Recommended

Very sweet. Surprisingly, a very good example of a classic orange soda. Checking the packaging, the white label provider appears to be My Private Label who pretty clearly know how to make a good soda. Clean orange flavor from start to medium long finish. Good cane sugar ensures that finish is pretty clean. Surprisingly …

Medium sweet. Picture in your mind the classic grape soda: Nehi, Buddy's, Boots, Fanta, whatever. Now, imagine there is a dial on the bottle (because of course it's in a glass bottle) that is currently set to 11 out of 10. Turn that dial down to a 4 or 5 and you get this. The classic grape flavor is still there but it …

Medium sweet. Well defined pear and perfumy floral quickly trade places smoothly through the middle. Pear starts but the elderflower is strong near the finish before both evaporate surprisingly quickly when the liquid is gone, leaving a subtly pear-skin flavored extended finish. Recommended. Purchased from United Sodas …

Medium sweet. A pretty good example of the difference between true citrus and aloysia citrodora. Where a typical lemonade or lemon-lime soda would be more clearly single noted and acidic, this has some subtle herbal depth that rounds out the flavor profile of an otherwise understated soda. Lovely finish. Recommended …

Medium sweet. A surprisingly dry take on a fruit flavor like peach. The initial sweetness evaporates quickly leaving the floral fruit behind for a really long finish. Strongly reminiscent of a really good bellini I had many years ago. Recommended. Purchased from United Sodas of America

Quite sweet. Sharp natural ginger start joins with an interestingly tart fruit flavor that isn't quite like anything I've tried before. Something like a less-sweet tamarind? Hints of bitterness around the edges add to the herbal depth of an already complicated brew. Fruit diminishes quickly in the moderately long …

Not sweet. Natural ginger suffused with complex bitter and earthy flavors present a challenge to anyone who read the label text and expected something different from the use of the term "ginger beer". The bitterness, which I suspect is from the dandelion root, is very present but also not overpowering. More …

Something Bowl Sunday 5/5 Not sweet. Like the Hairless Dog Lager earlier today this is hop forward. The difference then is in degree, not kind. Where the Hairless Dog used a big hammer, Athletic instead adds enough to be assertive but not enough to be abrasive. Floral notes develop in the middle and the finish is like …

Something Bowl Sunday 3/5 Not sweet. Lightly malted and fairly clean with just enough depth to be interesting. Other than the alcohol it's really similar to a Corona. Recommended. Purchased at Stinson Wine, Beer and Spirits

Something Bowl Sunday 4/5 Not sweet. Roasted malts are the star and they do shine pretty well. Slightly toasted bitter edge brings character and adds to the depth. A little more thin that I normally like my stouts, but works ok here. Not perfect, but worth it. Recommended. Purchased at Stinson Wine, Beer and Spirits

Medium sweet. I always have trouble with "watermelon" flavored sodas. They hardly ever taste anything like any actual watermelon I've ever had. This particular example is a bit more perfumey than most along with the more typical melon-like flavors that I associate with this category of flavor. All of it …

Quite sweet. The also-ran of The Great Cola Wars, I've always thought of RC as under rated in comparison to the big two. It has a lot of the flavor characteristics of Coke Classic with little hints of cinnamon and all spice, while also maintaining the sharper cola flavor of Pepsi, all while coming across as less sweet …

Slightly sweet. Could be carbonated orange juice and, other than some notes from the sweetener blend and the lack of pulp, it could be at least slightly difficult to tell the difference blind. Sort of an amazing achievement. I'm not sure if that is better commentary about modern juice flavor packs or the engineering …

Medium sweet. Strong, fresh raspberry start with just enough tartness. Similar to the Strawbery Lemon flavor, I suspect the pleasant pucker is coming from the vinegar instead of the fruit but here it is much more successful and extremely well integrated. Floral notes arrive eventually if you look for them and, …

Slightly sweet. Mango featured at the start. Floral orange comes in quickly, light and bright around the mango core, eventually blending nicely. Chili shows up in the finish and starts nearly undetectable but by a quarter of the way through the can becomes a firm but pleasant presence. Recommended. Purchased at Tim and …

Very sweet. A jumbled early start that eventually sees vanilla presents a solid base. Coconut builds on that base shortly after and rides through a nearly buttery middle and well into a very long, satisfying finish. While there is some body it still comes off feeling very slightly thin. Recommended Purchased from Blue …

Very sweet. Somewhat tangy and very "purple" start with some echos of natural grape juice hidden among the classic grape soda flavors. Almost finishes cleanly but has a very long, mild end. Recommended. Purchased at the Saint Paul Midway Menard's.

Very sweet. Tangy cola in a fairly classic form with a little bit of tannin, some slight herbal notes, and a really nice finish. Recommended. Purchased at the Saint Paul Midway Menard's.

Slightly sweet. Interesting start with a strong echo of a classic grape soda flavor that morphs on the tongue into a complex blend of lightly tart floral and tea flavors. Ultimately not specifically fruity, but does have some lovely tannic structure from the tea. Remarkably short and somewhat subtle finish. Highly …

Medium sweet. Mango in the nose but a strong and lightly tangy hibiscus start adds fruit and additional floral tones as it warms to a lush and complex middle. The fruit attenuates into the finish where pleasant floral notes have a very extended second life. Recommended. Purchased at Tim and Tom's Speedy Market.

Slightly sweet. Brilliantly combined flavor profile leaves doubt if the sharpness is coming from the luscious and prominent fresh raspberry or the more subtle but still obviously present vinegar. Either way, the start is an enjoyable fruit stiletto that opens to layers of tartness through the relatively clean medium …

Slightly sweet. Lightly tart fruit flavor is strong and relatively simple. Nearly becomes floral in the middle, but never gets quite to perfume. Finish isn't quite clean, but pleasantly retains a touch of the tartness and a little bit of tannin. Recommended Received from Try The World Snack Box

Medium sweet. A race at the start between slightly sharp orange and buttery tones from marshmallow in the sweetener are merged and blended as vanilla comes through in the middle. Herbal overtones can come across as chalky sometimes. Recommended. Purchased at Tim and Tom's Speedy Market.

Very Sweet. Intense wintergreen at the start but slowly softens to uncover a hints of burdock, clove, and nutmeg amid the more prominent vanilla and brown sugar. Nice finish. Recommended. Purchased at Tim and Tom's Speedy Market.

Slightly sweet. Intense fruit on the nose but subtle on the tongue to start followed by an extremely mild ginger prickle. Interesting umami undertones grow in the middle and last into the fairly pleasant finish. Apparently uses an herbal tea base from māmaki leaves (Pipturus albidus). Recommended. Received from Try The …

Very sweet. Classic cola flavor, more similar to RC than either of the other big brands. Starts big and slightly sharp, softens and warms in the middle, then transforms slowly into a pleasantly tangy end. Recommended. Purchased at Tim and Tom's Speedy Market.

Slightly sweet. Floral citrus start with an subtle earthy middle that gradually fades to a nice blended finish with a hint of umami. Recommended. Received from Try The World Snack Box

Slightly sweet. Quite chunky. Simple and light with a light lemon flavor. Quite refreshing. Recommended. Received from Try The World Snack Box

Medium sweet. Slight fire. Very pleasant ginger/lemon with hints of wood and grass. Moderately chunky with nice aloe niblets. Recommended. Received from Try The World Snack Box

Barely sweet. Slight vinegar. More floral than fruit for the pear with non-specific herbal notes more present in the finish and mostly lost in the start and middle. Long and enjoyable floral finish. Recommended