Dublin 1891 Green Apple

Texa Cola

IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate

View fullsize

Consumption of soda in 3...2...1...

It has been a long time since we’ve reviewed an IZZE product.  That’s a shame too as they make some really good soda.  I probably stopped reviewing them because Hipster Soda Drinker Aaron thought they were too mainstream since he saw them everywhere.  Hipster Soda Drinker Aaron was kind of an idiot.  Today though he goes away.  Today he becomes Soda Drinker Aaron once again when he opens this bottle of IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate.

Speaking of IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate, it has no refined sugars, no caffeine, no preservatives and is 70% pure fruit juice with a splash of sparkling water.  Ingredient wise we have an absolute winner on our hands here.  Taste has yet to be determined.

This smells more of grape juice than pomegranate, but since the ingredients include grape juice it’s somewhat understandable.  There is a pomegranate scent, but it seems to be happy enough playing second fiddle in this case.

This is wine for children.  I’m sure IZZE doesn’t want to sell it that way, but it’s the first thought that came to my mind.  The real deal grape juice lends itself easily to the wine comparison, but we all know that wine is so much more than grape juice.  The pomegranate adds the dryness you’d expect in a wine, but being soda it’s obviously sweeter.  Since the only sugars used are the ones from the fruits themselves it’s a fantastic balance.

Now here is where I come clean and say I’m not a wine drinker. I’ve had maybe 10 glasses in my life, and 5 of those were red.  IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate takes my tastebuds on a similar journey that the wine did.  A burst of flavor on the front end (although I like the IZZE version better) and a somewhat dry finish.  It makes me feel fancy, but not overly so, with each sip  I take.

Overall I’m thrilled with IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate.  The mouthfeel is nice with just enough fizz to remind you that you’re drinking a soda.  There is an aftertaste, but it mirrors the present taste accurately.  I really want some cheese and crackers now to enjoy with my bottle of IZZE.  

Hipster Soda Drinker Aaron kept me from reviewing this earlier in life and I dislike him for it, although maybe I wasn’t ready yet.  Perhaps Hipster Soda Drinker Aaron kept me from reviewing this with an unrefined tongue.  This is my favorite of the IZZE flavors and I immediately want more of it.  Pair that (WINE JOKE) with a stellar ingredient list and you’ve got a top soda.

~A

This was purchased at a Kroger Grocery Store

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Nature's Pure Organic Cola

Last time I reviewed a Nature’s Pure product I lamented that it cost me around $6.50 for a four pack.  Well a couple week’s later and they’re on sale for $4.50, a much more reasonable price.  For those jerks that only read this site for the ONE soda review you need in a pinch, Nature’s Pure makes organic sodas.  For those of you who read this each time a review is posted you already knew that… also I’d like to shake your hand.

View fullsize

The radiating excellence is all that keeps Twist that far away.

In the same awesome tiny (8oz) glass bottle as before, Nature’s Pure Organic Cola’s label theme is red.  Has Coke done such a good job that we now associate cola with red or did Nature’s Pure just feel that red best represented their cola.  The world may never know, although I’m pretty sure it’s the former.

A healthy cola aroma or colaroma lifts itself out of the mouth of the bottle.  It’s a strong enough scent that I feel ok saying the taste should be “good” at the very least.  Perhaps I should fact check myself now.

That’s a tasty little drink.  Cola is unmistakably the taste that hits my tongue and makes me smirk a bit.  I’m not sure why they don’t have “Have a Nature’s Pure Organic Cola and a Smirk” as their slogan because it would be perfect.  

The carbonation levels are perfect.  It’s just a tingle of sharp carbonation.  If Coke has a “bite” then Nature’s Pure Organic Cola is like a kitten stretching and putting it’s claws into your thigh accidentally.  Now, kitten nails embedded in flesh may now sound tasty… but it is.

