Review - Big Red

Bottler: Big Red, Inc.

Calories per Ounce: 12.5

Caffeine: Yes

Aaron's Comments: Like all red cream sodas, Big Red tastes a little bit like bubble gum with a hint of vanilla. I have been reliably informed that it is the state drink of Indiana, but for the life of me I can't figure out why. As red cream sodas go, it has a thin, almost tinny taste that highlights the bubble gum aspect and downplays the vanilla. Over ice, the sodas high carbonation content is apparent, and the bubble gum flavor still takes the front seat. Adding ice cream improves the soda considerably, muting the bubble gum flavor and pushing the vanilla to the forefront. It doesn't make for a really good ice cream float, but it is certainly better than the soda is on its own. As one might guess, I didn't particularly like Big Red. In fact, I was so unimpressed with this soda that didn't even finish the bottle.

Review - Lorina Sparkling Coconut-Lime

Bottler: Ets Geyer Freres

Calories per Ounce: 11.25

Caffeine: I don't think so

Aaron's Comments: When it is drunk out of the bottle Lorina Sparkling Coconut-Lime has an extremely prominent coconut flavor - so prominent that opening the bottle immediately produces a strong and pleasant coconutty scent. The soda itself tastes mostly of coconut, but has an undercurrent of lime that is quite nice. Like many other European sodas, Lorina Sparkling Coconut-Lime is heavy on the carbonation, tasting more or less like club soda with flavoring added, with a light, crisp taste. Adding ice brings the lime flavor more to the forefront, resulting in a nice blend of the two flavors. Ice cream seems to mellow both of the flavors of the soda to such an extent that they are barely noticeable in an ice cream float, which was something of a disappointment.

Review - Blue Plate Special Peach Cobbler Soda

Bottler: Orca Beverage

Calories per Ounce: 13.75

Caffeine: I don't think so

Aaron's Comments: The idea of sodas that taste like baked goods is kind of an unusual one, but in the case of Blue Plate Special Peach Cobbler Soda, it works reasonably well. The soda has a very nice peach taste, but I am at a loss as to what makes it "cobbler" as well. With ice it retains its pleasant peachy taste, although what makes it a "cobbler" is still undetermined. Adding ice cream, as one would expect, results in a delicious combination that tastes almost perfect. As with the Blue Plate Special Red Velvet Cake Soda, the Peach Cobbler Soda really shines when it is used as an ice cream float.

Angela's Comments: We need to find out where we can get these Blue Plate Special sodas. They are really good.

Review - Cool Mountain Strawberry Soda

Bottler: Cool Mountain Beverages

Calories per Ounce: 11.7

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I am a fan of strawberry flavored sodas, so I approached Cool Mountain Strawberry soda with some anticipation. And it does taste like strawberry. A little bit. Like the other Cool Mountain flavors I have tried, this soda has a fairly muted taste, this time tasting like strawberries, but somehow diluted. As with many mild flavored sodas, adding ice mutes the flavor considerably, leaving just a trace of strawberry flavor among the sweetness. Adding ice cream yields a very mildly strawberry flavored result, with the vanilla flavor taking the most prominent position in the combination. Overall, this soda was mildly disappointing, but if it were the only strawberry option on the table, it would be at least an adequate choice.

Review - Red Rock Golden Ginger Ale

Bottler: Sensient Technologies

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Red Rock Golden Ginger Ale is a very strong ginger ale, with a substantial ginger-based "bite". For anyone used to the milder mainstream brands of ginger ale, the powerful ginger flavoring in this soda will probably come as something of a surprise. The ginger flavor is so strong that when it is put into a glass with ice, one can feel the sting when one inhales the carbonation. For those who are not in favor of heavy ginger, this could be quite off-putting, and even for me it was a little bit too much.Adding ice cream actually seems to emphasize the up-front spiciness of the soda, resulting in a float that combines the smooth creaminess of the ice cream with the sharp spicy bite of the ginger ale. Overall, I would give this soda a cautious nod. This soda is very spicy, so someone who liked spicy foods would probably find this appealing. On the other hand, someone who was not ready for a punch of ginger in the mouth with every sip would probably find this soda distasteful.

Review - Bubble Up

Bottler: Dad's Root Beer Company

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Bubble Up is a lemon-lime flavored soda, in the same general vein as Sprite or Seven-Up. It bears some resemblance to those more popular sodas, but it has a more pronounced lemon-lime taste, and a slightly heavier feel. Over ice, it lightens considerably and achieves a crisp freshness that is quite pleasant.When ice cream is added, it lives up to its name, foaming quite a bit more than most other sodas. Once the bubble receded, what is left is a very lemony-vanilla float that is pretty good. Bubble Up isn't substantially better than competitors like Sprite or Sierra Mist, and certainly not enough of a flavor improvement that I would recommend going out and hunting for it in lieu of such options, but if it is an available option, I would probably choose it over the others.

Review - Cranberry Sprite

Bottler: Coca-Cola Company.

