And the winner is..

I do not have video editing software at my disposal so just follow this link.

I started this adventure thinking that I could find the best soda out in the market. I have since realized however that these aren't those types of sodas. These aren't the types that can be judged purely on taste, carbonation, and design. These beverages aren't even made for that.

They are made for the memory.

If you want a good soda, go get some Coke or Pepsi shenanigans.

If you want a great soda, something that will last, something that you will remember, something where you can look back and think, "Damn, that was a really tasty soda." then this is what you want.

When you get these types of sodas at a restaurant, you don't just chalk it up as another occasion dining out. When you get these sodas at a restaurant, you remember the experience. You remember that you had that blue raspberry, or watermelon soda. You remember why you went there. Perhaps, you were visiting Salem, Mass. and had just come out of an awesome museum (which ironically wasn't even about witches..--it was about pirates--). You remember the excitement when you saw the list of sodas and marveled at all the flavors they had in store. Which would you pick? "Can I manage two sodas in one sitting? When I come back I have to come here so I can try this one!"

These smaller brewers, Boylans, Stewart's, Frostop, The Pop Shoppe..they are making experiences. They are making memories.

And memories taste damn good.

So I can't just judge these sodas on taste alone. They have to bring something to the table. Something that can't be bottled.

Maybe, they bring the experience of eating an apple, and the surprise that it can be done by a soda.

Maybe, it is reminding you of a snow cone. Perhaps ice cream? How about a warm sunny day, even though it is 35 degrees out?

Chocolate, can they really make a soda out of that?...Yes, they can.

My winner doesn't just excel in flavor, but it excels in experience. It has created a memory that will never be forgotten. Just the scent, the look, the thought, can bring about a smile on my face.

So that is why the winner is Stewart's Orange and Cream Soda.

Yes, I am biased. I am biased in the memories it has established.

This doesn't mean that I haven't found other fantastic beverages. This whole experience has created a memory of its own. A memory that applies to each and every soda I tasted, and also a memory that adds to those I have of Stewart's Orange and Cream Soda.

Maybe it is true that I have tasted the best years ago when the orange cream first touched my lips. But the flavor has grown. It has become ingrained in my summers. It has become joy.

Second place is awarded to Frostie's Cherry Limeade. Third to Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda, then Cool Mountain Green Apple and finally Boylan's Birch Beer.

All these will have a place in my thoughts and I will think back on them whenever I taste a delicious beverage.

Orange and Cream is my favorite. But it is my memories. What I have found to be the best is completely unique to me. You may find different.

So I urge you to go out and find your favorite. Find those wonderful experiences.

Go out and drink down those delicious memories.

The Finals: Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda

The Burgundy Brawler!

For an instant I smelled cream, and then black cherry overwhelmed. A brilliant teaser.

The black cherry comes off strong for my first sip. There is a slightly creamy undertone. As with most cream sodas, there is a smooth aftertaste, but even here the black cherry lingers. Black cherry is deep, and powerful. Vanilla is also strong even in small doses.

Vanilla may be strong, but it is swift..like a ninja! It's there and you don't even realize it. Then when you do realize that vanillaninja is there, it is the end.

This bottle breaks the ever shortening bottleneck trend. It is also the only one to sport a collar label.

The label is quite complex. "Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda" graces the label with its western font. Two kids, a boy and girl are sitting in rather large chairs, being served a pitcher of soda by a rather burly man.

Complex, kind of like the flavor. Black cherry by itself is complex. It's cherry, of course, but deep, and rich, and bold. Vanillaninja is ever present but you have to look for it.

The Finals: Frostie Cherry Limeade

The Red Ranger!

It smells of a mixture of coke and citrus.

The cherry is predominant and delicious. The lime is more of a lingering flavor. Individually these two flavors can be pretty strong. Limeade may not be as strong as lemonade can be but still. These two flavors are competing for the spotlight in this soda. Cherry comes out fast and strong. Lime, goes at a steady pace and has the endurance to last till after the sip. Together, they work out very well. Cherry, being a bold flavor hits your tongue first, and a few seconds later the lime slices through the cherry and presents itself. Red and green may be contrasting colors but the flavors are complimentary.

The carbonation is just right.

These bottle necks are getting shorter and shorter with each day!

The label here is probably my favorite out of the bunch. An odd wintry scene is the basis of this label. I don't think of winter when I taste this drink but, whatever. It is snowing in what presume is a night time sky. What I believe is the moon is partially covered by Jack Frost's face. Cherries and one and a half limes are covered with snow, as is the "Frostie".

The drink itself is a bright candy red. It makes the bottle really pop!

I have been waiting quite a while to retry this soda. The first time I tasted it, WAAAY back ago (t'was the second soda) I knew this would be a contender. I am reminded why I liked it so much. These two flavors just go so well together. Lime is a perfect partner to cut down the strong flavor that is cherry.

The Finals: Stewart's Orange 'n Cream

The Orange Originator!

The bottle is filled almost completely to the top. Oh yeah.

I know I've mentioned this before but it has the smell of a creamsicle snow cone. The type of snow cone where the ice is actually crushed and doesn't clump. The kind where "OOPS!" they put in a little too much orange flavoring. Better add some more creamy marshmallow goodness to make up for it.

I take a sip worth three glugs of air bubbles. Taking one sip at a time I realize that it tends to err on the creamy side of the orange and cream. However, if I take multiple sips at a time, that's when I really get the orange. The aftertaste has some of the bolder citrus taste. But lingering in the back of my mouth is the cream.

I'm reminded of the one time I went to Rita's and they had orange flavored custard. That is something they really should do more often..

The bottle is fairly standard. The neck is so far the shortest of the bunch. The label sports a green diamond with a orange popsicle on the covering the bottom corner.

I've never really noticed the difference in flavor from one sip to multiple sips at a time. It is quite pleasant.

Stewart's Orange 'n Cream gives you everything you might want from a soda. First being cream soda. Who doesn't want cream soda? Second, orange soda. Who doesn't want orange soda? Lastly, a blending of these two flavors that is greater than the sum of its parts. Individually, one is a little strong and one is nice, but would benefit from a partner. Combined they interact to make something spectacular.

The Finals: Cool Mountain Green Apple

Round 2 for the Green Goblin!

It smells like it should be a candy green apple. But I know that it is not!

Ahh, that fresh, organic, fruity taste. It is refreshing on this dreary day. When I think, and taste, apples, I see sunshine. As long as I don't look out my window I am happy.

It does a spectacular job at mimicking the feel of sucking the juices out of a bite of apple. It puts that flavor in the back of my mouth just like a real apple would. And the best part is that there is no pesky skin to deal with!

This soda has the taste of the juices and the taste of the...well this is going to be hard to explain. The stuff that actually makes up the apple. You know, the stuff that gives it structure. If you were to suck all the juices out of the apples you'd be left with this. This soda also has the taste of that.

The bottle has a somewhat tall body and a shorter neck. The shoulder of the bottle transitions smoothly into the neck. Not as smoothly as Boylan's which has no shoulder at all. The label sports a sweet alpine mountain scene. As I mentioned before the color of the mountains start green from the soda and disappears as you empty the bottle. The top right of the label, and the bottle cap asks me, "Are you thirsty?"

To be honest I'm not really thirsty but this is the only time of the day that I would have a chance to type this post. So I took one for the team.

