Soda Pop (797 reviews)
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
A friend of ours got this shipped over from Australia for us. I can't say how glad I am. This is one of the best ginger beers I've ever had. It doesn't have much of a burn, but it totally makes up for it in flavor. It's also carbonated with yeast, which is a nice change. It says to invert the bottle before opening to help mix in the pieces of ginger that are in it. You can see them when you hold it to the light, but they aren't big enough to notice while you drink it.
In addition it comes in a super rad bottle. The weird pull top cap is amazing. I like when beverages are fun like that.
- Country
- Australia
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 10/22/2010
- Comments
- 4 Comments. Leave a comment.
Buderim Ginger Aussie Style Ginger Brew
I have had some stomach thing. I am not a doctor so I cannot tell you what it is, but after every time I eat, I feel like garbage. I can't eat as much and I need to sit and be quiet or else... I don't know, I feel more sick.
Since only the rich can afford health insurance compounded with the fact that I won't take medicine, I had to take matters into my own hands.
Scouring through my stock, I remembered that I had a hot ginger ale. As we all know, the hotter the ginger ale is, the more natural and good for you it is. I threw this cat in the fridge for a bit, took it out, cracked it open, and took a sip. Hello cured stomach ailments, here we come. Then we had a little bit of a problem. You see, when I read, "hot" I expect HOT. This was more of a sting.
Now, "hot" is a relative term. I am quite accustomed to hot flavors, so although this may be on the lower levels of the ginger beer ladder, it could be too much for, say, a wimp.
Flavor-wise, it's not bad. It has a genuine, earthy ginger flavor that doesn't linger on your tongue. All of the flavors of actual ginger are apparent and the sweetness isn't overpowering.
The Thirsty Dudes crew had to go to Canada to get this Australian treat, even though it says on the bottle that it's available in the US. It was good, but I don't think it's worth a special trip anywhere to try and find.
- Website
- http://www.buderimginger.com
- Country
- Australia
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 5/14/2011
- Comments
- 1 Comment. Leave a comment.
Buderim Ginger Yank Style Ginger Beer
Dear Jason Draper of the Thirsty Dudes,
This is a ginger beer for you. Do you want to know why? It is because it tastes like ginger. You love ginger. I have seen you put it on tacos on multiple occasions. Is it a sickness? Possibly. Is it an obsession? Probably more so. I know you are crazy about the stuff and for that, I'm sorry. I drank this expecting the spice that I feel I deserve.
Jay, we have been friends for a long time. We have lived together, "spent time" with the same girl, and written many songs about barbecues. I know you and I know your taste buds and I know you would have given this at least a four. You love the earthy qualities of ginger and you love the sting. We love the sting. We love our ginger beer hot. This is a medium burn. Less than a Blenheim but more than a ginger ale. Less than a Goya but more than a...water...
In closing, Jay. I am sorry that I drank this and didn't have the hindsight to give it to you. If I find one again, I will buy it for you.
Lovingly,
Mike.
PS: Tacos tonight?
- Website
- http://www.buderimginger.com
- Country
- Australia
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 3/22/2012
Cascade Traditionals Sarsaparilla
Terry worked as a heating and cooling repairman for 13 years of his life. He drove his van around Western New York fixing people’s stoves, fridges and air conditioners. Most days he didn’t hate his job, but there wasn’t much room for advancement. He did love driving around a lot though. Then one day he was fixing a guy’s air conditioner and he got to talking to him. You see Terry loved fixing things, and he liked to explain it as well. The man was so impressed with his passion that he offered him a job at his company. He would make more money and promotions were a possibility. Terry knew he would miss his driving around and didn’t like the idea of being stuck in one play all day, but the money was nice and he needed a change. He took to the job like a fish to water. He took a couple of trips to other states to fix some industrial units, and getting away was nice. Then one day he got asked if he would be willing to go to Australia for a week for the job. Not being a dummy he jumped at the chance. So within six months this fine man went from working a quasi dead end job to working for a growing company and being sent around the world doing work that he found interesting. It’s times like these that I am incredibly proud of my friends. It’s also times like these when I am thankful that I have friends who travel around the globe and bring me back gifts of drinks.