Calories per Ounce: 12

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Some time around September, it seems that every soft drink manufacturer who makes some sort of lemon-lime or ginger ale type soda puts out a cranberry flavored version of their drink. The Coca-Cola Company's entry into this field is Cranberry Sprite, which doesn't really work as well as one might think. Sprite itself has a pretty dominant lemon-lime flavor, and to make the added cranberry noticeable the manufacturer had to really make it overpowering. The result is a drink that is very lemon, very lime, and very cranberry all at the same time, which is a melange of flavor that is just barely tolerable. Ice seems to mute the cranberry flavor, leaving behind something that mostly just tastes like regular Sprite, which is something of a disappointment. Adding ice cream simply overpowers the cranberry flavor, leaving behind nothing but a regular Sprite and vanilla flavored ice cream float. This isn't bad, as a Sprite and vanilla flavored ice cream float is still pretty tasty, but given that this is supposed to be Cranberry Sprite, it is pretty disappointing.

Review - Reed's All Natural Sparkling Spiced Apple Cider

Bottler: Reed's, Inc.

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Reed's Spiced Apple Cider states that it is 50% juice on the label, and that claim is backed up by the flavor: A combination of apple, cinnamon, and ginger that makes one immediately think of autumn, sort of like an apple pie in a bottle. Even over ice this tasty fall-flavored concoction comes on deliciously strong. I may, in fact, insist on this being the only beverage I drink at future Thanksgiving dinners. So, the question is, how does this combine with ice cream? Well, if you've ever had apple pie with ice cream, then you can imagine the taste. That is to say, this makes for a really quite excellent ice cream soda. If you are in the mood for a soda that tastes like a crisp autumn day, then this is the soda for you.

Review - NuGrape Soda

Bottler: Orca Beverage Soda Works

Calories per Ounce: 16.7

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Of all the grape sodas I have tried, NuGrape Soda is the one that tastes the most like actual grape juice. It has a very rich, full-bodied grape flavor with just enough carbonation to make it a soda rather than imitation grape juice. The flavor of the soda is strong enough and good enough that adding ice does nothing to diminish it. As it is a grape soda, it makes about as good of an ice cream float as one would expect a grape soda to make - although it is the very best grape soda ice cream float that I have had. On a final note, I will point out that NuGrape's rich grape flavor does seem to come at a price, as it packs 200 calories in every twelve ounce bottle, which is a fair amount more than the average soda.

Review - Cherry Breese

Bottler: Excel Bottling Company

Calories per Ounce: 12.5

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Cherry Breese describes itself as a "pure cane sugar soda". A better description might be "a mildly cherry flavored soda", since the cherry flavor in this soda is among the most elusive that I have tasted. Adding ice cuts through the cherry flavor entirely, reducing it to a mere footnote among the strong sweet flavors of the soda. Using most cherry sodas in an ice cream float results in a combination that tastes like cherry vanilla ice cream in liquid form. A Cherry Breese ice cream float, on the other hand, tastes very much  like vanilla ice cream that was exposed to a little bit of cherry flavor at some point in the past. This isn't necessarily a negative - a soda with a mild cherry flavor is somewhat interesting, as opposed to many other sodas that try to overpower you with an almost oppressive dose of concentrated flavor. If what you are looking for is a light, modestly flavored cherry soda, this is the one for you.

Review - Goody Blue Pop

Bottler: Homer Soda Company

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: The name of Goody Blue Pop is definitely true, as the soda is certainly a bright electric blue. The real question is what does it taste like, since "blue" isn't technically a flavor. I suppose that the best description would be to compare the taste of this soda to really sweet blue bubble gum. Even adding ice doesn't reduce the very strong bubble gum flavor of the soda, which still shines through quite strongly. As one might expect, Goody Blue Soda makes for a very unusual ice cream float. Combining the vanilla of the ice cream and the bubblegum flavor of the soda results in a very sweet, oddly tasty mixture. If you think the idea of drinking a bottle of bubblegum sounds good, then Goody Blue Soda is the drink for you.

Review - Cheerwine

Bottler: Carolina Beverage Company

Calories per Ounce: 12.5

Caffeine: Yes

Aaron's Comments: Cheerwine is a staple of sodas found in Virginia and the Carolinas. Although I have lived in Virginia for most of my adult life, I had not previously tried this soda. Cheerwine tastes a little bit like cherry, and a little bit like cola, but not really like either. The best way to describe it would be to say it is something like a fizzy watered down cherry cola. Adding ice doesn't really change this flavor other than to water it down just a little bit more. Adding ice cream mostly eliminates the cola flavor and leaves behind only the cherry overtones to mix with the vanilla. The overall result is something of a weak cherry vanilla float that is okay, but not particularly impressive.

Review - Cool Mountain Razzberry Soda

Bottler: Cool Mountain Beverages

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Cool Mountain Razzberry allegedly tastes like raspberries. And to a certain extent, it does, a little. In the same way that a blue Misty Slush at Dairy Queen tastes like raspberry. Which is to say it kind of reminds you of a raspberry that was filtered through an entire food processing plant. Mostly what it tastes like is blue soda. This doesn't mean that Cool Mountain Razzberry isn't good: I am a big fan of the processed raspberry flavor that it contains. Ice doesn't change the flavor in any appreciable manner. As with many fruit flavored sodas, the fruit flavor is somewhat overwhelmed when ice cream is added, resulting in an ice cream float that tastes like vanilla with a very faith hint of raspberry flavor in the background. The end result is pretty good, but not particularly memorable.