Perhaps this soda has slightly amplified the apple taste, compared to an actual apple. But that's understandable, it is a soda.

The reason this soda is in the finals is because it is just amazing how well it does at getting that apple flavor down perfect. At least in my opinion (but that is obvious because it is MY blog). Some may say otherwise but to me it is just shocking how well a soda can taste just like a fruit.

The flavor gets bonus points for doing a great job at hitting its target. Also, uniqueness because have you seen any other apple flavored sodas? Mountains are cool so points for the label.

The Finals: Boylan's Birch Beer

To start, the Red Raider!

I can smell the delicious sweet rootiness of the Birch Beer.

The taste consists mostly of root beer, of course. But the Birch beer adds a little something extra special. The bitter root is out down by the pure cane sugar. Enough so that it doesn't completely hide the bitterness, but puts it at the perfect level that one can handle it and enjoy it. The Birch adds a distinctly almost indescribable flavor. It isn't JUST root beer but something much more.

The carbonation is fine. I get hardly any FUD. Right around the edge where the soda meets the bottle is a ring of carbonation. A purpleish deep redish hue.

The bottle is of the tall and skinny variety. If bottles were athletes Boylan would probably find itself on track and field.

The label is reminiscent of the 20's. Simple, yet eye catching. It stands out from the rest in that it doesn't stand out. If you are acting crazy in a crowd of people acting crazy, are you really acting crazy? Loud is only loud in the presence of soothing quiet. Label-wise, Boylan's maybe the soothing quiet.

Boylan's Birch beer is one that stands out in the sea of root beers. It adds a unique flavor to the generic root beer. It's deep red is attractive and so is the tall slender bottle. Is it enough to surpass the other 4 finalists?

The Final Finalists

and some added awards.

First we shall start off with the third finalist: Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda. It wasn't an original entry. This soda did not appear on the fateful thirsty day in the middle of the summer. The day I decided to start this adventure. It took the place of a spiced apple cider beverage. Personally, I am very grad I had to make this switch.

Next an award! The goal of this journey is to find the best soda in the market. But, along the way I have also found one of the worst.

The award for the worst soda is none other than Reed's Cherry Ginger Brew. I first at Reed's original ginger ale and thought that was the worst. When the cherry version came up, I figured maybe the cherry will distract me from the overwhelming ginger flavor. Well, Reed needed to make sure that would never happen so the added 5 extra grams, to a total of 22 grams of ginger to Reed's Cherry Ginger Brew. The flavor is just too strong and it makes me make a face like a baby that just had its first taste of liquid medicine.

On to better things, the fourth finalist!

Cool Mountain Green Apple finds a way into the final 5 with only one entry! I fully expected a candy sour green apple much like a Jolly Rancher. What I got was a lovely fresh apple taste that somehow mimicked the mouth feel of a real apple.

For this reason, Cool Mountain Green Apple also wins the award for biggest surprise!

The last finalist is...Boylan's Birch Beer!

Root Beer may be the most prolific entry (that or cream soda but I don't feel like counting right now). I figured Root Beer should have some sort of representation in the finals *coughVirginiaPlancough*. As I said in the post about Birch Beer, if there is a Root Beer in the final it will probably be this one.

Our last bit of business before the finals officially go underway on Monday is the last award. This award is for the Most Original. The Soda with the most spirit!

The winner is Pop Goes the Bubble! This Bubble Gum flavored soda found itself in a close race with Cooper's Cave Chocolate Soda. The tie breaker was that I found Pop Goes the Bubble to be a better overall beverage.

Next week starts tournament play. Stewart's Orange 'n' Cream, Frostie Cherry Limeade, Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda, Cool Mountain Green Apple, and Boylan's Birch Beer. All will shoot fora spot as the most delicious soda I have ever tasted.

The second finalist

Okay, well, Stewart's Root Beer hasn't been in stock for a week or two...Although the diet version has? So, I'm just going to give up on that one. It probably wouldn't have made it anyway.

On the topic of Root Beer, our next award category is best Root Beer!

Root Beer is a strongly represented flavor in this tasteventure so I figured it should get some sort of acknowledgement.

The winner is Boylan's Birch Beer!!---Wait does this count, is it technically root beer? I mean, it probably tastes better because it uses slightly different ingredients..uhmmm..uhhh..executive decision!!---The winner is Boylan's Root Beer!! A nice root beer taste with a tasty creamy center. A fitting representation of the Root Beer family.

On to other matters. What soda will be the second finalist?

To find the answer we must look at the second entry! Frostie Cherry Limeade! A bright red soda with a wintry label. It brought me back to the days of summer. I'm excited to give this one another try because now with my more experienced pallet I can pass judgement on an early favorite.

Hiccup

Okay, I know...It's Monday. And you are dying to read about Stewart's Root Beer. The final entry into my sodaventure. Well...today I did not follow my usual Monday routine and may have forgot to go buy the soda. So expect it Tuesday!

But in the meantime I can reveal one of the finalists!!

The one everyone saw coming, Stewart's Orange 'n' Cream Soda.

It started this adventure and has survived the qualifiers to make it to the finals. Honestly, I could have told you it would make it months ago. It's delicious blend of citricy orange and mellow cream launches it to the top of the ranks of sodas.

But how does it compare to the other four? What are the other four!? Tomorrow I reveal another finalist.

Today I will give out the award for Most Reliable Soda!

The winner of this category is consistent. It is exactly what you asked for. It may not exceed your expectations but it always meets them. Do you want grape soda? Well the winner of this race will give you exactly that.

The winner of the Most Reliable Soda is none other than Canada's The Pop Shoppe! Congratulations, eh!

Boylan Ginger Ale

Honestly, I've been put off from all Ginger Ale since I've had that Reed's Ginger Ale..

Well, here is to making me like it again.

Thankfully no where near as strong as Reed's. It is subdued, but it still tastes like fresh ginger. There are no spices to amplify the ginger. It is simply carbonated ginger water. As it should be. Not 22ounces of ginger root in liquid form pumped with the strongest spices on Earth.

It is carbonated well.

This bottles color theme is white! When I think of ginger ale I don't think of white, I think of a very light yellow. They are breaking their trend of matching the color to the flavor. Maybe diet ginger ale would be white, but that would be gross.

This soda seems to be a little different from the Canada Dry or Schweppes ginger ale one normally finds. This ginger ale has that fresh taste. Another reason to go independent. Unfortunately, I have acquired an aversion to ginger ale. At the very least, fresh ginger ale. While this soda is manageable, it still reminds me of Reed's. So, good job Boylan, you made a nice ginger ale with that fresh flavor. Perhaps if I had drank you before Reed's I would appreciate you more. But, the randomizer said otherwise.

This was the last entry by Boylan. Actually, only one soda remains in the qualifying round. Starting next week I will post everyday Monday through Friday. Each day I will reveal one of the final 5 contenders. Perhaps I will also give out a few awards for various other things.

The following week will be the playoffs. Again, I will post each day. This time I will retry the soda of the day and give it one final judgement. Come Friday, I will devour the last soda and then reveal the winner of The Glass Bottle Connoisseur!

Waialua Lilikoi

Blue Punch Buggy!

This is a passion fruit soda. I've had passion fruit in those LifeWater things, I'm pretty sure I liked it.

