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Post by ganews on Jul 18, 2023 16:39:36 GMT -5
I planned a few things to do at the end of the festival day earlier this month at the Kutztown Folk Festival in Pennsylvania, and one of those was to go to the Kutztown Soda Works. They don't have tours, so it turned out to just be a liquor store, but they did have every flavor of birch beer the company makes. For $25 you get 24 bottles - either 12 oz. glass or 24 oz. plastic, same price. What a deal! Other local places that sold it were at least 50% more expensive. So I loaded up a bunch of glass bottles for presents and 24 oz. bottle for the house. The original birch beer, sarsaparilla, and red cream ale have all been excellent so far.
The festival also had a booth from Seltzer's Lebanon bologna. They had regular product, but they also had irregular slices and vacuum-packed ends for insanely cheap: $5 for a single 2 lb. package of ends, or $9 if you bought two. Also loaded up with stuff for me and stuff for gifts.
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Post by repulsionist on Jul 30, 2023 17:37:39 GMT -5
Strangelove
The name of a title character from a film. The title of a Depeche Mode song. A soda and mixer concern from Australia.
I have worked my way through their Lo-Cal sodas, finally. Why: finally? It took a long time to find their Lime & Jalapeño offering.
As mixers, these Lo-Cal sodas suit white spirits best: gin, vodka, tequila, rum.
Their flavours, ranked most to least palatable:
Holy Graperfruit - the absolute best of what this drink company produces. The grapefruit is tangy like Fresca or Squirt. No sugar rush. No artificial sweeteners. A subtle and forward-in-palate holy basil essence.
Yuzu - the nicest citrus soda.
Lime & Jalapeño - a surprise in its spice. This soda brings a faint heat and a juicy lime feeling in its bottle.
Lemon Squash - holds a powerful lemon pinch in its squash.
Very Mandarin - apparently it's possible to put too much of an orange essence into a soda. It's not terrible but there are better choices in this product range.
Smoked Cola - the smoky flavour is present. Definitely not hickory wood. Decent kola nut flavour that's somewhat enhanced by the smokiness.
Cloudy Pear and Cinnamon - all flavours too subtle to enjoy as a soda. I guess what makes this the least desirable of this suite of sodas is that this combination is most recongnised in a warm compote. As a cold drink, the flavours produce some cognitive dissonance, to me at least.
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Post by Albert Fish Taco on Aug 9, 2023 12:23:06 GMT -5
Brach's Fall Festival Candy Corn assortment - Now I'm defender of regular candy corns, and even can enjoy those pumpkin shaped ones and the ones with a chocolate level in moderation. But I suspected this all-gimmick flavor assortment would be awful and was proven correct. Some of the flavors brought back memories of having to play with those Beanbozzled candies. Here's a review in descending order: - Cotton Candy - The most cromulent of the lot. Reasonably matches the intended flavor profile and was closest to a normal candy corn.
- Lemonade Shake-up - Interesting. Wouldn't want again, but could see someone liking it.
- Strawberry Funnel Cake - Extremally fake tasting even for the low benchmark you'd expect from a gimmick candy corn. But digestible at least.
- Lemon-Lime Snowcone - Had to spit it out.
- Caramel Apple - Very foul had to spit it out urgently enough that I forgot my basic manners and civility and spat it out the window of a moving car.
- Kettle Corn - An Abomination against God and Humanity! Noxious and nausea inducing this should not exist and was similarly spat out rudely in haste.
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Post by repulsionist on Aug 13, 2023 16:00:23 GMT -5
UK Dr. Pepper
As with many items, all things are not equal. This beverage is not the equivalent of Dr. Pepper made in US, Canada, Poland, or Indonesia. It is, instead, an abject failure of injected aspartame and original recipe syrup. It is not worth inclusion into the Dr. Pepper suite of products.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Aug 13, 2023 16:41:04 GMT -5
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Aug 15, 2023 11:32:17 GMT -5
My parents returned from Iceland last week and brought us some local chocolate. I'm not sure what Iceland's reputation is vis a vis chocolate, but it was fine. Nothing special. Nothing you couldn't get in the States.
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Post by repulsionist on Aug 19, 2023 17:19:55 GMT -5
Lay's Spicy Braised Duck Tongue
As exotic as this chip's flavour title is, all I got out of it was a slightly different version of Sichuan pepper kick that had a touch more tomato sauce than other Sichuan Lay's flavour filigree.
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Post by repulsionist on Aug 22, 2023 18:08:38 GMT -5
American Food Store in Australasia Haul Report
Chips Ahoy - meh
Tostitos Salsa Verde Chips - Oh that citrus twinge, that tomatillo torque. Don't ever change.
Chili Cheese Fritos - Please don't ever change this formula, ever. Fritos Regular ibidem.
Cheetos Flavor Shots Flamin' Hot Asteroids - Gonna say that the only way to enjoy Flamin' Hot Cheetos is in their extruded corn meal form. Puffs I can do in White Cheddar and Regular. Balls same.