Review - High Mountain Huckleberry Soda

Bottler: Jackson Hole Soda

Calories per Ounce: 16.5

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: In a continuing effort to try sodas allegedly flavored like fruit that I have never actually tried, I set out to try the Jackson Hole Soda Company's High Mountain Huckleberry flavor. I don't know if this is what an actual huckleberry tastes like, but the soda seemed to me like a cross between a grape soda and a cherry soda, which overall made for a fairly good combination. Over ice, the soda's distinctive taste gives way to a fairly run of the mill grape-like taste. Adding ice cream to this soda works just about as well as adding ice cream to a grape soda, and results in a float that is about as good. In short, this soda by itself provides a fairly unique and interesting flavor experience, but ice or ice cream mutes the flavor and reduces it to a relatively common one.

Review - Burley Birch Beer

Bottler: Orca Beverages

Calories per Ounce: 14.2

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Birch beer is somewhat similar to root beer, although usually with a stronger flavor and not as much vanilla. The "Hippo Size" Burley Birch Beer displays these characteristics quite well, with a rich, almost earthy flavor full of equal parts sweetness and spice. This soda is better without ice, as adding ice diminishes its distinctive spicy flavor and makes the birch beer just a little bit bland. The soda makes for an unexpectedly interesting ice cream float, with the ice cream mellowing out the birch beer but leaving just enough of the spicy flavor to make it satisfying.

Angela's Comments: With ice cream it's like a root beer float without the same edge that a root beer float has.

Review - Dang! That's Good Root Beer

Bottler: Imperial Flavors Beverage Company

Calories per Ounce: 15

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Dang! That's Good Root Beer is, as it's name suggests, an excellent spicy and flavorful root beer. Like most root beers, this one seems to be made with a vanilla flavored base, with a collection of spices added including nutmeg and possibly anise. This gives this root beer a rich and full flavor without making it heavy. Adding ice punches up the spiciness and makes this soda's flavor even more interesting. Using this root beer in an ice cream float creates a truly excellent result as the spicy flavor of the root beer combines with the vanilla flavor of the ice cream, enhancing them both. Ultimately, this root beer is one of the best root beers I have tried.

Review - Cicero Beverage Company Chicago Style Cherry Cola

Bottler: Cicero Beverage Company

Calories per Ounce: 15

Caffeine: I don't think so, but I can't be sure

Aaron's Comments: Cicero Beverage Company's Chicago Style Cherry Cola is an interesting soda that tends to lean more heavily in the "cherry" direction rather than the "cola" direction, although both are fairly mild and almost elusive. There is a hint of cola flavor, but for the most part, this soda tastes like cherry. Ice makes the cola flavor stronger, but the taste is still dominated by the light and crisp cherry flavor. Some cherry sodas have a medicinal flavor, but this one manages to avoid this by making the flavor very mild. The primary drawback of the mildness of the flavor of this soda is that when it is used in an ice cream float, the vanilla flavor of the ice cream simply overwhelms the beverage, resulting in an inoffensive but ultimately bland experience.

Review - Cicero Beverage Company Chicago Style Lime Soda

Bottler: Cicero Beverage Company

Calories per Ounce: 14.2

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I'm not sure that Cicero Beverage Company's Chicago Style Lime Soda actually tastes like lime. On the other hand, I'm not sure what else it tastes like either. It tastes a little bit like lime, but it doesn't have the usual tartness associated with a lime soda. It also tastes a little bit like the mint found in Creme de Menthe liquor, but only a little bit. It kind of hints at the same sort of flavor as a lime snow cone, but even that doesn't really describe the flavor. Mostly, it tastes green. Adding ice doesn't change the flavor or make what that flavor is any clearer. Adding ice cream results in an even odder result, as the vanilla more or less overwhelms what little "lime" flavor the soda has. There's a hint of green flavor here and there among the vanilla ice cream, but for the most part the soda's flavor kind of vanishes when it is used as an ice cream float.

By the way, the bright green in the picture is from the soda. The bottle is clear.

Angela's Comments: There's not really any flavor there. Maybe it tastes like a green ice pop. It looks like it should be treated as if it were radioactive.

Review - Coco Fizz Chocolate Soda

Bottler: Durango Soda Company

Calories per Ounce: 13.25

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Unlike many other chocolate sodas, Coco Fizz is lower in calories than the average soda, and this is reflected in the lighter taste. The soda advertises that it is sweetened with cane sugar rather than corn syrup, which may account for the lower calorie count and crisper, almost thin flavor (although not thin in an unpleasing way). The chocolate flavor is still strong when served with ice, and the bubbly carbonation of the drink is heightened somewhat. The drink really comes into its own as the base for an ice cream float, with the chocolate taste of the soda nicely blending with the vanilla ice cream. This is definitely the best chocolate soda I have tasted, and one of the best sodas overall that I have had.

Angela's Comments: I like this one. It tastes like hard chocolate candy made into a soda. I need to keep track of which ones I like.

Review - Fanta Cherry Soda

Bottler: Coca-Cola

Calories per Ounce: 13.5

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I love cherry sodas. The redhead does not, as she finds them to taste like cough medicine. Cherry Fanta, while a decent cherry flavored soda with a definite cherry taste, does have a kind of medicinal aftertaste to it. I'd blame it on the mix used to give the soda a cherry flavor, but the bottle boasts that it is made with "100% natural flavors", so I'm guessing that it is just the particular concentration of flavoring that makes it have the particularly cough syrupy aftertaste. Adding ice seems to mute this tendency, and the tart and sweet cherry flavor shines through without tasting like Robitussin. As one might expect, this soda makes a superior ice cream float, with the resulting combination tasting very much like good cherry vanilla ice cream.