It smells quite tangy and tart.

It tastes exactly the same. There is a tart fruity flavor. It reminds me of the apple soda I had. It really leaves a fruit feel in my mouth. It's not a bad soda. It is basically a really sour apple.

It is a lovely pink rosey color. Moreso than the mango, as you can see in the picture.

The label features a woman with long black hair. She is wearing only a pink grass skirt and pink lei. It is a square pink label, the lettering of the company is red outlined in yellow. "Lilikoi" is a very light pink outlined in black.

It's a simple soda. Simple flavor, simple design, and so a simple review.

Stewart's Grape Soda

I wish I had some ice.

Have you ever poured grape soda into a glass of ice? The fizz turns blue!! One of the numerous reasons why I love grape soda.

Actually, one of two reasons, the second being it is just darn tasty.

Ohhh that magnificent Concord grape flavor. It's such a deep flavor. It is a smooth, rich flavor, that almost has its own creaminess to it. Just slightly creamy however. There is nothing sharp about this soda that needs to be cut down by adding cream soda to it. The flavor is like black cherry in that they are both robust. Strong, confident flavors they are.

The carbonation is right on the edge of being overdone. BUT, it isn't overdone. There is plenty of sparkle to this soft drink, but it doesn't FUD (is that what I called it? Fizz Upon Drinking?). The carbonation is walking on a thin line, but it hasn't fallen yet.

Unlike most other Stewart's beverages, there is not color changing label here. The diamond background is purple, as is the double popsicle. But they are to remain purple instead of disappearing along with my thirst.

This soda is great, but is it extraordinary? I believe I know 4 out of the 5 sodas that will make it to the playoffs. All of which are unique. This, this is just grape soda. While I love grape soda, I am not sure if it brings anything new to my soda journey. There is one spot left though. Perhaps it will fill the void, perhaps not. Tune in (checks schedule) next week (maybe) to find out!

Boylan Creme Soda

Last Cream Soda!

For popping bottles fizziness! O'er amber colored liquid! Cream Sooooda cream sooooda la la te dah lee lahhh.

Okay that doesn't work too well does it.

This reminds me a lot of Stewart's cream soda. It has got a loverly aftertaste. Perfectly smooth, slightly carmelic (read angelic but instead of angel it is caramel). The initial taste is not as strong as Stewart's, which is a good thing. Stewart's aftertaste really had to balance out the initial taste. This time, they work a little better together.

It really will be difficult to pick one of the other. I like the initial taste of Boylan's better, but the Stewart's soda had a really great aftertaste.

The label is a gold color. Like, crayon gold.

If one of these cream soda's makes it to the finals, it will be a tough choose as to which one.

Boylan Seltzer feat. OceanSpray Strawberry Kiwi

I once knew a person that actually drank soda water straight up.

Now I don't really expect that I will enjoy this soft drink all by itself. It's carbonated water..So, I got a little sidekick for our bland colorless hero.

But I will give it a try all by itself.

For a second upon opening medium size bubbles rose to the top. But it has settled down now.

There is no smell at all. Just a little tickle in my nose from taking too deep of a sniff of carbonation.

Perhaps it shall be flavorless too, like it's scent and color.

Not so much. It's not exactly good. There is no aftertaste thankfully. It is just pungent. How does anybody drink this alone?

Okay two sips and time to get the sidekick in.

A good portion of my "juice" (only 25% juice, what a joke...but a tastey joke) and some of the seltzer. Let's see if I can actually make this taste like a soda.

Well the pungency is certainly gone. There is a bit of a sparkle in the strawberry kiwi. However, there is one flaw in my plan. Sodas are syrup and seltzer. This is watery juice and seltzer. So my cocktail tastes much like a watered down soda. This may be great, if it was a more intense strawberry kiwi flavor.

I put more seltzer in (I'm trying to use it all up) and the pungency is back. More juice. Okay, now it kind of feels like a soda. Some fizz, a bit of tang. Unfortunately, it tastes eh. It kind of reminds me of grapefruit. A sour citrus that doesn't work too well with me.

I don't know if I'm up for finishing my cocktail.

If you happen to come across some coke syrup, this is the drink for you. If you don't steal from the restaurant you work at, then I would not buy this drink.

Diet Cheerwine

My last diet beverage.

I'm quite thirsty so I'm just going to get down to it.

A rush of effervescent bubbles rush to the top as I open the bottle. Actually, it's still going...still!

Ahhhhh cherry goodness. It is a deep cherry, a nice smooth flavor. I actually don't notice too much of a difference between this one and the regular cheerwine.

It's still bubbling a little bit. However, it isn't over carbonated.

Back to the flavor. It is a straight-forward flavor. An even better cherry flavor than that chapstick stuff.

The bottle is pretty much the exact same as the non diet. Of course this one has diet on it. Like the last one, it has cool vertical flutes around the bottle. It gives you a nice grip. It is kinda like a rocket. Rocket bottle!

All in all, t'is a good beverage. I feel like I may have given this one a better review than it's full sugary brethren.

Frostop Orange & Creme

A CHALLENGER APPROACHES!

The only competitor to King Stewart's Orange and Cream soda. Will those lowly farmer be able to usurp the king?

It smells lovely, like a delicious popsicle. I'm only smelling it but it is tricking my mind into thinking I'm holding up this popsicle. I want to take a bite, feel the cold chill on my teeth.

It is more cream than orange. I sense a little bit of caramel. This is coming from the soda that gave us vanilla caramel creme. I feel like this orange flavor is more of a natural orange. Like it were actually orange juice instead of synthetic orange flavoring. Yeah, it is definitely closer to orange juice than orange soda.

The carbonation is just fine.

The bottle features pictures of real oranges and ice cream. Both like rolling hills. On the leftern side of the label, a cup filled with ice cream. I imagine this is supposed to be an orange cream float. A popsicle is also featured on the main label. It is found under the Frostop letering. On the neck label there is a cow holding a popsicle. On this popsicle written vertically in black is Frostop. I would avoid that popsicle little cow. I would be afraid of a popsicle with black stuff on it.

It is a pretty decent imitation. I would like a tad less cream and a little bit more orange. Orange soda and orange juice are two different beasts. Orange soda is sharp, it needs the cream to dull it down a bit. Orange juice is...some thing else. While any flavor can benefit from adding cream soda to it, orange soda benefits more. That is why King Stewart is the King.

But of course there have been a few worth competitors looking to take the crown. A few weeks from now a great battle will take place! There were be other competitions too, competitions to be named later.

Boylan Diet Black Cherry

WooOOO (diet) Black Cherry bam dla bam wooOO (diet) Black Cherry bam dla bam!

This soda has tough competition against the black cherry cream soda.

It smells like children's medicine. Thank fully it is not as thick and disgusting as that stuff.

It reminds me of a snow cone flavor. Undoubtedly I'm remembering the days where I would steal a bite of my mom's snow cone. She always got some sort of cherry. It has the same feeling as the last Boylan diet soda. It's hollow. Good, but just not full. There is a little something missing. Still a decent drink though.

I can write about carbonation again! Which isn't a good thing. This is like cotton candy! I take a swig, and then it's gone in a fizz. It seems to disappear in my mouth and all I swallow is bubbles. I don't like bubbles.

