There’s one thing you can’t deny about Brewdog – and that is the firm is innovative.
Not only did they dominate the beer world and then move into spirits, but they have added food, merchandise and now soda to their list of things they make.
When I first heard they had launched P.O.P Soda, I was keen to try it. But seeing as it was only available in Tesco at the time and I’m rarely in the shop, it didn’t surprise me that I quickly forgot about getting my hands on some.
Then came Taste of Grampian.
I got a whiff that the brewers and distillers are going to be sampling the four flavours of soda at Scotland’s biggest one-day food and drink festival this Saturday (June 4) at P&J Live, and decided it to put them to the test ahead of the event.
Averaging around £1.33 per can, you can purchase the 330ml cans online in boxes of six totaling £4.50.
According to the website P.O.P Soda’s purpose is “to give 100% of the profit we make from manufacturing the drinks to the planet” and P.O.P itself stands for planet over profit.
The P.O.P Soda drinks
There’s four flavours available and they are all free from artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes and all sat around 20 calories per 100ml, meaning there was roughly 60 to 65 calories per can.
There is also a bunch of vitamins listed too such as vitamins C, B3, B6, B7, B12 and D3.
The main thing that stuck with me though during this tried and tested review was the lack of carbonation in the drinks after they had been opened and poured into a glass.
Bubbles were apparent initially, but when trying it I didn’t feel any dancing on my tongue as you’d usually expect with soda or fizzy drinks.
Jagged Grapefruit
This flavour was by far my favourite but it was the hue of it – which was magenta – that really piqued my interest.
I’m a big fan of grapefruit as a flavour and knew this can would be the one that spoke most to me. The blood orange was a bit more subtle than I had hoped, but this flavour was definitely refreshing and certainly quenched my thirst.
My partner also thought the same and said it was the one he’d be up for getting again.
Dark Cherry
Moving on, my boyfriend had high hopes for this drink potentially being a Brewdog version of Dr Pepper, although with a prominent flavour of cherry and not prune.
The thing was, the flavour was a lot more synthetic than natural. It was really strong on the nose as I could smell the cherry as soon as I’d poured it into a glass. Although the taste was strong, too, I felt it lacked the lasting flavour you’d want with a fruity number like this.
The recipe uses Morello cherries and dark chocolate which explains the slightly tart aftertaste to it. It wasn’t overly sweet, which I enjoyed, and was easy to drink.
It did resemble Dr Pepper in colour though for those who are fans.
Hazy Lemon
Sicilian lemon flavour and lemongrass, what could possibly go wrong? While the cloudy pastel yellow colour reminded me of cracking open a Fanta Lemon on holiday, the taste wasn’t the holiday extravaganza I had psyched myself up for.
The initial taste is good and you can taste the lemongrass in there, but it is the aftertaste, which reminded me of lemon drop sweeties, that didn’t quite end as I’d hoped.
While it was refreshing the flavour dispersed pretty rapidly and left a bit of an unusual aftertaste.
Citizen Cola
Last but not least was Citizen Cola. This was another hit and went down well with my boyfriend especially.
He’s quite into his colas and can appreciate a more hipster version of the big companies’ products.
This cola reminded me of Fritz Kola and is branded as a “21st Century cola” on the can.
There’s a sweet flavour to it, which I’d say comes from the Madagascan vanilla extract used, and again it had a softer carbonation.
The verdict
There were certainly a few of the flavours that I would try again, but one or two didn’t quite necessarily hit the mark.
Soda, or fizzy juice as it is known in my house, is meant to be bubbly and carbonated.
While these drinks hissed away when they were first opened and presented a promising bubbling when poured, the carbonation was quite minimal in the actual drink itself. If you like drinks that aren’t so fizzy then I’d say these would be a good alternative for other fizzy drinks in terms of flavour.
The grapefruit number really was the stand out for me. Not only did it taste the best in my opinion, but it was a bright, bold colour that oozed summer in a glass.
Brewdog is hosting two tasting experiences at 1:30-2:15pm and 2:45-3.30pm at Taste of Grampian this weekend.
The sessions will showcase a name of brews and spirits and tickets are priced at £11.50 and can be purchased here.
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