Dr. Brown's Extra Dry Ginger Ale

Delicious 

I was in a local Winn-Dixie grocery store and I found several loose cans of Dr. Brown's Extra Dry Ginger Ale. There was also one or two cans of their orange soda, but I didn't really want any of that. When I first saw it I got all excited for a second or two because I thought it was their infamous Cel-Ray, the celery flavored soda. But I quickly saw it wasn't.

In the checkout line all I had was one can of Dr. Brown's and a bottle of Stewart's cream soda I'll review some other time. Naturally, neither was properly marked for individual sale because Winn-Dixie doesn't know how to price its items. So I had to wait and hold the whole line up like a jackass while they tried to figure out how to ring up my meager purchases. Fun.

Anyway, I had very low expectations from Dr. Brown's ginger ale. I'd read at BevNet that it wasn't sweet at all and was close to seltzer water. Wrong. It's sweet enough and quite tasty. I haven't drank ginger ale in a few years, but this is one of the better ones I've ever tasted. There's an interesting, subtle spicy ginger aftertaste I can't ever recall tasting in other ginger ales I've drank. I associate that spiciness with gingersnaps and candied ginger.

Final verdict? I like it. This is one I'd definitaly drink again if it were easy to come by and I have no trouble recommending it.

Vernor's Ginger Soda

It's...different.

I ran across Vernor's Ginger Soda unexpectedly at a local Krogar's. I'd read this stuff was popular in places like Minnesota, so I didn't expect to run across it in Virginia.

Vernor's is strange stuff. I was expecting something more like ginger ale, but it doesn't taste even remotely like ginger ale. The color's a dark amber and the smell is sort of vanilla-ish, but the taste is just odd. There's a very spicy aftertaste, sometimes it made me sneeze, but the flavor is candy-ish. Cotton candy? It's weird and I can't really put my finger on it. Is it a strong ginger taste? I'm not sure, but my guess is that it isn't.

I didn't like it at first. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't exactly enjoyable either. As I drank more of it, I began to get used to it, but I don't think I ever got around to actually liking it.

Verdict? It's worth trying if you're curious. I don't really like it. I certainly don't hate it, but I'm not sure if I'd ever drink it again.

Topo Chico Mineral Water

Bleh. 

Today's soft drink is a bit of a departure: Topo Chico mineral water. It's fizzy water. No sugar. No preservatives. No caffeine. No artificial colors. No artificial flavors. Just water, that's fizzy.

I've never understood the appeal of cabonated water. I once got some by accident and it tasted like Alka-Seltzer. Topo Chico tastes even worse. Too much carbonation. Bad aftertaste.

Final verdict? Blah. But it was kind of fun experimenting with making my own flavored sodas by getting things like instant lemonade and iced tea and making syrups, then pouring in some Topo Chico. Well, it was a little fun. Not fun enough to make me want to buy this stuff again.

I like the bottle, by the way.

Reed's Original Ginger Brew All Natural Jamaican Style Ginger Ale

Why? Why? Why? 

Yesterday I reviewed a truly vile soft drink, something so unrelentingly awful that I didn't think I could possibly ever top it. Well, not only have I topped it, I've surpassed it.

Exhibit A: Reed's Original Ginger Brew All Natural Jamaican Style Ginger Ale. I knew I was in trouble when I screwed the cap off and was hit with a bouquet I can only describe as putrid. It smelled like rotting vegetables. The taste? It tasted like a carbonated mixture of putrifying vegatable juice with a very spicy after taste. Not pleasant. Yesterday's beverage was sickly sweet with a weird, pulpy, bland taste that caused involuntary full-body shudders, this stuff, on the other hand, is sharp and acidic, but vaguely putrid. It's also not particularly sweet. I could only stand about a third of the bottle and poured the rest down the drain. Then I appologized to the drain.

This concoction was recommended to me by a friend. I will be asking her some hard questions, such as, "Were you trying to kill me?" and "Do you really like this distilled goat puke?"

The lesson I've learned from yesterday's and today's beverage debacles is, don't buy soft drinks in the health food section. Ever.

Verdict? AAARRRGGHHH!! How can I wash the taste out of my brain?

Update: I told my friend how horrible this stuff was. She said that maybe I had an old bottle. Maybe, but I've drank old soda before and have never encountered one that was even remotely putrid.

Hansen's Signature Ginger Beer

I think I'm dying. 

