Derek Neuland - 489 Reviews

I saw this bottle at New Seasons yesterday and was drawn in by the plain label in a sea of colorful bottles. I had high hopes for this micro-brewed root beer, and I wasn't let down. I wish all root beer was this smooth. Even though I've only had one bottle so far, I think this is easily in my top 5 root beers.

I am a big fan of colas and I grew up drinking Pepsi. One thing I never liked about it though is the sharp aftertaste it had due to the high fructose corn syrup. With Pepsi Throwback, that biting aftertaste isn't there so it just goes down smooth and the cola flavor really stands out. After drinking soda sweetened with sugar, it's almost painful to drink a bottle with HFCS. I don't understand why Throwback is only available for a limited time because I think it is better than original Pepsi, and I'm sure a lot more people think so as well.

I have never tasted a drop of alcohol in my life, so I'm not sure if this actually tastes like sangria. I must say, Sangria Senorial smells just like alcoholic sangria. Since it smells so familiar and I have a negative outlook on alcoholic drinks, I think that might be part of the reason why I don't like the taste of this. It has a bitter grape taste with light carbonation. The only positive thing I can say is that it has real sugar in it.

I really need to invest in a bottle opener because I keep finding that imported soda companies aren't fond of twist off caps. Oh well, I managed to get this cap off with my handy staple remover again. It's not everyday you see green apple flavored soda, so i had to try this bottle of Sidral Mundet I found at the international grocery store. It's made in Mexico and is made with real sugar, which is nice. It tastes EXACTLY like a green apple Jolly Rancher. It's really strange how exact the taste is. But it's super delicious, and actually has some apple juice concentrate in it!

I found this bottle of Sarsi at a large international supermarket near my house. Judging by the color, ingredients, and uncanny similarity to the Pepsi logo, I thought this was going to be a cola. I also didn't see the "I" at first and was really excited that there was a drink called Sars. After i pried off the non-twist bottle cap (all I had was a staple remover to help with this), it didn't smell nor taste like cola. It's more of a light sarsaparilla, but with a bitter aftertaste due to the use of aspartame instead of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. It's not bad, but it's not amazing. If you're a fan of sarsaparilla and don't mind artificial sweeteners, it's worth a try.

Boysenberry soda? Really? I was pretty shocked when I saw this, but also excited to try it. It's a local Portland soda made by the people who run the Hotlips Pizza chain. It has a strong berry smell, but luckily the taste isn't as strong. I was afraid this was going to taste like carbonated juice, but it definitely was not the case. The boysenberry is represented perfectly: not too sweet, not too watery.
The only major complaint I have is the price. At $2.50 a bottle, it's one of the most expensive specialty sodas I've seen in a while. I could see myself picking this up once in a while as a treat, but my wallet would never forgive me if it became a regular drink of mine. I am excited to try the other flavors Hotlips sells, especially the blackberry and pear flavors.

Edit: I wrote this review when i was half way through the bottle. I just finished it and was surprised by little chunks of boysenberry near the bottom. This might make some people happy, but when you're not expecting it, it's a little off-putting.

Warning: do not take a big sip of this the first time you try it. You will be in for a big surprise as the strong taste of lemon juice stings your tongue and singes your insides all the way down until it settles into your stomach. If you have ever drunk pure lemon juice, you know the feeling I'm talking about.
That being said, Columbia Gorge knows how to make good lemonade. If you like yours extra tart, then this one is for you. It's sweetened with agave syrup, which I've never seen before but I welcome the change. It really lets the lemon in the lemonade shine through when it's not loaded with sugar.

I have yet to meet a cream soda I have not liked. Luckily, Natural Brew's Vanilla Creme Soda does not break my streak. As the name states, it has a strong vanilla flavor that sits on the tongue very nicely. One really nice thing about Natural Brew is they use evaporated cane juice as a sweetener. Cane juice is processed much less than sugar, therefore it retains a lot more of the naturally occurring nutrients in the sugar cane.
Natural Brew is manufactured and distributed by Smucker's Quality Beverages (yes, the same Smucker's that makes jam). I'm holding out for a peanut butter and jelly soda.

On first sip, Blue Sky Cola is a lot lighter than most cola. It also lacks the sharp bitter taste that Coke and Pepsi have, which might please people who don't normally like cola for that reason. This may be due to the fact that Blue Sky uses real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, or possibly the lack of caffeine (which is uncommon among colas).
Blue Sky is owned by Hansen Natural Corporation (who also make Hansen Natural sodas). These two brands seem to be the most prominent canned natural sodas so it's interesting to see that the same company owns both.
Overall, this is one of the best colas I've had recently. The smooth taste and lack of high fructose corn syrup really puts it ahead of the rest. Though the lack of caffeine throws me off as I usually associated coffee and colas with caffeine.