B.R.P.
Enterprises, d.b.a. Northwest Soda Works, often referred to currently as
"Bedford's Sodas," was the brainchild of Ed Bedford in 1983. It took Ed a year
to find a couple of investors and launch the first bottling in 1984. Steve
Sourapas, then owner of the Dr. Pepper Bottling Company in the Georgetown area
of Seattle, believed in marketing a premium crème soda, which
Ed called Crème Beer! Crème Beer was a prevalent flavor during and
following prohibition, and many small towns and larger brewers also went into
the soda business when they could no longer produce beer.
Investors
eventually decided to go other directions, and two-thirds of the company was
sold to Unique Beverages of Everett, Washington. Unique marketed the product for
about five years and decided to put it up for sale. At that time, Ed purchased
the stock of Unique and became the sole owner of the brand. Ed
changed all the formulas from corn syrup to pure cane sugar, producing only in glass. Working with Orca Beverage of Mukilteo Washington, the
company has grown continually and added three new flavors. Today, you can find Crème Beer, Root Beer, Ginger Ale, Ginger Beer, and the latest
Orange Crème offered through many grocery stores and restaurants throughout the
United States.
Bedford,
now semi-retired, has spent nearly 45 years in the beverage business. He enjoys his passion for soda, traveling just enough to watch the company grow again and teach his children about the industry.
Ingredients:
Carbonated Water,
Caramel Color, Pure Cane Sugar, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Gum Arabic Qualia,
Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate as a Preservative
Nutrition 12
oz. serving (from the bottle)
180
Calories
40 mg Sodium.
44 g (15 %) of Daily
Carbohydrates
mg Caffeine
Aroma and Flavor – 2 out
of 3 mugs
Before
I start, this is another brew that has Quillaia. In the last few, I noted a similar strange, hard-to-place taste and thought it may be the Quillaia.
The
aroma is very vanilla with slight root beer undertones. The first sip was smooth and very strong in
the caramel and vanilla flavor. This is
a very unique soda. There is a cherry
Dr. Pepper hint to the flavor. There was
that aftertaste that I have found before in the Qualia beverages. I'm still figuring out if that is the odd taste. The aftertaste left me with a dry
mouth.
Head – 1.0 out of 3 mugs
The head was relatively small
and short-lived.
Zip – 1.75 out of 3 mugs
The
zip is somewhat limited. While there is a unique flavor, the blend is limited to vanilla, caramel, and a slight
cherry.
Post Consumption Impression – 2 out of 3 mugs
I enjoyed the drink, but I did not like the
dry mouth sensation after finishing the brew. I would not hesitate to try it again unless there was a favorite
available as an alternative.
Would I recommend this at 6.75 out of 12 mugs?
This is the first time I see sugar listed as the third
ingredient. The sugar and sodium content are higher than I
prefer, yet that should not deter me from trying the
beverage. The brew would have been a point higher without the cherry
taste.
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