Dr. Brown's Cream Soda

One thing I love about blogging is that I am actively seeking out and researching sodas and learning about new flavors and old flavors I've never tried. This especially goes for Dr. Brown's soda, of which I only believed there to be a couple of flavors. Hardly. They actually produce 8 different types and, to my surprise, make glass bottles. I've only seen cans and plastic and everyone knows soda is best enjoyed out of glass.

"Very good. You just earned yourself a Doctor Brown's."
- Krusty's dad

Dr. Brown's comes in as a very old soda, originating in New York in 1869 with Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray soda, which is a celery flavored beverage. Dr. Brown's sodas are also kosher, which is not entirely unique, but gives them some popularity.

Now, I am remiss to say that my review will be based on cans of Dr. Brown's cream soda since so far we've only been trying cream soda in glass bottles. I don't believe it will hurt their review, however, from an appearance standpoint it is hard to see the caramel color of the soda through opaque aluminum. Maybe one day science will create glass cans but until then, I just have to make do.

The cans themselves are quite nice, a dark brown color, with clear branding and, building off their New York origins, a picture of the Statue of Liberty centered on the front. I can see on their website that other flavors bear different New York landmarks, similar to Olde Brooklyn sodas. I poured the contents of one can into a glass to get a better gauge of the color and I was not let down. Despite the dark brown cans, the soda is the classic tan cream soda color and if I'm not mistaken, this one is more on the caramel side than the golden. Pouring it into a glass also let me see that this soda bears a substantial bit more carbonation than the others, with bubbles forming all over the sides and creating a thin head on top.

It's that carbonation that pops in the first sip. This cream soda drinks more like a soda and while it is not overly carbonated, bubbles are definitely present right away, sliding across the tongue and bursting on the roof of the mouth. But the most noticeable component of the first sip is the vanilla. It is not one that lasts but as the soda streams across your taste buds it is all you can sense. It is strong and almost on the vanilla bean or extract side rather than a syrup. That short lasting flavor, rather its intensity, makes this a chugging soda. I feel like all my sips are gulps and that taking it in smaller sips would just fill my mouth with carbonation, rather than cream soda goodness.

It is getting harder to really pick one cream soda over another but there is something special about Dr. Brown's. It isn't the creamiest, the flavor doesn't bite, and while it does have a surprising amount of carbonation, it falls somewhere in the middle with its smoothness and flavor.

"There's that word again. Heavy. Why are things so heavy
in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth's
gravitational pull?" - Doc Brown

Smoothness: 7.5 - Smooth, but it doesn't coat your senses in creaminess
Overall Taste: 8.0 - The vanilla is strong with this one

Fizz Factor: 7.0 - An enigma, very carbonated, but not filling

Appearance: 8.0 - Caramel brown, and the added darkness casts a shadow in the center of the glass

Flavor: 8.5 - This is the classic cream soda

From the company: 12 oz has 180 calories, 0g of fat, 44g of carbs, 44g of sugar and 0g of protein.

Stewart's Cream Soda

Stewart's began making soda in 1924 with a focus on root beer. Now I've tasted their root beer and it is delicious, but it is a few of their other flavors that really intrigue me. First, their orange n'cream soda. This soda is readily available at my local store and it has been a favorite of mine over the past few holidays. Now while doing research on Stewart's I came across three other flavors that I did not know existed: a Stewart's grape, a cherries n'cream and a strawberries n'cream. All sound incredible, don't they? Too bad I've never had them. Can't even find them! Wish I could just taste them...

Roger...pass me a cream soda. And make it a double

The cream soda, however, is available in my local market and will be the featured cream soda of Day 3 of this, Cream Soda Week. Stewart's began as a root beer stand and the fountain style flows over to their bottles and taste. These bottles are clear with a red Stewart's logo, which is nicely offset by the golden soda behind it. The label itself reads "Fountain Classics" and everything here elicits a feeling of being at an ice cream parlor, ready to make a ice cream float or have Roger behind the counter slide you a frosty mug.

The first sip...for a cream soda...is something completely different from any other cream soda I've tasted. This shock leads me to turn the bottle around and study the ingredients: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor, a preservative, caramel color, citric acid and...quillaia extract. Is that it? Is that the something special that is giving a tiny bite to this traditionally smooth style of soda? I don't know but let me say, there is a bite to each sip of this soda. There is also a substantial difference in carbonation compared to the last few I've reviewed. The soda almost foams in your mouth and where other cream sodas coat tongue with vanilla creaminess, Stewart's does not. But the taste is so unique that I'm on my second bottle and still being hit with that mystery flavor, still wondering what makes this one so special.

For a traditional cream soda, Stewart's is lacking some of that vanilla flavor and some of that smoothness, but it is still a cream soda and still bears that overall likeness. What sets this soda apart from others is the fountain style that it claims. It is definitely foamy, crisp, worth chugging, and with that unique taste, Stewart's Cream Soda is almost in a class by itself.

Smoothness: 6.8 - It's the bite that takes away the smoothness
Overall Taste: 9.0 - Different, a must try, and a unique experience
Fizz Factor: 6.0 - That foaminess is almost a flavor in itself, the bubbles form in your mouth
Appearance: 8.0 - Nice label, nothing too fancy, and the soda is a golden tan
Flavor: 7.8 - A mild cream soda that satisfies

From the company: 12 oz has 180 calories, 0g of fat, 45g of carbs, 45g of sugar and 0g of protein.

IBC Cream Soda

"Sidney, relax. Have a cream soda."