Boylan, like the Pop Shoppe, doesn't vary too much on their labeling. They do change their colors to match the drink. This time it is lavenderish! I bet the non diet flavor is a deeper purple.

Overall, it is a decent soda. Black cherry is a good flavor but I feel it could be deeper. The carbonation is a minus.

The Pop Shoppe Orange Soda

Bwahahhaah an orange colored soda on Halloween!

This the Canadian Pop Shoppe's final entry into my flavor journey. Will the Pop Shoppe finally be able to break the bonds of being average? Will this orange soda shine far and above over its brothers and sisters?

Probably not.

A citric orange invades my taste buds. The benefit of orange is that it gives you citrus without being tart like lemons or limes. As this adventure has taught me, tartness disguises itself as fizz. Thankfully, the non tart orange is not infiltrating my sour receptors and making me think this is an over fizzy drink.

The orange in this soda is not extra powerful like I feel Fanta or Sunkist's orange soda is. I like orange soda sure, but I think those two companies put a little too much into their soda. The Pop Shoppe makes the orange soda a little less intense. I would say that the Pop Shoppe's orange soda is more balanced, but I have no idea what it is balanced with..Perhaps the other end of the balance is just soda water..I'm not sure if that is a flavor itself. I will find out 2 Fridays from now when I get to drink Boylan's Seltzer.

..yay..

Like the beverages themselves, the Pop Shoppe's labeling is sensible and average. There is no variation in bottle design between flavors. So I will not repeat myself by describing it yet again.

The Pop Shoppe brand is always right. But what I am looking for is more than right. I'm looking for sodas that make me need to drink them again. Not want, but NEED. The Pop Shoppe makes perfectly respectable beverages and is always on the spot with the flavor. But I need enthusiasm! I need pazzazz!

Pop Shoppe...I need more POP.

Jones Berry Lemonade

Our guest soda for today is Jones Berry Lemonade.

I dun goofed and typed in Sarsaparilla twice when randomizing my soda schedule. Today is the day I pay for my mistake. My horribly cruel, and unusual punishment is a fizzy berry lemonade.

OH THE HUMANITY!!

However, seeing how Jones is a little too mainstream it is not eligible for the tournament at the end of the semester.

According to the bottle cap today is a good time to finish old tasks.

It smells like 7-11 slushees.

It is a strange experience. It seems to be a liquid Warhead candy. Carbonation with lemonade is not a combination my mouth was expecting. It really does taste a lot like a Warhead. The berry is a mixture of berries. There is no distinct singular berry in this. Of course if it was it would be called strawberry lemonade or raspberry lemonade.

The carbonation is a little over done for me. There is also the fact that tartness gives me the impression of fizziness also. Seeing how this is lemonade there is quite a bit of tartness. It appears as though the more popular the soda the fizzier it is. Based on soda natural selection (also known as capitalism) this can only lead me to believe that the general North American population enjoys their beverages with extra CO2.

Jones soda is known for their labeling variation. Consumers can send in pictures to the Jones company and if they are lucky, it can be the feature of a soda label. In this case, there is a man on a dirt bike doing a stoppie. A stoppie is a wheelie but on the front. It appears to be fall, which is fitting for today,because this man has a hoodie on.

And this soda is from our Canadian bretheren!

Overall this is an alright soda. Too fizzy, too Warhead like. This just goes to show you, stick with the smaller brands.

Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda

Since my original soda for today, Apple Spice Cider, is no longer offered I got my free pick! There were a few new additions to choose from and this one looked the most tasty.

I'm really hoping for a combination of Propel's Black Cherry water and cream soda.

It smells like ice cream =]

Okay, that's pretty good. The cream soda supplies a nice mellow tone. It smooths out the black cherry flavor which can be strong from time to time. The creaminess doesn't last very long. The aftertaste is exclusively black cherry. The black cherry is a more...royal flavor than regular cherry. Its like a good wing man. Barney Stinson if you will. The Black Cherry is always there to support your, but doesn't get in the way.

It tastes like taking a swig of some sweet black cherry ice cream.

Carbonation, a-ok.

On to labeling. It has quite a bit of design on it. The font of the lettering is reminiscent of old western writing. Behind that is a picture of two kids, a boy and girl, sitting in over-sized chairs. Between them is who appears to be Jack Black serving two mugs and a pitcher of this soda. They aren't inside, it looks like they are in the great planes.

The combination of anything and cream soda is proving to be a winner. This soda may be a contender for the top 5.

Boylan Birch Beer

What's better than Root Beer? Birch Beer.

A glorious deep ruby red liquid is found inside this glass bottle.

It is root beer with a little extra sonsin sonsin. I can't think of adequate descriptions for the flavor but I can do my best. Imagine the root beer flavor as a sound. It has deep flavors of rootiness and some high pitched accents. Birch beer is root beer with a treble boost.

A brunette with blonde highlights.

The key words in that gigantic text book you have.

The best parts of that sporting event.

A cool wind on a warm day.

I also get a nice creamy residue that I have found to expect from a high quality root beer.

This drink will wake you up I believe. The taste is pungent, not in a bad way but in a way that makes you notice it is there. If that makes any sense..

Labeling! A circular label with "BOYLAN'S" gracing the front in a wavy manner. It reminds me of old movie posters, the direction the text moves, the white shadowing of the black letters. Creamy Red is boasted on the upper hemi-circle. This I can agree with for it is both creamy and red!

Birch beer is different from root beer in that it uses extract from the birch tree. Sap is collected from the tree and distilled into oil, which is then added to the beverage to give it its nommy flavor. Colors vary from white, brown, red and purple. --Why isn't mine purple!?-- This colorful beverage is mostly found in the northeast and Newfoundland! Take that Montana!!

Should I cite wikipedia for the above paragraph?..

This beverage is just a notch above standard root beer. Boylan's never fails in making a tasty drink. If there ends up being some sort of root beer in the top 5 at the end of the semester, you can be sure it'll be this one. Why get root beer when you can get birch beer?

Stewart's Key Lime Soda

Straight from Florida New York is Stewart's Key Lime Soda.

It smells like an awesome summer morning on the beach. Palm trees everywhere, seagulls flapping about, white sound flying towards you at the whim of the wind. Such a nice scent.

I immediately notice the tartness of the lime and then a little bit of a sugary flavor. Like I had bitten into one of those lime gummies that are coated in sour things.

My mind could be making it up but I feel like I get some meringue flavor also. It's not key lime pie soda, so I fear I may be associating prior flavors to this soda. This does tell me that this soda tastes just like the coagulated limey goodness that is the key lime pie. And there a'int nothin' wrong with key lime pie.

The labeling is done in the obvious green theme. The green diamond is nestled behind 2 limes. One lime is in whole form, the other is halved. Then one of those halves is halved yet again! Like all other Stewart's label's this one features a color disappearing act. This time around the innards of the lime go from light green to colorless.

Stewart's Key Lime soda is a delicious rendition on the tart fruit. It takes me back to the summertime. Now excuse me while I enjoy my gummie lime candy in liquid soda form.

Frostop Root Beer

Oh hey, another Root Beer.

Aw man, no cow head on this bottle.

It is pretty good, a nice rooty flavor but awesomely creamy. The aftertaste is..ehh. It's kind of..woody. The initial taste is really good though.

