Showing posts with label ginger ale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ginger ale. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Bawls Guarana Ginger Review

Bawls keeps on rolling, pun intended, with their soda-inspired varieties. This time ginger ale is attempted, its dull green bottle unfortunately resembling a macro beer more so than a soda. But it feels wonderful in the hand, the small bumps giving this beverage transport the texture the Monster brand often stumbles with.

With both a strong ginger taste and saccharinity, Bawls tastes more like Vernors than Canada Dry, but that is okay- how many golden ginger ales can you think of, let alone have caffeine? High fructose corn syrup does the sweetening here, but that never bothered my tongue; it adds to the slightly gummy mouthfeel of many commercial sodas. Simplicity is key here, no nuance to distract from the bubbly goodness; there may not be a lot going on here, it is just a ginger ale, but it is a rarity in the realm of caffeinated potations done well.

Thirty one grams of sugar, some guarana, and an internet-sourced sixty four milligrams of caffeine. And for those who crack open every crazy Mtn Dew variety only to be disappointed, then Bawls Ginger should work.

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Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Legendary Sunshine Ginger Berry Energy Drink Review

This pale can sorely lacks the bright burst of color of its Clementine Twist sister variant. Its packed full of text, too many fonts and too little cohesiveness, nothing about this can informs consumers it is flavored of "ginger berry." It is a rather unique mix up, but the design does not care to play up this combination.

I am not sure if there is anything legendary here, but the flavor profile is on the cusp of spectacular. Ginger is the main event here, sweeter like a glass of Vernors, with a spicy punch of the starring spice. Effervescence is curt and abrasive and really punches through the stale mouthfeel of Stevia, who alongside cane sugar make up the saccharinity cocktail here. But the can claiming the taste of berry is a waste of space on the can; you can taste a hint of blueberry lurking beneath every imbibe, but the pungent sweetness of the ginger chokes out almost any surviving nuance of the fruit. Marketing this as a golden ginger ale would have been the wiser rout.

Each can contains: vitamin B12 and fifty milligrams of caffeine. The buzz is a disappointment- the flavor is so potent you would expect the following buzz to be just as forceful. Instead, it lasts a tacky hour, maybe less, but fortunately without jitters. In the end, Legendary Sunshine Ginger Berry desperately needs a shot of caffeine and a more consistent marketing. You can leave the flavor alone however- it is great as it is.

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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Team Realtree Outdoor Energy Drink Review

Team Realtree Outdoor appeals only with its thick resealable can, as the whole hunting camouflage pattern doesn't convey any sense of energy, plus it seems to hide the can within the populated energy drink cooler. And to my knowledge, hunting isn't about having much energy but rather ample patience, which is something that wouldn't expectantly be aided with caffeine. But perhaps the biggest optical fault is the name, which is neither exciting or blunting understandable, at least to us city boys.

Team Realtree Outdoor isn't a Red Bull clone, which was justifiably my first thought with the lack of any suggested flavour. Rather it's much inspired by ginger ale, albeit deeply influenced by various complexing notes. A bated white grape taste expands the profile of a perspicuous lemon and grapefruit, which are weaved together as one sensation consisting of two complementing flavours. Lime is whispered nether to the prior and it doesn't ever excel in becoming as crystalline as the former. The spicing to the experience is widely pleasing but sadly isn't anything more than just a simple ginger flavouring. An entirely artificial cranberry can be detected, oddly enough, veiled greatly within, and it provides some degree of depth to the aforementioned piquancy. The light coloured liquid is dry to the taste, in the sense of the distinctly flaccid saccharinity, but it the realm of ginger ale it leans more towards the golden variety, with its fairly robust taste and trenchant seasoning. The last few sips are pleasantly thick in that they're compatible with the rest of the flavour, and the overall taste is far more relishable than anticipated.

