Cascal - 8 Reviews

With the exception of Bright Citrus, us folks here at Thirsty Dudes have not been huge fans of Cascal sodas. I think we would have loved most of the flavors, if the whole point of the company weren't that they make fermented sodas. Take away the fermentation and slight alcohol taste that it causes and these would be severely interesting sodas. With flavors like apple and anise things are bound to get wacky. Unfortunately that flavor that is gross to those of us who don't drink gets in the way and ruins everything. I have to admit that my friends who do partake in alcohol like these a lot more than those of us who do not. I believe they are accustomed to that flavor.

While this flavor does tastes a bit hoppy, it didn't bother me as much as it has with the other flavors. Perhaps I myself am becoming more accustomed to the flavor, but it wasn't bad. It tastes like a citrus and berry soda, two flavors that normally don't commingle. Why is that? There is berry based fruit punch and tropical citrus bases, but it's not often that they overlap. That needs to change because if this drink is any indication they pair nicely. It's a good tasting sparkling juice and as I said if you don't mind the fermentation flavor grab yourself a can.

Chocolate and cherries? A match made in heaven. Chocolate and most products is fantastic. Meat, fruit, probably some vegetables, more chocolate, bread...seriously. Chocolate rules. Cherries are great. They're no chocolate, but they're great. Who doesn't love that time of year where cherries aren't seventeen dollars a pound and you can enjoy their presence in your house until a week later where you have to create your own pyramid scheme to afford the little, red fruit?

I had high hopes for this drink because of the chocolate and cherry but when I noticed that rose was in there, I thought it was going to be like eating a cherry cordial out of a really old woman's blouse. Was I wrong? Unfortunately, I was not. You get cherry and an insufficient amount of chocolate but then a titch of fermented rose and that is a flavor that ruins the aforementioned delicious duo.

I can see this being enjoyed, but not by me, so much. It's like chocolate, cherry, rose, beer. If that sounds good for you, you, my friend, have a new favorite drink. In the meantime, I'm going to try and stop thinking of eating and drinking out of old lady's clothing. The things that go on underneath an eighty-seven year old woman's shirt is not for me.

The search is complete. We found it. A Cascal that the whole family can enjoy, rather than their skunky, old tasting drink. Here we have a genuine work of art. It's light, fruity, and quite flavorful. Also, it doesn't taste the way a cold to hot to cold to hot to open beer smells. Right away you get some lemongrass, then the tangerine and pineapple dance playfully in your mouth like there's a hootenanny and this is the dirty South circa 1800's. It's got a little fermentation taste, but that is because, number one, it's fermented, and it aids in the intricacies of this drink.

This drink makes me keep faith that there will be more awesomeness to come out of the Cascal laboratory. I've got to hand it to them because their flavor pairings are different than just about every company on the market. They're trying something new and different and this one they got right. Good job team!

Dear Internet, Please fill me in on the health benefits, if any, that comes along with fermented juice. This can does not boast any health aspects of fermentation. It just states that it helps bring out flavors. The flavors that it normally brings out I am not a fan of. It always ends up tasting quasi alcoholic. Not far off from what I remember the base of beer tasting like (It's been over 17 years since I've tasted it). Normally it really turns me off. I mean it's a taste I also equate to spoiling foods. Everyone I know who doesn't drink who has a fermented juice things that is absolutely vile, and that it tastes like alcohol. Those that do drink always seem to enjoy it, and don't get the alcohol taste at all. Are their taste buds just acclimated with that flavor?

Those are all the reasons that I was skeptical to try this, and kept putting it off. The allure of jasmine and mango in any drink was just too strong for me though. The first sip was as I expected it to be. It had that "turning" fruit flavor to it with a hint of the tropics. The more I drank, and the less I thought about the fermentation, the more I enjoyed the drink. You can definitely taste a mixture of mango and apple juices with a little lime in there for some kick. I unfortunately did not taste any jasmine (it's also not listed in the ingredients). I would have like it to have a nice floral twist to it, but oh well. This ended up being better than I expected. I did not anticipate making through half the can, but here I sit with some empty aluminum and I don't want to throw up. It's still not anything that I would seek out, but I would expect those that do imbibe alcohol would really enjoy this, and I urge you to give it a try. On the back of the can it also recommends to try it with BBQ or Thai food. If I had another can I would totally take that challenge. I could see this pairing incredibly with some nice sloppy BBQ.

Anything fermented, for me, gets me a little standoffish. I have to read labels a lot to see if there alcohol in things because I won't touch it if it does. Non-alcoholic mouthwash, white wine vinegar, and vodka sauces are all off limits. We don't review types of kombucha because it's fermented to the point of containing alcohol.

I am not "afraid" of alcohol, I just don't need it in my life and if I have to do a little reading to ensure that I'm not getting any, I'll do it. You read for things like calories and fat, why can't I read for ingredients? You're right, I can. Thank you for your permission.

