Germany - 24 Reviews

I spent several days in Germany and all I wanted was a Fritz Kola. Unfortunately everywhere we played was out of it and I was unable to enjoy its deliciousness. When we played Zoro in Leipzig I ordered one and when I was told they were out I sadly just said give me whatever's non-alcoholic and this bottle was placed in my hand. I had no idea what it was just performed the old Euro lighter as a bottle open trick and took a swig. It was fruity and delicious, and I suppose it was good enough to make me forget about the Fritz for the time being.

The next day, when I wasn't shouting over some Chinese punk band that was playing a squat with a shirt that said “Kiss me I'm punk, I asked what it was and was told that it's a carbonated raspberry/red currant lemonade. I don't think lemonade means the same there as here, but it was a great raspberry/grape soda that wasn't overly sweet. I may not have gotten my fix, but I did discover a new treat that I will get again the next time I make it to Europe.

As I stated in my review of it, to me Club Mate is a staple German soda. It's carbonated yerba mate, and it's done right. It doesn't taste weird or off. It's probably because they use sugar and not an abundance of it.

I anticipated this being the original mixed with cola, but all I taste is the cola. I don't notice the mate at all. When I mentioned it to someone local they didn't even realize that it even had mate in it at all. It's quite a nice cola, so I have no complaints on that end, but I did want some mate. I guess it's just in there for the caffeine. Perhaps if I could read German it would all be explained to me by the label, but as I am a dumb American and cannot I will remain in the dark, and just enjoy it as the stand out cola that it is.

I don't know why this was marked down. I'm speaking out of order. This was marked down. Now we're on track. I don't know why this was marked down. It's very good. It's smooth, flavorful, good calorie count and natural. It tastes like peach black tea. You don't have a strong ginseng taste but you can tell that is there with a little bitterness. A kind reminder that Little Miracles is concerned about your mental capacity. They want you to pass that test. They want you to do well in your interview for that new job. They want you to reach your best time in that blindfolded Rubik's Cube competition. 'Tis a fine tea and I would drink it again if given the opportunity but since it's in the markdown endcap, I fear that I won't have the change. I hope all is well, Little Miracles. Maybe a new line is in the pipeline. Let's wait and find out.

I don't know if I knew what to expect with this drink. There are a lot of flavors in that title. Can you taste all of it? I actually think so. So right away, kudos. Green tea and ginseng? Right off the bat. That's your round one. That is followed by a mix of pomegranate and acai. I have never eaten a raw acai. I have seen that one web advertisement where that "newscaster" girl is touting that it's some sort of cancer killing miracle fruit. Those two friends, acai and pomegranate work together in bitter, fruity harmony. The agave gives it a smooth sweetness. I actually like it. It's sort of calming and rounds out the edges a bit. This has a decent amount of bitterness from all of the companies combined which is nice since after all, it's supposed to be bitter.

All around, it's good. It does what it's supposed to and tastes like how it's supposed to taste. It's not asking a lot but rarely delivered. Congrats!

I think this Fritz character may have taken a trip to the UK at some point in his life. It was on this visit that he discovered the joy of carbonated lemonade and decided to bring it back to his home country. Actually as far as I know Fritz may have learned about making lemonade fizzy from his great-grandmother and then brought it with him to the UK on said trip. All I know for certain is that a trip was made, lemonade and bubbles were involved and the world is better for it.

Whether Fritz's people invented this, or they borrowed it is inconsequential, as no matter what the origin, this will remain the best sparkling lemonade I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. It's nice and bitter, the way this type of beverage should be. It actually tastes like lemonade was made and the carbonation was added after the fact. A lot of other brands taste like they tried to do it all at once and it ends up having the flavor of some garbage lemon soda pop.

Germany, you've made some mistakes in the past, but I will always hold a place for you in my heart for your wonderful carbonated beverages.