The jolt felt was as average as any and average at best. It lasted just under three hours, it was jitter free, and there was a bit of a crash following it all. Each can contains: caffeine, taurine, and several B vitamins. All in all, while Team Realtree Outdoor is far from trailblazing, it's of a much higher quality than initially expected when it was first glared upon through the clear front fridge.

official site

Monday, March 21, 2011

True Colors Orange-Tangerine Energy Drink Review

Three True Colors varieties filled my local Big Lots recently, although Orange-Tangerine was the only previously non-reviewed flavour available. I payed a cheap sixty cents for it, which is better than what I paid for the earlier flavours, which were bought in a subway convenience store. The can is largely the same, and the only difference is the bottom colour, which is now orange, and the flavour indication that's partly the former and partly tangerine. Why they felt it necessary to use both words is beyond me, as one of the two would be more than sufficient with the colour of the lower half.

True Colors Orange-Tangerine's flavour is fairly inspired, and not exactly by what you would expect. It's initially faintly of orange, however it's quickly abandoned for focus upon an effervescent ginger ale taste. Both the prior and the former are diluted and rest on the verge of becoming bland, though it's more of a problem with the orange, as one naturally anticipates a strong and profound taste. A crass saccharinity is also presumed when speaking about such flavoured fizzy drinks, and despite the presence of a cogent sweetness nearing the final stages of the taste, the orange remains mostly dry to the tongue. The blatant restricting of the can suggested fruits prevents the palate from detecting any potential differences between the possible citruses, and the two could easily be used interchangeably when describing the taste. The ginger ale isn't spiced explicitly in terms of strength but when compared to the surroundings, it plays a majority in the overall mildness. There's an almost herbal bitterness present nether to the aforementioned sugary finish, and thankfully the confectionery quality keeps it from distracting too much from the experience. In the end, though the taste to True Colors Orange wasn't exactly the most pleasurable, it certainly was a fresh departure from those who are similarly flavoured.

In true True Colors fashion, I only received a two hour buzz. I had some jitters, sadly, and there was a noticeable crash afterward. Each can contains: caffeine, taurine, and several B vitamins. All in all, True Colors Orange-Tangerine does enough different for me to consider my sixty cents well enough spent, if it's only for the creativity usually absent from the parent company Prilabs.

official site

Monday, June 14, 2010

Pit Bull Sugar Free Energy Drink Review

Sadly based on its sugared sibling's design, Pit Bull Sugar Free's can fails to look attractive. The silver and white just don't work together nicely as the main colours, and as a whole the can feels somber and impersonal. All the problems that plagued the original Pit Bull reappear; the dumb name, stupid slogan, multi-text, and the not so scary dog image, and while the can isn't cluttered, there are far more negatives than positives about it.

Pit Bull Sugar Free begins fizzily carbonated with ample focus on a fairly light and natural tasting lemon that's sourness is strong but feels right given the flavour. There's a brisk ginger ale that is noticeable early on, but it really only becomes a part of the experience nearing the end of it. The ale leans more towards being golden than dry, though it's not strong enough to truly be considered "golden." The ale itself has notes of a bland lime following suit, and has a dull under lap blend of various spices; all of them too hush to pin point. There's a bit of a acidic bite evident as the flavour ends, and this time around there's no oily coat left behind. Overall, Pit Bull Sugar Free tastes like it was built from the ground up to replicate its all calorie counter part as closely as possible without sacrificing taste, and they successfully did just that.

A sixteen oz. can of Pit Bull Sugar Free contains: caffeine, taurine, inositol, guarana, several B vitamins, and ginseng. Compared to other energy drinks, this ingredient cocktail isn't extremely potent, and its provided kick isn't extremely strong or long lasting. I had increased levels of energy for three hours, and there wasn't a crash at the end of it. Overall, since it follows its brothers by delivering a great flavour and a less than impressive kick and can, Pit Bull Sugar Free had no surprises and did nothing but meet expectations.

official site

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Celsius Ginger Ale Energy Drink Review

Celsius's can has changed a bit since I last saw it. They dropped a lot of the unnecessary text, and the design has been slightly altered, resulting in a much more attractive and sophisticated can. However, the can isn't perfect. First off, though the billed flavour is ginger ale, the can's colour scheme doesn't fit. While the yellow matches the ale the best out of all the cans colours, I would have picked something consumers are more used to, like green or gold. Still, Celsius is at least trying to improve upon their work, which is admirable to some degree.