Visiting the taste once again I’m pleased with how sweet it is and their use of spices.  This soda actually feels like a treat, but doesn’t leave any syrupy aftertastes or gross mouthfeel its competitors might.  The spices (which you can taste better near the bottom of the bottle) give this a somewhat unique strength.  On top of all that it’s a fairly clean cola in terms of aftertaste, leaving only it’s original flavor behind.

Overall Nature’s Pure Organic Cola is a strong contender in the cola category and it’s organic to boot.  Even if I had bought this at $6.50 a pack I’d have felt like it was worth it.  Find it, try it, enjoy it.

~A

This soda was purchased at an HEB grocery store

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Swamp Pop Praline Cream Soda

Well, I’ve saved what I think will be the best Swamp Pop flavor for last.  Swamp Pop Praline Cream Soda sits in front of me complete with a tiny picture of pecans (pronounced puh-konz if you care to be a friend of mine).  I’m curious as to how candy like this cream soda will be.  Will it be extra sweet with a caramel finish?  Will it have a nutty flavor with a hint of cream?  I genuinely haven’t the slightest of clues, so let’s find out shall we?

View fullsize

Twist loves himself some pralines. His original recipe included crickets though.

Judging by the aroma it seems they went the caramel route.  So rich it almost has a texture, a sweet/salty scent flows easily out of the mouth of the bottle and just hangs.  By smell alone I can tell you this is a dessert beverage and I’m guessing a dang fine one. 

Son of a gun.  Chocolate, caramel, cream, coffee, pecan, and a touch of dirty livin’ made this soda.  This is a wonderful combination of all the flavors listed.  Initially the taste starts off smooth and nonchalant, but a caramel coffee sensation rolls across my tongue and does it’s best to prepare me for what’s to come.  Its delightful warning is followed by a somewhat bitter chocolate taste that rushes by with pecans in hand.  Like a streaker running past, you know you saw something, but it all happened so fast you can’t create a very accurate mental picture of the naked person.  The carbonation is fairly light, letting all of the tastes show their stuff. 

Behind all of this is the cream, because after all it is a cream soda.  This cream keeps the flavor consistent throughout its ever changing textures.  You may have noticed that I also included “dirty livin” as a flavor.  By that I just mean you can taste the work, effort, and dirty hands that it took to come up with this one.  I’m not sure I can find a weakness in this soda. 

What’s impressive to me is that with all of those flavors the beverage doesn’t feel heavy.  I’ve finished this bottle and could easily drink more.  Not something I expected after getting a scent of what I was about to drink. 

So it seems I made the right decision leaving Praline Cream Soda for last.  Overall I’m very impressed with the Swamp Pop line up as they give us familiar tastes, but with a Louisiana touch.  If you have the chance, you definitely need to pick up a bottle.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Swamp Pop

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Pure Sodaworks Cafe Cola

Today's use of "sapid" brought to you by Thesaurus.com

Pure Sodaworks Strawberry Jalapeno has both strawberries and jalapenos in the ingredients.  Pure Sodaworks Honey Lime has both honey and lime in the ingredients.  This begs the question, what does Pure Sodaworks Café Cola have in it?  We know they’ll be using 100% natural ingredients, but what are they?  Why aren’t I reading the ingredients right now since the bottle simply sits inches away?  Ok, I’ve tortured myself enough.  Here is what makes up a bottle of Pure Sodaworks Café Cola:  Sparkling Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, Herbs and Spices, Caramel Color (from cane sugar), Espresso, and Citric Acid.  So while that may be a bit more complicated than “Honey + Lime = Soda”, you can’t deny that doesn’t include anything you couldn’t easily find at your local grocer.  Perhaps some of the “herbs and spices” would be difficult, but for the sake of this review let’s pretend they’re there too and move on.

Something that struck me as odd is that this is cola seems overly dark in color, so dark that when I shine a flashlight up from the bottom of the bottle the light doesn’t make it all the way to the top.  You haven’t heard of this time tested test of soda color?  This isn’t something I’m going to start doing “on the reg”, but I figured in this case it’d be kinda fun.  Sorry to have wasted your time, I guess I’ll just open it now.

