So it was my birthday recently, and a relative slipped me a hundred dollar bill in a card. Yay. I bought a couple cheap computer games, a couple cheap books, and also, from BevMo, a whole lot of soda.
I shall now list the sodas I bought. These are all kinds I have never tried before. Any strike you as ones I should expect a treat from? Any strike you as ones I should maybe think about not drinking after all? Any that aren’t on this list that should have been?
Reed’s Spiced Apple Brew (Drinking right now–Kind of like it!)
Reed’s Cherry Ginger Brew
Reed’s Raspberry Ginger Brew
NY’s Amazing Egg Cream–Orange Soda (Already drank it. It’s like an orange Push-Up in a bottle. Tasty, but should be thought of almost a a dessert.
NY’s Amazing Egg Cream–Vanilla Soda
NY’s Amazing Egg Cream–Chocolate Soda
Boylan’s Root Beer
Boylan’s Birch Beer
Boylan’s Ginger Ale
Faygo Rock N’ Rye (Does this have a rye-like flavor or something?!)
Faygo Black Raspberry
Sprecher Root Beer
Sprecher Ginger Ale
Moxie Original Elixer
Moxie Cherry Coda
Moxie Orange Cream
Sparky’s Root Beer
Cock and Bull Ginger Beer
Those were all singles, of course.
I also bought a six pack of one of my favorite beers: Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer (I highly recommend it). Also a six pack of their “Summerfest” which is some kind of lager, and which I’ve yet to try.
I know I just shared some MPS, but the subject matter makes it CS material I think.
Sprecher makes great soda, and Sierra Nevada Summerfest is a marvelous compromise between SN and Summer. If you can ever find it on draft, tie yourself to a barstool and enjoy it while you can. They never make enough of it for the demand.
IMO, the Cock & Bull ginger beer is kinda iffy. YMMV.
Yeah, the Cock & Bull is a little underwhelming. But since you have it, you might as well use it for a Moscow Mule since it’s the ginger ale that was used to popularize it. (Moscow Mule: Get a big glass with ice. Squeeze in a lime. Add a shot or two of vodka. Fill with ginger ale.)
It’s been a long time since I’ve had Reed’s, but I remember it being okay but not worth going out of my way for.
Boylan’s stuff (I’ve had a couple of their flavors but not all of them) is ditto.
I don’t think “generic” means what you think it means. Also, I didn’t say anything about “generic brands.” I’m having trouble understanding what you’ve just said here. What is the relevance of the price of a six-pack at a place called “World Market?” I mean the relevance either to my post, or to your point?
With the Moxie, be prepared to possibly hate it the first time you try it. It’s very much an acquired taste for most people - and some people never like it.
I think it’s fantastic. But I learned to like it over a couple of years.
You are a strange, strange man. First one I know that would spend his bday fortune in trying sodas. You now have my respect (FWIW). Enjoy your tasting. Report results.
Wow, I’ve actually drunk almost all of those sodas. I really enjoy the Reed’s products, but especially the Extra Ginger brew, which you didn’t get. The spiced apple is my runner up. Boylan’s is a good soda; I get the birch beer every once in a while as it’s sometimes the only birch beer around that’s somewhat authentic and not just generic soda with artificial flavors. Rock n’ Rye is great… it’s not really like anything else, but a slightly fruitier Dr Pepper is the best description I can come up with. The same company, I believe, makes Vernors ginger ale, which is the best ginger ale I’ve ever had. The only seem to sell it in the midwest, especilaly Michigan. Egg creams can be made easily at home and are best drunk fresh, but the bottled ones can be a good novelty.
And I loooove Sierra Nevada; that’s my favorite beer.
Faygo is a good old Detroit local bottler I recall from the 50’s. I loved their Rock& Rye (tastes a lot like Dr. Pepper) and their Red Pop (cherry&strawberry flavor)
Vernor’s is now also bottled in L.A. Unfortunately in the west it is distributed by Schwepps and is therefore stocked with the mixers like Canada Dry ginger ale. In Detroit it’s in with the colas and 7-up, Sprite, family drinks, and priced like them. In the west the price is tripled, and although it’s my favorite flavor it’s hard to find and so expensive I think of it as an indulgence. The high price contributes to the low demand. A case of bad judgement in positioning.
Johnny Hildo and I would both use “off-brand” as a synonym of “generic” or “store brand.” I was expecting you to mention sodas like “Safeway Select” or “GOK.”
Not specialty sodas (which is what I’d call Boylans).
Well, can’t speak for any of those, but Reeds Premium Ginger Brew is my favorite new addiction. At roughly five dollars for a four pack I would hardly call that “off-brand”.
I opened this thread hoping to see some sort of vomit inducing taste test of dollar store brand sodas. (someone -not me- oughta try that fun game).
ETA: oh, I see we got that whole “off-brand” confusion settled. I would erase my line above, but then I would have no chance to bitch about how much money I am losing.
So it looks like the use of “off-brand” in the title of my OP is, let’s say, “unique to my ideolect.”
To clarify, what I meant was what someone else has called “specialty” sodas. I thought “off-brand” just meant “not one of the brands practically anyone in the US would recognize on site.”
Any that aren’t on this list that should have been?