Celsius Ginger Ale's taste is much stronger and cloying than other ginger ale energy drinks I've run across. It begins thick, initially, with a slight earthy quality to it. Then the main flavour is your typical ginger ale, with a distinct lemon and lime trail. Neither the lemon or the lime are dominate, but instead equal. The sweetness tastes natural, but as the experience goes on, it grows slightly artificial. Celsius Ginger Ale is high in carbonation, and that ruins any chance of it being easy drinking, forcing you to slowly drink it. And though that may sound like I didn't enjoy Celsius Ginger Ale, it actually ended up growing on me. While it never was brilliant or masterful, it was a different take on ginger ale than what most energy ales go for.

Celsius Ginger Ale, like its predecessor, truly shines in the kick category. Its blend is potent with 200mg of caffeine, taurine, guarana, green tea, vitamin C and several B vitamins per can. My energy level steadily raised for three hours until it hit its max, then lasted for another hour until it gently decreased with no crash. All in All, while I still think the calorie burning property of Celsius is too niche, Ginger Ale is a good enough improvement from its earlier variety to be worth a buy, or at least considered.

official site

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

rip it Gin-Zing-R Energy Drink re-re-Review

rip it Gin-Zing-R and I have a bit of a history. Not only was it the first energy drink I ever reviewed, but it's also one of the few drinks I re-reviewed within the same post. So technically, this is a re-re-review. rip it Gin-Zing-R comes in a golden can with the same design used by previous varieties, but it really rivals Sting-eR-Mo for the best can in the line. The black, silver, and white pattern looks great against the gold background and isn't too hard on the eye. It's clean yet intimidating, with out overdoing it.

rip it Gin-Zing-R tastes begins with a mild ginger ale flavour with an end note blend of sweetness and bitterness. The sweet/bitter mix is sharp, initially, but it rapidly dies down, and the rest of the experience is smooth. Then there's a hint of a sour lemon proceeding a reappearing ginger ale that's medium in strength and slightly dry. The experience ends quietly, with no real bite and is a bit syrupy. Gin-Zing-R's carbonation was bubbly and matched the body quite well. The overall flavour is blended well, but not to the point of boring. Actually, the flavour is rather exciting. I really enjoyed each sip I took, and the can went down so fast that once I finished the first, I was ready for second.

Although Gin-Zing-R's ingredients are slightly different from Sting-eR-Mo's, they contain the same basic cocktail: several B vitamins, taurine, caffeine(170mg), inositol, guarana, ginseng, and vitamin C. This blend gave me a good buzz that lasted three and a half to four hours, and I had slight jitters. It didn't end in a hard crash, but I could tell I was less energized than I previously was. In the end, rip it Gin-Zing-R's attractive can, smooth taste, and good kick impressed me enough to make a recommendation, especially for those looking to combine their love for ginger ale and caffeine.

official site

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Pit Bull

I've seen Pit Bull energy drink many times while at my local Rite Aid, but because of the terrible can, I've held off until now. While the actual design isn't too bad, the slogan's cheesy, the text is repeated in two languages, the dog is less-than-terrifying, and the name's stupid. But the one thing I really have a problem with is the name. They're obviously trying to ride off the success of Red Bull, but in 2010, knock-off names just don't do it.