Wow, the spices used are quite pungent.  It’s like I have a basket of cola potpourri and next to me and why wouldn’t I?  I like the finer things in life too.  Cola potpourri, Dr Pepper Febreeze, root beer candles… you know, the norm.  Time for a drink.

I’m somewhat thankful that the spice isn’t as noticed in the taste as it is the smell.  My tongue is greeted with a strong cola flavor that lacks the bite that so many of us are used too in our Coca-Cola brand Cokes.  What fills this void of harshness is the smooth sensation of cola made sharp only by the carbonation that dances around it.  It’s not so sweet that you couldn’t enjoy it with a meal, but it does seem a touch more sugary than what you might be expecting.

If this were the end of the experience I’d say Pure Sodaworks Café Cola was an above average cola that I was happy to try, then I’d go about my day.  Thankfully this is not the case.  The espresso included sets Café Cola even further ahead of the pack by giving the final moments of each sip as well as the aftertaste a roasted coffee flavor.  I personally hate the taste of coffee, but I absolutely love the way it smells.  Pure Sodaworks Café Cola transmogrifies the scent of coffee into a taste and lets it run slightly behind the lead horse named Cola.  This roasted bean makes all the difference in the world making this beverage quite sapid.  Drink this cola if you like colas.  Drink this cola if you like coffee.  Drink this cola if you like sodas.  Drink this cola.

~A  

This beverage supplied to us by Pure Sodaworks

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Pure Sodaworks Apple Pie

View fullsize

Sweet, sweet, sediment.

One of the first sodas that truly amazed me was Reeds Spiced Apple Brew.  My fragile mind could not fathom that a soda could have the aftertaste of apple pie.  It was only until I tasted Soda Fruit Apple Crumble did I realize this fantastic flavor could even be replicated.  With those two companies excelling in the accomplishment of apple pie flavored sodas, I must say that Pure Sodaworks has their work cut out for them.  Pure Sodaworks Apple Pie is only going against two sodas, but those two sodas are both in my all-time top 5.  Best of luck guys, but your ingredient list of sparkling water, apple cider, pure cane sugar, cinnamon and vanilla allows me to think you’ve got a chance.

That smells like apple pie.  It doesn’t smell like apple pie soda, it smells like apple pie.  At this point I’m almost positive that I’m in for another treat.  Apple Pie soda is a rarity.  Technically Reeds Spiced Apple Brew is not one, but I consider it one due to its aftertaste.  I think the trifecta of apple pie soda is about to complete with my first sip.  Please don’t make a liar out of my imagination Pure Sodaworks.  Please don’t disappoint me.

I love you Pure Sodaworks.  I love your apple pie soda… at least that’s my initial reaction.  What impresses me the most is how true the apple flavor is to what you’d find in an apple pie.  The caramel apples buried beneath the crust are mirrored in taste within this bottle.  Light carbonation dances about in the background as it’s pleased to be playing second fiddle to the taste at hand.  A finale features the initial players of Apple, Cinnamon, and Sugar, but another actor has appeared on the stage.  Vanilla.  She hadn’t been present before, but now you can’t take your eyes off of her.  Gracefully she blends in to the rest of the company and it’s like she was there the whole time.  They all take a bow and you’re mouth is left empty.  Yet, you still have the memories of the performance and they’re not syrupy sweet.  They’re honest memories and you’ll tell your friends all about them.

That’s perhaps the “artsiest” review I’ve ever written, but who cares.  Pure Sodaworks Apple Pie is amazing and easily fills out the third spot in my Apple Pie Soda Trifecta.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Pure Sodaworks

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

jC's Sweet Tea

There are three types of beverages I’m guaranteed to like:  whole milk, limeade, and sweet tea.  I can thank my lucky stars that I have one of those three beverages in front of me tonight, courtesy of ThirstMonger.  jC’s Sweet Tea (and yes the “j” is lowercase) is today’s beverage and I think I’m in for a good time.  Immediately I looked at this bottle of sweet tea and the first thing I noticed is that it is “southern style”.  Now, I’m perfectly ok with that because I probably have a bias in believing that the South makes the best sweet tea.  The second thing I noticed is that it was made in Ohio.  Somehow I my eyes skipped past the part that said “all natural” and straight to the contradiction on the bottle.  How am I supposed to take a “southern style” sweet tea seriously if it was made in Ohio?  For that answer I checked out the jC’s Sweet Tea website and read their history. 

