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I recently wrote a post celebrating the pop (or soda) that is made in Michigan. While doing research for that post, I read about a soda called Northwoods Soda. It is made up in the Grand Traverse area of Michigan. I have never seen it in stores before. That was until yesterday. Meijer stores across Michigan have begun an initiuative to support Michigan made products. There is a new section in select Mejier stores featuring just Michigan made products. One of those products selected to be a part of this program was Northwoods Soda.

Whenever I trying out a new brand of soda pop, I tend to select root beer first. I figure if your root beer isn’t good, then it’s likely the rest of your flavors aren’t going to be good either. Northwoods Soda calls their root beer “Wild Bill’s Root Beer”. “Wild Bill” is company founder, Bill Fosdick. The recipe for this brew has been perfected over a twenty year time period. The bottle boasts the claim “A Rare, Smooth Beverage”. So I keep that in mind as I took my first sip

No false promises on this bottle, it is definitely a smooth root beer. Not over carbonated. It has a nice, bold, but not too bold root beer flavor. It’s not overpowered by vanilla or any other flavoring. It’s pure root beer. It’s as close to getting it right out of the tap as you probably can get. So I will be giving their other flavors a try.

Where to Buy
You can find it in the new Made in Michigan section at your local Meijer store. You can also purchase it directly from the company, through their website.

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Today is Michigan’s 175th birthday! It was January 26, 1837 when Michigan officially entered the Union after receiving the Upper Peninsula in concession for losing Toledo. In honor of Michigan’s b-day, I wanted to do a Michigan related post. So I decided to provide a list of the pop (it’s not soda in Michigan) that is made in the Great Lakes State. There is a lot of great stuff being made here, some which you may know, some you may want to know.

Vernors
Without question, the most popular drink to come out of Michigan is Vernors Ginger Ale. The drink was invented by James Vernor. He was looking to make a ginger ale like the one made in Dublin, Ireland at the time. As he was working on his drink he was called into serving in the Civil War. When he got back, his ingredients has been aging in a oak barrel. What resulted lead to the Vernors we have today. Today, the drink is under the Dr. Pepper/Snapple brand, I don’t even know it it’s produced in Michigan still, but it’s still a Michigan original.

Faygo
I have found time and time again when someone has left Michigan, and comes back, they head to the nearest store for some Faygo! This brand is found all over Michigan and into some other states as well. Faygo began in Monroe, Michigan in 1907. The company was bought by National Beverage Corp in 1987. However Faygo is still made right here in Michigan. In recent years, they have brought back the glass bottle version using pure cane sugar. These bottles have popped up in gourmet stores and soda shops all across the country. Some of my personal favorite flavors are Grape, Rock ‘n’ Rye, and Peach.

Towne Club
Towne Club started up in the 1960s. It was unique in that you would go right to the company to buy the pop. You would take a wood case and walk around picking out different flavors. Each case fit 24 bottles. In the 1980s this practice came to an end. Towne Club was suffering on hard times for quite a while. People thought they disappeared. However in recent years they have been making a comeback in a major way. They have a newly designed glass bottle that holds 16 oz and sells for 99 cents. They have introduced 2 new flavors in the last year: Honolulu Blue Cream Soda (referring the blue in the Detroit Lions uniform) and Michigan Cherry, which contains real Michigan cherry juice. Here are the flavors I have reviewed:
Michigan Cherry
City Rush
Strawberry

Frostie’s
While not being an Michigan original, the brand was sold in 2009, to the Michigan based Intrastate Distributors Inc of Detroit (they also have the rights to Towne Club). So this brand has increased it’s presence throughout Michigan in the last couple years, especially around Christmas time where many stores (including Busch’s) carry their 4 packs of glass bottle pop. Here are the flavors I have reviewed:
Vanilla Root Beer
Blue Cream Soda
Cherry Limeade
Orange

Cherry Republic
The Straight from the Cherry Capital of the World, Cherry Republic is a company that sells nothing but cherry products from jam to jelly to of course pop. Their Boom Chugga Lugga brand has several flavors, all using real Michigan cherry juice. Those flavors include: Black Cherry Cream Soda, True Cherry Cola, Cherry Ginger Ale, Cherry, and Cherry Root Bear. Every one of these flavors is 5 star worthy. Their pop can be found at their stores in Ann Arbor, Traverse City, Glen Arbor, and Charlevoix. You cam also find them in the Michigan product section at Westborn Market in Berkeley.