The cream taste is making this root beer really stand out. It is like bottled root beer float. Like they filled half the bottle up with their root beer soda and then pumped ice cream in there and let it meld into the soda.

The carbonation is done will, no complaints here.

The label sports a scene from the 20's. Above the Frostop name is a scene of a drive in restaurant or maybe a soda joint. Did they have places that exclusively served soda? Anyway, it has olden time cars and a waitress. There is a giant mug of root beer on the roof of the drive in. The color scheme of the label is red and yellow. It gives me a nice rustic type feel. The neck label does not tout a cow head...This is displeasing. There is however a mug of root beer over flowing in foam.

The root beer is leaving an interesting spice taste in the back of mouth. Every time I breathe out through my nose I can taste it. I'm not sure what spice it is but it makes me think of the November-December season.

Overall this root beer is pleasantly creamy. The root beer flavor comes in at the right amount. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of the aftertaste it gives me.

Cheerwine

Up until about 2 seconds ago I thought this was cherrywine.

They didn't check my ID when I bought this so they are either bad cashiers or there is no fermentation in this sparkling drink.

It definitely has that cherry smell. It reminds me of the cake I had at my sister's wedding this weekend!!

It has a great cherry flavor. I tend to not like cherry that much but this drink does it nicely. It's not too strong. I get some undertones of coke, another reason I think cherry is a big flavor in coca cola. (Is this common knowledge and I'm just dumb?)There isn't much else in this drink. It's just straight up cherry.

The aftertaste of cherries is one of the things that makes me not enjoy them to their full extent. This drink has that aftertaste. However, it is not a deal breaker. It is still a quality beverage.

The carbonation is pretty much perfect. It lives up to the "Unique Sparkling Soft Drink" touted on the neck of the bottle.

Speaking of, let's talk about the labeling...There hardly is any. There is the little circular print I just mentioned and there is a smallish oval label in the center. It's red believe it or not. Written in white it says, "Drink Cheerwine Bottling Company Since 1917". Simple, but effective.

Hey look! The bottle design is something different that I can write about! It's tall and skinny, Boylan-esque but not as tall. The cool thing is the vertical wave like grooves that run around the bottle. It gives you something to grip. There is a flat band at the location of the label.

Overall,I would call this a pretty high quality soda. The flavoring tastes great even if cherry isn't my absolute favorite flavor in the world. The bottle is unique and the carbonation is spot on. Welcome to the top of the ranks Cheerwine. The only question is, is it high enough to be in the top 5 for the Glass Bottle Tournament? We shall see.

Boylan Diet Creme

Another diet soda. I think my randomizer is trying to tell me something..

It has a pretty sweet taste, and by sweet I mean in the slang sense. This cream soda doesn't have that powerful first taste I have gotten from other cream soda's. And the aftertaste is less pronounce than the others. It is a good aftertaste, but when is it not?

There does seem to be a little something lacking though, that I assume is from the diet part. The best I can say is that is just not a full flavor. It's like a nearly great soccer team. They get in the box all the time, but they just can't seem to finish. It's so nearly close to being a perfectly fine soda, but I just needs one little push of oomph! My guess, is that oomph is called sugar.

Now I am nitpicking here. It is a good soda. But it makes me all the more eager for the regular Boylan Creme soda.

I'm just going to skip the carbonation section.

The bottle! Or the label to be more specific. This one has a really awesome gold color. Like, amber waves of grain color. The bottle cap is the best. It's got the amber gold in metallic paint. Also, since this is the diet creme soda, the bottle has diet decal on the neck. The word diet is flanked on top and bottom by a nice fancy border that appears to include a wagon wheel, a double sided arrow and some a floral something or other.

I would call this soda a relaxed cream soda. It is a quiet fine soda but not a stand out cream soda.

Pop Goes The Bubble

Somebody pop the bubbly!

This may be the soda I have been most excited for. Ever since I first looked over the sodas in that corner fridge, I have been wanting to try this one. It's not that I think it's going to be fantastic, it's just..it's bubble gum soda!! I mean come on!

The only soda that might make me more excited is a cotton candy soda. I love the cotton candy flavor.

It has a bit of a medicine like smell. That is medicine that is flavored to bubble gum. Hopefully that won't deter me.

Oh man this is interesting. It is just like eating a Dubble Bubble piece of gum. My initial reaction to this drink was, "Don't swallow this it is gum!" It even leaves a sugary feeling in my mouth. It closely resembles how your mouth salivates when chewing gum. Except you don't have to salivate, the moisture just comes from the drink itself. It's a pretty surreal experience.

My tongue keeps pressing to the top of my mouth like I am about to attempt to make a bubble...I say attempt because I suck at blowing bubbles. I blame it on my short tongue.

Anyway, the carbonation is just fine. Not fizzy but has that sparkly feeling.

The bottle is short and stout, even more so than the Pop Shoppe (eh). The glass is clear so as to show off the brilliant translucent pink hue. The label is..unique. "Pop Goes the Bubble, old fashioned bubble gum soda" adorns the label. The title of this soda is outlined in a faint bubble gum bubble. To the bottom left, is..something. The closest comparison I can make to it is possibly a Styrofoam cup with one of those hot drink lids. What I presume to be coming out of this cup is a lot of bubbles. Also, a snowflake is shooting out of it.

Like I said, unique. Fitting though for the flavor of the soda. Have you ever seen bubble gum soda before?..And on a side note, have you ever seen cotton candy soda before? If so please let me know where.

This soda does a very good job at getting the bubble gum flavor. It evens leaves me with the mouth feel of chewed bubble gum. I would recommend this soda to other people, just so they can experience how good of a job they do at mimicking Dubble Bubble.

There will be a special early edition of the Glass Bottle Connoisseur tomorrow! I expect to be extremely busy again on Friday so I am going for the preemptive strike. So if you actually read these posts every MWF, expect to see one tomorrow instead of Friday!

Stewart's Diet Root Beer

The first of the diets.

Now I haven't had Stewart's regular root beer so I won't be able to make the best comparison, but I should be able to do with what root beer's I have tasted.

Smells like root beer.

It tastes like root beer also. Perhaps it has a little bit less intense of a flavor than others I have tasted. I do believe I taste a difference though. This root beer is a tad bitter. Most likely coming from the fact that it has 0 sugar in it. And 0 carbs and 0 protein and 0 fat and 0 calories! It does have sodium though..

So that essentially makes this soda a carbonated brine with root beer flavor added. To put it in the worst possible terms ever.

It really isn't bad though. Perhaps it tastes ever so slightly bitter to me because I'm looking for a difference from non diet root beer.

It has a somewhat creamy taste, which goes well with the root beer flavor. I really get the root beer flavor at the back of my mouth.

I'm a little disappointed in Stewart's when it comes to the fizz factor. Consuming this beverage I get a little bit of Fizz Upon Drinking, forever to be known now as FUD. FUD is one of my least favorite experiences when it comes to drinking carbonated water syrup, something I have expressed multiple times throughout this journey.

However, it is not a lot of FUD, but still a noticeable amount.

The label is graced with a mug the shape of a barrel. With a foamy root beer beverage slightly overfilling it. I wonder if root beers were originally made in barrels. This, dumdums and probably many other root beer flavored products are advertised with the barrel. Maybe they are playing on the beer part of root beer. I know those are fermented.