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Post by repulsionist on Aug 23, 2023 16:40:52 GMT -5
Strawberry Oreos (Japan)
Really tart strawberry flavour with evident chemical, strange aftertaste. Filling of slightly different consistency compared to US/Commonwealth Oreos; cookie essentially the same. Would not buy again.
Peanut Ruffs (Fiji)
I've bought these about 3-5 times. Each time I get through 1/3 of the 200g bag I'm sharing with kids, I remember I didn't enjoy them previously. Peanutty flavour is high. Sweetness lands right, and there is a pleasant saltiness to the snack. Puff nears styrofoam tensile strength. As satiating curiosity for an oddity from a Fijian food manufacturer it might be worth a gamble.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Aug 28, 2023 9:22:52 GMT -5
Hostess Bouncers Cinnamon Donettes
Advertised as mini cinnamon cake donuts with cinnamon filling. They come 3 per pack, 5 packs in a box. I just peeled one open. They are slightly bigger than a Munchkin, glazed, with a slightly sticky cake that stuck to the wrapper and cardboard insert. They are HIGHLY artificial. Just sugar, gluey cakelike substance, a little cinnamon, creamy filling but mostly: sugar and a mouth-coating fattiness.
Not bad, per se, but I probably won't buy them again. I'm not sure what I expected, but maybe a little more nuance to the flavor at least.
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Post by repulsionist on Aug 28, 2023 18:16:19 GMT -5
Dr. Pepper Vanilla Float
With natural and artificial flavours this soda plies the palate with a vanilla coat. The coat stays its welcome then fails to leave. A Dr. Pepper too vanilla for my liking.
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Post by pantsgoblin on Aug 29, 2023 8:32:49 GMT -5
Do you take requests, repulsionist?  |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Aug 29, 2023 8:47:39 GMT -5
Do you take requests, repulsionist?
I legit want to try this, but I never go to liquor stores, and the proof is too high to sell at grocery stores or gas stations in Texas. If I ever happen to be passing one by, I might stop in just to see if they have it.
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Post by pantsgoblin on Aug 29, 2023 9:45:18 GMT -5
Do you take requests, repulsionist?
I legit want to try this, but I never go to liquor stores, and the proof is too high to sell at grocery stores or gas stations in Texas. If I ever happen to be passing one by, I might stop in just to see if they have it.
I salute your willingness to get diabetes and liver failure for our entertainment. |
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Post by repulsionist on Aug 29, 2023 17:18:46 GMT -5
I would seek this out, pantsgoblin . At the very least, I would be asking folks I knew with grand liquor cabinets if they had it and could I try it. However, stuck as I am in Aotearoa (Land of the Long White Cloud), pulling on Hoka One One(s) (Fly Over the Land) to walk or run to the nearest bottle shop, I fear I would be very unlikely to encounter this new flavour beast. If you'd like me to review mandatory headaches of the RTD (ready-to-drink) rubbish heap, I might could be persuaded. I do have a frisson to share, though. Cadbury and Mars make milk drinks; shakes, if you will. They come in such options as: Snickers, Mars, Caramello, and such. I could grab one of those expensive diabetic comas and report back. They even have a Bounty one.  |
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Aug 30, 2023 13:37:50 GMT -5
Tic Tac: Sprite. They don't really taste like Sprite, just vaguely lemony with a mint aftertaste.
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Post by repulsionist on Sept 12, 2023 19:08:39 GMT -5
Vimto (new formula as of 2014)
As with many UK sodas, the flip cruelty to further chemical need precipitated use of sucralose and acesulfame potassium in the last 10-15 years. It has not been kind to the flavours once locked in the can or bottle. Desire to try again: squashed!
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Sept 14, 2023 9:38:28 GMT -5
Target's seasonal Favorite Day Maple Truffle Butter Cookies are WAY too good and we can easily eat an entire box in like 2-3 days. (I think they were previously Archer Farms brand but Target's rebranded everything)
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Post by repulsionist on Sept 27, 2023 17:08:52 GMT -5
Dr. Pepper & Cream Soda
I'm at the end of the offerings at most conveniences in NZ. The new shipments have come in. The Pepper is now UK or Polish in origin. I have little desire to consume these products as has been noted in my pop reviews. I also want to say that, in jest, these euro/UK sodas should be stripped of their title.
I know the Shoutbox has a few yelps about this drink over the years when various supermarkets significantly reduce the cost of a 12-pack or case. It isn't too bad. Quite nice in its blending of creme soda flavours and the known-good Dr. Pepper syrup.
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Post by repulsionist on Oct 24, 2023 18:53:06 GMT -5
Dr. Pepper Zero (Polska)
Do not ever purchase this unless you like diluted bilge that fizzes with the power of carbonation and muted whispers of the precious Pepper syrup.
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Post by repulsionist on Oct 29, 2023 14:34:25 GMT -5
What once was Lilt has become Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit.
