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 - 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.