Frankie’s Root Beer
Frankie’s Root Beer is a bold brew made up in one of Michigan’s top tourist locations – Frankenmuth. This root beer is made at the Frankenmuth Brewery.

Powers Root Beer
I discovered this root beer at Westborn Market in Berkeley. It was made by the Michigan Brewing Company out of Webberville. Michigander and musician Kid Rock developed a beer at this brewery. They also produce a nice, quality root beer under the name “Powers”.

Continue reading »]]> Make no mistake about it, I love Sprecher. Everything I have had from this company has been amazing. Some how I keep missing their ginger ale. I finally set out to try it. On a recent trip to Plum Market in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I picked out a bottle of Sprecher Ginger Ale and headed home eager to try it. I have grown up with Vernors Ginger Ale, a Michigan original. So every ginger ale I have had I naturally compare to Vernors. I knew going in this would be a different type of ale, just by reading the words on the neck of the bottle:

“Our ginger ale is a sophisticated soda, pale in color and reminiscent of a light, sparkling chardonnay. Its complex flavor is very dry on the palate, combining the bite of ginger ale with a surprising hint of oak. A truly unique taste experience. Nothing like the ginger ale you are used to!”

Never have a seen a drink that says to have a “surprising hint of oak”. I admit I never thought about wanting a drink that tastes like oak, but I am willing to give it a try.

If you are use to Vernors, this is going to be a shock to your system. It’s a more powerful, more earthy drink. It’s a bold ginger taste but not overbearing. I have had ginger ales and ginger beers that were just too much to handle. This approaches that but managed not to step over the line. The carbonation is perfect just what I like in a good soda pop. Overall I was pleased. It’s not something I would want everyday, but I might grab a bottle again somewhere down the road.

Continue reading »]]> When you think about cola, you are use to it being spelled with a “C”. However the “K” is really the appropriate later as the tree the extract used to make colas comes from begins with a “K”. Sprecher spells their cola with a K. They make their Puma Kola in a gas-fried kettle, which they say imparts a distinctive flavor. The drink is flavored using kola extract, real vanilla, a little bit of cinnamon, and raw Wisconsin honey. The drink comes in a 16 oz glass bottle than can be purchased individually or in a 4 pack.

I got a 4-pack of this stuff for Christmas. I have had most of the Sprecher family, just somehow keep missing out on the Puma Kola.

The best Kola (or Cola) I have had. This is everything that a Kola should be. It tastes better than Coke, it’s carbonated better than Coke, it’s just better than the most popular soft drink on earth. The cola flavor is just outstanding. It’s complex. And the best part is you don’t feel like bubbles are burning your tongue like with Coke. I am sure some avid Coke or Pepsi fans would either love this or hate it. It’s different enough to produce one of those two emotions.

Continue reading »]]> One of the reasons people drink so much soda pop is for the caffeine, they are addicted to it. They “need” that caffeine to get through their day. So they drink too much of it or the resort to drinking versions containing artificial sweeteners which may not be so good for you either. I enjoy my soft drinks, that’s for sure, but something that you won’t see me drinking is soda with caffeine in it. I also try to choose the best tasting options available to me. I find if I had one good bottle of a carbonated treat a day that it satisfies me. So my advice for people who want to cut their soda intake is to find chooses that are good as well as being caffeine free. I am here to guide you to some of the best choices out there. You will often find that these options will run you more money than the traditional Coke and Pepsi offerings, however if you find yourself drinking less as a result, then it’s not gong to hurt your pocketbook. If you like this list, feel free to check out the beverage reviews on my site. Nearly everything is a caffeine free option.

The Best Non Caffeinated Sodas (in my opinion)

1. Sprecher Puma Kola
This caffeine free cola option was created by Sprecher Brewery out of Wisconsin. They call their soft drinks fire brewed. They use rawe Wisconsin honey in each drink. Their Puma Kola is right the top of the list of the best colas money can by. The flavor and level of carbonation is way better than Coke or Pepsi.

2. Americana Honey Lime Ginger Ale
Americana is a brand of classic American bottle sodas. I first discovered them at my local Cost Plus World Market. All of their options are caffeine free. The best of the bunch is their Honey Lime Ginger Ale. The honey, lime, and ginger flavors all perfect compliment one another. It’s an amazing drink.

3. HOTLIPS Cherry Soda
Straight out of Portland, Oregon comes HOTLIPS Cherry Soda. It uses real cherry grown in Northwest Oregon. No fake cherry taste here. They add a touch of vanilla for that little something extra.