The long of the short of it is that a woman with the initials J.C., who hails from Alabama and South Carolina, eventually made it to the state of Ohio.  She of course brought her family recipes with her and the sweet tea really struck a chord in her friends.  Long story overly shortened… now we have jC’s Sweet Tea – made in Ohio, yet by a southerner.  That’s a legitimate enough reason for me… on to the ingredients.

Unless you were taken aback by the earlier contradiction as I was, you probably noticed that this is an all-natural sweet tea.  The ingredients are as follows: Water, Sugar, Pineapple Juice (a first for me in a tea), Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice, Pekoe Cut Black Tea, Orange Pekoe Tea, Rinds of Oranges & Sweet Spice.  Without even opening the bottle, that sounds absolutely fantastic.  So, please allow me to open the bottle and prove to you that it is.

There is some serious spice in jC’s Sweet Tea.  The aroma that comes off the top of the beverage is downright heavenly.  It has a smell that I would like my entire house to share.  A mixture of everything I just read off the ingredient list greets my nostrils as if they were best friends.  Hopefully my taste-buds get the same treatment.

First off, I just let out an audible “Ahh”.  I felt I needed to type that for honesty sake.  I was afraid that this would be overly sweet, but jC’s Sweet Tea has a brilliant level of sweetness.  It’s enough to make the drink a treat, but not so much that it would overpower a meal or become a liquid dessert.  Each sip contains a harmonious mixture of sweet tea, lemon, spices, and even the orange finds its way into this description.  It’s hard for me to tell you exactly which spices are used, but my best guess would be all-spice and maybe some nutmeg.  Another area that I thought might be a weak point is the potential over use of the lemon, but let me paraphrase this again.  The lemon gets an “E” in conduct for how well he plays with others.  I cannot over emphasize enough how well blended this beverage is, so I’ll stop saying it from this point on.

The mouth feel is just at the entrance of syrupy, but this vanishes once the drink no longer resides in your mouth.  After my gullet was emptied I was left with the slight taste of sweet tea, nowhere nearly complex as the actual drink itself, but a fond reminder of what I just experienced.  Honestly I finished this about halfway through the review, it’s really good sweet tea.  I can’t say that I’ve ever had anything like it in the South, but I really wish I had.

~A

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Twist is called "Sweet T" in many iguana circles

Sodafruit - Strawberry Soda

I even licked Twist to get the flavor off of him

So the last review I did was for Sodafruit Apple Crumble and it blew me away.  Today we take another look at Sodafruit, but this time the cards aren’t in their favor and here’s why.  Apple is one of my favorite flavors of soda… strawberry is not due to the fact that strawberry soda is usually over sweetened to the point of being sickly.  I’m not saying that there aren’t good strawberry sodas out there; I’m just saying that there aren’t many that agree with my palate.  Hopefully my concerns are nullified due to Sodafruit’s simple ingredient list which is as follows:  Carbonated water, cane sugar, strawberries, lemon juice, citric acid, and preservative (202).  With an ingredient list as simple as that (minus the preservative of course)  I’d say Sodafruit Strawberry Soda has a decent chance of setting itself apart from the sticky sugary soda I associate with strawberries.  Onward!

Upon opening I get a very natural smelling strawberry scent and understandably so since there are bits of strawberry floating around in the bottle.  The scent also reminds me of one of those real fancy strawberry lemonades you might get from one of them sit down eateries, the kind you don’t get free refills on.  There’s only one way to figure out if my nose is telling my tongue the truth… well there’s probably a few, but drinking seems the best at the moment.