This is a bottle of Australian sarsaparilla that was purchased at a roadside fruit stand in said country. (As a side note, if you don’t take advantage of roadside fruit stands when you are traveling then you are a fool.) I expected this to be a very strong sarsaparilla for some reason, but it’s not and I’m okay with that. It has a very classic soda flavor to it. I could see this being served in a 50’s soda shop with a couple sharing a bottle with two straws. It starts off as just a generic old time soda flavor but when you swallow it has a strong sarsaparilla aftertaste. It’s not what I was looking for but it’s a soda that has its place and I can respect and enjoy that. I do with the licorice flavor was a bit stronger in this. Then it would be superb.
Oddly enough this is made by the Fosters Beer company. I don’t know why I find that weird, but I definitely do. Also the tagline on the bottle is “Refreshingly Tasmanian.” Now that I find charming.
- Website
- http://www.cascadedrinks.com.au
- Country
- Australia
- Sweetener
- Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper 1 day, 5 hours ago
Almdudler 50 Jahre Krauterlimonade
Ladies, gentlemen, councilmen, Mr. President, your highness, or whoever it is that makes any sort of decision for the country of Austria. We have a dilemma on our hands. Our country has found itself without a national drink. Yes general I know we consume way more Coca-Cola than we really should, but let's face it Coke is everywhere. There's really nothing about it that shouts Austria. No headmaster. Bundaberg Ginger Beer simply will not work, as it's made in Australia, not Austria. Do you even know what country you live in? Seriously. We need something unique. Something that people can't get in any little market over in Germany. I'm sick of them stealing the spotlight. I want to have something that will make us shine brighter! Hey, what was it that Archduke Ferdinand was always drinking before his untimely demise? Alma matter? Alms to the poor? No, that's not it. Oh yes Almdudler! All in Favor? Anyone opposed? There we have it from here on our Almdudler will now be the national drink of Austria!
When you're dealing with a beverage that makes a claim of being the national drink of anything you get some crazy ideas of what it might taste like. Especially when it's called "Krauterlimonade," which my friend Nina says translates to "cabbage lemonade." I really don't know what I expected it to taste like. So many different ideas entered my mind. Not many of them seemed appealing. After I drank it I did some research and found out that Nina would have been correct in her translation if it weren’t for that little "er." Those two little letters change the definition to "small-timer." I still don't know what that has to do with this drink.
As the drink first hit my taste buds I thought it was going to be a ginger ale, but that thought quickly faded. I thought I detected some apple, like in an apple malt soda, but I wasn't exactly sure. As the previously mentioned Nina put it "This tastes like nothing more than water does." It tastes sweet, but the sweetness passes soon. I Wikied it to discover that it's a mix of apple and grape flavors. If that's what it is then Austria has some pretty weak fruit on its hands.
The fact that it doesn't really taste like much of anything is actually extremely appealing. I've just about finished this bottle, and I already find myself bummed that I don't have any more after this. It's something that I really, really enjoy. On top of the strange awesome lack of flavor this also has a nice unique bottle.
- Website
- http://www.almdudler.com/
- Country
- Austria
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 4/8/2011
- Comments
- 1 Comment. Leave a comment.
- Buy Now
- Almdudler Soda ( 0.33 l )
Qizil Quyu Fizzy Drink Armud
The fine folks of Azerbaijan have dreams, big dreams. In case you didn’t know it Azerbaijan is a country in Eurasia that borders Armenia. If you didn’t know that you certainly did not know of the countries collective love of all things bubblegum. The people of Azerbaijan dream of a world where all things have a bubblegum flavored equivalent: ice cream, steak, asparagus and even sugar. They have come close to their goal. In fact just recently that have perfected a bubblegum flavored pickle that I’m told will knock your socks off.
Now that their goal is nearly achieved they have decided to up the ante a bit. They now want different flavors mixed with the classic bubblegum flavor to give people options. You know that classic Azerbaijan saying, “Life is all about options. Without them people are no better than a tortoise.” Well they take that very serious, so their scientists have been hard at work at splicing flavors. So far they have perfected the coupling of bubblegum with mint, cantaloupe, cardamom and the often sought after artichoke. Rumors have it that recently the scientists have set their sights on the flavor of pear, you know apple’s bastard cousin. I believe what I hold in my hand here is a concentrate of the pear bubblegum flavoring. I say that because the flavor is so strong and sweet that to think it was an actual beverage blows my mind grapes. I hadn’t even twisted the cap off all the way before the entire room I was sitting in suddenly smelled incredibly strongly of pears. It is strange because once you get the cap off and smell the liquid directly it smells more of bubblegum than pear, but it’s still detectable. The flavor is that of the strongest cola champagne I have ever tasted with slight undertones of pear. I guess it’s true what people say that the people of Azerbaijan love their bubblegum flavor, but sometimes like a pinch of something else. Had I not known the history of this fine country I would have not expected this beverage to taste like this at all. I would have expected simply nothing but sparkling pear juice. That is why you must learn the history of the world, so that bubblegum flavored drinks don’t sneak up on you.
