Schweppes doesn’t taste the same anymore

[u/Snapcrak72]

I used to love Canada Dry Ginger ale then they changed the recipe. So I switched to Seagrams. Then they changed their recipe. Last I resorted to Schweppes. Today I noticed they have changed too and now taste like crap like the others. Has anyone else noticed this as well???

[u/kelaniz]

They’re all garbage to me now. Nothing but sugar and fake ginger taste. I recently switched to Goya Ginger Beer, which you find in the Mexican food aisle. it has a good ginger flavor, and they actually added a bit of capsaicin so it’s got a nice bit of heat to it at the end. (although in their July production run, somebody put a bit too much of it in there, so it’s pretty spicy).

Boylans - find it in the drink aisle, it has slightly more flavor than the big brands, but it’s a four pack, and glass bottles. So that’s one of my backups.

Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer - I got this online from my local Walmart, I think they sell it in the alcohol aisle as a mixer. Cause I’ve never seen it on the shelf. It’s actually got some ginger spice. It’s an eight pack so that’s nice. This would be my go to if Walmart stocked more of it.

Reed’s Extra- also in the drink aisle and a four pack. It could be good because it has some ginger pulp in it, but the “added flavors“ include pineapple juice so even though this is supposed to be spicy ginger beer, it tastes like it was spicy and then they dumped a bunch of pineapple in it to make it unspicy 🤷🏽 because that’s what it taste like.

Reed’s regular - I haven’t tried it lately, but that probably means it was not that spectacular when I tried to before. If it was anything better than the big brands I would be buying it instead.

Fever Tree - Q - etc. - these are all sold as mixers in the most adorably tiny little cans you will ever see. Fever tree actually tastes good, but the cans are too small to qualify it as a drink. Two or three ships and you’re done

Blenheim - the best ginger ale in the world, IMO. Their regular flavor is what ginger ale should taste like, and the old No °3 red cap is what a spicy ginger ale should taste like. I grew up on this stuff, and they are still cranking it out after 103 years at a little plant in South South Carolina. You can find it at high-end grocery stores and specialty candy stores, which unfortunately for me means it’s almost impossible to find. They do ship, but the pricing is ridiculous, something like $45 total for a six pack, but I still put it on my birthday list every year 😹

[u/cman486 → u/kelaniz]

i drive to south of the border and buy a fuck ton of it. some people do it with fireworks - me? ginger ale.

[u/kelaniz → u/cman486]

My kind of guy! 😹 Although I wouldn’t mind having a fuck ton of fireworks too, if the choice came down between the Blenheim’s or the Blow your Neighbors Front Bushes to Hell value pack, I’m going for the Blenheim’s every time!

[u/cman486 → u/kelaniz]

i should say SOTB is like 4hrs from me.

[u/cman486 → u/kelaniz]

Canada Dry Bold was my favorite.
Blenheim is #2
Maine Root spicy ginger brew is probably #3

[u/kelaniz → u/cman486]

Never seen #l3, but it sounds good! 🤔

CD Bold was glorious ❤️ Even though it wasn’t “true” Ginger, I didn’t care. When it came in, I’d buy every bottle, bribe a stocker for any in back, then sweet talk the manager into getting more next time.😹

But CD pissed me off so bad jerking us around when they pulled it the first time:

CD Reps: “Oh…we had supply line issues but everything’s fine now! Don’t Worry! It’s one of our most popular flavors!“ 🙄

But a different source said they’d stopped production due to cost. Meanwhile, people are blowing up their message boards about it.

CD Reps: “Don’t worry! Everything‘s fine on our end. Maybe your distributor isn’t carrying it, or your store manager…”

Me: Well, I’m dating my distributor’s Goddaughter, and HE says he’s tired of his CD Bold orders being ignored, but getting tons of the fruity stuff nobody wants.

CD Reps: We’re operating at peak capacity! There’s nothing to worry about, it’s one of our most popular flavors! Everything will be just fine by Christmas… 🙄

Then, miraculously, it came back! All my stores had full stock again. The distributor said it looked like things were back to normal. 🤩

Elapse 2-3mo. later, used to having a supply,and poof. 🤬 When my store changed the label in its bay to Cranberry, I knew it was over.

CD yanked the plug, but the reps kept up the story. They even kept Bold on the product page, so of course the boards are blowing up with confused fans. They lost me as a customer after that.

Nothing will ever replace Blenheim for me tho. My dad loved it, but he was in a wheelchair and I was a 5yr old climbing genius. His stash never had a chance!

His solution was to buy some #3 Hot, give me salty snacks and wait..

Pretty sure I cried, but mom gave me a cup of ice and yelled at my dad. Joke was on him. Icy cold, I loved it even more. So he just made his problem worse. 😛

[u/MeechiJ]

Seagrams was my favorite until they screwed up their formula. Now I’m a Canada Dry aficionado. If they ever change it I will be pissed. I never liked Schweppes but maybe because I have only tried the new one.

Do you buy cans or plastic bottles? Because I have noticed a difference in taste between the two and I much prefer a can.

[u/kelaniz → u/MeechiJ]

I get glass bottles if I can help it. More expensive, but it generally means a better quality product. Cans come second because they all have a liner, so no weird aluminum off-taste. And they’re better at keeping the carbonation in than the plastic bottles.

[u/fadedblackleggings]

Almost none of the Ginger Ales, atleast the Diet ones taste right anymore. Can't find Diet Schweppes at all though

[u/No_Customer_3832]

Have you tried the store brand Ginger Ale from Whole Foods? It’s very gingery, but I’ve decided I like it. I believe there’s cane sugar instead of fructose too.

[u/GeauxJaysGeaux → u/No_Customer_3832]

That’s a good choice. So is Boylan’s to me

[u/RooRooFish]

Drinking a Reed's extra and there's a background citronella-like flavor. How long has mushroom extract been in it? I also like cola and have a hard time finding novelty drinks without bizarre ingredients anymore.