That’s damn good.  The natural strawberry taste shines through like gangbusters and it’s been sweetened to just the right amount.  A light fizz is ever present keeping the drink fun with every sip.  I find myself licking my lips to get every last bit of flavor I possibly missed during the initial swig.  The floating strawberry bits I mentioned earlier are noticeable, but unobtrusive.  If you’ve ever had natural strawberry lemonade with chunks of strawberry you know that despite its name strawberry doesn’t play well with straws as it keeps getting stuck within them creating “lemonade rage”.  If you were to consume Soda fruit Strawberry soda via straw you would have no such “rage”.  Since I’m on the topic of strawberry lemonade once again I must mention that the lemon juice used in the making of this soda can be seen in the shadows if you look hard enough.  If you’re a fan of Seuss then just picture the strawberry soda as Horton while the lemon juice sits atop the clover he protects with his life. 

With that last analogy being average at best and my Sodafruit Strawberry Soda bottle sadly empty it’s time to wrap up.  Sodafruit Strawberry is a wonderful experience of natural strawberry taste.  While noticeably sweet it’s not so much that you’ll regret coming back for more as the light carbonation keeps you interested.  I have no problem saying that at this point in time it’s the best strawberry soda I’ve ever had.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Sodafruit.

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Sodafruit - Apple Crumble

Twist is mostly fruit juice

Now that my vacation is over it’s time to take a break.  Take a break from Dublin Bottling Works soda that is!  While I still have 6 or so more DBW flavors to go I recently received 3 bottles from Sodafruit that require my immediate attention as they’re made from an upstart brewer in New Zealand.  If you remember our reviews of the Hotlips brand of sodas I have a feeling that Sodafruit will be similar in taste and quality.  The ingredients of Sodafruit Apple Crumble are as follows:  carbonated water, cane sugar, apple juice, lemon juice, spices, and preservative (202).  While I’m not a fan of numbered preservatives, since I have no idea what they mean, I’ll stave off judgment until consumption.  I especially like that the nutrition label separates the amounts of cane sugar and fruit sugar.  The label itself is very simplistic, but it’s a simplistic soda so I honestly have no beef with this.  So there you have it.  Sodafruit is from New Zealand and seems to favor simple ingredients.  Why did I write a paragraph on a description I could have done in a sentence?  Onward!

I actually swore when I smelled this soda for the first time.  It smells like Apple Crumble.  It doesn’t smell like chemicals made to smell like Apple Crumble; it straight up smells like Apple Crumble/Pie.  If you’re an avid citizen of the Carbo-Nation then you know that Reed’s Spiced Apple Brew is my favorite beverage of all time due to its apple pie aftertaste.  Will Sodafruit Apple Crumble fall in the same delicious category?  The hype has started to build.

Apple Juice soda with a dash of cinnamon to boot!  Sodafruit Apple Crumble has a low level of carbonation that allows me to easily brush the bubbles aside and really taste the apple.  Speaking of the apple, the apple flavor in this is amazingly honest.  Sodafruit Apple Crumble is apple juice 2.0.  It may not have the nutritional values of apple juice, but it’s improved on the taste.  I do wish the “spices” were a bit more prevalent in their taste although the amount that’s used is still plenty to alter the flavor pleasurably.  I’m surprised at how refreshing an apple crumble flavored soda can be actually.  I was expecting a sweeter concoction that sat a little heavier in my mouth, but throughout the drinking process was delighted to find a lighter soda with a fairly clean finish.

