LTH Home

Pop/Soda tasting notes [tons o' pics]

Pop/Soda tasting notes [tons o' pics]
  • Forum HomePost Reply BackTop
    Page 6 of 10
  • Post #151 - October 6th, 2010, 1:14 am
    Post #151 - October 6th, 2010, 1:14 am Post #151 - October 6th, 2010, 1:14 am
    I just saw this oddity in my weekly Aldi flyer, Orange Cream Soda. Has anyone tried it?
    "Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand." Leo Durocher
  • Post #152 - October 6th, 2010, 9:08 am
    Post #152 - October 6th, 2010, 9:08 am Post #152 - October 6th, 2010, 9:08 am
    I haven't tried it, but I've seen it in Walmart as well.
  • Post #153 - October 11th, 2010, 5:59 pm
    Post #153 - October 11th, 2010, 5:59 pm Post #153 - October 11th, 2010, 5:59 pm
    bruce cost's ginger ale (original)
    carbonated water, cane sugar, ginger, citric acid

    it tastes like ginger. not too much heat, good clean ginger flavor, a little too sweet. not much to say about it.. it tastes like ginger syrup mixed with carbonated water, which I guess is what it is. The balance isn't quite there, though. B

    bruce cost's ginger ale (jasmine)
    carbonated water, cane sugar, ginger, jasmine green tea, citric acid

    the above, but with green tea. Ginger is much less prominent, about tied with the tea in intensity. If you think about this as more of a carbonated iced tea than a tea-flavored ginger ale it works better. Not sure why that is. And thinking about it in that vein, as a carbonated iced tea, I think I'd like it more if it used a good black tea and had a little bit of lemon juice or oil. It's fairly unique, though. B+

    One interesting thing about these sodas: they're very cloudy, full of bits of ginger. You're told to shake gently before opening, but even once you do that, the ginger settles to the bottom of the bottle very quickly -- within 5 minutes. This seems to result in a sort of sandwich effect with the flavor -- the first sips are strong and gingery, the middle of the bottle is more sweet and mellow, and the final swigs are the strongest of all. It might put some people off, but I think it works well.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #154 - October 13th, 2010, 7:03 pm
    Post #154 - October 13th, 2010, 7:03 pm Post #154 - October 13th, 2010, 7:03 pm
    gleam wrote:bruce cost's ginger ale (original)
    carbonated water, cane sugar, ginger, citric acid

    it tastes like ginger. not too much heat, good clean ginger flavor, a little too sweet. not much to say about it.. it tastes like ginger syrup mixed with carbonated water, which I guess is what it is. The balance isn't quite there, though. B

    I haven't had an opportunity to try the bottled version yet, but the mixed-to-order version sold at Big Bowl is full of vanilla and citrus overtones.

    I do know that they make this from fresh ginger, rather than an extract.
  • Post #155 - November 5th, 2010, 9:34 am
    Post #155 - November 5th, 2010, 9:34 am Post #155 - November 5th, 2010, 9:34 am
    If anyone gets a chance to taste Hot Lips Soda, let me know what you think. I think the nearest place you can buy it is Davenport IA, but I believe it is available on line as well. Check it out, hotlipsoda.com
    I'm particulary interested in the raspberry soda (or as we say out here in the sticks....pop). :D
  • Post #156 - November 5th, 2010, 1:55 pm
    Post #156 - November 5th, 2010, 1:55 pm Post #156 - November 5th, 2010, 1:55 pm
    razbry wrote:If anyone gets a chance to taste Hot Lips Soda, let me know what you think. I think the nearest place you can buy it is Davenport IA, but I believe it is available on line as well. Check it out, hotlipsoda.com
    I'm particulary interested in the raspberry soda (or as we say out here in the sticks....pop). :D