Brand fortitude is what likely brought Lilt into the fold of Fanta. Formerly a distinct brand in the Coca-Cola Cloak, this pop fizzed up into Fanta's suite of products. No different than Lilt, for those who've had it. Distinctive other not commonly seen in Australasia and North America.
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Post by ganews on Nov 1, 2023 12:05:40 GMT -5
I went trick-or-treating with friends who have kids, and multiple "fun size" candy bars - at least Butterfinger and something else - were square. They used to be rectangular, but the length has been shaved down. That's less fun than ever!
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Post by repulsionist on Nov 5, 2023 19:46:55 GMT -5
Welch's Strawberry Soda
I consumed the Korean version. Light reading has shown that the North American sodas went through a revitalisation about 6-7 years back. I don't have any inkling as to whether or not the US-based company is making quality markers for the syrup and requiring contract bottlers to abide these quality markers. That said, I liked this soda more than Fanta Strawberry. Something more candy-esque in its flavour notes; akin to a cheap strawberry lozenge wrapped in a strawberry effigy foil or even a Jolly Rancher with a recent manufacturing date.
It is my dim, fantastical hope that perhaps this forum will be one of the things found in a post-AI apocalypse world filled with brimming warehouses. A soda connoisseurship will be established among the subhumans that have re-learned to read, and I will be a minor apostle in the new Bible of Pop.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Nov 10, 2023 13:39:58 GMT -5
Dang Diet Butterscotch Root Beer
I came across this on accident looking for something else and told my wife about it; I was hesitant to pick it up because of the price (a 12-pack came out to about $3.50 a bottle). She was not hesitant and wanted to order it immediately.
It was worth the steep cost. It really is a butterscotch root beer; both flavors come through clearly. It's very sweet, unsurprisingly, so it might not be for everyone. And I could imagine getting sick of it if we drank it too regularly. But it was very tasty, and I doubt we're going to get it often enough to get sick of it.
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Post by repulsionist on Nov 12, 2023 18:41:40 GMT -5
Angostura Chill - Hibiscus & Bitters
Questing further afield than bottle shops and superettes, I have made purchase of Angostura's Chill beverage. Ideally suited as a mixer for spirits, this beverage has the chef's kiss of Angostura bitters that leans very close to the dreaded purple drop from Brach's Spice Drops. The hibiscus here is principally the colour, which is very faint. Probably works with gin, but I haven't tried that. The review herein solely for the fizzy drink.
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Post by liebkartoffel on Nov 12, 2023 18:49:25 GMT -5
These new Kazbar thingies are good. They’re sort of a large Petit Four, with a few crunchy bits for texture. We got the chocolate caramel flavor. Finally tried these out. They're good, but need more crunch, imo. |
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Post by repulsionist on Nov 13, 2023 20:42:45 GMT -5
Pringles® Sizzlin' Chipotle Sour Cream Flavour
Surprising smoky flavour from this chip. Worth the effort if you can find it. I will not-so-quietly pine for Pringles' Minecraft Suspicious Stew. Maybe some shop will have it at some point.
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Post by repulsionist on Nov 27, 2023 15:33:29 GMT -5
Faygo Firework
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? Filled with jelly? Do you ever wonder if that bag will explode? Showering the vicinity with your spew?
This modified cornstarch-coloured weakly fizzy liquid has a spark to it. Coming in at the Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid end of the flavour spectrum on the palate, this 633ml bottle was opened and consumed by more than one person. My children and I approved of the flavour. The fizz is probably better nearer to its manufacture date.
L'Connoiseur d'Ordures
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Post by repulsionist on Nov 29, 2023 4:03:17 GMT -5
Cadbury Buzz Bar
Haven't checked this bar's provenance. Does it have a precedent? Was it another lolly absorbed by the global conglomerate of vegelate? Anyhow, this is probably the only Cadbury product worth a nosh. You can stuff your Flake; never melting, only burning.
Before the Commonwealth gets up from their rocker to shout, "Hershey's is shite, and how dare ye. Forsooth, ruffian. Fie upon your ill-informed opinion." I'm with you now. Ya heard.
I had some overpriced bag of Hershey's minis. Took over a month to work through the damn thing. Krackel has cracked. Mr. Goodbar barred from being good. Special Dark, not so special. Regular bar: shite.
Buzz Bar originates from NZ. Fluffy marshmallow, a thin layer of caramel. Execrable Cadbury's chocolate not manufactured in Albion covering but not ruining the work. The Poochie-esque mascot is a winner. Move over, Freddo. You done got stung.
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Post by repulsionist on Dec 3, 2023 14:17:28 GMT -5
Cactus Cooler
Ah, the desert. An arable plentitude rich with fecundity. The perfect place for a citrus grove and a pineapple farm. Luckily, the diviners of soda pop put a slightly different two-and-two together to make this reasonably refreshing drink what recipe will change when wood esters are phased out of use. If you were wanting an orange Mountain Dew without caffeine, you want this drink.
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