- Website
- http://ayan-az.com/
- Country
- Azerbaijan
- Sweetener
- Couldn't Read Ingredients
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 3/29/2012
- Comments
- 1 Comment. Leave a comment.
Qizil Quyu Fizzy Drink Tarragon
When things are in different languages, I no longer fear the contents of the container. Why? Because I drank that Korean "Essence of Chicken" drink that tasted like pee and I don't think that anything will be as bad as that. This little green gem is quite nice. Why? Well it's tarragon flavored. "Ewww. That's a spice or an herb and I don't want to drink something that's off a spice rack." Well that's a lame response. Open your mind up then travel to around Turkey where this drink was made, shell out like $2 or 1.57120 Azerbaijani New Manat and enjoy a nice, anise-like drink.
I, for one, enjoy anise. I can never have enough. Black licorice, those little red anise candies in the dark red wrapper, or black jellybeans and I'm set, dude. This drink can be added to the list. I liked it. If you've ever had Ouzon then you know what this is all about. This might be stronger, if you’re an adult when it comes to your flavors, it's great.
I wonder where I can get it around here. I'm sure there is some dusty old Eastern European bodega somewhere around here that would have this. You know the one. It's the place with all sorts of unpronounceable cuts of meat and cured fish that you have never seen and everything has a light dusting of dust on it. You've never seen anyone in there but they have somehow been open for like fifty years. It's got to be a front, right? I mean, you can't stay in business legitimately. They're probably fighting hens in the stockroom for a cut of the profits.
I'm going to start putting tarragon in everything I make from now on. What a delicious start to my culinary career.
- Website
- http://ayan-az.com/
- Country
- Azerbaijan
- Sweetener
- Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 4/4/2012
Barritts Ginger Beer
I really liked the label on this bottle. Unfortunately, the contents of the bottle weren't as great. There is only the slightest of burns to this drink. It has a strange taste to it besides the ginger. It tastes like a ginger ale (not ginger beer) that was poured into a bottle that formerly held a cleaner. Need I mention that said bottle wasn't properly rinsed? I for one am not a fan.
- Website
- http://www.barrittsgingerbeer.bm
- Country
- Bermuda
- Sweetener
- Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 1/1/2011
D'Angelo DUH! Pomegranate Cream Soda
Woah. Strange. It's more of a sparkling or carbonated water than a pop if I was to caste this drink out. It might be the whopping 5% real fruit juice, but it's a good touch. This stuff is pretty good. It’s really sweet, but slamming my taste buds with flavor. It's a lot of pomegranate flavor and not a lot of cream soda flavor. The cream soda flavor rounds out the sweet, bitterness of the pomegranate and leaves a certain smoothness that I can't really describe. This whole drink is taking me for a loop and leaving me quite speechless.
Jay got this for me whilst seeing one Paul F. Tompkins in Toronto. He bought a lot of stuff and brought even more home. A lot of this month's strange oddities have been from said trip. D'Angelo seems to have a pretty large line of drinks so we might have our hands full as if they are this good, we might have to work out some sort of international trade agreement.
- Website
- http://www.dangelobrands.ca
- Country
- Canada
- Sweetener
- Glucose-Fructose
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 10/27/2010
Sol Mate Lemon Lime
I could definitely see this as being an acquired taste. On first sip I thought it was pretty terrible, but the further I got into the bottle the more I thought it wasn't so bad. If this was something that was around all the time, I could really see after drinking it here and there for a while, really starting to love it.
It's mate, so it has a ton of caffeine in it (which I need to stay awake tonight). It also gives it a strong bitter taste. I think the lemon lime flavor takes away from the mate flavor. I'm expecting to like the original one more.
- Website
- http://www.drinksolmate.com
- Country
- Canada
- Sweetener
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Energy Drink, Iced Tea, Soda Pop, Sparkling
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 12/31/2010
- Buy Now
- Sol-Mate Lemon-Lime - 24/10 oz