    I reviewed the raspberry hot lips soda upthread. It's outstanding.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #157 - November 8th, 2010, 9:39 am
    Post #157 - November 8th, 2010, 9:39 am Post #157 - November 8th, 2010, 9:39 am
    Now how did I miss that? Thanks Gleam. Now I've got to buy some. :D
  • Post #158 - November 12th, 2010, 10:05 am
    Post #158 - November 12th, 2010, 10:05 am Post #158 - November 12th, 2010, 10:05 am
    I did a search but didn't find anything. Has anyone tried Vermont Sweetwater's Maple Soda? I just learned about the company on Selectism.
  • Post #159 - November 19th, 2010, 4:17 pm
    Post #159 - November 19th, 2010, 4:17 pm Post #159 - November 19th, 2010, 4:17 pm
    Fentiman's:

    Dandelion and Burdock: Anise and bubblegum actually seem to be the predominant flavors. Extremely odd, and actually surprisingly tasty. I really enjoyed this a lot. It's very medicinal, but not in a bad way. I think it would be really polarizing, though.. a coworker described it as "slightly better than dayquil." Results in very odd-tasting burps. A-

    Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger: Tastes exactly (exactly!) like canned mandarin oranges, except a little less sweet and lightly carbonated. It's pretty delicious if you like actual orange flavor in your sodas, this would be tough to beat. More soda-like than pellegrino aranciata. A

    Victorian Lemonade: Tart, tart, tart. Very authentically lemony, very sour. Would make a great mixer, but hard to drink on its own. One of my coworkers preferred it to the orange, but not me. B- as a standalone soda.

    Shandy: Pretty good quality near beer + lemon. Pretty refreshing, but no real hoppiness. I liked it a lot as a soda that tastes like beer, but I think beer lovers wouldn't be impressed unless they had to give up the real stuff. A-

    I've still got the ginger beer and cola left.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #160 - December 6th, 2010, 12:18 pm
    Post #160 - December 6th, 2010, 12:18 pm Post #160 - December 6th, 2010, 12:18 pm
    Hey Gleam...when are you going to post some new reviews? I've got our local specialty store working on getting in Hot Lips Raspberry soda. :D
  • Post #161 - December 6th, 2010, 12:29 pm
    Post #161 - December 6th, 2010, 12:29 pm Post #161 - December 6th, 2010, 12:29 pm
    Only two recent ones were the Fentiman's ginger beer and cola. The cola was very cola-y with a lot of baking spice aroma on top. Cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. Pretty good stuff, but I'm still happy with Coke. B. The ginger beer was nothing special at all. Real ginger flavor but nothing distinctive about it. C+.

    If you succeed in convincing them to stock Hot Lips, do let me know.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #162 - December 6th, 2010, 4:54 pm
    Post #162 - December 6th, 2010, 4:54 pm Post #162 - December 6th, 2010, 4:54 pm
    I tasted some kind of Swedish Christmas soda at Tre Kronor the other night (I think Cathy2 might have brought it, but I'm not sure. Hopefully someone remembers the name). It had a distinctly Dr. Pepper taste profile, but not as tooth achingly sweet and possibly a bit more subtle in the flavor dept. as well. I liked it well enough, but I doubt I'd make it a daily drink. Luckily, it's only available seasonally.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #163 - December 19th, 2010, 9:58 am
    Post #163 - December 19th, 2010, 9:58 am Post #163 - December 19th, 2010, 9:58 am
    stevez wrote:I tasted some kind of Swedish Christmas soda at Tre Kronor the other night (I think Cathy2 might have brought it, but I'm not sure. Hopefully someone remembers the name). It had a distinctly Dr. Pepper taste profile, but not as tooth achingly sweet and possibly a bit more subtle in the flavor dept. as well. I liked it well enough, but I doubt I'd make it a daily drink. Luckily, it's only available seasonally.


