Welcome back to Joey’s Craft Soda Review! If you follow the Craft Beverage Jobs blog then you know that as a rule, we do NOT do reviews. There are plenty of review blogs out there and they do a great job highlighting craft beverages. We stick to careers and industry news.
However, there is always an exception to every rule. Meet our exception, Joey Godinez! Joey is a 15 year old who not only loves to drink craft soda but loves to write about it as well. We were so impressed with Joey’s skills that we invited him to review one craft soda each month and share his review as our guest on the Craft Beverage Jobs Blog. We think you will be impressed!
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 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.
Hank’s Gourmet Philadelphia Recipe Root Beer
History: Hank’s Beverage Company was founded in 1995 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Bill Dunman and his partners John, Frank, and Tony Salvatore. The company is now based in Trevose, Pennsylvania, and their drinks sell in over 40 states across the U.S.
Aesthetics: Hank’s labels feel very flat and uninteresting in my opinion. That coupled with the fact that out of all the Hank’s beverages I’ve tried, none have ever had properly placed/centered labels, and there’s not much you’d expect from it. It’s plenty shiny though, if you like that sort of thing. 3/10 rating.
Scent: Smells strongly of vanilla and cream, which are awesome, as well as sarsaparilla, which is in every root beer known to mankind. It really does smell delicious though, like a root beer float. Personally, I think it’s one of the best smelling root beers ever, and I’ve smelled a lot of different root beers (avoids eye contact). 9/10 rating.
Carbonation: Somewhat flat for me, although root beers are generally not very carbonated. I think a little bit more would have been better. 6/10 rating.
Taste: Ah yes, my favorite part of the review – the taste. Having smelled a lot of root beers in the past, I have also tasted a lot of them, and with that being said, this is definitely in my top 3. It’s got a heavy creamy taste that is present in a lot of my favorite root beers, and it’s not overly sweet like some other brands. It also doesn’t have that artificial/chemical bitterness that some big batch root beers have from not using real flavors. There’s a taste that I can’t put my finger on, but I really enjoy it. So yeah, definitely in the top 3. 9/10 rating.
…you should never judge a book by its cover.
Overall: Flat, boring label that shows you should never judge a book by it’s cover. Creamy, vanilla-ish smell that matches the taste very well, although a little flat. Overall, 7/10 Rating.
Meet Joey Godinez
Joey’s Shy
Joey Godinez is the 15 year old son of a blogger Mom; big brother to two sisters; and judging by the photo he sent us, he is in the witness protection program.
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.