At any rate, this diet root beer is a decent drink. From what I can tell, it is not too different from standard root beer beverages. In my opinion though, if you are going to go diet, just drink water.

The Pop Shoppe Root Beer

Root Beer from the reliable Pop Shoppe, nothing wrong aboot it.

The Pop Shoppe is consistently average, or in nicer terms, reliable.

I expect nothing less from this root beer, eh.

Apparently walking from the Yumm Shop to my dorm bubbled up my soda. And it has stayed that way. I guess this soda has a pretty high surface tension, these bubbles aren't going anywhere.

This drink has a nice deep root beer flavor. There's no mistaking it. Of course root beer is a very distinct flavor so even a little bit is unmistakable. C'est delicieux.

Of course, as Pop Shoppe always is, it is spot on with the flavor. Perhaps this time it is even more pronounce than what I'm used to, but that is a good thing. I don't often drink soda (aside from this journey), but when I do I drink dos equis root beer. I like the root beer flavor and in my opinion the more the better.

The bottle and labeling is aboot the same as it always is. Accept this time, oh I'm sorry... except this time it has "ROOT BEER" under the Pop Shoppe logo eh.

Root Beer is a nice rural flavor. It makes me think of farms, like Ontario Farms. Just going to work on my tractor, getting all hot and sweaty. Then I come back and drink a nice cold bottle of Root Beer. Sit down in my couch and watch me some hockey.

The Pop Shoppe lives up to its reputation of reliability. Maybe this time it even goes past that with a nice strong flavor. When ever Pop Shoppe pops up on my list, I know I'm in for a good soda. Not an awesome soda, but a good soda, and I know it will be a good day, eh.

Oh by the way, did I mention the Pop Shoppe is a Canadian Brewery?

Stewart's Orange'n Cream Soda

The ORGINATOR

The one that started it all!

It better be good because in my effort to go to commons and purchase this drink, I was turned zombie..

But I know it is good =]

It smells of an orange and marshmallow snow ball. The scent brings you back to the hot days of summer. Except the summer heat is spliced by the cool orange and cream.

The taste. Oh the taste is perfect. The orange flavor replaces the usually strong punch of the initial cream soda. Who doesn't love orange soda? I know Kel doesn't, mmhmmmmm..

Then orange flavor is in harmony with the luscious cream. Then the cream takes over and has an undertone of orange. A perfect melody.

No component is too strong in this soda. Neither the orange nor the cream is overpowering. There is one thing that hits me in the face from this drink.

Its pure awesome delicousness.

This Stewart's soda is not visibly fizzy. No bubbles appeared when I opened the bottle, nor did they appear when I shook the bottle. Yet somehow there is still a sparkle of carbonation in my mouth.

The labeling is a green diamond with the Stewart's name on it. Underneath is an orange Popsicle with a creamy center ever so slightly dripping out. As I drink, the orange Popsicle loses its color.

I have convinced a few others to try this soda and one of them proclaimed that it tasted just like orange soda. To me it is a little hard to tell the difference. However, the orange sodas I have always came off a little strong. The orange flavor was good, but there was a lot of it. I believe what makes this drink a winner is that the cream is enough to mellow out that orange.

Yes it tastes a lot like orange soda, but that creamyness makes this soda exponentially better.

If I had to improve upon this drink I would only say give me the aftertaste I got from Stewart's Cream Soda. The aftertaste here does not linger for too long. If I could get the orange cream with a wonderful long lasting creamy aftertaste this soda would be...well I can't even think of words.

This has reminded me of why I started this journey. If this soda is so good, then there has to be other great soft drinks out there. Maybe, just maybe, some better than this one...maybe.

By the way, this may be the first soda I actually finished before I finished typing. And I finished it a long time ago.

Frostop Vanilla Caramel Creme Soda

Yet another Cream Soda!

This one touts "Great Creme Brulee Taste". You can't boast that and not live up to it or I will make a sad face.

Well it has a custard like smell. Also a fresh baked cake smell. I keep taking wiffs of it that smell is so good.

On to tasting. The Caramel is very prominent. In hindsight that scent was caramel, boy that's embarrassing. I was into baking for a long time and I can't distinguish smells like that -_-. This cream soda isn't too strong on the aftertaste. My last two cream sodas shined in the aftertaste section, but this hardly has one.

This soda is really just caramel in a bottle. You get a nutty caramel taste in the back of your mouth, just as if you had just eaten a chunk of caramel.

I'm a little hesitant to say that I would like more vanilla. Vanilla is a base tone type of flavor, and too much can lead to bad flavors. Think of vanilla extract. When baking you almost always put a teaspoon or two in. That is because it is powerful juju.

I also get a butter feel.

Carbonation is A-OK.

The labeling of this bottle is an interesting topic. First off, it is brown and tan. Surprising isn't it!? Let's address the claim of "Great Creme Brulee Taste". I am making a sad face. Creme Brulee = Custard. I believe the taste they are claiming to have is the crunchy part of the creme brulee. That crunchy part comes from sprinkling sugar over the custard and then taking a blow torch (AWESOME) and toasting that sugar. Caramel is made by heating sugar. So yes, it does taste like the crunchy part of the creme brulee. The rest of the creme brulee is an awesome vanilla custard. Next I shall address the neck label. It has a cow on it. When I was jotting down all the sodas to be put into a randomizer, I couldn't find the name of this soda so I just called it "Cow Head Brand". Now this cow is holding a flaming blow torch. Again, awesome. The back has a nice little note on it. "After creating Frostop root beer way back in 1926, we have continually sought to bring you the most delicious soda possible. Frostop Vanilla Caramel Creme Soda, with just a hint of caramel is decadently creamy. In the great Frostop tradition, nothing tops it...but the foam!"

A hint of caramel? I beg to differ. And I'm not seeing foam...

But what would make a good foam is...a float using this soda. Oh yes oh yes oh yes. Vanilla ice cream, if French style is essentially frozen vanilla custard. And then the caramel soda that this is would be an amazing base for the ice cream float. Oh man, this soda just jumped a few spots up on my list because of that epiphany.

So this soda is not a creme brulee in a bottle. But it is caramel in a bottle. And a nicely done caramel drink. Perfectly sweetened. If you see this in your market, buy yourself some ice cream too. It has to make an awesome float.

Boylan Cane Cola

This company is celebrating their 110th year in operation!

This is my first, and I believe only, Coca-cola inspired soda of this journey. At least I'm assuming that's what Cane Cola is.

*Sniff* Ahh that smell reminds me of my days at Johnson and Wales. At JWU I was diagnosed with dyspepsia (fancy doctor speak for chronic upset stomach). This dyspepsia was a direct result of my unhappiness there, a stress symptom. When I went to the University doctor's they gave me...

Coca-cola syrup.

When I went to my real doctor in Maryland he laughed and said, "That's an old wives tale." What I'm trying to say is, yes this soda is Boylan's coca-cola.

Side Note: dyPEPSIa. Motivation for coca-cola's competitor??

Anyway, on to actually drinking my beverage.