4. Gale’s Root Beer
One of the most unique root beers out there. It’s only root beer I know containing cinnamon and ginger, both I think really work to give this caffeine free option a complex, tasty flavor.

5. Saranac Shirley Temple
You might not except to see a kiddie cocktail on this list, but this was definitely deserves to be. It has a strong cherry/lemon-lime flavor. I still can’t believe how much I liked some. I found it just across the border in Ohio, I need to get back to get some more!

6. Boylan’s Creamy Red Birch Beer
Birch beer offers a more wintergreen type taste than root beer. Boylan’s Creamy Red one is the best that I have found. Creamy is definitely the way to describe it. I had a local grocery store that unfortunately decided to stop carrying it. However I was able to get a ton of them on clearance. That was a fun time.

7. Boom Chugga Lugga Cherry Root Bear
Cherry cola is a popular combo, but you don’t see adding cherry to root beer. After drinking this, I think cherry has a new best friend in root beer. The cherry used here is real Michigan cherries!

8. Jackson Hole Soda Co. Snake River Sarsaparilla
Sarsparilla is the cousin of root beer, and while there isn’t a clear definition of the difference (read what I wrote in my review of Kutztown soda), this is my fav sarsparilla out there. Sadly I have only had it the one time, but if I see it again, I will be busting out my wallet.

9. Fitz’s Strawberry Pop
For a long time I had trouble locating a good strawberry soda pop. It took a trip to St. Louis, Missouri for me to find the best strawberry pop out there, created by Fitz’s. I visited their restaurant where you can drink fresh out of the tap soft drinks and watch the bottling process go on as you eat.

10. Frostop Vanilla Caramel Creme Soda
Last on the list is certainly not least. This cream soda made by Frostop has a wonderful caramel flavor that brings a whole new life to cream sodas. It can be hard to find sometimes, appearing it some store for a while, than disappearing. I need to search some out again.

Continue reading »]]> Last week, I read through a list of brands that were expected to disappear sometime in 2012. This list included things like A&W Restaurants, MySpace, and Kellogg’s Corn Pops. In today’s world these kinds of list are quite common. That is why it is even more amazing to see a brand that is making a comeback. Towne Club is a brand of soda pop that was created in Detroit, Michigan. I am seeing them pop up more and more at my local grocery stores. They have even came out with some brand news flavors that have Michigan ties to them. One of them is their Michigan Cherry. This cherry pop contains a percentage of real Michigan cherry juice. I am glad to see another company turning to natural ingredients when it comes to flavoring their soft drinks. Artificial cherry flavor cannot compare to the real deal.

This is a great cherry pop, good flavor and nicely carbonated. A cherry soda pop tasting like cherries, who would have thought. The best test is if my wife likes it or not. She can’t stand anything with fake cherry flavoring in it. She thought this was a good one. This is probably the best product I have had from Towne Club. Not only is the brand stay alive, it’s getting better!

Where to Buy
I have seen it at several stores in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area including Plum Market, Vince & Joe’s, and Hiller’s. Feel free to leave the name of a place that you have found it in.

Continue reading »]]> The last few Thanksgivings I have been making my very own cranberry sauce. It’s a very simple thing to do and taste much better than what you get out of a can. But I was thinking is there anyway that I could make it better? One of the ingredients of the sauce is water. Water doesn’t add any flavor to the mix. So what if I replace that water with a flavored liquid. And even better what if that liquid was carbonated? So I tried out a ginger ale cranberry sauce last year. I like the added flavor of ginger and the carbonated brought a little something extra to the texture. This year I am doing some more experimenting. This time to up the cranberry flavor even more, I am using cranberry soda. Not just any cranberry soda, but HOTLIPS Cranberry Soda. HOTLIPS is a pizzeria out in Portland, Oregon that has gotten into the soda pop making business. They use the best real fruit in their soda. So I grabbed a bottle for my latest cranberry experiment. I loved the results.

Ingredients
12 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
8 ounces HOTLIPS Cranberry soda (that will leave you with 4 more ounces to drink!)

Bring the cranberry soda and sugar to a boil in a large pan. Once you reach a boil add the cranberries and return to a boil. Turn the heat down until the mixture is boiling gently. If you let the mixture boil too hard you may end up with a mess on your hands. Let it boil for 10 minutes or until all the berries have burst and the sauce has thicken. If you wish to make whole cranberry sauce, just pour it into a bowl. For jellied sauce: push the mixture through a sieve to strain out the skins.