    Pretty sure you're talking about Julmust. We were at Tre Kronor last weekend for Santa Lucia and they offered this (pretty much just as you described, too - "a Swedish Dr. Pepper") in addition to glogg, sans the booze. Noticed it for sale by the bottle next door at the Sweden Shop as well.
    Writing about craft beer at GuysDrinkingBeer.com
    "You don't realize it, but we're at dinner right now." ~Ebert
  • Post #164 - December 19th, 2010, 10:51 pm
    Post #164 - December 19th, 2010, 10:51 pm Post #164 - December 19th, 2010, 10:51 pm
    whiskeybent wrote:
    stevez wrote:I tasted some kind of Swedish Christmas soda at Tre Kronor the other night (I think Cathy2 might have brought it, but I'm not sure. Hopefully someone remembers the name). It had a distinctly Dr. Pepper taste profile, but not as tooth achingly sweet and possibly a bit more subtle in the flavor dept. as well. I liked it well enough, but I doubt I'd make it a daily drink. Luckily, it's only available seasonally.


    Pretty sure you're talking about Julmust. We were at Tre Kronor last weekend for Santa Lucia and they offered this (pretty much just as you described, too - "a Swedish Dr. Pepper") in addition to glogg, sans the booze. Noticed it for sale by the bottle next door at the Sweden Shop as well.


    As a lover of Dr. Pepper, I didn't think it tasted like Dr. Pepper at all. I'll admit, my mother hates it (she's the only one in my family of origin who despised it.).

    I had this Swedish soda at the Holiday party the other night. I thought it tasted like cough syrup. I guess for those that think Dr. Pepper tastes like medicine, I could see that. I had no desire to finish the bottle I had, unfortunately.
    Last edited by pairs4life on March 29th, 2011, 2:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #165 - January 10th, 2011, 10:18 am
    Post #165 - January 10th, 2011, 10:18 am Post #165 - January 10th, 2011, 10:18 am
    I tried Goose Island's Spiced Ginger Ale...tastes like sweet soap. Yack!
  • Post #166 - January 12th, 2011, 11:59 am
    Post #166 - January 12th, 2011, 11:59 am Post #166 - January 12th, 2011, 11:59 am
    If you succeed in convincing them to stock Hot Lips, do let me know.


    Sorry Gleam...they couldn't stock the stuff. There is some sort of minimum purchase required, and it was just too much stock for this small speciality store. These are the places closest (to me anyway) that sell Hotlips Soda retail.

    Big Foot Expresso/Cup of Joe
    1603 5th Ave
    Moline, IL. 61265

    The Village Corner Deli
    1030 Mound St.
    Davenport IA. 52803

    And of course one always has the option to order it by the case through the internet.
  • Post #167 - January 12th, 2011, 1:20 pm
    Post #167 - January 12th, 2011, 1:20 pm Post #167 - January 12th, 2011, 1:20 pm
    Has anyone recently seen/heard of Dr. Slice? It was in the Pepsi "Slice" line, and I would assume from the name it was a Dr. Pepper competitor. I seem to recall it being more red and sweeter, but other than that I don't remember much about it. It was available in northern Wisconsin in the late 90's or early aughts but I haven't seen it since.
  • Post #168 - January 22nd, 2011, 11:50 pm
    Post #168 - January 22nd, 2011, 11:50 pm Post #168 - January 22nd, 2011, 11:50 pm
    Also a lot of people seem to like Fanta lemon, the kind imported from Poland or maybe some other countries too. Anyone try this and know where to buy it?
    Toria

    "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - As You Like It,
    W. Shakespeare
  • Post #169 - January 24th, 2011, 1:07 pm
    Post #169 - January 24th, 2011, 1:07 pm Post #169 - January 24th, 2011, 1:07 pm
    I received a juicer for my birthday and I'm looking for juicer recipe books and/or websites.
    Anybody have a tip for me?

    Thanks
  • Post #170 - January 24th, 2011, 3:07 pm
    Post #170 - January 24th, 2011, 3:07 pm Post #170 - January 24th, 2011, 3:07 pm
    toria wrote:Also a lot of people seem to like Fanta lemon, the kind imported from Poland or maybe some other countries too. Anyone try this and know where to buy it?