Review - Bundaberg Passionfruit Soda

Bottler: Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

Calories per Ounce: 14.8

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: As with their other fruit flavored drinks, Bundaberg Passionfruit advertises that their passionfruit soda is flavored with juice, in this case 3.5% passionfruit juice, and this fact shows when one tastes it, because the distinctive passionfruit flavor of the soda shines through. If you have not had passionfruit, it tastes kind of like a combination of a pineapple and an orange, but even that description doesn't really capture the flavor of passionfruit. Adding ice mutes the up-front passionfruit flavor, but doesn't diminish the fruity aftertaste at all. The soda makes for a somewhat indifferent ice cream float, as the somewhat sharp flavor of passionfruit mixes with vanilla flavor only moderately well. This is not to say that the soda makes for a bad ice cream float, but it does make for an oddly tart ice cream float.

Review - Abita Root Beer

Bottler: Abita Brewing Company

Calories per Ounce: 14.75

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Abita Root Beer, unlike many other sodas made in the United States, is sweetened with sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. This means that this root beer tastes somewhat lighter than many other sodas, although it is still fairly high in calories per ounce. The root beer has a nice vanilla flavor backed by a spicy undercurrent of nutmeg and anise. Over ice, this spicy flavor is undiminished. Because the soda uses cane sugar as a sweetener, it makes an excellent base for a root beer float, as the soda doesn't foam up like corn syrup sweetened sodas do when ice cream is added. Further, the slightly spicy flavor of the root beer provides a good complement for the sweet creaminess of the ice cream, resulting in a very good float.

Review - MacFuddy Pepper Elixir

Bottler: Orca Beverage Soda Company

Calories per Ounce: 12.5

Caffeine: I have no idea one way or the other, but I think not

Aaron's Comments: MacFuddy Pepper Elixir has one of the most humorous bottles of any soda I have seen. The label claims that the drink is "infused with luck" and promises "12 oz. for 24 hours of favorable outcomes". The label also asserts that the soda "cures timidness and satisfies the daring". These are some fairly bold (and moderately silly) claims. The real question is, how does this soda taste?

Well, imagine a Dr. Pepper with a very strong black cherry flavor and an aftertaste of hot peppers. That is more or less what MacFuddy Pepper Elixir tastes like. Except the black cherry is extremely prominent (and of a higher caliber than most cherry sodas), while the hot pepper after taste is extremely subtle. With ice, most of the flavor other than the cherry is muted, although the mild heat from the hot pepper remains - with the caveat that almost none of the hot pepper flavor is still noticeable. The combination of flavors makes for a highly unusual ice cream float, as the vanilla of the ice cream seems to enhance the spiciness of the pepper element, smoothing out the bite but making it more flavorful. Does it actually provide luck, cure timidness, and satisfy the daring? I have no idea, but it does deliver a tasty cherry soda with a pepper kick.

Review - Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters

Bottler: Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

Calories per Ounce: 13.9

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters advertises itself as containing 6% lemon and lime juice, which would cause one to think that it would have a more intense lemon and lime flavor. This supposition is correct, although this may be disconcerting for people who are used to the artificial lemon-lime flavor of sodas like Sprite or Sierra Mist. The punchy and tart lemon and lime flavor is accompanied by a nicely bitter aftertaste. Adding ice brings all of these flavors to the fore, and makes me think that this would be an excellent drink to use as a substitute for lemon or lime juice in a mixed drink, such an alternative form of whiskey sour. When ice cream is added, the lemon and lime flavors stay strong, but the bitterness is overcome by the sweetness of the ice cream. This combination results in a quirky, but fairly tasty ice cream float.

Review - Anchor Ginger Root Beer

Bottler: Orca Beverage Soda Works

Calories per Ounce: 14.2

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Anchor Ginger Root Beer is, as its name might suggest, a curious combination of root beer and ginger beer. The up front taste is that of a fairly spicy root beer: Vanilla, cinnamon, possibly anise or nutmeg. But underlying this root beer flavor is the taste of ginger which makes this soda unusual to say the least. The flavor is not appreciably changed with ice, although the ginger undercurrent is slightly muted. With ice cream, the soda foams up slightly, but not nearly as much as most other root beers. The vanilla of the ice cream highlights the unusual spice mixture of the root beer, bringing the anise and ginger to the front. This is definitely a quirky soda, but it is also a pretty good one.

Review - Dublin Cherry Limeade

Bottler: Dublin Bottling Works

Calories per Ounce: 15

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: The first thing you notice about Dublin's Cherry Limeade is that it is heavy on the lime and light on the cherry. In fact, the flavor of the soda could accurately be renamed "Dublin's sweetened limeade with a hint of cherry aftertaste". Taken with ice, the cherry flavor almost entirely disappears even more and one is left with nothing but the limeade flavor. I'm a fan of limeade, so the soda is still quite good, but when something is labeled as cherry limeade, I kind of expect there to be a more noticeable cherry flavor present. On the other hand, the soda is very light in general, and avoids the heavy syrupiness that cherry flavored sodas sometimes have. Because the soda's flavor is so understated, coupling it with ice cream results in a very light and mostly vanilla flavored soda, with just a hint of lime and cherry. As an ice cream soda, it is serviceable, but it feels a little like having vanilla ice cream that had just a dash of lime juice and cherry puree mixed into it. I don't want anyone to think this is a bad soda, as it is quite tasty. It is just a very light soda with understated flavoring.

