Craft soda is back! Not that we are surprised. We’ve been enjoying the renewed interest in craft soda for over a year now with Joey’s Craft Soda Reviews.

According to a recent All About Beer Magazine article, The Sweeter Side of Beverage Production, it was the production of craft soda that kept many beer breweries in business during prohibition. Once prohibition was repealed, December 5, 1933, craft breweries went back to producing beer and craft soda fizzled out. Today, with a revival of artisan beverages, craft soda is popular once again. Will it ever compete with Pepsi or Coke? No, but there is a growing niche market today of craft soda enthusiasts enjoying the production of quality sodas.

Joey’s Craft Soda Review

I’m Joey. I like craft soda, a lot. In my opinion, I feel that craft sodas have a lot more to offer than a mass produced soda not only in taste but in the variety and quality of ingredients used in their production. This is a big reason why I generally enjoy craft sodas, and I also think that drinking them and reviewing them is a great way to support the generally smaller companies that produce these beverages.

Dang! That’s Good Italian Cherry Soda

When the time for this review came around I actually picked up two sodas. One was a celery soda that didn’t really strike my fancy considering all the bad sodas I’d reviewed recently, and the other was an Italian cherry soda, a perfect choice to make up for all of the… ahem, unfortunate encounters I’ve had recently.

The Label

I can’t really say that the label for the bottle is original, it’s the Italian flag with a button logo on it. It’s not awful, but it’s certainly not impressive either, totally and completely… average.

The Smell

So I’m sure that some people would think I’m crazy for saying this, and others would totally understand what I’m talking about. To me almond extract smells like cherries. What’s my point? Well, the second I opened the bottle I was greeted with a scent that my mind instantly registered as almond extract, therefore, it smells like cherry. I don’t know why I think of something that smells like cherry before I think of cherries, but I do.

The Fizz

Would you be surprised if I told you I didn’t think that the soda was fizzy enough? Of course not, and you’d be correct as well, this soda is not fizzy enough. There’s really nothing else to add to that.

The Taste

My current cherry soda benchmark, Cheerwine, is somewhat unique in my opinion. It’s the only cherry soda I’ve had so far that doesn’t taste like too much cherry slushie syrup with too little one. Yes, the only one, meaning this soda, which is not Cheerwine, does not really impress me that much. I’ve had some pretty off base cherry sodas before, and compared to those, this one is pretty good, but it could be better.

Overall: I see nothing wrong with picking this up if you’re looking for a simple, decent cherry soda. That said, there are better options, and I strongly suggest you seek these other alternatives out. 5/10

Meet Joey Godinez

Joey Godinez is the 15-year-old son of a blogger Mom; big brother to two sisters; and lover of all things “Craft Soda”!

To keep up with all of Joey’s guest posts, just search the category Joey’s Craft Soda Review right here on the Craft Beverage Jobs Blog.