    There's a Fanta thread here. You can find Polish Fanta at many Polish markets in Chicago, such as Gilmart (5050 S Archer) where this photo was taken.

    Image
  • Post #171 - March 17th, 2011, 4:08 pm
    Post #171 - March 17th, 2011, 4:08 pm Post #171 - March 17th, 2011, 4:08 pm
    Breaking News...I'm going to sell Hot Lips Raspberry Soda this year at my You Pick Berry Farm! I'm sure as heck am NOT going to make much (if any) money on this deal, but I thought it would be a fun appropriate thing to offer. So if you come out to pick berries, here is your chance to try this soda! :D
  • Post #172 - March 28th, 2011, 6:20 pm
    Post #172 - March 28th, 2011, 6:20 pm Post #172 - March 28th, 2011, 6:20 pm
    I may have done some of these before.

    Image
    mr q cumber by ehfisher, on Flickr

    Best served at room temp, which maximizes the cucumber aroma and flavor. It tastes like cucumber and sugar water, with maybe a hint of citrus. It's really very good, very refreshing. A-

    Image
    fitz's root beer by ehfisher, on Flickr

    Classic root beer, not too heavy on any of the flavorings, but stronger on the mint than on the vanilla after the main bite wears off. Just missing a little something. B

    Image
    leninade by ehfisher, on Flickr

    A total gimmick soda. Sweet pink lemonade flavor with nothing at all distinguishing about it. C

    Image
    olde rhode island molasses root beer by ehfisher, on Flickr

    A very unique root beer with a very, very strong molasses taste. If you like molasses (and I do) then this will be a pleasant surprise. After the sassafras flavor finishes, you get that powerful molasses hit and then vanilla. Really not like any other root beer on the market. Probably most like a molasses-flavored AJ Stephans Root Beer. B+

    edit: whoops, grabbed html accidentally.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #173 - April 2nd, 2011, 11:06 pm
    Post #173 - April 2nd, 2011, 11:06 pm Post #173 - April 2nd, 2011, 11:06 pm
    Image
    carousel green apple soda by ehfisher, on Flickr

    very sweet green apple candy flavor. like a sour apple blow pop without the sour. C

    Image
    saranac shirley temple by ehfisher, on Flickr

    well, it tastes like a shirley temple. do you like shirley temples? B-

    Image
    squamscot root beer by ehfisher, on Flickr

    Traditional root beer. It gets hard to differentiate between all of them, honestly. This one reminds me most of Goose Island's, but just not as good. It seemed great in comparison after the two really bad root beers I had before it. B-

    Image
    briar's root beer by ehfisher, on Flickr

    This was one of those. Reminded me of a third tier off-brand root beer, but less sweet (so the nasty poor quality artificial flavors dominate). That said, I was able to finish this one, unlike the Clover Classics one. D

    Image
    jack black's blood red cola by ehfisher, on Flickr

    Bitter gimmick cola -- dyed red to match the pirate theme. Don't make a cola if you aren't going to put some effort into it, people. D+

    Image
    journey caribbean creme soda by ehfisher, on Flickr

    If you like coconut and sweet creme sodas, you will probably love this. I hate coconut and I'm not a big fan of sweet creme sodas. I'm not even going to grade it, because the very strong coconut aroma and flavor made it a one-sip-and-dump.

    Image
    clover classics root beer by ehfisher, on Flickr

    And this was just truly a bad, bad, bad root beer. Chicago made, too -- same bottler as Berghoff and Green River. Berghoff root beer is actually pretty good. They should just stick with that one. In googling this one, I actually noticed another guy rated it 181st out of 183 root beers he's tasted. It's certainly the worst root beer I've ever had, so please stop me before I try "Super Chill Birch" and "HyVee Diet". F
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #174 - September 10th, 2011, 8:13 am
    Post #174 - September 10th, 2011, 8:13 am Post #174 - September 10th, 2011, 8:13 am
    Gee Gleam it has been a while. Did you lose your passion for soda? :P
  • Post #175 - September 10th, 2011, 8:19 am
    Post #175 - September 10th, 2011, 8:19 am Post #175 - September 10th, 2011, 8:19 am
    along with a ton of weight ;)