Review - Blue Plate Special Red Velvet Cake Soda

Bottler: Orca Beverage

Calories per Ounce: 15

Caffeine: I don't think so

Aaron's Comments: When I first looked at the bottle of Blue Plate Special Red Velvet Cake Soda, I wasn't sure what to make of it. It certainly smells like a red velvet cake, and it tastes something like a red velvet cake that is a little overdone, although still quite sweet. The red velvet cake flavor is strong enough to become even more prominent when ice is added. The soda is sweet and tasty, but it still feels wrong to have this very cakey flavor in a soda. You can't drink this soda quickly or the flavor becomes overwhelming. Instead you have to consume it one mouthful at a time, more or less like eating a piece of cake.

But where Red Velvet Cake Soda truly shines is when used as an ice cream float. Adding vanilla ice cream to this soda transforms it into red velvet cake flavored ice cream, which feels a little bit like actually drinking cake and ice cream. On its own, this soda is just adequate, but with ice cream it is fantastic. I would go so far as to say that the only way one should drink this soda is in an ice cream float.

Angela's Comments: It tastes like a little bit of red velvet cake stuck in frosting. This soda is at its best when served with ice cream.

Review - Jeff's Amazing New York Egg Cream Chocolate Soda

Bottler: Egg Cream America

Calories per Ounce: 21.25

Caffeine: I don't think so

Aaron's Comments: The first thing to know about Jeff's Amazing New York Egg Cream Chocolate Soda is that it is loaded with sugar. When looking at the label, one might be fooled by the fact that it says that one serving contains 170 calories, which is about normal for a bottle of soda. But one serving of Jeff's Chocolate Soda is only eight ounces, and the bottle holds twelve, so it is actually about one and a half times more fattening than regular soda. This is reflected in the taste and feel of the soda as well: While this soda is quite good, it has the drawback of being very rich and heavy, so if you are looking for a typical soda experience, this may be more filling than you were prepared for.

On the upside, Jeff's Chocolate Soda definitely has the chocolate egg cream taste one would expect given its name, and adds to it a carbonated fizz that seems both oddly pleasant and deeply weird at the same time. Since it is in a brown bottle and it is chocolate flavored, one would expect the soda to be brown as well, and one would not be disappointed as it has a rich, chocolate appearance. Over ice, the egg cream flavor fades to the background and the chocolate flavor jumps forward, making the soda taste almost like a Yoohoo instead of a chocolate egg cream. Unlike other sodas that foam up when ice cream is added, Jeff's Chocolate Soda remains mostly unperturbed by this. The combination of ice cream and this soda results, as one would expect, in a chocolately-vanilla combination that is excellent.

Review - Bundaberg Root Beer

Bottler: Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

Calories per Ounce: 15

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: With a unique pull-tab and a cute barrel shaped bottle, Bundaberg Root Beer certainly sports an unusual appearance. The quirky look of the container is matched by the quirky taste of the root beer inside, which seems almost mild at first but has an undercurrent of spiciness that kicks in after the initial wash of smoothness. Some people have a negative reaction to Bundaberg Root Beer, which I attribute to the fact that this soda is flavored with sassafras, ginger, and licorice root as well as the usual vanilla, which means that the usual overwhelming vanilla flavor is not dominant. With ice, the background spices become even more prominent, making this an even more unusual and interesting drink. Because it is made in Australia, it is sweetened with sugar rather than corn syrup, and as a result it doesn't foam up as much as corn syrup sodas do when ice cream is added. The smooth nature of Bundaberg root beer coupled with the spiciness makes it a very good complement to ice cream, resulting in a superior root beer float.

Review - Grape Crush

Bottler: Dr. Pepper Snapple Group

Calories per Ounce: 14.2

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Of all the fruit flavored sodas, grape always seems to be the most elusive when it comes to actually replicating the flavor of the fruit it is named after. Grape Crush is no exception, tasting more or less grape-like, but not really like grapes at the same time. The flavor of grape Crush certainly tastes like grape soda is supposed to taste, but that isn't exactly what an actual grape tastes like. Even so, the flavor is quite good as grape sodas go. The flavor isn't changed appreciably when ice is added, although as usual, the flavor of the soda is slightly muted. Grape sodas don't usually make for particularly good ice cream floats, and Grape Crush isn't an exception here. The combination of ice cream and artificial grape flavor simply doesn't mesh well. It isn't particularly bad this way, it just isn't particularly good.

Review - Strawberry Crush

Bottler: Dr. Pepper Snapple Group

Calories per Ounce: 14.2

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I have a deep and abiding love for strawberry sodas. If given the option and I am not seeking something caffeinated, I will tend to pick a strawberry soda. Strawberry Crush delivers a strong strawberry flavor with just enough carbonation to remind you that it is in soda form and not an actual strawberry. With ice, the up front strawberry flavor is still present, but the fresh aftertaste becomes more dominant. In an ice cream float, Strawberry Crush is excellent, provided, of course, that you like strawberries and cream together. The fresh tasting strawberry flavor of the soda mixes well with vanilla ice cream to make a very tasty concoction. I think it would probably be even better with strawberry ice cream, but that would be beyond the normal scope of these reviews. I might try it at some point in the future and post an update. But for now, I'll just say that it makes an excellent float with vanilla ice cream.