This stated that it contained no alcohol and I know that Jay wouldn't buy me something with alcohol in it, much like I wouldn't buy him something with beef tallow or gelatin, regardless of how much I try and convince him that I don't think that it's made from hooves anymore. We're more civilized than that...cutting of hooves and using them for jellybeans. It's just barbaric. There's synthetic everything else, why not this. Whatever. Different discussion.

CasCal makes this drink and it is dry and it is for adults. It tastes fermented and although I don't know who is into this thing, but it's there and it's nicely bottled which means that it's in demand. I was really excited when Jay gave this to me because I thought it was going to be some sort of carbonated, licorice infused apple juice. Instead, it tastes like old apple cider. I don't get any anise. Is it my untrained tongue? Possibly, but I know what anise tastes like and I didn't get any out of this. As the temperature increased to room temperature, I liked it more. It wasn't so...cold beer.

I wouldn't write CasCal off entirely as I'm sure they have other flavors that sound good and probably taste totally different. This one was simply not for me.

Hello friends!

I am here today to tell you about a beverage I have tried. When you finish reading this, you will know the name of this beverage as well as my opinions on it. I believe this is the contract you have negotiated with the Thirsty Dudes. And, special bonus: there are pictures.

First things first, this is me, Catie (nice to meet you), looking very excited and mysterious about the beverage I have chosen: CAS CAL FERMENTED SODA CRISP WHITE WITH PEAR APRICOT AND MAGNOLIA FLAVORS.

When I began my search for the perfectly reviewable beverage, my criteria were many. I wanted something that I had never tried before, and that had never been reviewed by the Thirsty Dudes. I wanted something that could go either way: be really tasty or really gross. I wanted something that made me feel brave and a little bit crazy, like I was living on the edge. So of course, being the intrepid suburbanite I am, I went to Whole Foods.

After fifteen minutes standing in the individually bottled beverage isle, list of beverages already reviewed in hand, I began to grow disheartened. I honestly do not know how these Dudes are still Thirsty; they have sipped, slurped, and gulped nearly all of the Whole Foods inventory. After almost half an hour of reading cans, however, I found The One.

CasCal Fermented Soda Crisp White With Pear, Apricot, and Magnolia Flavors presented the perfect challenge. Apricots and pears are delicious; fermentation is not; magnolia is just weird. It is caffeine free, non-alcoholic, and has no added sugar. It is created through "the magic of fermentation" and self-described as "an alchemy of flavor." It should be tried with fresh salads or robust cheeses (but never both at the same time, I imagine).

Please join me as I take this journey.



CasCal Fermented Soda Crisp White With Pear, Apricot, and Magnolia Flavors: it's actually pretty good! It is tangy, mild, and just the right amount of sweet. The apricot and pear flavors are very crisp and bright. Overall, I'd say it's very "drinkable." The one thing I don't know about is the so-called magnolia flavor. I have admittedly never tasted an actual magnolia tree, but there was nothing in the soda that tasted how I would imagine. I'm pretty the whole "magnolia" thing is an elaborate lie.

Now, before trying Crisp White I was careful not to read the Thirsty Dudes' reviews on its CasCal Fermented Soda cousins; after all, I wanted to be fair. After taking a few notes, however, I went back and read them. I was surprised to see so much animosity toward the fermentation aspect of the soda. I honestly didn't taste anything that I would identify as fermented, and certainly no hint of an alcoholic taste. It's entirely possible, however, that I (being prone to partake in the occasional adult beverage) am desensitized to such flavors.

TO SUMMARIZE: I am Catie, I drank CasCal Fermented Soda Crisp White With Pear, Apricot, and Magnolia Flavors, and I give it three bottles.

I hate fermented drinks. I have not been looking forward to trying this. But as a Thirsty Dude, I had to give this a try. Mary Liz says this tastes like a red wine spritzer. While I have never had one, I can only say that this is gross. This reminds me a lot of other fermented/barley sodas I've had in the past. I can't get into this at all. It taste dry and does not agree with my mouth.

The bottle says: "Cascal is made with fermented juices and fermented malt for a "grown-up" taste. In the words of Mary Liz, "Grown-up tastes means mildly disgusting". I agree 100%.

This bottle looks like it was taken from a fancy dinner party on the 23rd floor in Manhattan. Instead of a flavor, this has "notes of apple, cherry, and anise". All of this intrigued and also scared me.

Upon opening this, it smelled like alcohol. This is probably because it has fermented barley malt in it. While I have never tasted alcohol, it tasted exactly how it smelled, which really grossed me out. Then upon further tasting, it tasted like apple juice that has been in the fridge past it's expiration date. You know when the bottle starts to bulge a little and it lets off that strong fermented smell when you open it, and then you take a sip of it to see if it's still good? They managed to bottle that, for whatever reason. Maybe some people like that but it's not for me. This isn't necessarily bad, but it's nothing I want to drink.