Sprecher Red Apple Soda

Another of the fanciful sodas I bought from Cybercandy, this one purports to be red apple flavored, as opposed to your run-of-the-mill green apple soda.  Which... actually, I suppose is a bit run-of-the-mill here, isn't it? What with your Tangos and your Appletizers and all.

In the USA any kind of apple soda would seem quite novel, and I can only guess that it is because other apple drinks are so ubiquitous.

When I was in elementary school, we were served these squat little foil-topped cups of grape and apple juice, and they didn't taste very nice at all...kinda metallic and extremely sweet, like someone dropped a penny in some flat soda. It took me years to accept apple juice and apple cider as potentially tasty drinks, and I still don't trust any grape juice within 20 feet of me.

So, this soda tasted a bit like those apple juice cups, except in a much cuter package with some fizz.


The label really make me think of an artisanal beer, with the gothic font and bright graphics... which makes sense because Sprecher also produces such beers.

 
Cute little fella (I'm assuming Jeckle), hiding out behind some apples. Very autumnal!

The color of the soda was intense, really was like the color of a candy apple or a freezy pop's liquid--a real lip stainer. I was really surprised by that, because the soda otherwise seemed to be quite natural. For instance, raw honey was used as a sweetener.

The flavor was even more intense, and while my husband thought it was pretty nice, I thought it tasted just like a candle. It was SO intense, like a red apple-scented candle had coated itself in a fine sugar and launched into your mouth, unprovoked. My other half thought it just tasted like a red apple version of Appletiser, and remained neutral during my lambasts.

 It definitely tasted like a red apple, not tart or tangy, just sweet and...apple-y. Like apple juice, except bright red, quite sweet, and extremely fragrant. It was not the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten, and I did my part to polish off the whole 16oz bottle, but I would not be picking this one up again. I just can't imagine anyone liking red apples this much. I'd definitely try a different Sprecher, though! I like the idea of raw honey as a sweetener, even though the bright red coloring kind of eliminated the healthy soda angle.