At some point in your life you may find yourself on a ferry returning to England from France. It's a pleasant experience, even on the dreariest of days. Actually shouldn't life at sea be dreary anyways? That's how I always imagine it in books. If you ever find yourself in the situation I would recommend that you do the same thing I did, listen to The Cure and Joy Division on your headphones and just space out looking at the sea. I don't care if it's overly melodramatic; it was flat out enjoyable. In the moments when you come out of it why not enjoy a nice German soda? I myself chose a can of this Valensina.

Now, I can't read a word on this can, but I can read the language of flavor, and the book I'm reading it a real page-turner. This is a lemon-orange beverage that is somewhere between a soda pop and a sparkling water (although I do consider anything carbonated with added sugar to be a soda). Each of the two fruits are equally present in a battle for flavor supremacy. To tell you the truth I don't want either of them to win, because their struggle is so darn tasty. It's slightly tart and very flavorful. I don't know why we don't get this flavor combo back home, but I really wish we did.

Oh, and when you're ferry is approaching the dock, take advantage of the numerous gigantic seagulls that are hovering around. You can totally get them to eat out of your hand, if you are a turd who gets excited about things like that like I am. One of my traveling companions just wanted to feed them and then punch them as they grabbed the cracker. Now I'm against animal cruelty, but the visual of that in my head is over the top hilarious, and I hope the same visions are now in your mind grapes.

Dear Red Bull,
Perhaps a lawsuit is in order.

If you were a “cool” teenager in the 90`s you hung out in coffee shops. It was a different time, before the great Starbucks takeover when these locals were the homes of true weirdos. You couldn't just pop off in your local suburb; you had to go the often seedy artsy parts of town. I'm sure if I were to go back in time to 1996 and head to Topic coffee it wouldn't seem nearly as insane as it did to a 16 year old. It was dirty, dimly lit and it seemed like John Cale was always playing. It was filled with the kind of people I wanted to surround myself in, and I felt like I was finally home. There was one problem though; I didn't like coffee. I loved the culture of the place, but I just couldn't get into the drink of choice. Sure at Perkins and Dennys I would get it, but I would also add so much sugar that it could turn a walrus diabetic. I could tell that that would be frowned upon at this establishment, and you know I had to keep the cool air about me. I mean cut-off dress pants with combat boots and a painted army coat only took me so far. My solution was that I would occasionally order an iced coffee (it never seemed as harsh), but most ofhte time I would drink Afri Cola. It always seemed exotic to me with the name and weirdly shaped bottle. Topic was the only place that I had ever come across it during my short time on this planet and since it wasn't a standard Coke or Pepsi I felt that the patrons wouldn't look down on me for drinking it. In reality most of them were probably nodding off on heroin or some other opiate. Oh if my mother knew where her little boy spent her nights.

So now you have the back-story of my love affair with Afri Cola. Shortly after Topic moved, and it didn't have the same esthetic. Coffee culture started to rise and more cafes opened and eventually what I thought would be my savior closed down for good. With it went my supply of Afri Cola. Occasionally throughout the years I would stumble upon it in some small store in another city, but I never had a steady supply. You can understand my joy when I came cross a decent display of it in a grocery store in Frankfurt, Germany. I bought the biggest bottle I could find and it was like going home again. I went home to a hole in the wall that was home to all of the disenfranchised of Buffalo; the punks, the weirdos, the junkies, the transgendered and many more.

Afri Cola has a special taste in the cola world. It's not like Coke, Pepsi or the unimpressive store brands. It's clearly a cola but it doesn't fit into those molds, just like the patrons of Topic didn't fit into the molds of the normal world. If I had to compare it to another cola I would say that it was closest to RC Cola. Keep in mind it is no clone, it is it's own soda and I miss it dearly.

I love when I'm in another country and I find a product from a company that I am very familiar with that we don't have back home. Most notably are all of the crazy flavors of Coca Cola that are hanging around this planet. Some of ridiculously good, and some are just plain ridiculous.