Review - Mountain Dew Kickstart Limeade

Bottler: PepsiCo

Calories per Ounce: 5

Caffeine: YES (92 mg per 16 oz)

Aaron's Comments: I'm a big fan of limeades which generally have a tasty combination of tart and sweet flavor, and the Mountain Dew pseudo-healthy Kickstart Limeade flavor is a pretty good version of limeade. Though it isn't the best I have had, it has a good lime flavor and just enough of the tart, dry flavor that a limeade should have. When put over ice, the lime flavor intensifies slightly, muting the tartness into the background. As I noted with the other Kickstart flavors, this soda is pretty clearly not intended to be used as the base for an ice cream float, but as with all of the other flavors, I tried it anyway. Of all the Kickstart flavors, this one worked the best with ice cream because the inherent tartness of the limeade provided a nice counterpoint to the sweet smoothness of the vanilla ice cream.

But all of this is more or less beside the point, which is to deliver large amounts of caffeine in a moderately tasty form while cloaking this fact by highlighting the small amount of juice and electrolytes that the drink contains.

Review - Mountain Dew Kickstart Orange Citrus

Bottler: PepsiCo

Calories per Ounce: 5

Caffeine: YES (92 mg per 16 oz)

Aaron's Comments: Of all the pretend healthy caffeine delivery devices known as Kickstart, I think that orange citrus is my favorite. This is something of a surprise to me because while I am generally okay with orange flavored sodas, I am generally not as enthusiastic about them as I am about other fruit flavored sodas. Perhaps the trace amounts of concentrated orange juice in the Kickstart enhances the flavor just enough to put it over the edge. With ice, the orange flavor almost disappears and the only thing left is the citric acid taste. Once again, although the soda was clearly not intended for use in an ice cream float, I added some vanilla ice cream to it anyway. It works reasonably well as an ice cream float, but the unusual way that Kickstart is sweetened seems to produce a soda that is a little thin for this purpose.

Review - Virgil's Cream Soda

Bottler: Reed's, Inc.

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I am generally not a huge fan of cream sodas. Because modern root beer is primarily flavored with vanilla, most cream sodas seem to me to be nothing more than weak root beer. Virgil's Cream Soda bucks this trend by making the vanilla flavor so strong that it is anything but weak and yet is different enough from root beer to be worth drinking. Served over ice, Virgil's Cream Soda suffers from the usual problem of having its flavor diluted, and as a result it suffers from the same problem that most cream sodas suffer from - it tastes like watered down root beer. When used in an ice cream float, the powerful vanilla flavor of Virgil's Cream Soda jumps forward and enhances the ice cream, making for an excellent experience. Of all the cream sodas I have ever had, this one makes the best ice cream float.

Review - Fanta Strawberry Soda

Bottler: Coca-Cola

Calories per Ounce: 15

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Fanta Strawberry soda is very definitely a strawberry soda, with a strong and tasty strawberry flavor front and center. As with the Fanta Grape and Fanta Orange sodas that were reviewed earlier, the Fanta Strawberry was bottled in Mexico, and as a result it is sweetened with sugar rather than corn syrup. This makes it very sweet, so having it over ice makes it even better, cutting the heavy sweetness and letting the strawberry flavor shine through even more. Using the soda in an ice cream float results in a definite strawberries and cream effect, and although I used vanilla ice cream, I suspect that it would be even better with strawberry ice cream. As with the other two sugar-sweetened Fanta sodas, the Fanta Strawberry doesn't foam up like many other sodas when ice cream is added, which is a nice bonus when making an ice cream float.

Angela's Comments: It is very good. We should get this more often.

Sodas from Our Travels

The redhead and I traveled to Gen Con and back last week, traveling from Virginia through West Virginia and Kentucky to Indiana and back again. And I took the opportunity to pick up a few sodas that I noticed that aren't really available in my local area (and a few that are, but I picked up anyway).

The only two sodas that I specifically set out to get were Ale-8-1, a soda from the redhead's childhood going to summer camp in central Kentucky, and Big Red, which the redhead described as the official drink of Indiana. But we also picked up several flavors of Cool Mountain soda, a drink apparently related to Big Red called Big Blue, Red Rock Golden Ginger Ale, and Barq's Red Creme Soda, which seems to be an attempt to compete with Big Red. Along with the giant care package from Dustin, this collection of sodas should keep me occupied for the next couple of months.

Review - Mountain Dew Kickstart Black Cherry

Bottler: PepsiCo

Calories per Ounce: 5

Caffeine: YES (92 mg per 16 oz)

Aaron's Comments: I love cherry flavored sodas, although to be honest, there doesn't seem to me to be much different in flavor between "cherry" and "black cherry" flavor. In the case of Kickstart Black Cherry, the cherry flavor is adequate but unspectacular, with the typical sweet and slightly tart flavor common to cherry flavored drinks. Of all four of the current Kickstart flavors, this is actually my least favorite, which was something of a surprise to me, as when I first saw them on the shelf, I assumed that the Black Cherry would be the best of the bunch. On the other hand, when served over ice, the soda's flavor becomes more strongly "cherry", but the flavor of artificial sweetener becomes more prominent as well. Despite the fact that using this soda in an ice cream float is something that was clearly not anticipated when it was made, I tried it anyway, for science. It serves adequately in an ice cream float, although the flavor of the soda is a bit thin for this purpose.