Pit Bull pours out a clear, slightly faint amber colour that's on the verge of being gold. A refreshing ginger ale launches the flavour. It's mildly dry, and it mixes with a pleasantly sour lemon. There's a slight lime taste that runs under the lemon, and as the experience goes on, it blends with a re-emerging ginger ale. This lasts well into the flavour, but during the climax, it's subdued by a crisp bite. Throughout the experience, there are notes of a shallow grapefruit, but mostly it stays low key. There's a bit of an oily coating on your palette, not syrupy, but oily, almost like grease. But thankfully it's not too noticeable. In the end, Pit Bull is almost amazingly smooth, and while I did have some problems with it, it's unique and really a joy to drink.

Pit Bull has a decent amount of energy ingredients, which ends with a decent kick. I felt mildly energetic, and it lasted around two and a half to three hours, thanks to containing caffeine, guarana, inositol, ginseng, and several B vitamins. All in all, I really enjoyed the taste, but sadly the can and buzz of Pit Bull couldn't avoid several pit-falls.

official site

Friday, November 13, 2009

Monster Nitrous Super Dry

As much as I'd like to be a movie or video game critic, being an energy drink critic certainly has its perks. My favorite perk is that there's not too much pressure as a drink critic to review the newest product. While it is nice to claim the first review, you can still get away with reviewing age old energy drinks. I couldn't exactly review Transporter 2 in 2009 and expect my opinion to count. Monster Nitrous Super Dry is an example of this. While it's not as old as Transporter 2, it isn't the newest drink on the block and my opinion can still influence whether or not someone purchases it. Monster Nitrous Super Dry is one of the three flavours in the Nitrous sub-line, and probably the one I'm looking forward to the most. Hearing the flavour's main focus is lime attracts my attention, and hopefully it will turn out to be a worthwhile investment.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Monster Super Drys can is impressive. The green colour nicely fits into the line and the screw top, while not as interesting as Monster Imports, is still an improvement over the old pop top. The actual name to Super Dry is debatable. It could be read as Nitrous Super Dry, Nitrous Monster Super Dry, or even Super Dry Nitrous Monster Energy. This has to be the most expensive energy drink I've ever bought per oz. At a staggering $3.49, Monster Super Dry is only twelve oz. Personally, I don't think the nitrous carbonation gimmick is worth skimping out on oz. and jacking up the price.

TASTE: I popped off the top and took a sip. The flavour starts out sour lime that blends with a light ginger ale taste and fades, leaving a subtle chalky lemon/lime mix lingering about. The chalkiness becomes less noticeable the more you sip, letting the lime/lemon become the main focus of the aftertaste. There's some mild notes of several berries through out the experience, and they are more noticeable near the transition from ginger ale to chalk. The carbonation doesn't really leave me impressed. While the liquid was rather light and bubbly, it really didn't seem like it did too much. For a drink named "Super Dry," I really didn't find it terribly dry. Nitrous Super Dry still had a measurable amount of sweetness, so a more proper name would be "Mildly Dry." Overall, while I really enjoyed the lime ginger ale concoction, it's not terribly complex and the nitrous carbonation seemed like a wasted opportunity.

KICK: Each can of Monster Nitrous Super Dry contains: caffeine, Taurine, glucose, inositol, yerba mate, ginseng, and 200% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, B2, B3, and B6. Unlike most in the line Nitrous Super Dry gave me a decent at best kick. While I did feel quite awake for a steady three hours, it all ended in a hard crash. Super Dry will definitely not my drink of choice for when I'm playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii all day Sunday.

FINAL WORD: All in all, Monster Super Dry is a disappointing energy drink. Even though I enjoyed the flavour, the can was too small and the kick was less than stellar. If your a hard core guy looking for an energy drink that fits your image, than there are many cheaper and more powerful energy drinks on the market. Maybe there's some sort of super rich hard core community I'm not aware of, but for $3.49, your not getting your moneys worth. Overall, Nitrous Super Dry seems like it should be a test market product and not a nationwide drink. While it was an interesting attempt, Monster Nitrous Super Dry seems half completed and the nitrous carbonation is a gimmick that doesn't wholly succeed...3/5

official site
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