After spending a week and a half in the UK baffled by not being able to find a single bottle of iced tea, I came across this in Germany. Seriously though, we're talking about a region of the planet that probably consumes more hot tea then the rest of the world combined, and the iced variety is not in corner stores? Ludicrous. This was an exciting find though. Not only would I get my iced tea fix, but I would also get to try it in carbonated form.

For some reason I expected this to taste like Brisk with bubbles, and was greatly pleased to find out that was not the case. It tastes like normal Lipton's lemon tea, except you know…€¦carbonated. I'm sure that is what most of the denizens of this planet would expect this to taste like, but I live in America where corn syrup is king and it leads to gross teas.

I have to admit that the bubbles were a bit weird at first, but by the end of the can I was getting the hang of it. This is something I could definitely get used to. Who knows if it will ever make it to my neck of the woods with this formula though? With my luck it will show up and just be a syrupy mess that will deserve one sip and then an introduction to the filth bin.

When Harry Nilsson sang about putting limes into coconut for a nice treat he had it all wrong. When he should have been singing is “You put the orange in the cola and you drink it all up.” That concoction is a true treat, albeit one with a learning curve. When I first tried Mezzo Mix I was not a fan, but after being fed a couple of bottles, I grew to love it. In America we are taught that the only fruit flavor that really mixes with cola is cherry (and to a lesser extent lemon and possibly lime). We have it all wrong. Cherry cola is fine and dandy, but orange cola is wonderful. Unfortunately this bottle didn't have as much orange flavor as I would have liked. I would describe it as a cola with hints of orange around the edges. I'm sure that is what most people like, but I would prefer a bolder orange flavor. The cola is also pretty middle of the road. I wouldn't give it a second thought if my citrus friend weren't involved. When I'm in Germany in the future I'll probably stick to Mezzo Mix, but I wouldn't turn one of these down if it was handed to me.

The majority of the people in the world are probably completely unaware of this, but when bands from the US tour in Europe they are taken care of very, very well by the promoters/venues. I mean I'm sure bigger bands are treated this well wherever they go, but when you're in a small band that maybe two people in the city have actually heard of before you get a bit overwhelmed with what they do for you. The food, lodging and drinks are more than we could ever possibly deserve. Recently when I played Frankfurt Germany we were basically given free domain over the bar, and lucky for me that included a decent selection of German sodas. As a result I drank way more pop than I ever would normally and I felt like crap. I also apparently stored this bottle of cola away in our merch for later enjoyment because I simply couldn't handle any more bubbles/sugar.

I had completely forgotten about it until we were packing everything up to fly home and I found it in some leftover shirts. Keep in mind it's 7am and we're about to leave for the airport and my luggage is at the maximum weight, so I can't store it away. Never one to let a potentially great soda go to waste I cracked it open and started to drink. Let me be straight here, no one should ever be drinking soda at 7am. I don't care if you stayed up all night on some adventure; you find water or juice to satiate your thirst. That being said, if soda was the only thing available and you were in one of those famous drink or die situations that everyone finds themselves in bi-monthly, you could do a lot worse than Premium Cola.

This is a dark, bold cola. Normally when colas branch out from the typical flavor, they do so by going the herbal route, which I enjoy but it's very different than what you expect from cola. Premium didn't do that at all. They somehow took a general cola and made it taste dark. This is kind of like what birch beer is to root beer. You know it's in the same family, but it's just stronger and more flavorful.

The Germans know how to make a cola. Of course I immediately regretted drinking it (and eating chocolate croissants) at 7am, but hell my tour/vacation was coming to an end and why not try to enjoy the last of my beverages?

There is time to play games and there is time to be serious. Now is not the time to talk about butts, cats in glasses, sandwiches with both meats and cheese in them, or corgi stuff. Now is the time to talk about things like third quarter investment strategies, medicine directions, model instructions, mathematical equations, and the complex relationship between Turkey and Sudan.