 Overall Sodafruit Apple Crumble is one of the best sodas I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking.  It doesn’t unseat Reed’s Spiced Apple Brew as my favorite, but its simple ingredients, refreshingly light mouth-feel, and glorious flavor have made me a fan for life.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Sodafruit

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Taylor's Tonics Cranberry Dream

For the last few Christmas’s my best friend Dustin has purchased a basket of sodas for me to review.  We don’t usually exchange gifts until middle to late January and I don’t usually start reviewing them until February.  I tell you this seemingly pointless information because I’m about to review several Christmas themed sodas and I didn’t want you to think that I was slow to the draw.  Today’s soda is Taylor’s Tonics Cranberry Dream.  We’ve reviewed Taylor’s Tonics before and they’re always both unique and powerful.  The flavors aren’t always my favorite, but I always appreciate the amount of effort they put into each one.  Seeing Cranberry Dream in my fridge I figured I’d be consuming a cranberry soda and nothing more.  Looking at the ingredients label I found that I couldn’t be further from the truth.  The ingredients are as follows:

Sparking Water (Infused with Wildcrafted Balsam Fir Needles, Ginger, & Allspice), Evaporated Cane Juice, Coconut Water, Cherry Juice, Cranberry Juice, Natural Douglas Fir & French Vanilla Flavors, Extract of Orange, and Citric Acid.

The usually talkative Twist was even at a loss for words.

I immediately notice two things after reading those ingredients.  The first is that there are an insane amount of flavors in what I thought was just cranberry soda.  The second thing I notice is that this is also flavored with CHRISTMAS TREES!  Honestly I have no idea how tree translates into soda, but I’m excited to find out.  Holding the bottle up to the light I glance at the peach colored soda and remove the festive green bottle cap.

The smell is fantastic.  It smells like a candle store during the holiday season.  The sweet aroma hits your nostrils with such a mixture of scents that you’re nose isn’t even sure where to start.  The ginger, allspice, and vanilla are the most discernible fragrances coming out of the bottle.  I do find it odd that I can’t even smell the titular berry, but honestly this smells so good I don’t even care.  I’m not sure how a scent this interesting will translate to taste… I guess we’ll find out together.

Good news everybody, it doesn’t taste like a tree.  Taylor’s Tonics Cranberry Dream has now surprised me in all three sections of this review.  At first taste the ginger and allspice hit my tongue for what I thought was going to be a harsh ride.  Wrong.  While the two spices made themselves at home on my palate they both gently went to sleep upon arriving.  The cranberry is noticeable, but again not tart in the slightest.  I’m guessing the cranberries are muted by the amount of vanilla in the beverage, which by the way works fantastically well in this soda.  The last few sips I’ve taken did have hints of tree and I must say that I liked it.  Picture yourself outside in the forest… the Piney Woods if you will.  The air is crisp and quiet, the only thing around you are pine trees and that one bird that you can’t quite identify.  After you come to the realization that you’re never going to figure out what kind of bird that is, disappointing your Ornithologist dad once again in the process, you take a deep breath.  The crisp air combined with the surrounding trees coats your mouth with a distinctive taste.  That taste is nature and it makes you feel alive.  That is what the tree taste of Taylor’s Tonics Cranberry Dream likens to.  Even though the orange extract is one of the last ingredients its flavor still reaches your mouth.  In fact I can taste every single ingredient on this label, like identifying instruments in an orchestra… you just have to sit down and really listen.  Well I’m listening and I love what I’m hearing.  Cranberry Dream is one of the most impressive sodas I’ve had since I’ve started this site.  If you see a bottle you should pick it up and listen to what it has to say.

~A

*One addition.  By the time I was finished writing this review I had only one gulp left in the bottle.  I posted the review and then took said gulp.  This gulp had a lot of sediment in it and was not pleasant.  I'm not changing the rating of the soda based on this, but if you do try it you might want to skip out on that last taste.*

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Bulldog Root Beer

Who's a good iguana? Twist's a good iguana! Who want's a tummy rub? Twist wants a tummy rub!