I note a little bit of spice. Not like Reed's ginger ale smack-you-in-the-face-then-spit-on-you-then-curb-stomp-you spice. But a tad of spice. I wish my palette was awesome enough to be able to distinguish what spices my brain receptors are interpreting. I can only compare the flavor to coca-cola, of course. I mean is there any other thing in the world that tastes like coke and it's knock offs? So, think of coke. Now water it down ever so slightly. Throw in a tad bit more spice. And now you have Boylan's cane cola brew.

One of my biggest complaints about name brand soft drinks is that they carbonate it way too much. Understandable from the companies view point. Throw in extra carbonated water, use less syrup. Seems cost effective. Thankfully, these glass bottling companies don't do that. I despise that feeling of an eruption of bubbles in my mouth. Boylan's does not do this and so I put this cola above any name brand cola.

Take that Coke and Pepsi.

These bottles have that cool bubble collar that I like. Boylan's bottles are tall and slim. The main color of the label is a brick red. I didn't check to see if all the Boylan's brews sported this theme or not. Brick red is kind of a cola color. Maybe they do change depending on the soda inside their glass walls. Why don't you go and check out the Boylan's root beer I did and tell me what color it was.

I think my opinion on this is fairly clear. Compared to the originators, I like it much better (I really do not like over carbonation!) Compared with the rest of its competitors it'll go down as average. I'm not the biggest fan of the cola flavor in the first place.

On the bright side, my stomach shall be happy for the next 4 hours...supposedly.

Cool Mountain Green Apple

Refreshment, in a sweet green color.

Twisting it open creates a rush of bubbles to the top. Not too many though.

It smells like a jolly rancher. Not too much of a surprise considering it is green apple. Candy is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Green Apple. I wonder if it will be sour like the candy also.

Yup, it has a little bit of a sour too it, but not too much. It does a really good job of mimicking the juiciness that an apple has. The best thing about an apple is the crunch of the bite leading way to the juices that accumulate in the back of your mouth. This soda really gives me that juice feel of a nice fresh apple. Nom.

The carbonation is done right. This is the only part that reminds me that I'm drinking a soda. Well, that and the fact it is liquid. Other than those two things, it is almost just like an apple in my mouth. The flavor is on par and it even has the mouth feel of an apple.

The bottle is standard, maybe a little on the skinny side. The collar is a thin triangular band. Not much of a slip guard. The label is pretty awesome. It features a snowy mountain scene. This begs the question, "Does the 'Cool' in 'Cool Mountain' an awesome mountain or a cold mountain? Either way, it does not make me think of green apples, but I guess not every label has to depict the flavor instead of the company. The mountains turn from green to colorless as I drink the soda.

It is almost like that beer than has the mountains turn blue when it is cold. Except instead of turning a color, it loses color. And instead of getting cold, the drink is getting warm in my body.

On that topic, that is an incredibly stupid marketing scheme. A bottle that tells me when it is cold? Just touch the friken bottle. I think it is Coors light that does this. They advertise that it is the coldest beer in the market.

Dear Coors,

You do not control the temperature of my beverage, I do. Thank you and go read a book.

Love,

Mattncheese

In the end, I'd say this is a pretty good soda. It is not candy green apple, it is like an actual apple green apple. That is a plus in my book blog. It tastes just like an apple. Also, the labeling has an awesome mountain scene on it. Good job Cool Mountain. You only had one entrance into my journey and you made it a good one.

Cooper's Cave Butterscotch Cream Soda

Part 2 of the BIFECTA!!
Butterscotch? Good. Cream Soda? Good. What's not to like?

It smells, quite sweet. It smells like you're standing in the middle of a snowball shack. Sugary syrup of all flavors surrounding you.

The first taste is really strong. It starts with a powerful pungent flavor. But, waaaaiiit for it...waaaiiitt for it. Yup, there's that lovely after taste that makes a cream soda.

I don't get too much of a butterscotch taste. Wait, now that I am typing this my breath has that taste. Tastes good.

I wouldn't say butterscotch is the main flavor of this drink. It is more of an undertone. An after-the-fact, "Here have a candy before you leave." flavor. But isn't that really what butterscotch is? It's what your grandma gives you when you visit. It's something that you didn't really ask for, but you'll never turn it down. That's what it is in this drink.

Now let me tell you about my theory of their labeling. The official name is "Cooper's Cave Butterscotch Cream Soda". But in larger lettering across the center of the label is "Butter-Beer". The background is just rising bubbles. The interesting part is what comes between the letters and the bubbles. That is what appears to be a lightning bolt.

"Butter-Beer", lightning bolt? Am I drinking something from Hogsmeade?? Maybe when I finish the bottle a large burly man will knock down my dorm door and exclaim, "Yer eh wizard, Matthew". My 11 year old wish will come true!!

But..the butter beer in the movies were an orangey color. This isn't orange..I don't think. The bottle is practically opaque.

In the end, I don't think this soda is one I will come back to. The initial flavor is far too strong. It is not like Stewart's cream soda, which had a strong flavor to start but it went well with its aftertaste. This drinks flavor is a little overwhelming. Sure, the aftertaste is good, but that is expected with a cream soda.

The Pop Shoppe Pineapple Soda

Today is Friday. I'm sure of it. Why are you telling me it is not Friday because today is definitely Friday. I work on a schedule, Monday-Wednesday-Friday. And today is Friday so I have to do a soda today, which is Friday..

...okay...I was a little busy on the actual Friday. And by a little I mean from the time I woke up to about 7:30 or 8:00 pm, I was doing something. However, today I shall make up for it.

Part 1 of the Monday BIFECTA (aka Friday's soda)!!

We move from Mango to Pineapple. The Gods of Random must have been feeling tropical.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of pineapples. However, I think I'll be able to swallow all 12 oz of this drink. Let us begin.

The smell takes me back to elementary school. The land of fruit cups galore. I guess those things had a lot of pineapple in it.

Usually the Pop Shoppe makes their sodas taste exactly like the flavor given. By that I mean, when you think of the flavor of grape, that is exactly what you get, no more no less. But I think this one is a little different. Of course I get a prevalent pineapple taste, but it has harshness to it that I did no expect. Not a bad harshness,but a harshness that makes it pop in your mouth. It's as if the drink is saying to your tongue, "Hello! I'm here now!" Maybe I don't eat enough pineapples. Maybe they all have this zing to it. In the end though, I like it. This is definitely a soda I can drink.

The carbonation seems to be just fine. I don't believe The Pop Shoppe has ever had a problem with their fizziness.

The bottle, it is the same as all the others.

I have had a sip or two of Fanta's pineapple soda. I don't remember being terribly impressed by it. This one though, is pretty good. Perhaps I am jaded by my expectations of this. I came in expecting to not enjoy this soda very much, only because of my lack of desire for anything pineapple related. Having drank it, it is better than I thought. The disparity between my expectations and the reality is probably giving this soda a little bit more of a boost. The Pop Shoppe is consistently average, and this one probably is too, to someone that often has pineapple flavored things.

If there were a prize for being better than expected (there probably will be) this could be in contention.

Overall, this soda gives a nice pineapple taste with a little bit of pow in it. The flavor is refreshing. Like all the other Pop Shoppe sodas, if you want a specific flavor, they are always a safe bet.

Waialua Mango

Huh vai eee!!This drink has a nice sweet smell to it. There is a very slight pink hue to the soda, which you cannot tell from my picture.