Green tea, and I mean real green tea, not canned green tea that should only be displayed in quotes, is a complex beast. It's an adult drink. A true drink for adults. It is a bitter beast that can only be tamed by an open mind and a clean palate. Once you embrace it, you really can get into it. This tea is splendid and I don't use that term lightly or at all, really. It is bitter but does something to your taste buds where it makes them crave more. Every sip is just bitter enough that you aren't offended and has a great taste at all times. It's bold and is complex and takes time to take it all in.

Look, if you're looking for just another tea to drink and chug, this is not for you. If you had a hard day and just want to go home, put on some music, sit in the dark and sip some tea, this is for you. Wait, what? You don't like to sit in the dark and listen to music and drink tea? Hmm, now I bet you're looking at me like I'm the crazy one. You are the crazy one. In the dark you can really take things in without the pesky, intrusive light bothering you.

In the past I have complained about tea being too weak. I'll drink water when I want to drink water, thank you very much. I don't want a super strong tea because that can be overwhelming and this is teetering on the fence. I steeped it for the specified amount and it came out about as strong as I could handle. Was I in a fruit paradise? I think I was on my last day at the resort where I feel like I have done all I can there. I sang karaoke, ate the local cuisine, hung out in the pool, made a sand castle, and ate copious amounts of fruit and now I'm ready to go home. I'm enjoying my last day but looking forward to boarding the plane and just getting home.

The fruits are all in there trying to make your stay as comfortable as possible but, in doing so, they're kind of getting on your nerves. Sure, I like to come home to a made bed, but sometimes I want to not make the bed and come back how I left it. There are a lot of fruits in here including apple, elderberries, strawberry and apricots. That's a giant amount of fruit, right? It's a veritable fruit salad. There is also hibiscus and rose hips to make this a true, herbal tea. You can taste that they are all there but indistinguishably.

Look, I don't hate this vacation and I will come back here again. I just wish everyone didn't try so hard to make my stay so "pleasant." I suppose next time I could just steep it less and/or use a larger cup.

Ahh Germany: lovers of everything industrial and Hasselhoff. You have a soft side, too, and it's this lemonade. You make wonderful lemonade with orange in it and I feel like it's your attempt to look a bit tamer. You are known by the world as precise, perfectionists and although this is nothing less, it's lemonade with orange pop in it. It doesn't need to be so intense. You don't need to buckle down and hit the book, get out a micrometer, measure and calculate. You can kick up your shoes and enjoy a lightly flavored, carbonated, orange drink with a touch of lemonade. It's different than what you would be thinking because the flavors are a bit calmer than you would expect.

Germans, you're great. I would love to one day own a BMW. This pop is good and you did a good job. Congrats.

My brother brought it from Germany for me and I've been sitting on it for a long time. That won't lead me to what I'm about to say. This is old stock. He brought it to me when it was not and I was shelving it for when I felt like it. I'm an adult and I drink what I want when I want it. It doesn't taste spoiled. Don't worry.

It does taste like a mix between non-alcoholic champagne and alcoholic champagne. The fruit, whatever an elderberry tastes like, cuts through some of that malty taste. Since malt is an ingredient, why shouldn't it be showcased? I'm not arguing with that and in Germany, they are passionate about their brews. This is (apparently) from a brewmaster so obviously he wants to showcase his stuff a little bit. This one just so happens to be for the kids.

It's fruity and would be the perfect thing if you're in Germany and you can't find a bottle of kid champagne to celebrate something like the purchase of a new Porsche or new Adidas shoes or a new Warwick bass, you've got this to fall back on. You and Dubstep Viking can drink a bottle and dance a little bit in the streets to celebrate.

My brother went to Germany for school. He's working on becoming a mechanical engineer, which seems like an awesome profession. I guess any profession is awesome if you can do what you want with it. It's almost the same thing as saying, "Hey, being a garbage man is great if you don't have to actually pick up other people's trash every day of your life."