Growing up, IBC root beer was a treat to be had on pizza nights and holidays. The fact that the soda comes in glass bottles was a big reason for that, but eventually I began to associate IBC with good times and good food, and honestly, the root beer is definitely a compliment to home cookin'. When I turned seventeen I purchased my first mini-fridge for my bedroom and stocked it with cans of many varieties but also glass bottles of IBC, for those special occasions. And now, IBC root beer is still a treat, to be had intermittently when I'm craving a classic root beer.

I digress because this post is about the cream soda. Starting with the all clear glass bottle, sans label, we see the soda in its full glory. IBC cream soda is almost golden, looking like a tanned honey, almost radiating from within. It could very well be the clear bottles that add to this display as nothing obstructs light from illuminating the creamy soda throughout. The bottles themselves have a raised glass label, making them unique, but the label itself resembles something from 1919, when IBC first began creating these bubbly beverages.



The first sip is light, almost airy, and the soda heads for the roof of the mouth, expanding to the sides before slipping down the back of the throat. It is not an overwhelming, powerful first sip but the taste is right there. Actually, when sipping the soda the taste does not linger, making you reach for another sip faster than I did with the Virgil's (Oct. 15, 2012). If you drink it, the tastes persists and quenches the vanilla craving, however, you still eagerly grab for another chug. IBC nails the cream soda and vanilla flavor but does so lightly. Halfway through a bottle and the mild carbonation is not affecting me in any way. In fact., the soda tastes so light it goes up into your smell receptors on every sip.

Like golden sun rays mixed with honey and
 trapped in a bottle

IBC's light cream soda is still strong on taste and might be the perfect companion to a meal, like for instance, a pizza night with family.

Smoothness: 9.0 - So smooth you almost miss it

Overall Taste: 8.0 - The taste is definitely there, but a little mild

Fizz Factor: 4.8 - Almost no carbonation but the feeling that the soda is invading your nose from behind means it is there

Appearance: 8.5 - The golden soda looks like a beverage from the gods and clear bottles accent this, although the label is hard to see cut into the glass

Flavor: 8.3 - A classic cream soda, nothing to make it stand out, but still delicious

 

From the company: 12 oz has 180 calories, 0g of fat, 48g of carbs, 48g of sugar and 0g of protein.

Virgil's Cream Soda

We start Cream Soda Week with a unique cream soda from Virgil's, who also make an absolutely delicious orange cream soda in addition to a classic root beer. But what sets this soda apart is the fact that it is made with cane sugar and it is micro brewed. It is considered a gourmet soda and made by REED'S Inc. from ingredients from around the world, is gluten free and contains no preservatives.

Well, he does look like a carpenter

Let's get to the soda but first, the bottle. What I originally thought was a pirate named Virgil on the bottle turns out to just be a bearded man in a flannel shirt, serving the soda to two eagerly waiting children. Unique, and intricate for a bottle label, and as I look closer at this particular label, I read "So rich and creamy you'll swear it's made in Heaven." So is that Jesus serving the soda? Did Jesus wear flannel? The background is definitely clouds...OK, well the label is, different, but the bottle itself is shaped more like a beer bottle than a soda and looks a little larger than only 12 oz.

Being the first sip of the week, Virgil's gets a leg up because cream soda is not a regular taste and that initial hit is like no other, something that may wear off as the week goes on. I don't guzzle cream soda at first; I sip. I want to enjoy that taste because it's not quenching a thirst, it is satisfying a craving. Virgil's is thick, extremely smooth, but filling. The all natural ingredients are apparent as one can almost taste the real cane sugar. It hits on every vanilla cream soda flavor and definitely envelops the taste buds and the tongue, reaching all the way down the throat. There is a substantial lack of carbonation, which is typical of cream sodas but in this sense, it goes unmissed as Virgil's drinks like a beverage compared to a bubbly soda.

So far the week is a success. Virgil's is smooth with no bite, and nothing to distract from that heavy vanilla taste.

Smoothness: 8.5 - Extremely smooth, like you're drinking cream itself

Overall Taste: 8.3 - The taste is definitively vanilla bean, you can almost taste the purity

Fizz Factor: 5.5 - Carbonation doesn't hit you until the soda is in your stomach

Appearance: 7.0 - Not a fan of Jesus serving me soda or wearing a flannel, but the soda is a perfect tan, and darker than some of the others to be sampled this week

Flavor: 8.0 - Nails the cream soda taste and does it all naturally, so no complaints here

From the company: 12 oz has 160 calories, 0g of fat, 42g of carbs, 42g of sugar and 0g of protein.

Cream Soda Week

Cream soda is known for its vanilla taste and it's that vanilla taste that separates this soda from all others. Despite the brown colour, cream soda is made with vanilla, either flavoring, beans, extract, or syrup, and it's vanilla that gives the soda its smoothness. And that's what cream soda really offers: a smooth, classy taste that glides into the stomach, coating every inch of the digestive tract in a palpable, thin layer of vanilla that sticks, long enough to satisfy until you reach for another sip.

This week we're celebrating cream soda with Cream Soda Week, where we will review Virgil's, IBC, Stewart's, Dr. Brown's, A&W and Polar. With many more on the market, the next week will include a few trips to local markets to see if I can't find a few more brands and turn this into Cream Soda Week-and-a-half. We're also going to add one new category to the ratings just for this week to help our analysis of cream sodas: smoothness.

Is there anything more beautiful? Ok, yes, but this is quite nice too.