High Fructose Corn Sweetener - 12 Reviews

Touring in a band can be a draining activity. You don't get much sleep, and the small amounts you get are generally uncomfortable. On top of that you generally also eat like garbage. Don't get me wrong, it's my favorite thing in the world to do, but after a while I sometimes find myself getting a severe case of soft brain. It's times like that that I reach for a Moxie. Oh you mean you didn't know that the official beverage of Maine, Moxie, was originally created in 1876 to help fight the completely fictitious ailment known as soft brain? Well now you do, and you also know what to do if you ever find yourself in the grips of this infliction.

While I was in Maine, on the previously mentioned tour, I made my band mates stop at a grocery store so I could pick up a 12 pack of Moxie to bring back home, since it is nowhere to be found in Buffalo. When I went to check out I saw two different flavors of Moxie Energy Drink in the cooler at the register. My mind was reeling as to what these could possibly taste like. Obviously the best-case scenario would be liquefied candy mixed with the classic medicinal Moxie flavor. Unfortunately this was not the case. While the drink does contain it there wasn't a strong gentian root flavor (it's what fights the soft brain), but it also didn't taste totally like a typical energy drink. When I started the beverage had a strange orange flavor, but the more I drank the more it tasted like lime. It didn't have a strong taurine flavor to it either. It had a very distinct taste that I couldn't fully place. I want to say it tastes like Skeleteens soda, minus the burn, but I'm not exactly sure that was right on.

While I was disappointed that it didn't taste like one of my favorite sodas that it is it's namesake, this energy drink tasted better than most, but more importantly it tastes different, which is all one can ask for in the energy drink game these days.

Hey Fred, can you pour me a root beer? You might want to put down that licorice first or else you might... drop it in the glass like you just did. No, it's ok. Luckily I like licorice, so this should be interesting. Wow, that gave it a really strong licorice/anise taste! I love it. It has a good bite too. You might be on to something with this Fred, what a happy accident.

Hey Jay, I just got a postcard in the mail. Let me read it to you. It's from the Dorothy Molter. Dorothy Molter? She's a lady who made root beer and sold it to people on canoes but she's from Chicago and I think she actually has ties to the mob. Listen to this letter.

Alright, I still don't see our review. I do have "people" around the nation. Remember, Dorothy was from Chicago and still has "connections". Technically you don't need all your fingers to drink a root beer but why risk it?

Is she serious? Is this a hit? No, hits are murder. This is more like I owe them money for not paying up on a 1995 Buffalo Bills game that I somehow skipped out on paying for the sixteen years. Still, I don't want to mess with the mob. I've seen the Godfather and I don't want to get to perforated by multiple gunmen. Did I drink the root beer? Yes, I did. I thought it was good. I think that she would have used cane sugar, but you can't really taste that it isn't. It's dark but not that licorice-filled darkness that many small brews are. It's well sweetened and well flavored. All around, a good root beer.

I can't believe that she threatened us. Also, now that I think about it, I can't believe that she did it on a postcard. Also, this postcard has a corgi licking a kitten and that's not threatening at all. Maybe she meant to catch us off guard. Did someone just knock at the door? Do you think it's her? I hope not. I like my hands and I enjoy the presence of all my fingers. Who makes root beer and is in the mob? It just doesn't add up. She must have a secret life where she's like a root beer soaked Mother Theresa and then another one where she drives an old gangster style Ford, wears pinstriped all the time, always has a cigar in her mouth, and says "see" all the time. "I'm the root beer lady, see." Like that. It could happen. Stranger things have happened. Don't get the door. She can leave another note if it's Dorothy. I need my hands for playing Trials Evolution when it comes out.

Sit down kids; I have a story to tell you. It's about Celon's Mythical Creme Soda. For hundreds of years people have thought it didn't exist. It was the holy grail of cream soda's to some people. But I'm here to tell you that it's real, and I've had it! It's a smooth cream soda with a really nice vanilla/almond taste to it. I know the rumors said it was a bitter cream soda but they were wrong. The other rumor about it being made of the blood of Celon is wrong too. What's that? No I can't divulge where I got the bottle. Let's just say I have a feeling the National Historical Society is going to be really mad in the morning and I might have to flee to Canada.

In the Rocky Mountains the Brothers of Barrels did live.
Each with their own gift to the world to give.
Martin with a root beer that was very plain,
and decent cream soda was created by the brother Shane.
Why don't you mix the two together their father did suggest.
The creator of Apple Beer the brothers could not protest.
Now the sum is certainly better than the parts,
but the mixture didn't quite capture the Thirsty Dudes hearts.
While our interests the vanilla cream did pique,
the root beer was a bit watered down and weak.

When I was a young kid one of my favorite summer activities was to go to amusement parks. That really shouldn't be a shock because what kid doesn't love rides, games and awesome junk food? There were three different parks within an hour from Buffalo; Darien Lake (later became a six flags), Fantasy Island (always seemed smaller and kind of run down) and my favorite, Crystal Beach.