As a soda, Kickstart Black Cherry is okay, but not fantastic. However, it is loaded with caffeine, has considerably fewer calories per ounce than normal sodas, and its label touts that it has 5% juice. This means that it is an excellent stimulant delivery device for people who want to pretend that they are being healthy.

A Big Thank You to Dustin

I went to Gen Con this past week and received a gift that I knew was coming and yet was entirely unexpected. Dustin of the Undergophers was involved in the discussions that led to the creation of this blog. Prior to Gen Con, he told me that he intended to bring me a care package of sodas from various outlets near where he lives. So I knew he was bringing me some sodas to review. What I didn't know was that he was bringing me two whole boxes of sodas. I simply didn't know the scale of his generosity, and I am so very grateful to him. This gift is without a doubt the most substantial gift anyone has ever given me as a result of my blogging. On my book blog Dreaming About Other Worlds I frequently get offered (and often accept) review copies of books. But those aren't gifts. The books are being offered to me with the expectation that I will read and review them - a benefit to the publisher and author. So there is something of a quid pro quo there. But this gift from Dustin is in a completely different category, and I am using this post to publicly express my gratitude at his magnanimity.

Review - Fanta Grape Soda

Bottler: Coca-Cola

Calories per Ounce: 15.8

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Like all grape sodas, Fanta Grape doesn't really seem to taste all that much like grapes. Or at least it doesn't really taste like most grapes I have eaten. Fanta Grape has the fairly familiar artificial grape flavor that is common so grape sodas, a taste I would describe as somewhat grape-like, but heavier and stronger. With ice, the core of the flavor is essentially unchanged, albeit somewhat weakened. As with Orange Fanta, the soda did not immediately foam up when ice cream was added, but had a delayed reaction and foamed up considerably a minute or so later. I'm not sure why, but I can only guess that it is because of the use of sugar as a sweetener instead of corn syrup. Although I wouldn't normally match grape soda and ice cream, it works about as well as one would expect and makes a reasonably good ice cream float.

Angela's Comments: It tastes like wild grapes.

Review - Fanta Orange Soda

Bottler: Coca-Cola

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Fanta Orange is one of the classic orange flavored sodas with a distinctively strong orange flavor. The bottle I sampled was made in Mexico, which means that it was flavored with sugar instead of corn syrup. The closest I can place the flavor is to say it tastes something like a Clementine. With ice the distinctive flavor is still noticeable, and is even slightly enhanced. Unlike many other sodas, when ice cream is added, the carbonation is not agitated into overflowing, possibly due to the different sweetener. As one would expect, the resulting ice cream float tastes very much like a Dreamsicle, which might make it a good choice depending on your opinion of Dreamsicles. Personally, I like Dreamsicles, so I found this to be an excellent combination with ice cream.

Review - Mountain Dew Kickstart Fruit Punch

Bottler: PepsiCo

Calories per Ounce: 5

Caffeine: YES (92 mg per 16 oz)

Aaron's Comments: Mountain Dew Kickstart is a drink designed to let people pretend that they are being healthier while still getting a full dose of caffeine. To a certain extent, the drink is healthier than regular Mountain Dew - it has fewer calories per ounce, and contains a smidgen of fruit juice in its mixture, but really, it is a delivery device for concentrated amounts of caffeine. The fruit punch flavor is exactly what one would think it should be, basically delivering a flavor similar for fruit punch flavored Kool-Aid with the addition of carbonation. Ice doesn't appreciably change the flavor of the Kickstart, likely because the flavor was pretty innocuous to begin with. Although making an ice cream float was clearly not the intended purpose of this drink, I did it anyway, and it worked out reasonably well. The flavor of the Kickstart seems to gain by mixture with the vanilla of the ice cream, probably as a result of the resulting slight thickening of the soda. I'm not sure I would recommend using Kickstart as a first choice for making an ice cream soda, but it does the job adequately.

Review - Goya Cola Champagne

Bottler: Goya

Calories per Ounce: 16.7

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Being entirely unfamiliar with the flavor, I had no idea what to expect from Goya Cola Champagne. It didn't look like any soda labeled "cola" that I had ever seen, and the idea of a champagne flavored soda didn't sound particularly appetizing, so I approached it with some trepidation. Happily, cola champagne has a sweet coconut-like flavor that is hard to pin down more specifically. With ice, the coconut flavor is undiminished, although the almost cloying sweetness of the soda is dampened. Used in an ice cream float, the coconut-like flavor morphs into a slight citrus-like flavor, and mixes well with the vanilla of the ice cream.

Angela's Comments: It's weird but I like it.

Review - Mug Root Beer

Bottler: PepsiCo

Calories per Ounce: 13

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Mug Root Beer is a somewhat spicier root beer than most other big name brands of root beer, garnishing the usual vanilla base flavor with what seems to be some combination of cinnamon and nutmeg. This gives Mug Root Beer a sharper taste than other root beers that rely heavily on vanilla for their flavoring, such as A&W. When served with ice, much of the spiciness is muted, which robs Mug of much of what makes it unique. Used in an ice cream float, the spicy flavor is still muted, but remains noticeable enough to add an interesting and tasty counterpoint to the vanilla of the ice cream.

