BBQ. I can tell you that their website is www.PigIronBBQ.net. I can also tell you that their logo is certainly unique. Now that you have all the knowledge I do, it’s probably best we look a little closer.
Looking at the ingredients I’m pleased to find that they use cane sugar to sweeten it. While that’s pretty much the only ingredient that sets it apart from “standard” colas, I’m still happy to see it. The coloring of the soda itself is a dark brown, with faint red highlights when held up to a light. The bottle cap adorning the top is your standard black top. I prefer designs on bottle caps; it makes them stand out more. Some people collect them, and if yours is a standard color what sets you apart? Pig Iron Cola could easily do this, if it fits into budget of course. Maybe one of the stars that circle their pig mascot would work something simple. Now that I’ve broken down the bottle, it’s time to drink.
Before I go on I must say that this has a very strong cola scent, one of the most powerful I’ve ever inhaled. My expectations have gone up considerably. I would almost recommend this cola on smell alone, but let’s taste it just in case.
This is certainly a cola, and a good one at that. Just so you know what to base its flavor on, I would say that it most resembles RC Cola. While it does taste like RC, it’s most certainly a stronger version of it. This is potentially one of the strongest colas I’ve ever tasted. Personally I think it has a strong amount of carbonation, Mike does not agree. The cola flavor sticks in your mouth too, but you won’t have a problem with that as it’s quite pleasant. If you’re like me some sodas affect the way your teeth feel. In this case my teeth grind together a bit more easily after drinking Pig Iron Cola, not something I’m fond of but it’s a small complaint. This is still a solid cola in my opinion, very strong, very brash, but the cane sugar still delivers a crisp feel to it. I would score this higher, but other than being strong it doesn’t stand out to me in any other way. If they changed the bottle design some, maybe added more natural ingredients, then I could see buying a case. I realize that this is probably the second thought of someone running a BBQ, but our grading scale eases up for no one. Still, I know nothing about Pig Iron BBQ, but I would assume that if their cola is this good, their BBQ must be great! If you happen to stop into Pig Iron BBQ, I might just have the drink to compliment your meal.
Verdict – Buy a Pack
~A
Twist likes BBQ too... crickets mostly
Reader Comments (4)
I think P.I.C is one of the best cane colas out today. I was hooked on Boylans cane cola untilI had a PIC.
I probably drink 2-1 PIC over "double cola."
Every once and a while , you get a PIC that has a ring of sugar crystals under the bottle cap...kind of like a cola margarita. Its a nice bonus.
I have to disagree about your review of this. I didn't find this very good, at all. I think it tastes like a weak RC that you let sit and get to nearly room temperature. The only thing outstanding about it was the strong taste of lemon flavoring. I haven't sampled a huge variety of alternative colas, but this was definitely a disappointment.
Stacey, I have a theory about why it tasted like that. Since this is an independent bottler I have learned that since they usually make smaller batches the flavor can fluctuate from bottle to bottle. You can read some of our Hot Lips reviews for examples of this. My suggestion would be to wait a bit, try another bottle, and see if the taste doesn't improve. Then again I could be completely wrong, and it just doesn't agree with your taste buds. Thanks for reading!
Bottled by Orca Cola (at least mine was). It was being sold as part of a Halloween cola sampler at Cost Plus/World Market I managed to get mine on Thursday for $5 for a 10 pack sampler (2 PICs and 2 each of 4 other sodas bottled by Orca).