Crystal Beach was a twenty-minute ride across the border into Canada right on Lake Erie. I think it was always my favorite because it had everything that normal amusement parks had, plus it had it's own awesome beach with a rad pier. It also had one of the greatest roller coasters I have ever ridden, The Comet. You could ride it forwards or backwards. It was sheer magic to a little kid.

The other great thing to come from Crystal Beach is the regional drink Loganberry. It is a very thick juice that is a mixture of blackberries and red raspberries. It's so thick that it's almost like an uncarbonated soda. As a kid I absolutely loved the stuff. It was typically sold in glasses that were dispensed from those giant clear machines that constantly mixed the drinks. If I had any idea what they were called I would post a picture.

As an adult it's a bit thick to drink on any sort of regularity. Drinking it every once and a while definitely brings back fond memories. Like the time I won a giant stuffed Nerd (you know the guys on the candy box). Unfortunately the park closed down in 1989. I can't believe it was that long ago. Now it is just condos. I still go to that beach sometimes. The dilapidated boardwalk is sitting there in pieces waiting for kids to jump off the end into the deep water. I think I need to do that soon.

Hosmer Mountain has two different cola's, red and blue. The red is their take on Coca-Cola and the blue is supposed to be like Pepsi. Seeing as I am a bigger fan of Pepsi than Coca-Cola, I opted for the Cola-Blue.

Imagine Pepsi, without the harsh bite and less syrupy. That's pretty close to what this taste like. It's really a no-frills cola. I don't know if I like it better or worse than Pepsi, but it's definitely different. I don't think they were aiming to clone the Pepsi flavor, but use that as a starting point to make this cola.

If you like basic colas, this is a really good one. I think this would be really great with some spices in it like nutmeg or anise.

I love the classic look of this bottle. It has the short and stout shape of a 12 oz bottle, instead of the traditional taller shape. Some may see this label and think it's old and boring, I think it's classic and really fits the taste of this soda. As the label suggests, this has a very rich vanilla flavor and I love it. It's a traditional cream soda taste that really makes my mouth happy.

I just got excited/confused on the last sip I took. I thought I was getting a taste of a campfire and it threw me off. But then I realized it was the smell of a grill outside that wafted through my window and into my nose. Now I'm disappointed and want to find a drink that has a campfire aftertaste.

I'm not sure if he introduced me to it, but I've always associated root beer with my dad. Whenever we would go to the store, root beer would always be his go-to soda. While he never ventured outside of the realm of A & W/Dad's/etc..., those early trips to the store made me want to try new root beers as I was pushed off into the world of soda alone.

Hosmer Mountain must be a wonderful place (if it is a real mountain). I imagine it to be a beautiful snow capped mountain much like the one in Immortal's music video for Blashyrkh. On that mountain, you can find bottles of delicious soda, much like this one. The best thing about this wonderful mountain inhabited by a black metal band is that the soda is endless, and always cold.

This root beer is good and simple. If I were reviewing this soda on eBay, it would be like this: "A++++ soda! Very delicious! Fast shipping! Would drink again!"

Often and typically, when we Thirsty Dudes go to a grocery store, we skip by the "in house" brand drinks. It's not that they're bad. It's just that they are terribly similar and not too impressive.

Jay and I recently got back from a camping expedition, which many of this week's reviews will probably reference. While taking five from camping, we went to town and stopped at a local supermarket. There, Jay found this white birch beer. I bought it along with marshmallows and Tums for Jay's aching belly and we hit the road. When we got back to the cabin, I cracked that bad boy open, took a sip and pondered while the rest of the team took sips. It had a light birch beer taste off the bat then was followed by a cream soda taste and then at the end was a candy-like root beer taste. Yes, it was sweet. No, it was not naturally sweetened. It was still good at you can find that Sure Fine pretty easily around here. Keep an eye out and give it a shot.

I knew this was going to be like no other energy drink I've ever had before. First off, it's made with pomegranate juice and grape skin. I've never seen an energy drink made with anything other than 15 different weird chemicals. It's nice to see a few easily identifiable things on the ingredients list. 'Red Lightning' has a really nice smell to it, very deep grape smell. The taste is definitely better than most energy drinks as well. There's virtually not battery acid taste, which is awesome! There's a little bit of acidic after taste, but that is most likely due to the HFCS. It's really tart which I like in drinks. The pomegranate flavor is strong, yet not overpowering like most pomegranate drinks are.

While this is much better than most energy drinks, it's definitely still a sipping drink like other energy drinks. The additives to give it 'energy' are definitely strong and my stomach would not like me if I chugged this bottle. Once again, my hat is off to Hosmer Mountain for making a tasty drink.

When companies make soda clear that normally isn't clear, I am simultaneously excited and weary. Luckily, it usually works out just fine and tastes just as good without the food coloring. This is my first clear birch beer, and I must say it is quite nice. Upon opening this bottle, it let off a smell that I couldn't quite place but it was really nice. It was a refreshing, almost mint smell to it. Then I was hoping this drink would have a mint aftertaste to it.

While there is no mint taste, I really enjoy this. It's been a while since I've had birch beer, and this brings me back to my high school graduation party where I had a keg of birch beer. Hosmer really knows how to make a smooth and flavorful soda.