Review - Virgil's Root Beer

Bottler: Reed's, Inc.

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Virgil's Root Beer is one of the few root beers I have had in which the dominant flavor is not vanilla. Instead, it has an elusive spicy flavor that may be cinnamon or nutmeg, or possibly a combination of both over just a hint of vanilla flavor. The flavor is not appreciably changed when ice is added, although the somewhat tangy aftertaste becomes more prominent. Virgil's is very foamy, something that becomes even more apparent when it is combined with ice cream. As an ice cream float is is reasonably good, with the spiciness of the root beer complementing the vanilla of the ice cream fairly well. Overall, Virgil's Root Beer is unusual enough to be interesting, but not good enough to be memorable.

Review - Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda

Bottler: Reed's, Inc.

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I love cherry sodas, and I'm partial to vanilla flavoring in soda, so I approached Virgil's Black Cherry Cream with high hopes. These hopes were, for the most part, met. The soda has a very strong cherry flavor which is quite good although it dominates and completely overshadows the cream portion of the soda. Drinking this soda with ice doesn't substantially change the flavor, which somewhat surprised me, as most sodas have a muted flavor when one drinks them with ice. Serving the soda with ice didn't even help bring out the cream flavor, and the black cherry flavor was still completely dominant. The soda pairs well with ice cream, forming an ice cream soda that tastes very much like cherry vanilla ice cream, although the cherry flavor in this concoction is more prominent than in a typical blend of cherry vanilla ice cream.

Review - Goya Pineapple Soda

Bottler: Goya

Calories per Ounce: 14.1

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I don't usually go out of my way to obtain pineapple soda, so Goya Pineapple Soda is a new thing for me. On its own, this soda has a very strong, very sweet pineapple-like taste. It doesn't really taste exactly like a pineapple, or even like pineapple juice, but it is very close. When served over ice, as usual, the taste of the soda is muted, resulting in a somewhat watered down pineapple flavor. Vanilla ice cream goes fairly well with it as an ice cream soda, but I suspect that another ice cream flavor like coconut would be better.

Angela's Comment: It should be mixed with coconut rum.

Review - Reed's Ginger Beer

Bottler: Reed's Inc.

Calories per Ounce: 12

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Reed's Ginger Beer is a higher quality soda than I have reviewed before - the label claims that it contains 25% fruit juice, presumably the result of the 26 grams of fresh ginger per bottle that this beverage is supposed to contain, although I'm not sure that ginger qualifies as a fruit. When I brought home a four-pack of this, Angela tried some, and absolutely hated it. My friend Dave is a fan of ginger beer, and tried a bottle which he declared to be pretty good. I'm pretty much somewhere in the middle with respect to Reed's Ginger Beer. I don't find it terrible - the initial strong ginger flavor of the beer is fairly good, but I don't find it all that enjoyable either - the aftertaste it leaves behind is about what I'd imagine drinking muddy gravel would taste like. Over ice, Reed's Ginger Beer is worse, as the ginger flavor is muted while the aftertaste is not. Oddly, when used in an ice cream float, it is tolerable, mostly because the ice cream flavor overwhelms the gravelly aftertaste.

Review - I.B.C. Black Cherry Soda

Bottler: Dr. Pepper

Calories per Ounce: 15

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I am a sucker for cherry flavored sodas, and I.B.C. Black Cherry soda is one of the most accessible, and one of the better available cherry sodas. On its own, the cherry flavor is very strong and heavy, but with ice the heaviness is cut and the cherry flavor is highlighted. The soda doesn't mix particularly well with ice cream. A float made with the black cherry soda is neither particularly good or particularly bad, as the flavor of vanilla doesn't really enhance or detract from the soda's natural flavor. This is a case in which a combination of two things doesn't result in something greater than the two individually. Instead, the result is pretty much the same as one would expect having the soda and the ice cream separately.

Review - I.B.C. Cherry Limeade Soda

Bottler: Dr. Pepper

Calories per Ounce: 14.2

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I am generally a fan of cherry limeade. When made properly, the cherry flavor gives it a sweetness that is offset by the tartness of the lime. Both fruits give cherry limeade a dryness that is supposed to offset the sweetness. That, at least, is how well-made cherry limeade tastes. And that is, happily, how I.B.C. Cherry Limeade Soda tastes. With ice, the tart and dry elements are muted. When vanilla ice cream is added, the cherry flavor is tempered, and the tartness of the soda is overwhelmed, creating a surprisingly smooth and sweet ice cream float.

Review - I.B.C. Cream Soda

Bottler: Dr. Pepper

Calories per Ounce: 15

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Odd as it may sound, cream soda is not one of my favorite sodas. I love root beer, and most modern root beers use vanilla as their dominant flavoring. So one would think that cream soda, which is explicitly just a vanilla flavored soda, would be right up my alley. And yet so many cream sodas have such a weak flavor that they just remind me that I'm not drinking root beer. And I.B.C.'s cream soda isn't really an exception. It is sweet enough, and you can definitely taste the vanilla flavor, but it seems to be lacking something. With ice added, the vanilla flavor feels slightly more full-bodied, but the soda still seems like weak root beer. When used to make an ice cream float, the vanilla ice cream seems like it should overwhelm the flavor of the soda, but the soda holds up adequately, resulting in an decent, albeit somewhat thin feeling, ice cream float.