Bulldog Root Beer, Unleash the Taste!  That’s what the bottle in front of me reads.  When I think of unleashing something I think that I’m going to have such a hard time controlling it that I’m just gonna give up and take it off the leash.  This “thing” that I’m unleashing is going to be powerful, brash, unstoppable, unforgettable, and even dangerous.  I know that they’re probably making a dog pun in this situation but even if that were true they really need to “mean up” the dogs on the label.  These two lovable, dopey (in a good way), looking dogs are just sitting there looking at me waiting for a good tummy rub.  These puppies don’t need to be “unleashed” they need a chew toy and a nap.  Anyway… enough of that.  Bulldog Root Beer is of course a root beer and judging by the ingredients a pretty high quality one at that.  It’s sweetened with a combination of cane sugar and honey but sadly also had sodium benzoate.  I haven’t picked on sodium benzoate in a while so I thought I’d bring it back up.  One thing I notice is that they use “real vanilla”.  That’s how it’s listed on the label… “real vanilla”.  Not once have I ever seen “fake vanilla”.  I’ve seen “vanilla extract” which I what I assume they are separating themselves from by saying “real vanilla” but I found it rather silly to see.  Anywho, it’s time to open up this paw laden bottle and see what we can dig up!  Ha!  I can make dog puns too.

This has a rich creamy root beer smell.  One determining factor of a delicious root beer is when you can actually smell that it’s creamy.   That tells you it’ll probably go great with some Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.  If you don’t have Blue Bell in your area I’m so very sorry, you’ll have to manage on whatever “Ice Cream” you can get your hands on.  Speaking of “on”… on to the tasting!

Wow that is creamy… if I do say so the creamiest root beer I’ve ever experienced.  Bulldog Root Beer almost has a cream soda finish to it.  The carbonation isn’t really a factor when compared to the flavor and mouth feel.  The mouth feel and aftertaste is so smooth it’s almost buttery.  Now I know that buttery root beer sounds gross but I don’t mean that kind of butter.  The after taste I’m getting here is very similar to that of butterscotch.  I’m a big fan of butterscotch so this ranks very high with me.  Fun fact:  The only candy I’ve ever choked on was butterscotch.  My grandfather held me upside down while my grandmother patted me on the back to dislodge it.  The butterscotch must have realized my love of it while being dissolved by my saliva and in a selfless act to save its future brethren tried to murder me.  Anywho… back to what remains of this review.  A lot of times when a soda uses honey to sweeten it’s one of the main things you taste; this is not the case for Bull Dog Root Beer.  I’m thinking the honey paired with the cane sugar is what’s cutting that honey flavor I so often find when sampling a Thomas Kemper or the like.  Here is the part where I apologize for mocking “real vanilla”.  That “real vanilla” is surely a large part of why I’m loving this so very much.  It’s adding just the right amount of “smooth” to the flavor to set it apart from other root beers.  It’s not hard to find subtle differences in root beer.  They can be made so many different ways you’re not going to find one that immolates another just right.  The real reward is when you find a root beer that has differences that could be spotted from space.  Bulldog Root Beer is one of those root beers.  As of today we’ve reviewed 30 root beers and I can’t think of one that gives you an experience like the one I have in front of me today.

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Hot Lips Apple Soda

Way back when I reviewed Hot Lips Pear I said that I thought they should do an apple instead.  Well, here it is, and it's as delicious as I expected.  

The best part about Hot Lips products are how simple they are.  Carbonated water, apple juice, sugar and lemon juice.  That's all it takes to make something delicious.  

The flavor can be summed up as "carbonated apple juice," but of course the added sugar and lemon give it it's soda-like zing.  

This is a simple product so I guess that's why it's such a simple review.  I wish more folks did this.  Simple can be better.

Verdict:  Buy stock in the company!

-Mike

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Hot Lips)

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Sprecher Fire-Brewed Cherry Cola

There are two situations where I have to struggle to censor myself from shouting out (or typing out I suppose) expletives when writing a review.  One is when a drink is insanely awful, the other when it's insanely great.  Thankfully this is in the latter category.