    actually, I do have a big backlog from Galco's in LA and Rocket Fizz in Phoenix, just haven't had the urge to upload the pics + post the writeups. At Galco's I had a chance to sample pretty much every Hot Lips soda. They're all very good.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #176 - September 10th, 2011, 8:11 pm
    Post #176 - September 10th, 2011, 8:11 pm Post #176 - September 10th, 2011, 8:11 pm
    OK folks. Rather than letter grades on this batch, I'm gonna color code the names of the sodas. Here's the key:

    Outstanding: A top-notch soda, worth every calorie and every burp. Seek these out. Pay shipping for them. Drive 100 miles for them. Equivalent to an A/A+.
    Very good: Not quite top tier, but really good. Look for these near you. Equivalent to a B+/A- roughly.
    Good: If you stumble across a bottle of these sodas, pick them up. You'll enjoy them, but not worth a special search. Equivalent to a B-/B
    Average: If you're really thirsty, these might hit the spot. Not worth bothering with otherwise. C/C+
    Sub-par: Not truly noxious, but bad. Likely worse than a major-brand equivalent (if one exists). You won't spit it out, but you probably wouldn't bother finishing the bottle. D/D+/C-
    Terrible: Avoid at all costs. A failure of a soda in all respects. D-/F.

    So with those in mind, here we go!
    Last edited by gleam on September 10th, 2011, 8:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #177 - September 10th, 2011, 8:42 pm
    Post #177 - September 10th, 2011, 8:42 pm Post #177 - September 10th, 2011, 8:42 pm
    Image
    spring grove lemon sour
    tastes exactly like those gas station sour lemon hard candies. not a bad thing.

    Image
    avery's raspberry
    sweet, raspberry candy flavor. not very "real" tasting

    Image
    thomas kemper marionberry
    rich, sweet berry aroma and flavor. clearly blackberry-family. great.

    Image
    reading draft blueberry birch
    cloyingly sweet, terrible fake blueberry flavor, light birch flavor. explosively carbonated.

    Image
    americana honey-lime ginger
    crisp ginger flavor, honey/lime imperceptible

    Image
    buderim yank style ginger brew
    very cloudy, less ginger bite than the aussie style, maybe a bit sweeter.

    Image
    avery's dry orange soda
    odd sort of skunky flavor. real orange, but very off.

    Image
    empire spruce beer
    EXTREMELY unique taste. christmasy. no other way of putting it. Sky Blue mainly because of how unique it is.. gotta try it once.

    Image
    empire pineapple
    sweet, fake pineapple flavor.

    Image
    buderim aussie style ginger brew
    not as good as bundaberg, but very tasty and good ginger heat.

    Image
    derr's orange pineapple soda
    pineapple flavors taste real, orange flavors taste fake. overall not bad.

    Image
    reading draft root beer
    unremarkable standard root beer. slightly above average.

    Image
    simpson spring sarsaparilla
    good root beer aroma, weak flavor

    Image
    hotlips black raspberry
    raspberry flavor really comes up slowly to wallop you as you swallow. great.

    Image
    hotlips blackberry
    great blackberry flavor, lightly carbonated, not too sweet, could be a little heavier on the blackberry.

    Image
    hotlips pear
    because it's so lightly carbonated, it tastes a lot like straight pear juice. not as successful, but again, great real fruit flavor and aroma.

    Image
    hotlips cherry
    not very sweet at all, very lightly carbonated. not a great aroma but a really nice cherry flavor.

    Image
    hotlips boysenberry
    juicy aroma, barely carbonated, not too sweet, but a little mild on the boysenberry flavor.

