This BIG bottle (1 liter) has been sitting in my basement for a while. It was time to crack it open:

Brand: Goslings Ginger Beer.

Origin: Worcester, MA.

Purchase Place: Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: Maybe it's because I've had this sitting at home for a while, but it was flat. It didn't taste bad, so I had to check the ingredients: yes, "carbonated water" was the first ingredient, so it was meant to have bubbles. It had the normal and familiar "bite" of ginger in the back of my throat. But it otherwise didn't stand out in any way. Just a decent "ginger ale-y" ginger beer.

Score: 6 out of 10.

I opened this in my office between classes today:



The odd thing is that the label contained hardly any more info than what's pictured above: just a barcode to the left (barely visible near the bottom of the label in that pic), and which states you can get a refund for the bottle on the right. No other info. Strange. So I got the rest of the info from Beverages Direct.


Brand: Sioux City Ginger Beer.

Origin: Whitestone, NY.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: This was pretty decent (and this coming from someone who doesn't care for ginger things). It had a good, natural bite of ginger (the kind that nearly stings the back of your throat), but then it almost finished smooth. That combo I like (a bite, but then smooth), so this was better than I figured it would be. It was like a ginger ale mixed with a slightly "thin" cola (but not in a bad way). If you are a ginger fan, check this out.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

I was in the mood for something "spicy," so I cracked into this:



Brand: Bedford's Ginger Beer.

Origin: Port Angeles, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: The first thing I like to do with a ginger soda is to check the ingredients list: this had "brewed ginger root" on the list, so I was ready for a BITE. And for a guy who doesn't care for ginger beers that much, I thought this was pretty good. It had a smooth (almost creamy) initial flavor, and then each sip ended with a BIG KICK of ginger that almost stings the back of your throat. That big kick is usually why I stay away from ginger sodas, but this was alright.

Score: 6 out of 10.

I've enjoyed a number of Fentimans Sodas over the past few months, and the other day I tried their Ginger Beer:

In the snow that we just got here in MN.

Brand: Fentimans Ginger Beer.

Origin: Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Purchase Place: Lunds Grocery Store, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar and Glucose Syrup.

Review: This had a good smell and a nice cola / ginger flavor with the first sip. I was pleasantly surprised. But then came the really harsh and sharp ginger bite to the back of my throat. That sharp sharp sharp bite was too much for me, and I could only sip this. The initial flavor is REALLY good, so I'm giving this higher marks than I normally would. But that bite at the end is too much for me. If you like cola and a BIG ginger bite, then try this soda.

Score: 4 out of 10.

To be very honest, I'm not usually a big fan of ginger ales. I don't mind them, but I don't care for the ones that have so much ginger bite that it burns the back of my throat. This one was a little different, though.


It had a great "softer" initial flavor, and then just a bit of a sharp ginger bite at the very end, but it wasn't over the top. It's one of my favorite ginger sodas, and it has a great label and cap to boot.

Brand: Cock N Bull Ginger Beer.

Origin: Hopkins, MN.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: For me, this is the right balance of "sugary soda sweetness" and "ginger bite." It's gentle yet sharp when it should be. (Like a good lover.) If you are wary about ginger sodas, try this one and see what you think. This was pretty good!

Score: 8 out of 10.

About 2 months ago, someone named Mike sent me an e-mail. Here was the first part of his note:

Hey Steve,
I found a really weird but great place to buy root beer if you're ever in the south metro - Ace Hardware in Burnsville.  It opened a few months ago and I went in to get some caulk and saw a glorious row with about 50 different kinds of soda!  It's mostly root beers but also some cream soda, ginger beer, and others...

On Thursday night, I was heading back to St. Paul from south of the Metro, and I thought I'd swing by and check it out. It's right on County Road 42, just past the Burnsville Mall on the north side of the road, so it's only about a mile from the 35E / 35W split.

I walked in and a woman asked if she could help me. I smirked a bit and said "I heard you have a lot of root beers..." She smirked back and said "Follow me..."  We stopped at this:

37 kinds of soda on this side...

... and 46 more kinds on this side.

Doing the math, they had 88 different kinds of soda!! There are 84 different kinds picture above between those 2 photos, and they had another small shelf of 4 different kinds of slightly cheaper root beers. Oh, and I guess they had a refrigerated case in the front of "normal" sodas like Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper, but I'm not counting those.

I started filling a box, thinking I'd get maybe a dozen different kinds. (There's a price break at 6 bottles and at 24 bottles.) Well, the first time I stopped to count how many bottles were in my box, I already had 20. So I figured I'd grab 4 more and get the "24 bottle discount." (I saved about $0.25 / bottle by getting 24.) Here's a photo of what I bought once I got it home:



The woman who lead me to the sodas and chatted with me as I picked out my selection mentioned that a good dark rum is GREAT with Birch Beer, so I'll have to try that some time.

Oh, and just so I remember what 24 kinds I bought, here's a list of what's in the box:


ROOT BEERS:
- Route 66
- Sea Dog
- Caruso's Legacy Robusto
- Sioux City
- Frostie
- AJ Stephans
- Dog n Suds
- Capt'n Eli's

NON-ROOT BEERS:
- Malta Goya Malt Beverage
- Diet Cheerwine
- AJ Stephans Cream Soda
- Nesbitt's Orange
- Sioux City Birch Beer
- Route 66 Lime Soda
- Route 66 Black Cherry
- Faygo Rock & Rye
- Cock n' Bull Ginger Beer
- Jack Black's Blood Red Cola
- Jarritos Mexican Cola
- Apple Beer (the brand and flavor)
- Flathead Lake Wild White Grape

"UNIQUE" SODAS:
- Coco Fizz Chocolate Soda
- Empire Bottling Works Banana
- Flathead Lake Granny Apple


(Next time I stop by, I'll bring this list to make sure I don't get any repeats...)