You can buy HOTLIPS Cranberry Soda from the HOTLIPS website. You can use a different cranberry soda, but you will be hard pressed to find one as good as HOTLIPS!

Continue reading »]]> I was shopping at Hiller’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan a while back, when some bottles of soda pop caught my eye. The thing that first got my attention was the fact that the bottles said 97% fat free. But wait isn’t all soft drinks 100% fat free? I had to go in for a closer inspection. That is when I discovered this wasn’t just an ordinary soda pop, this was an egg cream. An egg cream is a drink that became popular in the late 19th century. It was the combination of a syrup, usually chocolate, milk, and soda water. Those ingredients were mixed together and served immediately. Despite the name, egg creams don’t contain either eggs or cream.

So what I discovered was a bottled version of this drink popular at the turn of the century. I purchased three different flavors – Orange Dream, Vanilla, and Chocolate.

Orange Dream Soda
My favorite of the three. It was lighty carbonated, tasting much like a blended orange dreamsicle. Ever aspect of this drink I liked. I would seek this flavor out again.

Vanilla Soda
The vanilla flavor was pleasant. However I just felt this one was too sweet. My wife couldn’t even drink it. If the sweetness could be tamed this soda has some potential. For now I am ended up disappointed with this one, after I had such high hopes drinking the orange dream first.

Chocolate Soda
Pretty good for a chocolate based soda. It tasted more genuine than any other chocolate soda. Personally I am a big fan of chocolate soda, but if I had to drink one, it would probably be this one. It was done the best way possible for a chocolate soda.

Where to Buy
The only place I have seen it was at Hiller’s in Ann Arbor. For more information, check out the product website. If you have seen these drinks in stores before, please leave a comment below, telling us where at.

Continue reading »]]> Two things you don’t see too often in the soft drink world: a blueberry pomegranate soda and a bottle with the picture of a monster from a Montana lake. Ok I have never seen either of these things before, until I had a bottle of Flathead Lake Blueberry Pomegranate soda. Whatever you have some flavor that is a combination of fruits, you wonder which flavor will win out. To balance the flavors out is hard, but when done right is almost a guaranteed 5 star drink.

This drink was a big letdown. There was nothing genuine about the flavor. It was just sweet. It wouldn’t have been easy to pick out the flavor if I was given this in a blind taste test. Afterward I was left with a cough syrup like aftertaste in my mouth. Nice try, but this monster drink needs to go back into hiding (or at least head back to the lab for retooling). The company’s huckleberry soda was much better than this.

Where to Buy
I purchased it at the Pinconning Chesse Company in Pinconning, Michigan. I have also seen Flathead Lake sodas being sold at Holiday Market in Royal Oak, Michigan.

You can also purchase a few select flavors of Flathead Lake soda from the Old 52 General Store. They have carry over 300 varieties of glass bottled soda that you can purchase online or at their store in Sabin, Minnesota.

Continue reading »]]> Ah Birch beer, root beer’s almost forgotten cousin. The best way to describe birch beer is that it tastes like wintergreen in carbonated form. The only birch beers I have had before were both made by Boylan (their traditional birch beer and creamy red). So I was interested in giving another company’s birch brew a try. This one is made by the company Real Soda in Real Bottles.

Right off the bat it’s easy to see that this is a unique birch beer. First off it’s pink. The label on it has a picture of a birch tree, not too strange to have on a birch beer, but underneath that tree it says: “Brings out the little flower in you – Mama Cornaiano’s Jersey Girl recipe”. I never had a drink that claimed to bring out the flower in me. So this birch beer has ties to New Jersey, just like Boylan birch beers as Boylan is a New Jersey company. I guess birch beer is a Jersey thing!

So what does a pink birch beer taste like? The answer is bubble gum. Now normally a bubble gum flavor doesn’t rank that high with me. All bubble gum flavored things tend to be super sweet, and this drink is on the sweet side, but you know what I loved it! With the wintergreen birch beer flavor in the background, it gives this drink a nice depth of flavor. The carbonation is light, but works well. This drink may not be for everyone, I have read some negative reviews on it, but for me it was a unique taste experience that I would enjoy over and over again.

Where to Buy
You can purchase Girlan Pink Birch Beer online from the Old 52 General Store. They carry over 300 varieties of glass bottled soda. Their physical store is located in Sabin, Minnesota.