I can't seem to stop drinking coolers. I'm concerned that my job at the LCBO is causing me to "sample" more than I normally would. I see all the interesting products come across the counter and I just can't seem to resist. I will say that I seem to strike out more often than I get on base when it comes to these sweet temptations, but it is fun to learn, and I feel it my duty to take one for the team now and then, just to be able to report my findings to you fine people.
These coolers come 6 pack of pop-sized cans. If you're concerned (like I was) that the sugar is going to blow your head off, you can typically find some singles in one of the baskets of loose coolers at your nearest LCBO. These tend to be quite popular with the UWO set, and this particular flavour tastes quite a lot like Fresca, but with much more sugar. Not my bag, I don't think I managed to finish the can.
I could smell the sugar as soon as I popped open the can. While the flavour is one of natural strawberry, the sugar made my teeth instantly feel fuzzy, and I'm scared about what my dentist is going to say on my next visit. This is another better left for those with much more of a sweet tooth than mine.
Uh oh, we have a winner. While it contains just as much sugar as the others, I found the predominant lime flavour in this beverage to be very refreshing. This is a great poolside sipper, I just have to remember that it's not a can of pop when I have little ones to keep an eye on. While I know we are having a hard time keeping this flavour on the shelves in my store, I definitely recommend this one!
Black Fly is becoming an old faithful of mine. Another great, not unnecessarily sweet treat, that tastes a lot like real blueberries with a hint of pure vodka essence. The only issue we've found is that because they are not too sweet and only just faintly carbonated, they go down like juice and could be dangerous. Dangerously delicious, that is.
I think I mentioned in my last blog post that I'm not really a fan of Mike's, and this particular offering is no exception. The blueberry flavour was anything but natural, and while the acidity of the lemonade was far less abrasive that the other lemonade, I still would not choose to drink any more than the one ounce sample I tasted.
This is probably my favourite (call it the best of the worst) Mike's variety. The lemon flavour seems to be a little on the mild side which I found refreshing. Considering the other lemon coolers on the market I am unlikely to purchase this variety, but it didn't offend. I enjoyed the somewhat creamy sensation the combination of the light pink lemonade flavour and the carbonation provided.
These guys really know what they're doing. The carbonation is perfectly crémant, with a very light and refreshing lemon/citrus flavour profile. There is no other lemon flavoured beverage I can compare this to... it's in a class all it's own. I have a new house cooler... now how to decide if my next drink should be the lemon or the raspberry!
I decided to buy a 4 pack of assorted Woody's coolers since there are a lot of flavours and they are pretty popular. While I will describe each one, I can give a resounding thumbs down to all the Woody's beverages. With all the other choices available, I found these ones to be very abrasive in sugar and rather inaccurate in their flavour profiles.
The refresher is bright pink, and I was expecting a cream soda flavour, but it was more like Red Bull, which I don't care for in the slightest. Granted, I have only tasted Red Bull once and it was quite a few years ago, but I can't think of anything else that tasted like this cooler.
Not bad, but again the fruit flavour was unnatural... I would take a Bassano Raspberry over this any day.
Tastes like root beer with a bitter finish. I actually really enjoyed the first few sips, but then it seemed to just taste more and more bitter.
The best of the bunch, but once again, the Black Fly Tequila Margarita is so much more enjoyable with less sugar and a more authentic flavour that I wouldn't choose this again.
We have been tasting a lot of beer around here lately, so stay tuned for those reviews, along with some warm weather whites!
Mmmmm I love Palm Bay! I usually get the mandarin ones and have never seen the lime ones but now I have to look out for them. I agree about Mike's hard lemonade though, all they do is remind me of my underage drinking and throwing it all up. Gross!
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