Sprecher Cherry Cola, or rather "Fire-Brewed" (it's in tiny print) Cherry Cola is amazing.  Obtaining this was a tiny adventure in itself.  First of all I got the tip about it from DW who found it in the grocery store I go to just about every other day.  How could I have missed this?  It's Sprecher, who has a great root beer, making a cherry cola?  I had to have seen it!  Well, it wasn't with the regular sodas.  With the scoop, I went straight to the store next time I had a chance and checked it out.  None to be found.

My next attempt started poorly.  I was in the regular soda aisle and still couldn't find it when I noticed a lost-looking employee with one in his hands.  He couldn't find where it went and I couldn't find one to buy.  I told him "that's exactly what I'm looking for!"  I think he was more excited that he didn't have to keep looking for it than I was to have found it.  Eventually I will have to look for it again because I don't see how I won't be able to pick up one of these on a regular basis.  Here's a preview of what you're about to read:  this is one of the greatest sodas I've had.

This is absolutely delicious.  As soon as I took a sniff I was sold.  It wasn't just the scent of cherries, it was cherry cola.  It smelled boldly of cherry cola.

It's smooth, sweet, rich, creamy.  This is absolutely the best cherry cola I have ever tasted.  But... there has to be a negative, doesn't there?  Yep.  It's got HFCS in it.  It's so good though, I honestly do not care.  I know, shame on me.

Let's look at the positives.  First it's made with Wisconsin Door County cherry juice and Wisconsin raw honey.  Good so far.  It also mentions "the finest cola extract and a handful of selected spices cooked to perfection in our gas-fired brew kettles."  That makes up for it's one downfall for me.

This is so good I'm sitting here sniffing the empty bottle while I'm typing this out.  Crazy?  You try it.

I don't know what's harder to believe, that after over 100 reviews, this is our first cherry cola or that a soda with HFCS is going into my top 5?

-Mike

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Zuberfizz: Key Lime Cream Soda

   I’m getting married soon, sorry ladies, and this past Christmas my best man bought me 8 random sodas, a keg of Virgil’s Root Beer, and a large metal bucket to ice said sodas in.  Couple that with the fact that I’ve known him for 12 or 13 years, and you now know why he’s my best man.   One of the sodas he gave me is Zuberfizz:  Key Lime Cream Soda.  Now having tried another Key Lime soda in the past, I can already tell you I’m excited.  What makes this an even more exciting moment is the fact that Zuberfizz uses sugar instead of HFCS in their sweetening process. 

Twist prefers Dum Dums to Saf-T-Pops

   I’m incredibly thirsty right now, which doesn’t happen very often when I’m about to review a soda.  The label isn’t helping the situation either.  “Classic Draft Soda” is written in a basic black font on the top of the label.  I’m sure they didn’t think anyone was going to care about that part of the label, but it’s making my mouth water.  Something about the phrase “Classic Draft Soda” just sounds so amazingly good to me.  The rest of the label is done in a classic 1940’s western style, which I think would look cool on a shirt.  The bottle cap is even awesome, the classic look they went with here is really winning me over.  Enough chatter, let’s open this up.

   Ever go to the bank, drive up or walk-in… it doesn’t matter.  If you have a totally awesome bank, or doctor, there will usually be a point where you can get a sucker.  They are usually multicolored, and in a bowl of some sort.  Me personally, I always go for the lime green suckers because I’m a sucker for lime. (Har, Har, Har)  This smells just like a lime green bank sucker, that’s all I’m going to say because I want to drink it now.

   It has a great Key Lime taste, a little tart, refreshing… I will already recommend you try this if you find it.  The cream soda aspect of it is certainly there in the mouth feel of this Zuberfizz concoction.  It’s a very creamy aftertaste with little carbonation.  You would think there would be more carbonation since the bottle proclaims “Feel the Fizz” but alas there is not.  It’s not too sweet, it’s just right in most aspects of flavor.  The aftertaste is that of green bank suckers, so the smell is dead on when compared to the flavor.  It leaves a little bit of a film on the back of my throat, that’s the down side to this drink.  If I could perfect this soda, I would make the finish a bit cleaner than it is already. 

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient