Sioux City - 9 Reviews

Sioux City has had stellar marks thus far on Thirsty Dudes. Okay, Mike gave the ginger beer only 3 bottles, but I think he was having an off day. Everything else has been great thus far. They even made a good weird blue berry soda that was great. I didn't know what to expect with the prickly pear. I assumed it was cactus flavored, due to the label, but I had worries that it might be pear and let's face it pear drinks tend to be pretty gross. Lucky for us it was cactus flavored and Sioux City keeps up their batting average.

This has an incredibly familiar scent to it, but for the life of me I can't place it. It seriously has been driving me crazy. I think it might remind me of the smell of some of the Skeleteens' sodas, but I'm not positive. It also tastes exactly like it smells and that drives me even crazier that I can't place it. I'm supposed to be a professional here, and my memory is putting me back in the bush league.

It's sweet and almost candy like. Derek says that it almost reminds him of some sort of Jolly Rancher. I disagree because that is one candy that is totally gross sauce. There are two distinct waves of flavor. The first I can only assume is what cactus is supposed to taste like, and then the weird candy taste hits you afterwards. I really enjoy both of them. Now if only I could remember what this tastes like I'll actually be able to sleep tonight.

A man walks into a bar in Canada and says, "Barkeep, I know you hate being called that because it's a terrible term that no bartender actually likes to be called because it's the male equivalent of a beer wench, but all the same. Hey, barkeep!" "Ugh...Yes?" says the bartender, apathetically. "Why don't you give me one of those Sioux City Cherries and Mint pops?" says the man. "How about this, friend? Number one, no. Number two, how about 'please'? Number three, we don't carry them." responds the nicest sarcastic bartender you wish you knew. "Wait, what? I want it. I always get what I want. Don't you know who I am?" says the increasingly arrogant patron. "You can't get everything you want and I can't believe that no one has told that to you in the last, at least, 40 years ago. Also, we don't carry it. I don't know what to tell you. Do you want a beer or something?" responds the bartender who is clearly becoming more irritated. "Well here's the thing. I had that one before and I liked it. It wasn't here. It was when I was in vacation in the States. It was lighter than a cherry pop and has a little hint of mint. I was impressed because I didn't think that I would like it but my lovely wife here said I have to try new things. I think you should probably have one back there somewhere. You are a bartender after all, right." said the obnoxiously assumptive patron who is about to get thrown out if he doesn't watch his tongue 'round these here parts. "Look sir, we don't have your pop. We have beer, liquor, and standard pop. If you're looking for some specialty pop, you're going to have to go somewhere else." said the bartender, clearly on his last nerve. "Well, if you're going to be like that, I'm going to take my business elsewhere. Thought I would try out a local, mom and pop establishment while on vacation but it seems that you don't want my business. Good day, sir. Work on that attitude, why don't'cha?!" said the man as he exited the bar. "This is an Applebee's, jerk!" exclaimed the bartender.

This is a light entry-level ginger beer. Hey, are you new to the world of spicy pop? Try this on for size. It's got a burn but is masked with that earthy, wet dirt ginger flavor that is more prominent in this than any other ginger related drink I've ever had. The flavor is good, though; bold and sweet. I was surprised to see that it wasn't a cane sugar drink as I thought that all Sioux City drinks were as such. That was wrong of me and I will be the first to admit it. The burn doesn't hit you until the drink hits the back of your little throat where it just stings you a bit, like a trick ginger ale.

One thing I will say is that this label design rules pretty hard. Nothing says America like an eagle and this one is coming right at your face. It reminds me of some awful band T-Shirt but on a bottle it's acceptable.

Sometimes times are hard. Money is tight. Your kid keeps crying. Your car gets a flat tire. You break your arm and don't have health insurance. The list goes on. Times like these make people turn to drinking. Hey, no need to reach for the hard stuff. Sometimes you just need a killer root beer. Everyone can agree, except for the Japanese, that root beer is pretty great. It accompanies most meals and is perfect for warm and cold weather. BBQ? Root beer. Carnival? Root beer. Funeral. Root beer? Sure. You can drink root beer at my funeral.

This root beer has enough bite that it's approachable for everyone and it's got a nice, cane sugar taste. All of Sioux City's "root" drinks are great and I would recommend them for everyone, including the Japanese, because they're people, too.

I've been highly irritable the past two days. I blame it on the fact that it's the middle of a bitter cold winter, and nature tried to trick me with two days of hoodie weather before throwing me back into the frozen tundra. From the annoying activist hippy in the grocery store talking way louder than she needed to so everyone could hear how she was smarter than them because she ate so healthy (even though she looked sickly and wrecked) to friends not being able to hang out, I just haven't been in a good mood. All I wanted was to kick back and relax with a nice soda pop. When I opened the fridge all that was there was fruity pops. My annoyance level began to rise. Suddenly I remembered I had this gem stashed away in my back hall. Luckily the hall is unheated so the bottle was nice and cold.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Sioux City. Their drinks may not be incredibly fancy, but they know how to make darn good soda. It's nice and creamy with just the right amount of vanilla. I drank it down and let the relaxation overtake me. I wish I were drinking it while sitting around a campfire with some cowboys. I need more cowboys in my life and less hippies.

Whenever I see the word "cream" in a soda, the vegan instincts in me kick in and I have to check to make sure it's safe to drink. The fine folks at Sioux City decided to add "non-dairy" to the label, which is much appreciated.

This is a damn good bottle of orange cream soda. As I proclaimed this, my friends Adam and Cory were intrigued so i passed the bottle around. They agreed with my sentiment. It's not as creamy as other orange cream soda's I've had. It has a mild cream after taste. The cane sugar lets the orange flavor flourish without the sharp after taste HFCS gives you.

"The granddaddy of all root beers." That's what the bottle says. One might be prone to question that statement, but do you know who backs it up? The Stranger in The Big Lebowski aka Sam Elliott. Now that is an endorsement I'm certainly not going to argue with. He's a man who's portrayed more than a handful of cowboys in his day, so he knows what's up with a good sarsaparilla.
It's exactly what a sarsaparilla should be. It has a slight bite that's not too overpowering, but it's definitely there.
If you have a problem with this, I know a certain mustache that will ask you if you want to take it outside.

I had never seen this flavor of Sioux City before. I can understand why it's a less common variety. The blue color makes it look like a bottle of windshield wiper fluid. Also, berry/fruity sodas (with the exception of orange, grape and grapefruit) for the most part aren't very good. Sioux City in their tradition of greatness has broken through with one that is actually pretty good. It's a hodgepodge of berries, with a general sweetness to it. Don't let the fact that it looks like an automobile fluid dissuade you from trying it if you ever see it.

This is by far my favorite brand of birch beer of all time. It makes me feel like a cowboy, or a member of the cavalry that's on the bottle. I never really know how to accurately describe birch beer. It's similar to root beer, but with different spices. It's just incredible. Sioux City also has such a distinct taste compared to other birch beers. Smack the dust off your hat, climb on your horse and ride across the prairie to the general store and grab yourself an icy bottle.