It has a strong mango flavor, a little tangy. The after taste is apple! I haven't had a mango before so I'm not entirely sure if that is commonplace to have an apple taste. The flavor definitely sticks around.

The carbonation appears to be alright. It does not look fizzy and I do not get an eruption of bubbles when I take a drink. I think I may be confusing the taste of the mango with the sensation of carbonation. They both give that sharp taste.

Drinking this makes me want a Mango snowball...or maybe I just want a snowball in general.

The bottle is of a standard clear design. The labeling is quite simple. A hula girl graces the front of the bottle. She is in the foreground of an orange circle, perhaps symbolism for Hawaii'n sun? Behind the faux sun it is completely lime green. It gives off a nice tropical feel.

Upon closer inspection, the hula girl is not wearing a top. She is only covered by her lei. These bottles are risque.

I would have to say this soda tops the charts in the mango category. Of course, it is the only one in the mango category. I imagine if you wanted to taste mangoes than this is the drink for you. If not, something else might be better. It is a fairly standard soda.

The Pop Shoppe Grape Soda

Ahhh, a nice easy soda.
I must have accidentally shaken it some. Opening it caused a mass fizz of bubbles. By the way, purple bubbles are kinda awesome.

My first sipped somehow turned into three sips. Yummy. It has the standard manufactured grape flavor. It tastes exactly like a Flavor Pop. Which to me is a good thing. It seems most people don't like grape Flavor Pops. I don't understand those people.

It is carbonated nicely. That initial fizz release must have gotten it to the point of carbonation perfection (I think I will trademark those two words. It has a nice ring to it).

The bottle is just the same as my very first soda of this journey, short and stout. Grabbing it out of the refrigerator I was reminded of a missile. The labeling implies quite the opposite. The red and white design does not create violent memories at all. Instead it creates barber shoppe memories. Just imagine 4 tall, lean men in flat full brimmed hats singing a capella. They are singing of a lovely lady in front of a gathering crowd. You, having just walked out of a store, stop to listen for a while. You smile. The sun is hot so you decided to take a swig out of the soda you have just purchased. This is that soda.

Another feature of this bottle I failed to mention last time was the top. The grip guard (the protrusion at the top of the neck so it doesn't slip out of your hand too easily) has a slight texture to it. This creates a neat lip feel. It's the small things that count.

Have you ever filled a cup with ice, then poured grape soda in? Usually it creates an awesome blue fizz. This blue is usually close to my favorite color. Unfortunately, I don't have ice in my dorm. But I urge you to try it.

Overall, a pretty standard drink. The Pop Shoppe is proving to be a reliable go to soda.

Reed's Cherry Ginger Brew

AAANNNNDDD NOWWW!!! The most anticipated match of the year!! Reed's Cherry Ginger Brew, cousin of the late great, Reed's Original Ginger Ale, versus Mattncheese!!!

Mattncheese is currently 6-1 against sodas. The loss, of course, being to tonight's opponent's cousin!!

Will the cherry flavor be enough for him to muster through this soda? Or, will the now 22 grams of fresh ginger overcome Mattncheese yet again?

The match..begins.

With a deep breath I anticipate the punch in the face that may be this drink. Then I exhale and decide to type this.

A sly smirk comes across my face. (I should type that too)

They actually did the label right this time, it's not all wrinkled and what not.

DRINK, I MUST DRINK.

Okay...okay...I musn't accidentally catch a wiff of the drink as I bring it to my mouth..

Okay..

Wowzaa.

There is cherry in here?

I must continue on!

I have now drunk everything that was in the neck of the bottle..

It just burns my throat. My stomach, I can feel it.

The cherry is non-existent.

On the bright side, the drink is a nice deep ruby red.

..it will look wonderful when it is circling my sink's drain..

The label is mainly red. The scene in the front is of a river valley with a small branch of cherries in the foreground. Funny, when I look at this drink all I see is fire and large ginger roots laughing at me..

Cherry Ginger Brew, I stand defeated. Moreso than your cousin defeated me. I happily take my second loss. But know this! With every loss I gain more determination. Mostly though the ability of saying, "This soda is alright..I've had MUCH worse."

Cooper's Cave Chocolate Soda

Yes, that is right. Chocolate soda.Avast, another pop off. Fortunately, I am prepared today! No forks shall be bent because of you Cooper's Cave bottle!

Oh yes, it smells chocolaty.

It is an unusual blend. Initially I did not get much of a chocolate taste, but now, I am getting many different components. I get a smooth milk chocolate taste. Occasionally I get the bitterness of pure chocolate.

Like the Sarsaparilla from the same company, the carbonation is done just right.

The label, this time is themed in red and brown. The picture on the front depicts a large black of chocolate. The corner of this block has been shaved and chipped down. It look much like a rocky cliff side, except chocolate. Carved out of the top of the block of chocolate are three C's and an A. The middle C is raised above the others and its bottom crosses the A. This stands for the company's full name, Cooper's Cave Ale Company.

This soda reminds me of one of my favorite amusement parks. Of course I am talking about Hershey Park. I am kind of surprised I haven't seen a chocolate soda there. Hershey would probably do it better, only because Hershey's chocolate is amazing.

The sad thing about this soda is that the bitterness of chocolate sticks with me longer than any of the other flavors. Taking another sip does not immediately eliminate this flavor. I don't know how to describe the flavors as the soda first hits the tongue. This drink is all about aftertaste.

Overall, I'd rate it as an OK soda. I give them credit for being experimental and making chocolate into a carbonated beverage. However, chocolate is just not a flavor one expects out of a soda. Perhaps if they took out some of the bitterness this could be a top quality soda, but as for now it ranks among the average.

Friday, I go back into the trenches. It is me against Cherry Ginger Ale. Will I be defeated again like its cousin defeated me? Or will the cherry be enough to counteract the overpowering ginger?

Stewart's Cream Soda

This soda should be delightful.

This is the first Stewart's soda of the adventure. Let's keep in mind that Stewart's Orange Cream soda is what started this journey so I have high hopes for this one!

Twist off, thank you.

Oh man the scent of cream soda is just wonderful. It's like liquid candy aroma.

The first sip is alright. The creamyness is a little too harsh if I want to be picky (if you've ever seen me eat, you know I am just a tad picky ((does sarcasm come off well in writing?))) Harsh and creamy sound like an oxymoron to me but that's what came to mind.

The aftertaste is...nommy. A smooth lingering vanilla taste.

Actually, having the aftertaste in your mouth as you take another sip is what makes this soda shine. The "harshness" combined with the mellow aftertaste is a wonderful compliment. The vanilla is a prominent figure in this soda and it is done right.

The bottle is what I would consider the average design. "Stewart'S" pops out in raised lettering on the shoulder of the glass (below the neck and above the body, it's a technical term.). The logo is nothing out of the ordinary, but not boring. One of my favorite things about Stewart's is that on the label they will put something that is colored by the soda. In this case there is a cup of soda, colored amber by the soda. As you finish the bottle, the cup appears to empty.

This soda got off on the wrong foot. It really needs that aftertaste to show its true potential. Of the cream sodas I have tasted, this may be the best. But there are still plenty more to come. The next cream soda is about two weeks from now.

I don't want to give away Wednesday's soda, but imagine this face.

Courtesy of Mr. Squarepants Nickelodeon.