    Image
    hotlips cranberry
    wow, huge aroma hit, then tartness and a little bitterness from the cranberries. fantastic if you like cranberries.

    Image
    vintage soda canadian cola
    very two-dimensional. kola bite and bitterness and then not too much else. a little clove, a little citrus oil maybe.

    Image
    margo's bark root beer
    molasses, wintergreen, vanilla, cinnamon. spicy and smooth. a really pleasant root beer. not an afterthought at all.

    Image
    fentiman's rose lemonade
    very refreshing. very pure lemonade taste with a hint of rose.

    Image
    fever tree ginger beer
    this is meant as a mixer, and i think it shows. strong ginger heat, caramel/ginger aroma. needs some rum.

    Image
    jamaica's finest ginger beer
    pure ginger burn. stick to d&g.

    Image
    sweet blossom lavender
    extremely subtle. i think any more lavender and it would be overpowering. another one i'll never crave but am glad to have tried

    Image
    sweet blossom jasmine
    bitter, real jasmine tea flavor. not sure i'll ever crave it, but it is what it says on the label. jasmine tea soda.

    Image
    waialua mango
    taste is fine, although not great. aroma is like mango beauty products, not an actual fruit.

    Image
    waialua kona red
    I don't really know what kona red/coffee fruit is supposed to taste like. like the other waialua ones, this is aromatic, not too sweet, and well carbonated. i don't like the flavor as much as the pineapple/passionfruit, though.

    Image
    waialua lilikoi/passionfruit
    again, very clean heady aroma, nicely carbonated, not too sweet. the passionfruit flavor feels a bit less authentic than the pineapple, but is still very good

    Image
    waialua pineapple
    very pure, strong pineapple aroma. not too sweet, nicely carbonated, good real pineapple flavor. not as good as pineapple juice, but very close. truly refreshing.

    Image
    d&g ginger beer
    like candied ginger. clean ginger heat, not too sweet. would probably be a great mixer.

    Image
    frucade - orangenfructsaftlimonade
    orange/lemon. skunky aroma, nearly no carbonation, tastes like old off-brand orangina. WTF germany.

    Image
    taylor's tonics chai cola
    wow. strange, completely unlike any soda out there. not even like a sweet tea or sweet chai, because it's carbonated. not bad, just truly bizarre.

    Image
    manhattan special gassosa
    just like 7up except less sweet. good if you like that kind of thing.

    Image
    rat bastard root beer
    molasses and herbs. strongly herby, not a traditional root beer
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #178 - September 11th, 2011, 7:33 am
    Post #178 - September 11th, 2011, 7:33 am Post #178 - September 11th, 2011, 7:33 am
    Yey...Gleam is back! Loved all the reviews. You are making me crazy for Hot Lips Soda, but I have to admit the Rat Bastard Rootbeer caught my eye! :lol:
  • Post #179 - September 11th, 2011, 9:37 am
    Post #179 - September 11th, 2011, 9:37 am Post #179 - September 11th, 2011, 9:37 am
    razbry, you may be happy to hear that there's a coffee shop in Wicker Park that is listed on Hot Lips' product locator:

    Caffe Streets
    1750 W Division St
    Chicago, IL 60622
    http://caffestreets.com/

    I haven't had a chance to verify this, so you may want to give them a call and see what they have.
    Ed Fisher
    my chicago food photos

    RIP LTH.
  • Post #180 - September 11th, 2011, 10:39 am
    Post #180 - September 11th, 2011, 10:39 am Post #180 - September 11th, 2011, 10:39 am
    gleam wrote:razbry, you may be happy to hear that there's a coffee shop in Wicker Park that is listed on Hot Lips' product locator:

    Caffe Streets
    1750 W Division St
    Chicago, IL 60622
    http://caffestreets.com/

    I haven't had a chance to verify this, so you may want to give them a call and see what they have.


    I called them this week. They have a limited selection of flavors, but no raspberry.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven

Contact

About

Team

Advertize

Close

Chat

Articles

Guide

Events

more