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.

Cooper's Cave Centennial Sarsaparilla

I honestly have no idea what Sarsaparilla is supposed to taste like.

The plain yellow cap is not a twist off..uh oh.

Okay, a good 13 minutes later and a slightly bent fork, the bottle is finally open. This better be worth it.

Oh, it's root beer, thank goodness. This version has a less prominent taste of root beer. It doesn't have too much of a creamy after taste like the Boylan root beer. Actually, its after taste is..a little strange. I don't know how to describe it. It's not bad; it doesn't make me want to stop drinking.

The carbonation is right near perfect for me. It is not too fizzy, which I like. Perhaps it is because it is a little warmer from all the hands that tried to open the bottle, perhaps not.

The bottle design is a simple brown long neck. Not unlike the Boylan design. The very top of the neck comes out in a triangular type way for a grip. The label has a yellow and black color scheme. The focal point of the label is a city hall, Glens Falls to be specific. In the middle of the city hall picture is a banner saying, "Glens Falls 100 Years 1908-2008". Do they not realize it is 2011? Am I drinking 3 year old soda!?

The soda in the bottle has a little head of fizz on top. I'm surprised because it doesn't seem fizzy to me at all. But it gives the drink a nice appeal.

Overall, this is an average root beer. A little too watered down for me. But of course, this isn't root beer, this is Sarsaparilla, maybe it is supposed to be a little watery. A quick wiki search yields a plant by the name of Smilax Regelii, sometimes known as Sarsaparilla. First popular in Europe for the treatment of Syphilis. Oh goodie! It is a primary ingredient in root beer. That explains why it tastes like root beer minus some oomph! For me, if I'm gonna get something that tastes like root beer, I'm going to go all the way.

Boylan Root Beer

Nothing like a classic after yesterday's debacle.

I've heard good things about Boylan, so I'm pretty excited to try out their Root Beer.

First off, I opened it without using my shirt...HOWAH

Smells very Root Beer like. Smells just like a root beer dum-dum lollipop.

First taste is quite satisfying. Initially you get the root beer taste, nothing out of the ordinary there. But what I like about this is the nice, mellow, creamy aftertaste. I would come back for that after taste.

Upon sip-age, there is a little too much fizz for my palate. I don't like it to get all gassy in my mouth, I want a liquid with a little bit of sparkle to it. After taking a sip, I can hear the remaining liquid fizzing in the bottle. Upon examination of the bottle, I should have expected the fizz seeing how to the bottom left of the logo it says, "best" and to the bottom right it says, "head".

The bottle itself is tall and narrow. It is made from a dark brown glass. Near the mouth of the bottle is a little round bulge. I can only assume it is to enhance one's grip on the bottle. Good idea Boylan. In raised lettering the bottle says, "BOYLAN vintage soda pop" on one side and, "BTTLG CO family run since 1891" on the other. The G and the O in BTTLG CO are smaller but are upper justified with the rest of the letters. The entire bottle gives me an old american urban 1920's feel. I like it.

I am not good enough to distinguish between pure cane sugar and regular sugar, but apparently this drink has the former.

Overall a very pleasing beverage. The fizz is my only complaint about the drink. However, I would say that the nostalgic bottle makes up for that fact.

What's better than Root Beer? Birch Beer. I get to experience that quite a few Mondays from now.

Reed's Original Ginger Brew

All natural Jamaican Style Ginger Ale! Oh yeah mon.

First Wiff: Holy crap, they threw some spices in here.

First Taste: WOW, that is strong. This is probably going to be a tough one..

I admit I was a little skeptical when I read "STRONG GINGER BITE". Written in near fine print on the bottle. But, oh man, that warning is not powerful enough.

The taste is mostly certainly ginger. I can taste a few other spices but I'm not experienced enough to discern them.

They say ginger is supposed to calm your stomach. I'm sure there is some science behind it but unfortunately, I do not know what.

Just burped, it burns a little.

While I sip this drink down let me tell you a little about my new schedule. I have discovered that the Yumm Shop is closed on the weekends, which will get in the way of my once every three days schedule. So, I decided to make it a Monday, Wednesday, Friday adventure. Yesterday, being Labor day, Yum Shop was again unopened. That is why This Jamaican brew is being consumed on Tuesday.

I honestly do not know if I will be able to finish this. It is crazy strong.

The bottle is the standard shape with green glass. The labels are sub-par. The top label is too big for the neck leading to a large wrinkle. All the labels are made out of paper with sticky stuff on the back. It did not fare too well in the rainy walk back to my dorm.

No preservatives whatsoever in this bottle. It is made from water, sweetened with fructose, pineapple juice and honey, fresh ginger root, lemon and lime juices and last but not least (actually that's a lie the last one on the ingredient is certainly the least) spices. 25% fruit juice. 17 grams of fresh ginger per bottle.

Gad. Zooks.

Okay, I think I'm going to have to break that rule that I wanted to stick to. I can't finish this. I got about 1/3 of the way threw though. I put up a valiant effort.

A week from Friday I go neck to neck (get it) with this brew's cousin, the Cherry Ginger Brew Ginger Ale. Also, the second to last Wednesday I will meet up with the Seltzer. Both of these, I can guarantee I will not be finishing. But I will taste them and drink as much as I can.

Reed's Original Ginger Brew, I'm sure you are right for some, but I am not one of those. On the bright side, you are the first to be put on the bottom of my list! Your cousin will probably meet you there in a little more than a week.

Frostie Cherry Limeade Soda

Day 2 of this project features a wonderfully colorful soda. Red liquid accented with lime green on the label and bottle cap. A Jack Frost type character adorns the snowy scene on the label.

First sip: I definitely taste the cherry. The limeade part seems a little hidden. I haven't had much experience with limeade so I'm not entirely sure what flavor I'm looking for. The aftertaste does seem limeade-esque.

This soda is certainly more fizzy than the last one. Twisting the cap off gave way to more bubbles than the Pop Shoppe Cream Soda. Taking a swig gives me that fizz one expects from a carbonated beverage.

Strangely, I get a Coca-cola taste in the top back of my mouth. My guess is that it is the cherry.

The bottle is a simple design, what one would probably think of if asked to picture a glass bottle. The name "Frostie" pops out of the glass on a diagonal 4 times around the upper middle section of the bottle. The bottle is nothing special but the label is cheery in a holiday sense.

The flavor is quite good. It's ones like these that aren't exactly a normal flavor that get me excited to do this project. Predominately cherry, with a light lime taste in the background. It seems more like a summer soda to me, despite its label. A slight tang really makes this soda pop. Each sip the soda says "Here I am!"

I wish I could give these sodas number ratings but I don't have enough to compare to. So what may be an 8.5 now could become a 7.5 as I taste more.