Obviously I have to give credit where credit is due and Germany, this bottle rules. It's a Grolsch bottle and that makes even the worst drink better in my eyes. This drink is different. I feel like there is a national tongue to it because it is a taste I am unfamiliar with. It's half floral and half almost like a green apple. It's also one of the most carbonated drinks I've ever had, where the fizz seems to last a long time. The flavor itself lasts a limited time and leaves you with a pretty clean taste, much like the taste of a fresh mouth. Strange, I know, but imagine using unflavored mouthwash and then having a scientist bottle the results of that. That is kind of like how it tastes. Maybe with more apple taste. It's a quick, light flavor that I have gotten used to since I've been drinking this bottle and although it dissipates quickly, when it's there, it's pretty nice.

I am hoping that this revolutionary bottle will allow me to reseal it and put it back in the fridge because I cannot even share this much pop with other people. Here's to that.

This is another drink that my friend Nina brought back from Germany for me. I don't really know why we don't have straight up lemon pops in the States. Everything is always lemon and lime. Sometimes I want just lemon, if you jump in the car with lemon and lime is riding shotgun, you're probably just going to go to the mall and TGI Fridays for some food. When it's just you and lemon, that's a whole other adventure. You might actually take in a movie and hit up Chili's for some endless chips and salsa. It's not a crazy adventure, but it different and different drinks have their different moments.

This is almost carbonated lemonade, but it has more of a sweet soda pop flavor to it. I really enjoyed it. I'm pretty bummed that the bottle is empty and it is going to be some time before I can get my hands on it again.

I'm not a big fan of fermented drinks. I have never drunk beer, my tongue hates kombucha, and the few fermented soda's I've had so far haven't been so great. Despite this being fermented, I was actually excited to try it due to the flavor. Sadly, the orange taste is not very prominent. It has a strong ginger taste, but not a spicy ginger. As far as ginger drinks go, this is VERY mild. I suppose that would be good for someone liked the taste of ginger but not the spicy part of it. Not me though, up the spice! Once again I am reminded that fermented drinks and I don't go well together.

Melon, it is not just filler for fruit salads. I'm a staunch supporter of these underrated fruits. I've hand numerous conversations in my life about how there should be more melon drinks available, especially cantaloupe. It's one of the most refreshing flavors out there. Unfortunately, the few melon flavored things I've found have all been artificially flavored by some scientist in a lab mixing chemicals together until they have the desired taste. Things done that way rarely hit their mark. This little German treat, on the other hand, hit a bulls-eye. I'm talking the center of the bulls-eye, not that cheater outer ring.

As you might gather from the name, this has a lemon lime base with melon added to it. Let me tell you, they mix together incredibly. I once heard some wise men having a conversation. Upon facing an inevitable death one proclaimed, "Aw, we're going to die and I never tasted cantaloupe." The others reply held the wisdom of sages. He calmly stated, "Eh, you didn't miss much. Honeydew is the money melon." I believe the Fritz company took said money melon and mixed in some cantaloupe to appease both parties involved. The result could have gotten someone burned at the stake in olden times for witchcraft.

Our friend Nina just got home from a trip to Germany and we are very gracious that she brought us back a handful of drinks. I opened this pretty much as soon as she handed it to me (okay I put it in the freezer for like 15 minutes to cool it down). When I read "Black Cola" I instantly thought of black metal, because I had watched the documentary "Until the Light Takes Us" a few nights earlier. I was expecting an extremely intense cola. Visions of Burzum, Dark Throne, and Mayhem sitting in dingy basements downing cases of this stuff, floated through my mind. Were they in corpse paint as if they were going to war for Satan? Of course they were! How else would you enjoy such an extreme soda? In my mind, this soda was specifically brewed to be enjoyed on a day trip out to the country, to burn down some churches and perhaps stop off in a neighboring town to stab the guy who runs your record label in the skull.

I really need to stop letting my imagination run away from me before I try a beverage. There is nothing really intense about this cola. I should have known better because of the little green lizard guy on the bottle, but all it takes is .2 seconds for my mind to come up with ridiculous scenarios. It's 100% organic, but has a pretty standard cola flavor. It does have guarana in it for a little extra caffeine kick. If you ever find yourself over in Germany you should pick some up.