For years I've wanted to know the difference between ginger ale and ginger beer. I planned on getting a bottle of ginger beer one day, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Today I found a bottle of Hansen's Signature ginger beer at my local Kroger's.

I found it in the health food section. Who buys this stuff? If I were into health food wouldn't I drink water instead?

How can I describe the taste? The first word that comes to mind is gaaaarrrggggghhh-ack-ack-ack. The only way I can really describe the taste is to ask you to imagine chewing on some paper or cardboard. Imagine drinking a little water so that the paper/cardboard is nice and moist as you chew, but don't swallow. Then imagine putting a spoonful or two of sugar in your mouth while still chewing the wad of wet paper/cardboard. OK, now imagine savoring the juices. That's what it tastes like! It's pure swill. I'd take a sip and my body would involuntarily shudder. The stuff's vile, weird, vaguely nauseating, and nothing even remotely like ginger ale. It did have a sort of spicy, gingery aftertaste, but I had to wait for the waves shuddering to pass. Horrible stuff!

I've never poured out a soft drink I was reviewing, no matter how bad, but I did pour the last of this stuff down the drain. I tried to finish it, but I just couldn't do it.

Verdict? Avoid! Hansen's Signature ginger beer my new standard of awfulness. Congratulations!

AriZona Soda Work's Rx Defense Orange Cream Elixir

What does orange taste like again? 

Rx Defense Orange Cream Elixir is yet another discontinued AriZona Beverage Company variety found at the ever fascinating Big Lots. I'm not big on orange soda because they tend to taste harsh, and this one was no exception. Where this one differed from the rest of the pack was the cream part. There's a strong vanilla taste after the orange. Unusual. Not the best thing I ever had, but OK. The carbonation was what made me not care for this. Certain soft drinks I like to have a strong carbonation (like Coke, Pepsi, and Sprite) and some I don't, this would fall in the latter category.

Final verdict? It's old and discontinued. You'll probably never find a bottle of this stuff anywhere (except Big Lots) , but if you do, I guess it's worth trying if you like orange soda.

Jones Cherry Soda Revisited

Shouldn't this be better? 

After I had that first Jones Cherry Soda, I just had to have another one, but I got it at a Sheetz that was 150 miles from home. I knew there was a Sheetz 30 miles away in South Boston, but I wasn't about to drive 30 miles for a damn soft drink. Then I remembered there was a Sheetz in my hometown. I'd never been there before, but Monday I found it easily and procured another bottle of Jones Cherry Soda. Sadly, it didn't turn out to be the experience I'd been craving.

This second bottle seemed over-carbonated and the cherry was sort of Kool-Aid-ish. Not bad, but not nectar of the gods either. The more I drank the better it got, but it never reached the levels of goodness of that first bottle. Of course I drank the first bottle while trapped in the passenger seat of a pickup truck on a hot day.

Revised verdict? Good, but not great.

AriZona Soda Work's Rx Relax Chocolate Cherry Cola

Old and odd, but good. 

Arizona Soda Works' Rx Relax Chocolate Cherry Cola isn't typical soda, but since it's one of those vitamin things I don't think they want it to be.

It smells great, like rich chocolate. The taste? Odd. Chocolately, but not creamy. The carbonation mixing with the chocolate flavor is very unusual. In the background is a cherry cough drop/Dr Pepper-ish flavor. I guess you could say it's sort of like chocolate Dr Pepper. An unusual soft drink. But is it good? Yes. I'd drink it again, even though it's discontinued and the bottle I drank was probably four years old.

Verdict? If you like the idea of a chocolate-flavored Dr Pepper, then head over to your local Big Lots and try to find a bottle.

Jones Soda Co. Cherry Soda

Jones Soda, how do I love thee? 

Today's soft drink is Jones Soda Company's cherry soda. I'd seen their website before, but had never seen the product in any stores. Recently on a trip out of town, I found several varieties of Jones Soda at a Sheetz in Richmond, Virginia. I chose the cherry soda and didn't regret it one bit. This stuff is astonishingly good. It tastes like Smith Brothers. Wild Cherry cough drops, which I used to love as a kid, even if I didn't have a cough. Not too carbonated. Great smell.

Final verdict? Darn near nectar of the gods. I can't wait to try some other Jones Soda varieties.

Note: Jones Soda Company are the ones who made the infamous Turkey & Gravy Soda.